Football: Title hopes grow slim after loss to Harvard

The football team’s run for the 2008 Ivy League title is likely over, following a 24-20 loss to Harvard (4-2 overall, 3-1 Ivy League) on Oct. 25 at Princeton Stadium.

The Tigers (2-4, 1-2) can take little solace from having outplayed Harvard in many facets of the game. Junior running back Jordan Culbreath put in another excellent performance, carrying 29 times for 154 yards and scoring both Princeton touchdowns. The effective running game allowed Princeton to hold onto the ball for 37 minutes, 27 seconds, while the Crimson only had the ball for 22:33. Overall, the Tigers outgained Harvard by 18 yards, picked up eight more first downs and surrendered 33 fewer penalty yards.

But Harvard made the key plays that Princeton did not and was able to come out with a much-needed road victory.

“I thought we were outplayed at times, and I thought we were out coached at times,” Harvard head coach Tim Murphy said. “But we always tell our kids to never ever give up. The clutch plays during the final two drives were inspiring.”

Those crucial plays came after Princeton drove 87 yards from its own two-yard line but failed to score on third and four from the Harvard 11. Sophomore wide receiver Trey Peacock was not able to hang on to senior quarterback and tri-captain Brian Anderson’s pass, forcing the Tigers to settle for a field goal and a 20-17 lead with 7:16 to go in the final quarter.

On the ensuing drive, the Crimson found itself with a fourth and one on its own 46-yard line and opted to go for it. Quarterback Chris Pizzotti lofted a perfect ball to tight end Jason Miller, who rumbled 13 yards down to Princeton’s 41. On the next play, Pizzotti fired a deep pass that came off his hand incorrectly. Despite the high-sailing ball, six-foot, six-inch wideout Matt Luft effectively positioned himself under the ball and pulled it down at the six-yard line. Two plays later, running back Gino Gordon did the honors, and Harvard took the lead, 24-20, with 3:34 left to play. The Tigers were unable to score, however, and Gordon’s touchdown proved to be the game-winner.

On the other side of the ball, Princeton was once again plagued by miscues and red zone failures.

The Tigers blew an enormous opportunity to open up a wide margin at the end of the first half. Up 14-10, the Tigers were faced with third and two from the Harvard three-yard line with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. Princeton took a timeout before the play in preparation, but Anderson’s pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by cornerback Matthew Hanson.

At the time, the setback did not seem important, as Princeton’s offense looked good early on. To keep Anderson’s injured non-throwing shoulder from suffering more damage, Princeton head coach Roger Hughes mixed in junior Dan Kopolovich.

“We were moving the ball on these guys, and we knew we just needed to keep executing,” Hughes said.

The play was foreboding, however, as Princeton would not score a touchdown during the second half, while Harvard scored two. Culbreath was candid in his post-game analysis of Princeton’s collapse.

“I feel like I’m saying the same thing after every game,” Culbreath said. “We come out in the second half, and we blow it.”

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“We needed this win to get back on our feet,” the junior added. “It’s really frustrating.”

On the first drive of the game, the Tigers were forced to punt following a three and out. Harvard punt returner Andrew Berry — Princeton wideout and tri-captain Adam Berry’s twin brother — did not signal fair catch despite oncoming tacklers. Sophomore defensive back Meko McCray made his second big play in as many weeks, jarring the ball loose with a menacing hit, then recovering the fumble in the ensuing chaos. Princeton scored its first touchdown five plays later on a Culbreath run from one yard out.

The Crimson wasted little time firing back, as Pizzotti completed a 42-yard bomb to Luft on the next possession. Harvard couldn’t do much with a first down on the Tigers 15-yard line, though, as two passes fell incomplete, and a short dump off to running back Ben Jenkins failed to give Harvard a first down. The Crimson’s eight-play, 66-yard drive ended with a field goal, bringing the score to 7-3.

Princeton replied with a 12-play, 80-yard drive of its own. Anderson connected with senior wide receiver Will Thanheiser twice for 21 yards, Kopolovich rushed twice for eight yards and connected with Adam Berry for five yards, and Culbreath added 35 yards to his total, including a 10-yard touchdown run.

Princeton stopped Harvard on fourth down from the Princeton 42 on the next drive, as Jenkins was brought down from behind by senior defensive end Pete Buchignani. The Tigers quickly drove to the Harvard 28, but a snap over Kopolovich’s head set them back 17 yards. Peacock caught his one ball of the day for 13 yards on the next play, but on fourth and 14 from the Harvard 32, Anderson’s pass sailed over Thanheiser’s head. It was here that the momentum started to change.

Harvard scored its first touchdown of the day, and Pizzotti finally got into a rhythm. The Ivy League’s leading passer connected on three straight passes for 50 yards, then found wideout Chris Lorditch in the endzone from 15 yards out.

Princeton’s next drive also ended on fourth down from the Harvard 31. The Tigers were hesitant to attempt field goals due to the wind, rain and injury to senior kicker Conner Louden. So when Anderson was sacked on third and five from the Harvard 25, Princeton was effectively pushed out of field-goal range, bringing up a long fourth-down attempt, which Princeton could not convert. The Tigers forced a punt on the Crimson’s next drive, however, before commencing their ill-fated half-ending drive.

Harvard scored again on its first possession of the second half. On third and 10 from the Princeton 33, Pizzotti saw openings downfield. With the help of a great block from Gordon, the quarterback tucked the ball and took off down the sideline, scoring untouched.

After trading punts, Princeton tied the game at 17 with a 23-yard field goal from junior Ben Bologna after Culbreath was stopped for a four-yard loss on third and goal from the Harvard two-yard line as the third quarter wound down. Bologna would make a 28 yarder halfway through the fourth to give the Tigers a 20-17 lead, but a little less than three minutes later, Gordon would make his six-yard touchdown run, putting the game out of reach for Princeton.

The loss will be a tough one for the Tigers to recover from. It is the second time in three weeks that Princeton has seen a sensational performance by Culbreath go to waste. As no team has won the Ivy League with two league losses in 26 years, it is unlikely the Tigers will be competing for a title in 2008. The possibility of a second bonfire in three years has also been eliminated.