Football: With pride on the line, Tigers take field

Junior tailback Jordan Culbreath, for example, can become the sixth Tiger to crack 1,000 rushing yards in a season, and senior wide receiver Will Thanheiser is in contention for the Ivy League receiving yards title, sitting only 40 yards behind Harvard’s Matt Luft.

So even though an Ivy League title or a winning season are not at stake in Saturday’s 1 p.m. contest against Dartmouth (0-9 overall, 0-6 Ivy League) at Princeton Stadium, when the Tigers (3-6, 2-4) take the field, you shouldn’t expect their intensity level to be at all diminished.

“I think most seniors have mixed feelings about it being their last game,” senior quarterback and tri-captain Brian Anderson said. “They are proud to step on the field for the last time after four years of hard work, but many will have to come to terms with the fact that this will be their last organized football game.”

Even without the potential personal achievements, the matchup has historical significance. The game marks the first chance Princeton has had at a five-year win streak over the Big Green since the Tigers dominated Dartmouth from 1949-1952, during which Princeton boasted a national championship in 1950 and the 1951 Heisman Trophy winner in Dick Kazmaier ’52.

But the Tigers’ opponent have history on the line too. One would have to go back 125 years to find Dartmouth’s last winless season. In 1883, the Big Green went 0-1 following a 5-3 loss against Williams.

The cards are definitely in Princeton’s favor tomorrow. The Big Green is on an 11-game losing streak, has lost 24 of its last 25 road games and ranks last in the Ivy League in scoring offense and defense, total offense and defense, and rushing offense and defense.

The most critical aspect of the game for the Tigers will be their offensive ground game. The Big Green’s defense has allowed an average of 222.4 rushing yards per game and has given up 25 touchdowns on the ground this fall. This weakness plays right into Princeton’s strength: Culbreath leads the league in rushing yards, and this game gives him the opportunity to clinch the Ivy rushing title, as Yale’s Mike McLeod trails the junior by 71 yards.

Culbreath’s teammates said that they are anxious to see him finish on top and hope that he’ll accomplish his goal.

“I know my man Jordan Culbreath is leading the league in a couple of offensive categories, including rushing,” junior outside linebacker Scott Britton said. “I’m sure he’d like to finish on top of the league.

“As for everyone else, I think we all just want to have our best games of the season, especially those guys who are hanging up their cleats on Saturday,” Britton added.

The Tigers will have to be on their guard, however. Princeton’s secondary has yet to gel as unit, so it will be challenged facing an offense that generates more than 200 yards in the air each game.

While the Tigers will count on senior leadership from its tri-captains both emotionally and on the field, Dartmouth has started looking to its young talent to try to snap the program’s long skid.

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Quarterback Conner Kempe made his first collegiate start Nov. 8 against Cornell for which he earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors. Kempe boasts a 55.3 completion percentage, though the freshman has thrown five interceptions this season.

Another rookie, cornerback Shawn Abuhoff, has also been one of few bright spots in the Big Green’s dismal season. Abuhoff set a school record with 190 kick-return yards in last week’s 45-16 loss to Brown, 94 of which came on a single touchdown run. Princeton’s special teams unit will have to be ready to contend with the offensive threat the freshman poses.

“I don’t think there is a single person on the team who is satisfied with our record this year,” Britton said. “We all came to Princeton to win championships, and anything short is always disappointing. If anything, I think this will only motivate the guys returning to work harder this off-season.”

So even though the game will have no bearing on the top of the Ivy standings, a lot is still at stake, especially for the 51 seniors — 25 on the Tigers’ roster and 26 on the Big Green’s — who will don their gear for the last time Saturday.