On a fall afternoon in 1989, Bob Surace ’90 — then a senior center for the Orange and Black — watched senior running back Judd Garrett ’90 throw a touchdown pass in a trick play that gave the Tigers their first score in their 28-14 win over Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.
Twenty-one years later, Surace — now head coach of the football team — recreated a piece of history as he crafted a similar play that led to senior tight end Harry Flaherty, Garrett’s nephew, opening up the scoring for Princeton (1-5 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) with a touchdown pass. The parallel ended there, however, because the Tigers lost 45-28 to Harvard (4-2, 2-1) at Princeton Stadium.
These sorts of crafty designs defined Saturday’s game. Princeton, reeling from injuries and with its back against the wall, pulled out all the stops and tried every play in the book in an effort to keep a powerful Harvard team off balance and out of the end zone.
The Tigers began the game with a strong six-play drive that culminated in Flaherty throwing the first pass of his collegiate career, a 22-yard bullet to senior wide receiver Andrew Kerr for a score.
“We had done that screen before, and [offensive coordinator James] Perry and I talked about doing it this game,” Surace said. “I didn’t know if Flaherty could throw or not — but he’s a Garrett, so I figured he could.”
Harvard, surprised by the trick play, had a weak first drive, completing only two passes and gaining just 6 yards. After freshman wide receiver Roman Wilson returned the Crimson’s punt to Princeton’s 43-yard line, it looked as if the Tigers would be able to quickly extend their lead to double digits.
Princeton, led by freshman quarterback Connor Kelley, worked efficiently and purposefully, gaining 32 yards in five plays to make it deep into Crimson territory. But with third-and-16 at Harvard’s 31-yard line, Kelley threw an interception that was caught by the Crimson’s Dan Minamide, who was downed at the 6-yard line.
Rejuvenated by the interception, Harvard’s offense roared to life. In just four plays, the Crimson gained 94 yards, thanks mostly to a 52-yard run by running back Gino Gordon, and ran the ball in for a touchdown.
With the score even at 7-7, Harvard opened the second quarter with another methodical scoring drive. Displaying its variety, the Crimson used a combination of passing and running plays to move 80 yards and earn its second score of the game.
Princeton, still within striking distance and feeling confident from its early touchdown, responded with some focused plays of its own. After driving for 52 yards, senior quarterback Andrew Dixon, who split time with Kelley during the game, saw Kerr open in the end zone and threw a pass to him. Though it seemed Kerr caught the ball while out of bounds, the pass was ruled complete and the Tigers evened the score once again.
“I think we had [Harvard] off-balance,” Kerr said. “We came out physical and tough.”
Kerr’s touchdown was one of the last high points of the half. For the remainder of the second quarter, Harvard exposed and exploited the weaknesses in Princeton’s defense, maintaining possession of the ball for six of the period's last nine minutes and putting together a 13-play scoring drive in the process.
Already leading 21-14, the Crimson showed no signs of slowing down when the third quarter began. Harvard’s Collier Winters, who missed the first five games of the season with an injury, came in at quarterback for the Crimson at the start of the second half and immediately earned six points for the Boston team with a 26-yard touchdown pass.
Princeton was unfazed. With 10 minutes left in the quarter, the Tigers made their way to Harvard’s 33-yard line and ran a Statue of Liberty play: After taking the snap, Kelley faked a pass and handed the ball off behind his back to senior running back Jordan Culbreath, who then launched a 33-yard pass to senior wide receiver Trey Peacock for a touchdown.
“We’ve had trick plays every week — a few here or there,” Surace said. “Today, we had some we really liked. We keep searching for answers, and as frustrated as we are, we have to search for results. The more things we can do ... the better.”
Though Princeton was unable to score again in the third quarter, Harvard notched a field goal and another touchdown to make the score 38-21. Princeton earned one more touchdown — a 1-yard run by Peacock — before giving up a touchdown in the final minutes of the game to lose 45-28.
“It’s disappointing,” Surace said. “They’re frustrated; I’m frustrated. They’re playing hard, and we’re just coming up short. There are no moral victories, though, so we’re just going to go back to work.”
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