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Davidson shines as Princeton football beats Butler to open season

PU FTB vs. Columbia
Kevin Davidson made his second career start against Butler Photo Credit: Beverly Schaefer / goprincetontigers.com

Senior quarterback Kevin Davidson spent the first three years of his Princeton career backing up Chad Kanoff ’18 and John Lovett ’19, two quarterbacks who won Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year awards and signed NFL contracts.

In the 2019 season opener, Davidson started to prove he is a worthy successor. He completed 18 of 21 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, and Princeton beat Butler 49–7 to start the 150th season of Princeton football with a convincing win.

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“John and Chad were tremendous mentors,” Davidson said. “They both called me yesterday and said, ‘it’s your time, go out and play like we know you prepared to play.’ It felt great.”

The win Saturday bore a striking resemblance to one of the many lopsided wins in Princeton’s undefeated 2018 campaign — the Tigers scored early and often while stifling the opponent’s offense.

After failing to convert a 4th-and-short in the Butler red zone on its first possession, Princeton went on to score touchdowns on its next six drives. Meanwhile, Princeton’s defense allowed only five first downs in the first half, and the Tigers took a commanding 42–0 lead into halftime. Reserves started to enter the game in the third quarter, and Princeton coasted to a 42-point win.

“I thought we came out today really energetic,” said head coach Bob Surace ’90. “Our poise and execution were really good.”

Princeton will face tougher opposition than Butler this season, but if Davidson continues to play the way he did Saturday, Princeton has reason to be optimistic. The Bulldogs struggled to match Princeton’s size and physicality on the interior and speed on the perimeter.

Davidson showed off his strong arm, throwing one ball over 50 yards in the air accurately for a long completion. He also made smart decisions with the football, committing no turnovers and completing passes to eight different receivers.

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It was the senior’s second career start; he filled in for an injured Lovett in 2018 and threw 299 yards and four touchdowns against Brown. He practiced with the starters throughout the 2019 training camp and seems to have cemented himself as the primary option behind center.

“I think it probably eased his nerves,” Surace said about Davidson’s experience last season. “Once you do it, you know you can do it. He’s practiced so well in the spring, he’s practiced so well in camp. I think he feels really comfortable.”

His job was made easier by an offensive line that gave him ample time to throw, and receivers who consistently got open. Sophomore receivers Andrei Iosivas and Dylan Classi, junior receiver Jacob Birmelin, and senior receiver Andrew Griffin played little last season at a position dominated by Jesper Horsted ’19 and Stephen Carlson ’19, but they demonstrated their talent against Butler and combined for 257 yards.

“Over the summer, we would throw like five times a week,” Davidson said about his receiving corps. “We have the trust factor, that really helped us today.”

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On defense, Princeton limited Butler to just 274 yards of total offense. Junior defensive back Delan Stallworth led the way with eight tackles and an interception.

Princeton continues non-conference play next Saturday at Bucknell before returning to Princeton Stadium Oct. 5 to open Ivy League play against Columbia.

NOTES

Iosivas recorded his first two career catches — both of which were touchdowns. The second came on a nifty trick play with Classi delivering the throw.

Senior placekicker Tavish Rice handled the placekicking duties on Princeton’s extra points. Rice is a kickoff specialist with a powerful leg, but junior placekicker Nicolas Ramos did most of the field goal kicking last season.

The official depth chart listed three “starters” at quarterback: Davidson, senior Zachary Keller, and junior Cole Smith. Keller entered the game for a handful of short-yardage situations, but Smith didn’t see much playing time until late in the game.