With their three wins, Princeton football (3–2 overall, 2–0 Ivy League) has already matched their victory count from the 2024 season. In arguably their biggest matchup this year, the Tigers will take on the undefeated Harvard Crimson (5–0, 2–0) at home in the annual Homecoming game.
With a bonfire and a timeless rivalry on the line, here are The Daily Princetonian’s picks for the game.
Princeton 35, Harvard 28 — Lily Pampolina, Associate Sports Editor
Coming off of a win against Columbia, Princeton has all the momentum they need to propel them to another win within the Ivy League — although the Crimson are anything but an easy target. Harvard, who has been an offensive powerhouse all season, has only conceded more than ten points to their opponents in one game this season and has not yet scored less than 30 themselves. But with a week of preparation under their belt and a strong home field advantage, Princeton is equipped to hand Harvard their first tally in the loss column.
The Crimson defense has succeeded all season in preventing their opponents from scoring in the red zone. Their opponents, like Holy Cross, were able to find the most breakthroughs with quick, sweeping passing plays that caught the Crimson defense off guard. In order to put points on the board, Princeton must have confidence in its passing game and consistently convert third-down opportunities. Additionally, against Holy Cross, Harvard converted three straight touchdowns from Crusader turnovers, so the Tigers must protect the ball under pressure.
Though Princeton has rotated the quarterback position up until this point, the importance of the passing game against Harvard positions senior Kai Colón as the Tigers’ best fit. Colón has six passing touchdowns on the year, while his counterpart, senior Blaine Hipa, has none. Both will be integral to Princeton’s success in driving down the field, but look for Colón’s consistency in the red zone for putting points on the board for the Orange and Black.
Princeton 31, Harvard 28 — Lucas Nor, Sports Staff Writer
Powers Field is set to host an enormous game on homecoming weekend. Harvard, undefeated and rolling, has been nothing short of dominant this season and will make the trip south with a seemingly unstoppable wave of momentum. With its closest game being a 24-point win, the Crimson will be hungry for another big win over their rival, but I think Princeton is ready for the challenge.
In order to come out on top against Harvard, the Tigers will need to win at the line of scrimmage and force turnovers. After forcing four turnovers and out-gaining Brown on the ground last week, Princeton will need to mirror a similar performance this Saturday. While the Crimson offense is extremely dynamic, Princeton’s defense is the best they’ll have faced thus far. If the Tigers can consistently put quarterback Jaden Craig under pressure and force errant throws, Princeton’s offense will consistently have a short field to work with, and the Tigers will be in control.
Offensively, Princeton has been making leaps of improvement as well. Senior quarterback Kai Colón is becoming increasingly comfortable with the starting role, and, alongside recent stellar play from junior running back Ethan Clark and first-year wide receiver Josh Robinson, there is no reason why Princeton’s attack can’t effectively move down the field against Harvard. They’ve got to take care of the ball and establish the running game. Long Princeton drives will be key in this one, as will keeping possession out of Harvard’s scary offense and putting the Crimson defense on its heels.
This is an enormous rivalry game and both teams are undefeated in Ivy League play. It’s going to be a high-scoring, emotional, nail-biting contest. But, with the home crowd on their side, I see Princeton making the final big play on Saturday. The Tigers will pull off a statement victory and cement themselves as true contenders for the Ivy League crown.
Princeton 31, Harvard 27 — Jordan Halagao, Sports Contributor
In this highly-anticipated Princeton-Harvard rivalry match-up, the two teams find themselves in a three-way tie for first in the Ivy League along with Penn.
Harvard has been playing top-notch football. On paper, they’re putting up a stellar 44.8 points per game, and rank second in total defense; however, one could say that Harvard is relatively unproven. Four of their five wins came against teams with a losing record, with two of them against winless squads at Holy Cross and Cornell.
Generating turnovers has shown its importance in Princeton’s other Ivy matches this year and will be a key factor if the Tigers are to pull off this win: Recall how the team’s two interceptions against Columbia helped shift the momentum and win them the game. This past Saturday, the Princeton defense posted three picks against Brown in their waltz to victory. To slow down the high-flying Harvard offense, the defense needs takeaways.
Of course, the offense needs to build off of the success they found in their 40–21 win last week against the Brown Bears, who Harvard also beat by more than 40 points earlier this year. The duo of sophomore running back Kai Honda and junior running back Ethan Clark looked unstoppable against the Bears and will need another successful rushing day. Also, for the Tigers, expect first-year wide receiver Josh Robinson, who has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times in a row, to step up big again.
Lily Pampolina is an associate Sports editor and assistant Audience editor for the ‘Prince.’
Lucas Nor is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Jordan Halagao is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
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