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Princeton Preview

Yale travels to Princeton, New Jersey this week to take on the 5-3 Princeton Tigers at 1 PM ET on Saturday.  You can catch the game on Eleven Sports or the Ivy League Network.

Trying to limit Princeton’s offense will be the toughest challenge our defense has faced all season.  Senior QB Chad Kanoff has completed over 74% of his passes for 2,576 yards, 22 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions.  Princeton’s offensive line is great in pass protection and Kanoff has had ample time to pick apart opposing defenses.  Kanoff prefers throwing to receivers running short and medium length routes.  WR Jesper Horsted has had a phenomenal year with 74 catches for 929 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Horsted’s fellow WR Stephen Carlson is a big target at 6-4, 225 lbs. and has 723 receiving yards on the season.  RB Charlie Volker hits the hole hard and fast, but lacks the vision to be an elite back in this conference.  Penn let Princeton get back into the game last week with turnovers and a botched punt that allowed the Tigers to start their drives in Quaker territory.  Princeton’s offense likes to march down the field methodically, so pinning them deep in their own territory will be crucial to winning this game.

Princeton’s defense has suffered through an injury-plagued season, but they still have the talent to stifle a stale offense.  Penn ripped Princeton’s defense last week completing 17 of 20 passes and had two backs rush for over 100 yards each.  Yale should be able to wear out this front seven and get the ball rolling in the ground game.  LB Thomas Johnson is a speedy defender that can run down plays on the backside and has racked up 70 tackles on the season.  DL Kurt Holuba is dominant along the defensive front for Princeton, but did not play last week at Penn.  Freshman CB CJ Wall leads the Tigers with 3 interceptions thus far.  Yale needs to score early and often on this Princeton defense to stay in the game.

Keys to the Game:

  • Bend, but don’t break on defense
  • Establish the running game to burn the clock
  • Key on Horsted and Carlson in pass coverage
  • Pin Princeton deep on special teams
  • Make Kanoff uncomfortable in the pocket

5 replies on “Princeton Preview”

If Yale needs anything to motivate them this week, they can think of last year’s pounding by Princeton and the fact that a win will mean at least a tie for an Ivy League championship. You don’t want to put that off ’til Harvard (not with their record in the Bowl!).

Yale, remember last year?
Play the full game with intensity and don’t let up!
This is the game we need to win. It’s been way to long for Yale to be without a championship.
Go Blue!!! Beat those tigers! Beat em bad?

Time for us to play 60 minutes. Princeton will complete passes for sure, and it will be hard to keep them off the scoreboard. Eli O needs to finish drives, severely limit turnovers.

I’d be ecstatic if we go 2-0, win the ol’ Big Three and take our first unshared Ivy crown in 37 years (1980). If we must go 1-1… then let’s whip Harvard again. Haven’t beaten ’em in The Bowl since infirmary escapee Walland hit Eric Johnson in ’99.

Wylde Bill, WYBC Sports (1982-’87)

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