Princeton Notes

The Yale Bulldogs moved to 6-3 with a 42-28 victory over the Princeton Tigers. Harvard’s 4^th quarter comeback against Penn officially eliminated Yale from championship contention.

Yale’s offensive plans were derailed with an early hit on Pantelis that left him motionless on the field. The hit was initially cited for targeting but after review, the targeting penalty was overturned. “Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area” is a targeting penalty per the 2024 NCAA Football Rules Book, so it was a baffling decision to overturn the penalty. Jordan was very efficient in the passing game as he completed 81.3% of his passes for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns. The offensive line was able to generate a push against Princeton’s front seven which allowed Yale to rack up 281 rushing yards and 6.0 yards per carry. Pitsenberger had a fantastic outing with 159 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Jordan displayed his impressive elusiveness with 59 rushing yards and a touchdown along with the longest run of the game on a 24-yard scramble downfield. Peterson played well with 53 rushing yards on just 9 attempts. Nenad and Felton picked up the slack with Pantelis out of the lineup. Nenad’s 31-yard touchdown in the 4^th quarter was a dagger to Princeton, while Felton made difficult grabs to keep the chains moving. Pitsenberger had a great receiving touchdown as he ran over a Princeton cornerback for the score. Yale’s ability to control the clock with rushing success and covert on all four red zone trips were keys to the victory.

Yale’s defense did not have a stellar showing as 406 yards were allowed with 5.6 yards per play. This contest could have had an unfortunate outcome if it weren’t for Ayo-Durojaiye’s forced fumble for a touchdown and interception in the endzone. Ayo-Durojaiye led the Bulldogs in tackles with 9 and posted 2 sacks to go along with his forced fumble and interception. Biggs and Grant struggled at the other inside linebacker position with difficulty shedding blockers and filling lanes. Kamara was solid in run support with 8 tackles but was beaten for a passing touchdown. Guyton went down early with an injury, leaving Thompson, Gonzales, Saffold and Webster to try to contain Princeton’s talented receiving corps. Thompson was out of position far too often in coverage on Barber and Colella. Tarver and Daniyan seemed to be a step too slow in providing support in pass coverage. Egodogbare and Gulley manhandled interior offensive linemen, although as soon as they rotated out, Princeton gashed Yale with a 37-yard touchdown run from Volker. Egodogbare also returned the forced fumble caused by Ayo-Durojaiye for a touchdown. McDonough continued to be a bright spot for the defense with 2.5 sacks on the afternoon. Harvard has the most talented offense in the Ivy League, so the Bulldogs will need to strive to shore up both the rush and pass defense in practice this week.

Conforti was perfect on all 6 PATs and did not attempt a field goal. Florio had an excellent day with a 43.0-yard punting average. Coverage teams played solidly and Princeton’s poor long snap on a punt attempt gave Yale great field advantage to sway the momentum.