Princeton Preview

The Yale Bulldogs travel to Princeton, New Jersey this week for a showdown against the Princeton Tigers. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

Princeton enters the contest with a 3-5 overall record (2-3 Ivy) with wins over Lafayette, Columbia, and Brown. The Tigers dropped two close contests in consecutive weeks to Cornell and Dartmouth with Princeton falling by a score of 17-20 in both contests. This contest has all the markings of a trap game, but Princeton cannot be overlooked as the Tigers have a talented squad that will be playing with a high level of motivation to secure a morale-boosting win over their rival in what has been a disappointing season to date. Surace is not likely on the hot seat given his prior success, although the administration and alumni will only accept so many rivalry losses before a change is mandated.

Senior QB Kai Colon (6’2”, 210 lbs.) leads Princeton’s offense and has completed 59.8% of his passes this season for 1,534 yards, 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Senior QB Blaine Hipa (6’2”, 200 lbs.) has also played in all 8 contests and is a slightly better rusher than Colon, although his role has been diminished from a year ago when he started 9 contests. Junior RB Ethan Clarke (6’1”, 210 lbs.) is a hardnosed runner who is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has scored 5 rushing touchdowns on the season. Clark is also dangerous out of the backfield on passing plays with 15 receptions and 2 receiving touchdowns. Sophomore RB Kai Honda (5’10”, 200 lbs.) has been impressive with 4.7 yards per carry but did not play in the contest last week versus Dartmouth. Freshman WR Josh Robinson (5’7”, 165 lbs.) could become the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and leads Princeton in receptions and receiving yards with 34 catches for 388 yards. Junior WRs Roman Laurio (6’0”, 180 lbs.), Aidan Besselman (6’1”, 185 lbs.), and Jackson Green (6’2”, 195 lbs.) all see frequent targets and must be accounted for in the passing game. Junior TE Joey Wassler (6’5”, 240 lbs.) is a talented pass catcher but is primarily involved in run blocking. The offensive line averages 297.0 lbs. across the board and returns only one starter from 2024 in senior T Cooper Koers (6’6”, 290 lbs.). The Tigers have been decent in run blocking with 3.6 yards per carry yet have struggled in pass protection with 23 sacks allowed. The Bulldogs must slow down Clarke in the running game and force Princeton into uncomfortable 3^rd down scenarios as the Tigers have converted only 40.4% of 3^rd downs to date this season. In the passing game, the Elis cannot allow Robinson to get behind corners and safeties as he can generate big plays with his speed and quickness. Like last week, expect Princeton to target Clarke on screen plays. Surace will be throwing his whole playbook at Yale, so the probability of exotic trick plays is very high.

The Tigers have sharpened their defensive efforts in recent weeks holding Dartmouth to 20 points a week ago. Senior LB Marco Scarano (6’0”, 205 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Ivy selection in 2024 and leads the Tigers in tackles with 66. Junior LB Chase Christopher (6’1”, 215 lbs.) earned an Honorable Mention All-Ivy nod in 2024 and has played very well with 62 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Senior DB Nasir Hill (6’0”, 200 lbs.) is the leader of the secondary and is a two-time 2^nd Team All-Ivy performer. Hill had 9 tackles versus Yale last season and is third on the team in tackles this season with 43. Junior DB Kyler Ronquillo (5’9”, 175 lbs.) has played well in his first season as a starter with 36 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Junior DBs Evan Haynie (5’11”, 180 lbs.) and Torian Roberts (5’10”, 180 lbs.) are both returning starters that have continued to show improvement. Freshman DL Nate Stohl (6’2”, 265 lbs.) has played as well as possible for a first year with 16 tackles. Junior DL Landon Robinson (6’0”, 290 lbs.) is a very stout, powerful defender that can disrupt the line of scrimmage. Sophomore OLB AJ Pigford (6’3”, 250 lbs.) and junior OLB Robert Sanders (6’2”, 245 lbs.) are difficult to block on the edges and have combined for 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Opponents have averaged 4.5 rushing yards per carry on the Tigers, so the Bulldogs must exploit the holes in the run defense with Pitsenberger and Daal. Princeton has historically blitzed heavily against Yale, so the offensive line must stay true to assignments in pass protection to keep Reno upright. Princeton has a knack for creating turnovers with 5 forced fumbles and 9 interceptions, so ball security issues and dangerous throws into heavy coverage must be avoided at all costs.

Junior K Esteban Nunez Perez (6’0”, 185 lbs.) is 6 of 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards on the season. Junior P Brady Clark (6’2”, 195 lbs.) is one of the top punters in the Ivy League and is averaging 45.7 yards per punt with 14 punts placed inside the redzone. Sophomore RB Kenny Jordan (5’11”, 170 lbs.) will stress our kickoff coverage unit as he averages 26.8 yards per kick return. Robinson handles punt return duties and is hard to contain in the open field.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Tigers!