Category: Game Week

The Bulldogs host the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils on Saturday at The Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 12 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

CCSU enters the contest with a 2-2 record with its two losses coming to FBS squads. The Blue Devils lost a close contest last week against UMASS by just 4 points and will be seeking to keep their undefeated streak against FCS opponents going this week.

CCSU’s offense is led by junior QB Brady Olson (6’4”, 200 lbs.) who played in 19 games for UMASS prior to transferring to CCSU this season. Olson has completed 50.4% of his passes for 634 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on the season. The Blue Devils also like bringing in junior QB Ricky Ortega (5’11”, 185 lbs.), a dual threat transfer from Villanova, on short running situations.  Junior RB Elijah Howard (5’11”, 176 lbs.) is another FBS transfer joining the Blue Devils after a stint at Virginia Tech. Howard is a very elusive back that was a 2nd Team All-NEC selection a year ago after ranking 19th in the FCS for all-purpose yardage. Senior WR Michael Plaskon (5’9″, 190 lbs.) is a surehanded and shifty receiver that has hauled in 18 receptions for 219 yards and a score. Senior WR Paul Marsh, Jr. (6’1”, 205 lbs.) is a very physical receiver that can leap over defenders for tough catches. CCSU’s offensive line averages 303.0 lbs. across the board and has allowed just two sacks on the season. At several positions, there will be difficult matchups for our defense, but this week needs to be a return to the fundamentals for the Bulldogs. Finding a way to generate a pass rush, fill gaps and blanket receivers in this contest will hopefully provide a roadmap for the difficult conference schedule ahead.

CCSU’s defense is very opportunistic and has recovered 8 fumbles, scored 2 defensive touchdowns and sacked opponents 16 times. The unit is very stiff against the running game allowing just 106.5 yards per game, although they’ve been a bit more lenient against the pass allowing 237.8 passing yards per game. The defense is led by junior S Kimal Clark (5’10”, 200 lbs.), a returning 1^st Team All-NEC selection in 2023 who is off to a hot start to the season with 46 tackles and a fumble recovery. Junior LB Malachi Wright (6’1”, 225 lbs.) is a local product from West Haven who has played very well with 26 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Junior Jack Stoll (6’0”, 200 lbs.) has been a physical presence at the inside linebacker position with 21 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. The defensive line is led by senior Jalen Howard (6’1”, 265 lbs.), a transfer from Villanova who has already racked up 5 sacks. The secondary features several transfers such as senior Davone Walden, Jr. (6’1”, 185 lbs.), a UNLV transfer, and junior Deon McLean (6’0”, 200 lbs.), a UCONN transfer. CCSU’s defense is a hard-hitting unit that flows well to the ball and is rarely out of position. With Pantelis and Shipp playing at such a high level, Yale must find creative ways to get them the ball without placing too much pressure on our inexperienced signal callers. The offensive line will have their hands full this week against talented defensive linemen and linebackers, so it will be very interesting to see how they respond after such a poor outing at Cornell.

Junior K Jack Barnum (6’1”, 200 lbs.) has made 5 of 7 field goal attempts with a long of 50 yards this season. Senior P Aidan Clark (6’3”, 255 lbs.) has a stellar punting average of 44.0 yards with an unheard-of long punt of 84 yards this season. Senior RB Jadon Turner (5’10”, 180 lbs.) is the most explosive returner the Bulldogs have faced this season, so Yale’s coverage teams must improve considerably from last week to keep him in check. As always, the contest could come down to special teams play, so hopefully Reno and Vashel have prepared thoroughly to defeat an instate rival.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Blue Devils!

The Bulldogs fell to the Cornell Big Red 23-47 in one of the worst contests of Reno’s career. 

Even with Pitsenberger and Felton back in the mix, the offensive performance was lackluster. McCaughey earned the starting nod at quarterback but failed to provide much of a spark with abysmal offensive line play and nonsensical play calling contributing to the demise. While McCaughey didn’t throw an interception, he again tried to unsuccessfully force passes into tight coverage and had a costly fumble on a bad handoff exchange with Peterson. Howe made his first appearance of the season but didn’t fare any better with low passes and an interception. If Jordan is healthy this week, one has to imagine he’ll be given another chance to put this team on his back. The offensive line had one of the roughest performances over the past five years as they were pushed around by an undersized front and never seemed to be able to pick up blitzes. Pitsenberger didn’t appear to be fully healthy and could not break the arm tackles that he’d normally brush off. Denney, Dahl and Peterson all played with effort but couldn’t overcome the lack of rushing lanes. Shipp, Pantelis and Yates were bright spots for the Bulldogs offensively with stellar catches to keep Yale alive early on. The coaches bear much of the responsibility for the loss as well with a complete lack of preparation and head scratching play calls. As bad as the offense was, the defensive and special teams units were far inferior. 

The defense allowed 475 yards with 9.6 passing yards per attempt and 4.9 rushing yards per attempt. The Bulldogs will not win a league game all season with statistics of that nature. Aside from a few nice plays from Gulley and Yang, the defensive line was manhandled, couldn’t set the edge, and failed to impact Wong. Egodogbare was still out of the lineup at defensive tackle and Shaber just doesn’t have the power to dominate the interior. Yang played at the defensive end position but doesn’t seem to be a natural edge defender. It would seem more logical to have Yang and Gulley at the defensive tackle positions with Shaber, Tyler, McDonough, and Jackson-Bass rotating on the outside. The linebackers were once again nowhere to be found as they were taken out by blockers on running plays and provided little support in the passing game. The constant, undisguised blitzing of the linebackers had no effect on Cornell and actually gave the Big Red an advantage as once runners broke free from the line of scrimmage, there was no second level support. Allowing a 68-yard touchdown reception from a tight end is simply inexcusable. The coaches made grave errors in fielding the freshman safety Eastep who gave up two costly touchdown receptions. For every one freshman such as Breylan Thompson who can make an impact as a youngster, there are another 15 first years who have no business seeing the field. Having Daniyan, Kamara or Tarver in the same coverage would have at least given the Bulldogs slight hopes of deflecting a pass. Guyton was the only member of the starting secondary to have a decent outing as Daniyan and Kamara were routinely torched by middling receivers and Thompson made a few mistakes typical of a freshman still adjusting to collegiate football. This painful loss to Cornell needs to be a wake-up call for the defense that the level of intensity and physicality needs to drastically increase in a hurry.

After two crucial defensive stops, the punt return team promptly gave the ball back to Cornell. Felton failed to catch a punt that bounced off of Barkley-Smith and was recovered by Cornell while Tarver roughed the punter and was cited for an unsportsmanlike penalty after the initial flag. Conforti made his only field goal attempt of the afternoon and was perfect on PATs. Florio had a better showing than last week with 43.6 yards per punt and two touchbacks on kickoff returns.

The Bulldogs travel to Ithaca this week for the start of Ivy League play against the Cornell Big Red. Kickoff is slated for 2 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

The Big Red fell to Colgate last weekend in a 24-41 contest to open the Dan Swanstrom era. Swanstrom joined Cornell after a short stint as Penn’s offensive coordinator making this a revenge game on two fronts for the losses against Cornell and Penn a year ago.

Senior QB Jameson Wang (6’1”, 205 lbs.) once again leads Cornell’s offense and shows improved passing skills to go along with his quickness in the running game. Wang finished the contest last week with an impressive 313 passing yards and 3 TDs with a completion percentage of 78.4%. Wang was not sacked and was also the top rusher for the Big Red with 41 rushing yards (4.1 yards per carry). Sophomore RB Ean Pope (5’7”, 176 lbs.) is a speedy back that saw the most carries for Cornell last week but struggled with just 2.8 yards per carry. Sophomore RB Robert Tucker III (5’8”, 204 lbs.) is the top returning running back from a year ago and posted 7.7 yards per carry. Junior RB Johntu Reed (6’2”, 230 lbs.) is a big back with great receiving skills out of the backfield. Cornell has a very deep receiving corps that was difficult for Colgate to contain. Sophomore WR Brendan Lee (5’11”, 176 lbs.) caught 5 passes for 101 yards, while fellow sophomore WR Samuel Musungu (6’1”, 192 lbs.) added another 7 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Pope and Reed combined for 9 catches out of the backfield, so our linebackers will have their hands full in the passing game this week. Cornell’s offensive line averages 293.8 lbs. across the board and returns one starter from a year ago in senior LT Davis Watson (6’6”, 276 lbs.). The offensive line has yet to give up a sack this season but did not display superior run blocking skills in the lone contest. The Bulldogs will need the defensive line to generate a much better pass rush this week while keeping Wang contained from breaking loose with his legs. Yale will also need to line up quickly as Cornell likes to utilize a hurry up offense particularly after big plays.

Colgate was able to generate 457 yards of total offense with 270 rushing yards a week ago. The Raiders averaged 6.3 yards per carry which enabled them to control the clock with over 34 minutes of possession time. Swanstrom did not make a change at defensive coordinator, so it’s a very familiar defensive scheme that we’ve seen from Cornell in the past. Senior LB Luke Banbury (6’2”, 237 lbs.) led Cornell in tackles with 8 including half a tackle for loss. Senior DL Muhammad-Ali Kobo (6’4”, 257 lbs.) proved difficult for the Raiders to block with 6 tackles on the afternoon. 5^th year senior DL Brendan Chestnut (6’4”, 283 lbs.) is a returning starter at defensive tackle that anchors the Big Red’s front. Senior S Trey Harris (6’4”, 202 lbs.) has been starting since his sophomore season and posted 7 tackles with a pass breakup. Colgate had early success in the passing game before leaning heavily into the running game to bleed the clock. Cornell’s cornerbacks often play far off the line of scrimmage, so there should be opportunities for Shipp and Pantelis to rack up yardage on short passing plays. Yale matches up well against Cornell’s defense, although play calling on 1^st and 2^nd downs will have to improve from last year’s contest as stalled drives were backbreakers.

Sophomore K Alan Zhao (6’0”, 197 lbs.) nailed his only field goal attempt and was perfect on PATs. Senior P Nathaniel Hillenburg (6’3”, 230 lbs.) averaged 36.0 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards. This should be a tight contest that could come down to special teams play, so Yale will need to limit mistakes especially on the kickoff team.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Red!  

The Bulldogs enter Week 2 with an unblemished 1-0 record for the first time in years after an exciting 38-31 win at Holy Cross.

Grant Jordan’s debut at quarterback was short lived suffering what appeared to be a concussion after being rocked by a Holy Cross safety on a running play. Jordan played well with a couple nice passes including a great throw along the sideline to Shipp. Not many quarterbacks have the physical durability of the departed Grooms and unfortunately Jordan learned the hard way why most signal callers must slide when confronted in the open field. McCaughey entered the contest looking like a seasoned veteran as he marched the Bulldogs down with impressive passes and a hard-nosed charge into the endzone for Yale’s first points. McCaughey showed incredible poise not only on the first drive but throughout the contest culminating in a game winning drive aided by defensive penalties. McCaughey finished the afternoon 18 of 32 for 217 yards and 1 TD. It wasn’t all pretty for McCaughey with a number of risky deep balls that could have been intercepted and short passing plays that were doomed by poor timing or low balls. Pantelis and Shipp were dominant with a combined 11 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jaxton Santiago is a matchup nightmare for defensive backs with his size and strength. With Pitsenberger out of the contest, Denney, Dahl and Peterson picked up the slack rushing for 129 yards (3.5 yards per carry) and 3 TDs. McCaughey added another 14 rushing yards with a touchdown. Denney was a workhorse that fought tirelessly for every yard and his receiving skills looked much improved. Pass blocking along the offensive line was decent for a first contest with only one sack allowed, although McCaughey’s elusiveness aided this statistic as he was often running for his life and took a number of hard shots after releasing the ball. Run blocking was up and down as the big men opened enough holes to keep the clock ticking away, but far too many rushing plays were blown up at the line of scrimmage. Overall, it was a great offensive effort considering we were down a starting QB and RB with two new starters along the offensive line.

The defensive performance was another story as Holy Cross posted 426 yards of total offense. Saffold was caught off guard on the very first defensive play with a play action pass going for a 74-yard touchdown. Freshman Breylan Thompson entered in relief of Saffold and instantly made his presence known with a punishing hit on a Holy Cross running back. The future looks very bright for Thompson as we haven’t seen a freshman cornerback with his skillset in Reno’s entire career at Yale. The defensive line appeared to be a bright spot for Yale heading into the season, but with Egodogbare and Yang out of the rotation, our linemen were not getting off blocks and were not pressuring the quarterback. Containment on the outside from our defensive ends was often non-existent. Sophomore DE Zairion Jackson-Bass seemed to have the best performance along the defensive front with 4 tackles, half a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. The linebacker position continues to be a huge concern with the linebackers failing to plug gaps or shed blockers. Shaffer, Biggs and Campbell all missed crucial tackles which forced the safeties and cornerbacks to make touchdown saving stops. Shaffer’s performance did improve in the 2^nd half and he wound up leading the defense in tackles with 9. The secondary was often just a step out of position to contain receivers and even in tight coverages, Holy Cross’ talented wideouts were able to make difficult catches. The safeties and cornerbacks stepped up on 3^rd downs though with Kamara, Daniyan, Guyton and Tarver all making clutch plays to stall drives. Holy Cross was limited to just 5 of 11 on third down conversions but was able to generate big plays in the passing game with 10.3 yards per attempt and 23.3 yards per reception. This contest likely would have had a different outcome with either Bob Chesney coaching or Jordan Fuller playing at running back.

Conforti was 1 of 2 on field goals with his miss coming on a difficult 47-yarder in the rain. Florio averaged 35.8 yards per punt with 2 punts placed inside the endzone. The kickoff team will need to improve considerably as Florio’s short kickoffs gave great field advantage to Holy Cross. Felton was inactive, but Denney was fantastic in the return game with 27.0 yards per kickoff return.   

The Bulldogs head to Worcester this weekend for a showdown versus the Holy Cross Crusaders. Kickoff is slated for 2 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

Holy Cross enters the contest with a 1-2 record after two close losses to start the season against Rhode Island and New Hampshire followed by a blowout win versus Bryant. The Crusaders’ two losses were very tight contests against talented squads with their opponents outscoring them by just 4 total points combined. Former coach Bob Chesney departed Holy Cross for a more lucrative contract at James Madison and Holy Cross brought in veteran coach Dan Curran who guided Merrimack for the previous 11 seasons. Curran earned his first win last week at Bryant in a lopsided 43-22 victory.

Yale fans can breathe a sigh of relief that QB Matthew Sluka has finally graduated after three straight years of terrorizing the Bulldogs. Senior QB Joe Pesansky (6’4”, 225 lbs.) is now in control of the offense and although he does not possess the same elusiveness as Sluka, he is a solid passer who has completed 66.7% of his passes with 3 TDs and just a single interception. The star of the offense is senior RB Jordan Fuller (6’0”, 231 lbs.) who is a bruising back that looks even faster and stronger than he did last season. Fuller is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and has already rushed for 4 TDs in 3 games. This is a run-first offense that will line up in heavy sets and seeks to overpower opponents with size and strength. Sophomore RB Jayden Clerveaux (6’0”, 222 lbs.) is another talented ball carrier for the Crusaders averaging 4.3 YPC. The offensive line averages 311 lbs. across the board and is led by senior captain C Christo Kelly (6’4”, 305 lbs.), a 3^rd Team All-Patriot League performer a season ago. The offensive line is very balanced as they’ve paved the way for a team average of 4.1 YPC and have only allowed 3 sacks. Senior TE Jacob Petersen (6’4”, 250 lbs.) leads the team in receiving with 12 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore WR Charly Mullaly (6’0”, 190 lbs.) has really stretched opponents vertically averaging 19.9 yards per reception. Senior WR Justin Shorter (5’11”, 181 lbs.) is one of the most dangerous receivers in the FCS and is a former 1^st Team All-Patriot League wideout. This is a tough matchup for our defense in the first contest as early season woes such as missed tackles or blown coverages could be the deciding factors.

Opponents have found success moving the ball against Holy Cross’ defense, but the Crusaders stiffen up on 3^rd downs and in the redzone. Holy Cross has limited opponents to 35.3% on third down conversions and have allowed only 6 touchdowns in 12 redzone drives. Senior LB Frankie Monte (6’0”, 233 lbs.) leads the team with 23 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles on the season. Sophomore LB Drew Spinogatti (6’1”, 231 lbs.) is another talented defender who has racked up 12 tackles thus far. Sophomore DL William Robinson (6’5”, 275 lbs.) has been the most productive defensive lineman for the Crusaders with 11 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 blocked field goals. Senior DE Joe Townsend (6’3”, 250 lbs.) is the current sack leader for Holy Cross with 2 sacks. Although Holy Cross has given up 4.4 yards per carry on the ground, they’ve allowed just 1 rushing touchdown. One area of weakness for Holy Cross is in the secondary where they are fielding two corners with no prior playing experience. Teams have targeted sophomore CB Cam Jones (6’0”, 195 lbs.) in all 3 of the contests to date. The safeties are very experienced bringing back 3 players with starting experience to the unit led by senior S Curtis Harris-Lopez (6’1”, 206 lbs.) who posted 7 tackles against Yale a year ago. With a talented wide receiving corps for Yale, Grant Jordan should have an opportunity to shine in the passing game if our offensive line can keep defenders at bay.

Sophomore K Daniel Porto (6’1”, 195 lbs.) has struggled in the kicking game connecting on 3 of 5 attempts with a long of 39 yards. Senior P Jack Norris (6’0”, 194 lbs.) has done an excellent job with an average of 39.4 yards per punt and has pinned opponents inside the redzone on 5 punts. Harris-Lopez is dangerous on kick returns as he averages 30.1 yards per return and scored a touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Crusaders!

Starting Lineup

QB Grant Jordan

RB Joshua Pitsenberger

WR Mason Shipp

WR David Pantelis

WR Chase Nenad

WR* Joey Felton *(12 offensive starters listed with 4 WRs)

LT Sean Sullivan

LG Bennie Anderson

C Connor Smith

RG Cameron Charron

RT Michael Bennett

TE Ry Yates

DE Tamatoa McDonough

DT Micaiah Shaber

DT Alvin Gulley

DE Mitchell Tyler

LB Dean Shaffer

LB Jacob Biggs

LB Inumidan Ayo-Durojaiye

CB Sean Guyton

SS Osize Daniyan

FS Abu Kamara

CB Damian Anderson

KO/P/H Shamus Florio

PK Nick Conforti

LS Ben Mann

PR/KR Joey Felton

The Bulldogs host the Crimson on Saturday at the Bowl for the 139^th playing of The Game. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air nationally on ESPNU. Kinderhook Industries, a New York based private equity firm founded by two former Elis, is the official sponsor of this year’s contest.

Harvard enters The Game with an 8-1 record (5-1 Ivy) and has secured at least a share of the Ivy League Championship. Harvard’s sole loss came at Princeton in a 14-21 contest, although the Quakers had the Crimson on the ropes last week and simply could not perform in overtime to walk away with a victory.

Harvard’s offense is led by sophomore QB Jaden Craig (6’2”, 215 lbs.) who has proven to be a dual threat over his two starts. Junior QB Charles DePrima (6’2”, 185 lbs.) started the first seven contests but was eventually benched in favor of Craig after lackluster performances versus Princeton and Dartmouth. Craig has completed 59.4% of his passes for 530 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The Crimson’s offense has heavily leaned on quarterback rushes this season and Craig has posted a whopping 6 rushing touchdowns. Junior RB Shane McLaughlin (5’11”, 200 lbs.) hits the holes very quickly and possesses surprising power with 5.5 yards per carry and 6 rushing touchdowns on the season. Harvard has a very talented wide receiving unit as well as the top tight end in the Ivy League. Sophomore WR Cooper Barkate (6’1”, 193 lbs.) has hauled in 36 catches for 441 yards and 3 touchdowns. Barkate is roommates with Craig and not surprisingly, has been targeted the most by Craig. In addition to Barkate, the Crimson have another three dangerous wideouts in senior Kaedyn Odermann (6’3”, 211 lbs.), junior Scott Woods II (5’8”, 176 lbs.), and junior Ledger Hatch (6’4”, 190 lbs.). Senior TE Tyler Neville (6’4”, 235 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Ivy tight end a year ago and is garnering a lot of attention from NFL scouts. Harvard’s offensive line is the most talented unit we have faced all year and averages 296.6 lbs. across the board. The offensive line is a bruising front that has paved the way for 5.1 yards per carry but struggled in pass protection against the Quakers last week as they allowed 6 sacks on Craig. Coach Murphy has seen gadget plays work on the Bulldogs over the last two weeks, so he will be pulling out all the stops in this contest. In fact, Harvard utilized the Philly Special in triple overtime to defeat Penn. Our defensive line must win battles at the line of scrimmage with linebackers and safeties successfully filling gaps to force Craig to try to beat us through the air. Craig will be looking at Barkate and Neville as his first options, so particular attention needs to be paid to these weapons. The Bulldogs will not win this contest if receivers are left as wide open as we saw Princeton’s Colella last week.

The heart of Harvard’s defense is senior DT Thor Griffith (6’2”, 320 lbs.), a 1^st Team All-Ivy selection a year ago who has posted 47 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks on the season. Griffith’s dominating play has allowed other Crimson defensive linemen to shine such as junior Brandon Svets (6’5”, 244 lbs.) and seniors Tyler Huenemann (6’3”, 283 lbs.) and Nate Leskovec (6’3”, 251 lbs.). Opponents have averaged just 3.2 yards per carry against the stiff front of Harvard. Senior LB Matt Hudson (6’3”, 230 lbs.) is a returning starter from a year ago who has played very well with 54 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and an interception. Harvard’s linebackers are solid players but not on the same level as Princeton’s Nicholas or Johnson. The Crimson do feature a far superior defensive backfield than the Tigers led by sophomore S Ty Bartrum (6’1”, 195 lbs.) who leads the team in both tackles and interceptions with 72 and 3 respectively. Senior S Kaleb Moody (5’10”, 191 lbs.) has been tremendous on defense and special teams with 50 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 blocked punts. Junior CB Gavin Shipman (5’11”, 168 lbs.) has provided tight coverage and leads the team with 7 pass breakups. The Bulldogs will have to find a way to contain Griffith to burn the clock with Pitsenberger and allow Grooms time to spot open receivers downfield. Like last week, the Elis will need numerous quick hitting, high probability plays to move the ball against this talented defense.

Senior K Cali Canaval (6’3”, 205 lbs.) is 7 of 9 on field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards this season. Junior P Sebastien Tasko (6’1”, 180 lbs.) has averaged 37.9 yards per punt with 12 punts placed inside the red zone. Freshman Xaviah Bascon (5’9”, 190 lbs.) has been excellent on kickoff returns with 28.5 yards per return.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Crimson!

The Bulldogs hit the road once again for their third and final away game of the season at Princeton. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPNU. 

The Tigers enter the contest with a 4-4 record (3-2 Ivy) after narrow league losses to Brown and Dartmouth earlier this season. Princeton defeated top-ranked Harvard as well as Columbia and Cornell as they leaned on their talented defense to stymie the opposition. 

Princeton’s offense was expected to be a top performing unit under the leadership of senior QB Blake Stenstrom (6’4”, 220 lbs.) but inconsistencies and turnovers have derailed the Tigers’ offense to date. When the Tigers are in a rhythm, which they’ve shown at times such as in the Harvard contest, they are very dangerous in the running game and passing game. Stenstrom has completed 60.3% of his passes for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Despite being a traditional pocket passer, Stenstrom is not afraid to run the ball and Surace has shown increased willingness in recent weeks to run designed QB runs. Junior RB John Volker (6’0”, 210 lbs.) was a former track star and has used that speed to gain 4.5 yards per carry with 6 touchdowns. Junior RB Jiggie Carr (5’10”, 200 lbs.) is also heavily involved in the offensive scheme and averages 4.3 yards per carry. Princeton reloaded at the wide receiver position once again with juniors AJ Barber (5’9”, 180 lbs.) and Luke Colella (6’0”, 190 lbs.) posting impressive statistics. Barber, son of former NFL legend Tiki Barber, has hauled in 36 catches for 530 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Colella has racked up 36 catches for 461 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Princeton’s receiving corps does a great job at finding soft spots in the secondary and gaining substantial yardage after catches. Surace gets very creative on offense and even had Barber attempt a long downfield pass against Harvard which was intercepted. The Tigers will also put a slot receiver or H-back in motion to the sidelines a split second before the ball is snapped and quickly deliver the ball to that receiver on a short outside pass. Given Yale’s inability to stop the reverses on 4^th down last week, one has to expect a similar wrinkle thrown into the gameplan by Princeton this week. Princeton’s offensive line averages 300.0 lbs. across the board and is led by 2^nd Team All-Ivy OT Jalen Travis (6’9”, 315 lbs.). The offensive line has struggled at times paving the way for just 3.0 yards per carry and has allowed 22 sacks, although several sacks were due in part to Stenstrom holding onto the ball too long in the pocket. Junior TE Tyler Picnic (6’4”, 230 lbs.) is a solid blocker and receiving threat with 17 catches and a touchdown through 8 games. Yale’s defensive strategy this week needs to focus on filling gaps in the running game, getting hits on Stenstrom, and staying true to assignments to limit the big play ability of the exotic schemes Surace may have implemented for this game. 

Princeton’s defense is not only the top defense in the Ivy League, but also the top defensive unit in the entire FCS subdivision. The Tigers are led by two of the best linebackers that we’ve seen in the conference over the last few years in seniors Ozzie Nicholas (6’2”, 225 lbs.) and Liam Johnson (6’0”, 225 lbs.). Nicholas has racked up a whopping 81 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks this season and was named 2^nd Team All-Ivy a year ago. Johnson was the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and if it weren’t for Nicholas’ stellar performances, he’d likely be a favorite to win the crown a second year in a row. Senior OLB Nicholas Sanker (6’3”, 235 lbs.) has been impressive on film disrupting plays at the line of scrimmage. Princeton’s defensive line does a great job at occupying blockers in their 3-4 defense to allow the linebackers to roam free. Senior DT Jack DelCarbino (5’11”, 275 lbs.) is a hard defender to move and has been the most productive defensive linemen for the Tigers with 37 tackles. Sophomore DE Bakari Edwards (6’1”, 225 lbs.) is a very skilled edge rusher who leads the team with 4 sacks. The best matchup for the Bulldogs in this contest is our wide receivers versus the Tigers’ defensive backs. Opponents have averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against Princeton but have fared moderately better in the passing game with 5.1 yards per attempt. Harvard and Dartmouth both had opportunities in the passing game but due to errant passes or dropped balls, were not able to exploit the Tigers on many occasions. Sophomore S Nasir Hill (6’1”, 190 lbs.) has been the top performing member of the secondary with 47 tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception thus far. Princeton plays a fast and aggressive style of defense with great effort. Teams have not found success running the ball, particularly in short yardage situations, and the speed of the defense limits the effectiveness of screens. The Bulldogs have to find a way to get dedicated blockers on Nicholas and Johnson on every running play. The offensive staff must get creative with the short to medium passing plays to give Grooms quick options to unload the ball before the blitzers arrive.

Junior K Jeffrey Sexton (6’2”, 180 lbs.) has been successful on just 2 of 5 field goal attempts this season with a long of 29 yards. Freshman P Brady Clark (6’1”, 195 lbs.) has been reliable with 38.3 yards per punt and has not had a punt blocked this season. Our punt protection team will need to be aware of the very fast edge rushers that Princeton utilizes to disrupt opposing punters.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Tigers!  

The Bulldogs hit the road for just the second time this season as they travel to Providence to face the 4-3 (2-2 Ivy) Brown Bears. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

Brown has improved tremendously from a year ago and has league wins over Princeton and Penn. The Bears lost a narrow contest to Harvard in Week 2 and had a disappointing showing in Ithaca falling to the Big Red by 22 points in Week 5. Aside from the Cornell contest, all of Brown’s games have been extremely tight battles that came down to the wire.

Brown has a potent offense led by senior QB Jake Willcox (6’2”, 195 lbs.) who has completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,216 yards, 16 TDs, and only 7 interceptions. Willcox is coming off a strong showing versus the Quakers as he posted 249 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 0 interceptions, and 40 rushing yards in the win. Junior RB Stockton Owen (6’1”, 210 lbs.) leads the Bears in rushing touchdowns with 6 and is a physical runner averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Senior RB Ian Franzoni (5’11”, 210 lbs.) and junior RB Jordan DeLucia (5’11”, 215 lbs.) are also utilized heavily averaging 3.8 and 4.0 yards per carry respectively. Brown possesses the deepest wide receiver unit that we have faced this season. Senior WR Wes Rockett (6’0”, 185 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Ivy wideout a year ago and seems to be a shoo-in for a 1^st Team slot this year with 47 catches for 633 yards and 3 touchdowns. Senior WR Graham Walker (6’3”, 215 lbs.) is a large target with soft hands who had dominating performances versus Harvard and Princeton combining for 15 total receptions and 1 touchdown in those contests. Senior Mark Mahoney (6’5”, 240 lbs.) is listed as a wide receiver but has the size and power of any tight end in the Ivy League. The improved play of Brown’s offensive line has been one of the key factors in the turnaround for the Bears. The line averages 292.0 lbs. across the board and has paved the way for 3.2 yards per carry while allowing only 7 sacks on the season. Creating pressure on Willcox and finding a way to cover the out routes that Brown favors in the passing game will be paramount this week.

While Brown’s defensive performance has not matched its offensive performance, the defense of the Bears has made big plays at key moments to stay alive in contests. Opponents have averaged 405.9 yards of total offense per game with 5.2 yards per carry and 6.8 yards per passing attempt. The Bears have excelled in creating turnovers with 9 interceptions and 3 fumbles recovered. The Bears’ secondary could be one of the most talented in the Ivy League. Junior DB Isaiah Reed (6’0”, 180 lbs.) leads the Bears in tackles with 39 and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with 3. Senior DB Aubrey Parker (5’10”, 185 lbs.) has notched 37 tackles, 3 interceptions and 7 pass breakups. Senior CB Cooper DeVeau (6’0”, 190 lbs.) has been a mainstay on the defense for years and leads the Bears with a whopping 8 pass breakups. The defensive front has struggled at times to control the line of scrimmage but was able to create some pressure on Penn’s QB Sayin last week with 2 sacks. Senior DL Terrence Lane II (6’3”, 240 lbs.) has been the top performer along the defensive line for the Bears with 18 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The linebacker corps for Brown is an average unit among the league led by senior ILB Ethan Royer (6’2”, 240 lbs.) who has 36 tackles and 2.5 tackles on the season along with an interception versus Harvard. The key to this contest will be controlling the clock and converting on 3^rd downs to keep the Brown offense on the sidelines for as long as possible. The Bulldogs matchup well with the Bears in the running game and Grooms should have opportunities to exploit in the passing game with the right strategy of attack.

Junior K Christopher Maron (5’10”, 175 lbs.) has made 7 of 9 field goals with a long of 47 yards. Senior P Austin Alley (5’10”, 165 lbs.) is averaging 39.4 yards per punt and has placed 8 punts inside the red zone. Wes Rockett is a dangerous punt returner averaging 11.2 yards per return.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Bears!