The Harvard Crimson are tearing apart the competition, as the boys from Massachusetts remain unscathed five games into the season. The Princeton Tigers, on the other hand, are coming off their first loss of the season. They will look to bounce back in a big way, as they make a trip to Harvard Stadium this coming Saturday. Will the Tigers deal Harvard’s first loss of the season? Or will the Crimson keep their record unblemished?
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[sc:NCAA240banner ]Princeton is about to face its toughest test this coming Saturday. Up against unbeaten Harvard next, the Tigers will have to make a quick turnaround after losing 38-31 to Brown, Princeton’s first loss of the season.
Princeton had its win streak doomed by a late touchdown from the Bears, who hung 477 total yards on the Tigers’ defense. Cracks on the Tigers defense were brought to light by Brown in that game, particularly on the ground, as they gave up 192 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Bears’ backfield. Princeton will have to find a way to tighten its suspect front seven if they want to avoid getting mauled by Harvard’s top-rated running game that averages 201.2 rushing yards per game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Princeton has to make Crimson respect its passing attack to keep some of the defensive focus on the Tigers’ backfield. It’s going to be easier said than done, though, as starting quarterback Chad Kanoff continues to battle inconsistency. The junior quarterback threw for 321 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions on 22 of 44 passing.
Injuries to the Tigers’ backfield (Joe Rhattigan and DiAndre Atwater didn’t suit up in the Browns game) should also put tremendous pressure on Kanoff to orchestrate a solid air attack along with top receivers John Lovett and Isaiah Barnes. Lovett has 232 receiving yards and a touchdown thus far this season, while Barnes has 171 yards.
No team has been able to pass Harvard’s test thus far this season. The last to have a failing mark against the Crimson was Lafayette, which was completely annihilated by Harvard last Saturday, 42-0.
Defense has been the driving force behind Harvard’s success this year, and the Leopards completely felt the full effect of the Crimson’s vicious stop unit when they were held down to only 197 total yards. The Crimson were particularly unforgiving against the run in that game, as Lafayette had a -18 yardage on the ground. For the record, Harvard allows just 72.6 rushing yards per game this season.
That doesn’t sound good for Princeton, which is hoping that its backfield would be of help to the team overcome the undefeated Crimson side.
If last year’s meeting between Princeton and Harvard was any indication, then the Tigers shouldn’t get its hopes up of making things happen on the ground. In Harvard’s 49-7 win over Princeton in 2014, the Tigers were only able to run the ball for 54 yards.
Conversely, the backfield has been the strength of Harvard. The Crimson are averaging 201.2 rushing yards per game, tops in the Ivy League. That’s mostly from the efforts of running back Paul Stanton Jr., who leads Harvard with 498 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Stanton will be back to haunt Princeton after pouring on 105 rushing yards and a touchdown in last year’s meeting with the Tigers.
