ITHACA, N.Y. -- Here are five things to watch for during Cornell's contest against Princeton on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6:00 p.m.
 

1. Weather

Friday night in Ithaca in the fall. Yup, that's about what the teams will be dealing with. Except, there will be wind. Lots of wind.

The forecast is calling for temps in the high 30s at game time, with winds whipping somewhere between 10-30 mph. That could change game plans for both teams and force the game to be played on the ground rather than in the air.

Who does that advantage?

Well, both teams have been proficient at stopping the run. The Tigers are eighth nationally surrendering just 94.0 yards per game. The Big Red isn't far behind, giving up 120.3 to ranked 19th. Princeton's offense has averaged 174 yards per contest with Cornell posting 132, but on the same hand it would counteract a Tiger passing game ranked eighth nationally at 315 yards each time out.

So, advantage goes to? We'll see, but the offensive line that gets a push at the line of scrimmage is likely to be a big difference maker.
 

2. Trick or Treat?

Peppered with last-second finishes, crazy endings and upsets galore, the Cornell-Princeton series has been memorable. Nearly every game between the two programs has made headlines for one reason or another.

In all, nine of the last 15 contests have been decided by a touchdown or less, with that stretching to 12 of the last 19 meetings and 19 of the last 29. Fourteen games have been decided by a field goal or less or in overtime during a 29-year span. During that nearly three-decade span, an amazing run of exciting games have been played between the teams.

Since 2000, when the series moved to Halloween week: 

2000 — Cornell blocked a PAT with 11 seconds left to win by one. 
2002 — A Princeton rallied from a 25-10 deficit in the fourth quarter ended with a 32-25 Tiger win. 
2004 — A blocked Tiger PAT late in the fourth gave the Big Red a win. 
2005 — Derek Javarone of Princeton booted a game-winning field goal in OT to set an Ivy League record for career field goals. 
2006 — Cornell handed Ivy champ Princeton its only league loss in 2006. 
2007 — A Peter Zell 47-yard field goal fell short at the horne in a 37-34 Tiger win.  
2008 — The Big Red nearly rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 45 seconds, with a pass into the end zone falling incomplete as time ran out in a 31-26 loss.  
2009 — Tommy Wornham connected with Trey Peacock for a 78-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give Princeton a 17-13 win.  
2010 — Emani Fenton broke up a two-point conversion that would have tied the game in the fourth quarter and then intercepted a pass with the Tigers in chip-shot field goal position with 23 seconds remaining for a 21-19 Big Red win. 
2011 — Cornell won 24-7, but even that was in a rare October Nor'easter than dropped eight inches of snow during the game. 
2012 — John Wells connected on a 23-yard field with 50 seconds left after missing a game-tying PAT attempt earlier in the fourth quarter for a 37-35 Big Red win. 
2013 — Quinn Epperly (set an NCAA FCS record by opening the game with 29 consecutive completions) 
2016 — John Lovett (accounted for seven touchdowns - four passing, two running, one receiving) 
2017 — Cornell erases a 12-point fourth quarter deficit, with Nickolas Null kicking a 43-yard field goal with 28 seconds left for a 29-28 win at Princeton.  
2018 — Nope

What does 2019 have in store?
 

3. Friday, Friday, Friday

Cornell is playing a Friday night game for the second straight year and for the seventh time in program history. The Big Red is 1-5 in those previous six games.

How long has it been since Cornell was victorious on a Friday?

No person on Earth was alive the last time.

Japan's Kane Tanaka, the current oldest super centenarian, is nearly 117 years old, having been born on January 2, 1903. He'd have to travel back in time almost 11 years to see the Big Red's 16-0 victory over Manhattan Athletics Club on Nov. 18, 1892 - the last time Cornell walked off a football field with a Friday night win.
 

4. Nothing But A Number

No. 12 Princeton enters the game with a 16-game win streak, and ending it will be a tall task. But the Big Red has some experience defeating an undefeated and nationally ranked Tigers' squad at Schoellkopf Field.

Back in 2006, the Tigers entered Schoellkopf Field with a perfect 6-0 record and was ranked as high as No. 15 in the national polls. With eventual Ivy League Player of the Year Jeff Terrell under center, Cornell's defense limited the Tigers to 328 yards and forced three turnovers. Cornell threw the ball just 19 times in blustery and snowy conditions, grounding out the win behind Luke Siwula's 98 yards and a touchdown. Gus Krimm led the defense with nine tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

Dating back to 19367, Cornell is 10-40-1 against nationally ranked squads and will be looking to add to its total for the first time since rallying to knock off No. 25 Colgate 39-38 in 2016.
 

5. Turning the Corners

Seniors David Jones and Jelani Taylor have been staples in the defensive backfield for the last three years and are moving up the charts on Cornell's list of most passes defended.

Taylor jumped Jones in the ranking last week with four (an interception, three pass breakups) to give him 26 in his three years, good for seventh all-time. That was the third time in his career he has four passes defended in a game, one off the school record. Jones, for his part, had a pass breakup against the Bears to give him 24, the 10th-most in school history. He does outrank Taylor in one category - interceptions. Jones has picked off eight career passes to Taylor's two, though the senior captain's two interceptions this season came in the last three weeks against Ivy opponents.