Cornell and Princeton are each coming off emotional weekends and wild games with totally different results. For the Big Red, it traded the lead nine times -- including five times in the game's final 7:34 -- in a 49-45 loss to Brown. For the Tigers, it remained unbeaten and took control of the Ivy League race with an 18-16, five-overtime victory in front of a Homecoming crowd at Princeton Stadium. Coming into a short week and a nationally-televised contest, this Friday night contest is set up to feature more wild moments. With the last quarter-century of series history and with Halloween days away, we'd expect nothing different.
• Princeton is a perfect 6-0 (3-0 Ivy) after last weekend's epic 18-16, five-overtime thriller over Harvard in a battle of nationally-ranked unbeatens.
• Princeton is averaging a robust 37.3 points per game, scoring more than 30 points in four of its wins.
• Collin Eaddy has scored 10 times on the ground and has piled up 411 yards, the only Princeton rusher over 100 yards this season.
• Quarterback Cole Smith is completing 66 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards and 10 scores, with the trio of Jacob Birmelin (41 catches, 565 yards, two touchdowns), Andrei Iosivas (24 catches, 504 yards, five touchdowns) and Dylan Classi (20 catches, 352 yards, two touchdowns) the primary targets.
• While the Tigers feature a high-powered offense, it's almost overshadowed as Princeton also features one of the best defensive units.
• Princeton surrenders just 15.5 points and 15 first downs per contest, allowing opponents just 253.8 yards of offense through six games with two shutouts.
• It's been a brick wall against the run, surrendering just 53.3 yards on 1.8 yards per carry and giving up two rushing scores.
• Jeremiah Tyler paces the team with 39 tackles and had added 5.5 for a loss, while Uche Ndukwe (9.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks), Samuel Wright (6.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks) and Cole Aubrey (5.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks) have combined for 16 of the team's 24 sacks.
• Special teams features punter Will Powers (46.8 yards per punt) and Jeffrey Sexton (11-of-14 field goals with a long of 46, 22-of-23 on PATs).
• Head coach Bob Surace, a three-time finalist for FCS Coach of the Year honor, sports a 62-44 record, though it is 60-24 over the last nine years after going 2-20 in his first 22 games on the sidelines.
The Series
• This will be the 103rd meeting between Cornell and Princeton, with the Tigers holding a commanding 63-37-2 advantage.
• The two teams first met in 1891, a 6-0 Princeton win.
• In all, 16 of the last 24 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.
• The Big Red snapped Princeton's four-game win streak in the series with a 29-28 comeback win in New Jersey in 2017, but the Tigers earned payback a year later in a 66-0 win as part of a 10-0 season.
• Princeton won the 2019 meeting 21-7 at Schoellkopf Field.
2021 Princeton Football Head Coach
Head Coach: Bob Surace (Princeton '98)
Record at Princeton: 62-44, 11th year
Overall Record: 62-44, 11th year
2021 Princeton Football Information
2021 Captain: Collin Eaddy, Trevor Forbes, Nikola Ivanisevic, James Johnson, Cole Smith, Jeremiah Tyler
2019 Record: 8-2
Home/Away/Neutral: 4-1/4-0/0-1
2019 Ivy League Record/Finish: 5-2 (3rd)
Starters Returning/Lost: 14/8
Offensive Starters Returning/Lost: 7/4
Defensive Starters Returning/Lost: 7/4
Princeton Football Historical Information
First Year of Football: 1869
Overall All-Time Record: 841-408-50 (.666)
Overall Ivy League Record: 250-199-5 (.551)
