Princeton Reigns Supreme In Ivy League Football Action

This week, while Harvard claimed its position at the bottom of the Ivy League losing to Brown, Princeton affirmed its claim to the top of the standings defeating traditional powerhouse, Penn.

The Crimson (1-7, 0-5 Ivy) fell 47-8 to the Bears (1-4, 4-4) in a contest between the only squads winless in the Ivy League. Brown quarterback Jason McCullough earned a position on the League Honor Roll for his performance.

McCullough completed 16 of 29 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 45 additional yards and scored another touchdown on the ground.

This victory was worthy of more than one place in the Brown record books. McCullough set a new record for single-season completions against Harvard.

Also, the team's 30 first downs and 47 points also surpassed existing school records for a single contest against the Crimson.

The game was not without highlights for Harvard, though. Senior linebacker Brian Cohen's interception and six yard return for the Crimson's only touchdown earned him a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll.

Fellow senior linebacker Brian Borg had 14 tackles, a career high. And junior tail back Eion Hu moved into fourth place on Harvard's career rushing list.

At the other end of the league standings, undefeated Princeton (8-0, 5-0) handed Penn (5-3, 3-2) its first loss at Franklin Field since 1992, 22-9.

Princeton scored 14 points in the first six minutes of the game as they moved one step closer to the Ivy League title.

Princeton junior running back March Washington spearheaded the Tiger offense with 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. In addition, he nabbed five passes for 45 yards and the game's first touchdown.

Offensively for the Quakers, wide receiver Dave Patterson became the Ivy League leader in receptions with 125, and place kicker Jeremiah Greathouse is just one field goal shy of tying the Ivy League season record of ten.

The defenses for both the Tigers and the Quakers, however, would not be outdone. Penn senior strong safety Nick Morris and Princeton senior defensive end Darrell Oliveira were named Ivy League Defensive Co-Players of the Week.

With this victory, it seems that only Cornell (5-3, 4-1) could challenge Princeton for the Ivy title.

Cornell stayed in contention this week by defeating Yale (2-6, 1-4) 38-10. The loss to Cornell was the fourth consecutive defeat for the Elis.

The Big Red offense was led by running backs Chad Levitt and Terry Smith who each gained more than 100 yards rushing for the third consecutive game. Levitt, a junior, earned accolades as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. He ran for 188 yards including three touchdowns off 31 carries in addition to catching a five-yard touchdown pass.

In the final league contest of the week, Dartmouth (6-2, 3-2) defeated Columbia (3-4-1, 3-2) for the 24th consecutive time, 43-27. The victory, its fifth in a row, moves the Big Green into a tie for third place in the Ivy standings.

Dylan Karczewski, a freshman tail back for the Big Green, was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for his performance. Karczweski scored his first two collegiate touchdowns in the Big Green's come-from-behind win.

While Dartmouth, Penn, and Columbia are currently alive in the contest for the Ivy League crown, a Princeton victory at home this week over floundering Yale would eliminate all three from contention. Yale has dropped four games in a row.

Cornell must beat visiting Columbia to continue its bid for first place in the Ivy League. Elsewhere in the league, Pennsylvania travels to Harvard and Dartmouth hosts Brown. IVY STANDINGS   IVY  OVERALL Team  W  L  T  PCT  W  L  T  PCT Princeton  5  0  0  1.000  8  0  0  1.000 Cornell  4  1  0  .800  5  3  0  .625 Dartmouth  3  2  0  .600  6  2  0  .750 Penn  3  2  0  .600  5  3  0  .625 Columbia  3  2  0  .600  3  4  1  .436 Yale  1  4  0  .200  2  6  0  .250 Harvard  0  5  0  .800  1  7  0  .1.25