Football: Dynamic Tigers Race to 5-0 Start

The 150th season of Princeton football got off to a historic start as the undefeated Tigers averaged 52 points in their first five games — a pace that could give the team its highest-scoring season since the 1880s.

In sweeping Butler, Monmouth, Columbia, Lehigh, and Brown in successive weeks, Princeton showcased its prolific, versatile offensive attack. Quarterback John Lovett ’19, who missed the 2017 season due to injury, threw for 12 touchdowns and ran for six, picking up where he left off in 2016, when he was the Ivy League’s offensive player of the year. When Lovett was sidelined by injury before the Brown game, backup Kevin Davidson ’20 threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26 of 39 pass attempts with no interceptions. Receivers Stephen Carlson ’19 and Jesper Horsted ’19 have combined for more than 1,000 receiving yards. Lovett and running backs Charlie Volker ’19 and Colin Eaddy ’21 each had 100-yard rushing games. 

The Tiger defense led the Ivies in fewest points allowed (43) through the first five games. Princeton also was the league’s least-penalized team. 

A version of this story appears in the Oct. 24, 2018, issue.