Princeton football, Week 6

Princeton (2-3, 1-1 Ivy) vs. Harvard (4-1, 1-1 Ivy)

Oct. 25, 1 p.m. -- Princeton Stadium, Princeton, N.J.

History

After losing nine straight to Harvard from 1996 to 2004, Princeton won back-to-back meetings in 2005 and 2006. The Crimson prevailed last year in Cambridge, stonewalling the Tiger offense in the second half of a 27-10 win.

No. 42

Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier ’52 and former Sen. Bill Bradley ’65 will be on hand at the Harvard game for a halftime ceremony announcing the retirement of jersey No. 42 in all Princeton sports.

This year

Princeton fell to Brown last week and slipped to the middle of the Ivy League standings, in a four-team logjam for third place. Harvard was the Ivy favorite at the start of the season but lost its league opener at Brown Sept. 27. Since then, the Crimson have won three straight.

Players to watch

Princeton linebacker Collin McCarthy ’09

McCarthy leads the Tigers in sacks with three, but he's been relatively quiet in the last two games. If Princeton hopes to slow down the Crimson attack, the linebackers and linemen will need to harass Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti, according to defensive line coach Matt Borich. "We've got to put some pressure on him and not give him easy throws," Borich said. "We tipped a couple balls last week. We definitely need to tip a couple more and get some hits on him."

Harvard senior cornerback Andrew Berry

The Crimson defense tends to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage, and Princeton head coach Roger Hughes said Harvard's defensive backs make that possible. Berry and his mates effectively cover receivers man-to-man, freeing up linebackers and safeties to blitz opposing quarterbacks. Berry, an All-Ivy first-team player in 2007, has a face familiar to Princeton fans -- he is the twin brother of Tigers receiver Adam Berry ’09.

Roster notes

Defensive tackle Tom Methvin ’09 will remain on the sidelines for the rest of his collegiate career due to complications from a concussion sustained in the season opener at The Citadel, The Daily Princetonian reported Oct. 22. Concussions also ended the career of fellow senior R.C. Lagomarsino, a starting tailback in 2007. ... Quarterback Brian Anderson ’09, who injured his shoulder against Brown Oct. 18, returned to practice Oct. 21 and may start against Harvard. Princeton started the same 11 players on offense in each of its first five games.

Around the Ivies

Brown and Penn lead the Ivy standings at 2-0 and are set to face each other in Philadelphia Nov. 1. But before then, both teams will be tested Oct. 25. Penn plays at 1-1 Yale, while Brown hosts 1-1 Cornell. The other Ivy game this week matches the league's 0-2 teams, Dartmouth and Columbia, in New York.

Final quote

On playing Harvard: "You only get so many of these games. It's harder for the younger kids to really understand, but for the seniors, it's coming up on us. ... We don't have many opportunities left, and we have to play up to these big games."

-- Matt Koch ’09, Princeton nose tackle