Turnovers hurt Tigers in Yale loss

After squandering two early scoring chances and falling behind a minute after halftime, Princeton football climbed to within a touchdown of undefeated Yale in the fourth quarter Nov. 10. But the Bulldogs drained the Tigers’ momentum with a 13-play, eight-minute touchdown drive that put the game out of reach.

On the pivotal drive, Yale ran the ball on 12 consecutive plays (11 by All-Ivy tailback Mike McLeod) before quarterback Matt Polhemus found wide receiver Chris Denny-Brown in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown toss. A minute later, after intercepting a Princeton pass, Yale added another touchdown to seal a 27–6 win.

Princeton head coach Roger Hughes said a drive like Yale’s “takes the wind out of your sails.” The Tigers’ offense had moved the ball effectively, but in the game’s crucial moments, it was relegated to the sideline as the Bulldogs methodically plowed down the center of the field.

In the first half, quarterback Bill Foran ’08 led the Tigers inside the Yale 5-yard line twice, but two costly fumbles — one on a Foran handoff to Adam Berry ’09, the other on a run by the quarterback — left Princeton with no points to show for its efforts.

Princeton (3–6, 2–4 Ivy League) devoted an extra safety to stopping the run and held McLeod to a season-low 107 yards in the game. But when Yale needed him most, McLeod responded, running for first downs on three key third-down plays in the second half.