FINAL PUSH: Princeton University senior quarterback Quinn Epperly gets ready to fire the ball in recent action. Last Saturday, Epperly rushed for three touchdowns in a losing cause as Princeton fell 44-30 at Yale. The defeat dropped the Tigers to 5-4 overall and 4-2 Ivy League, thereby extinguishing their hopes for a second straight Ivy title with Harvard leading the pack at 9-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy followed by Yale (8-1 overall, 5-1 Ivy) and Dartmouth (7-2 overall, 5-1 Ivy) as the teams head into the last week of the season. Princeton hosts Dartmouth on November 22 in its season finale. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Playing at the Yale Bowl last Saturday as the 100th anniversary of the venerable stadium was celebrated, the Princeton University football rolled up 29 first downs, 386 yards of total offense, and scored 30 points.

While that production would be sufficient to win a lot of games, it wasn’t enough against the highest-scoring Yale squad in a century as the Bulldogs pulled away to a 44-30 triumph before a crowd of 23,260.

The defeat dropped Princeton to 5-4 overall and 4-2 Ivy League, thereby extinguishing its hopes for a second straight Ivy title with Harvard leading the pack at 9-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy followed by Yale (8-1 overall, 5-1 Ivy), and Dartmouth (7-2 overall, 5-1 Ivy) as the teams head into the last week of the season.

Princeton head coach Bob Surace lamented his team’s lack of execution in key moments against Yale.

“It is just frustrating, we put so much time and effort into preparation and the effort was outstanding but we made fundamental mistakes,” said Surace.

“Against a team as good as Yale, you have to be more detailed and more exact. They had eight or nine explosive plays and we had one.”

Two critical mistakes in special teams play turned the tide against Princeton as Yale blocked a punt to score a touchdown to take a 17-14 lead early in the second quarter and then added a field goal after a botched snap led to a short punt and gave the Bulldogs good field position.

“Those 10 points against a team as good as Yale makes it tough,” said Surace. “They have been scoring, getting 54, 51, 49 points in games this season.”

In the early stages of the contest, it looked like Princeton may be headed to a 50-point afternoon.

“Offensively we got off to a good start, we went right down the field and scored,” said Surace, whose team took a 7-0 lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Conner Michelsen to James Frusciante.

Yale responded with a seven-yard scoring strike from Morgan Roberts to Robert Clemons to make it a 7-7 game. Two possessions later, Princeton’s defense came up big as Matt Arends intercepted a Roberts pass to give the Tigers the ball at the Yale 29. Princeton cashed in as Quinn Epperly scored on a 7-yard run to give Princeton a 14-7 advantage midway through the first quarter.

After getting 10 points due to Princeton’s punting miscues to go up 20-14, the Bulldogs kept rolling as star running Tyler Varga rushed 30 yards for a TD to make it 27-14.

Princeton answered with an 11-play, 63-yard march that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Epperly.

But blunting the Tigers’ momentum, Yale added a field goal with no time remaining to take a 30-21 lead into intermission.

In the third quarter, Princeton seemed to be poised for a comeback. “In the second half we stopped them and we got the ball inside their five,” said Surace. “But we dropped a snap and then had to go for a field goal and the kick hit the upright. It is not our day when the kick hits the upright. We continued to battle back.”

But it turned out to be a losing battle as Varga scored on a 13-yard pass to make it 37-21. After Epperly ran for his third TD of the day to narrow the gap to 37-27, Varga struck again with a six-yard run as Yale took its biggest lead of the day at 44-27. Bieck kicked a field goal for the Tigers midway through the fourth quarter to end the scoring.

Surace tipped his hat to the Yale offense, which totaled 568 yards and is now averaging 43.0 points a game.

“Varga is having an unbelievable year, you have got to be at your best to stop him,” said Surace of the senior tailback who rushed for 137 yards on 26 carries in the win over Princeton.

“He had a 30-yard run when a safety got tripped by an umpire. We did as good a job as anyone on him. Their quarterback was outstanding all game. When we had a rusher on him, he found the right guy. When he had time, he was almost automatic. They have some really good receivers.”

Despite the frustrating setback, Surace is confident that Princeton can end the fall on a high note as it hosts Dartmouth on November 22 in the season finale and assumes the spoiler role with the Big Green still alive in the Ivy title race.

“You only get 10 games and each one is important and enjoyable,” said Surace. “They present different challenges. You have peaks and valleys in a season and we have responded well to the low points this season.”

Dartmouth presents some major challenges for Princeton, who will be looking to end the season on a high note and avenge a 2013 loss to the Big Green that kept it from winning an outright Ivy crown.

“Their quarterback [Dalyn Williams] is one of the best players in the league and he is having his best year,” said Surace.

“They run the ball well and they are strong up front. They have a really good group of receivers, starting with [Ryan] McManus. They always play well on defense, they are well coached and they run to the ball. We have to be focused on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Emotions will be running high but all those things can be a distraction. We have to play our best game in order to have a chance to beat them.”

Surace turned emotional when he reflected on how senior stars Epperly and linebacker Mike Zeuli competed in the Yale loss.

“Seeing Quinn Epperly on Saturday was inspiring,” said Surace. “He has been in pain and has been been injured but he was fighting so hard. Mike Zeuli plays as hard as any player I have ever coached. They are not the only two guys doing that but they are the captains and they are out front. The guys follow that.”