KAN DO: Princeton University quarterback Chad Kanoff prepares to unload a pass in recent action. Last Saturday at Columbia, senior star and tri-captain Kanoff completed 21-of-25 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns to help Princeton rout the Lion 48-13 in the Ivy League opener for both teams. The Tigers, now 2-1 overall and 1-0 Ivy, play at Georgetown (3-1) on October 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

There was no mystery to the Princeton University football team’s approach as it played at Columbia last Saturday in the Ivy League opener for both squads.

“In my pre-game speech, I said we are going to be aggressive, I want us to attack,” said Princeton head coach Bob Surace.

“I want the player responsibility but I want us to be in the attack mode and to be a physical, aggressive team. If I am saying that to them but I am not having that mindset, it probably sends the wrong message.”

With the foes tied 6-6 early in the second quarter and Princeton facing a fourth down and one yard to go on its own 29, Surace sent a message as he opted to go for it rather than punt.

“We talked about that in a staff meeting,” recalled Surace.

“If it is fourth and really close, whether it is a quarterback sneak or a run play, if we feel we are winning the line of scrimmage, we are going to go.”

Princeton junior quarterback John Lovett justified his coach’s faith, gaining four yards for the the first down and the Tigers didn’t stop going for the next two quarters. Marching 67 more yards after the Lovett run, Princeton took a 13-6 lead on a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Chad Kanoff to senior receiver Trevor Osborne.

Stunningly, the Tigers scored touchdowns on their next five possessions to break the game open and roll to a 48-13 win before 3,638 at Robert Kraft Field in New York City.

Surace praised his squad’s offensive execution as it improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 Ivy, noting that the Tigers had looked sharp all week.

“I thought we protected well for the most part, we threw it well, we caught it well, our routes were really crisp and we made really good decisions,” asserted Surace, whose team piled up 439 yards of total offense, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and four through the air as it outscored the Lions 28-0 in the second quarter and 14-0 in the third.

“It was how we practiced. We have had 63 Tuesdays to get ready for teams since I have been here. I thought this Tuesday was our best one since I have been here. When I came up to the office I couldn’t wait to watch the film with the energy on the field. The scout team was terrific, the guys competed; it looked like training camp with that type of competitive practice. When you lose a game like we lost (42-28 to Lehigh on September 24), your approach is going to go one of two ways and I was really happy with how we approached it.”

Kanoff was the trigger man of the rout, completing 21-of-25 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

“On a couple of them, we didn’t protect as well as we could have and he was about to get waylaid but he hangs in the pocket and puts the TD pass to Scott Carpenter on a corner route,” said Surace, referring to nine-yard scoring strike from Kanoff to Carpenter early in the third quarter which gave Princeton a 41-6 lead.

“That’s as good as could be, that is an NFL throw with a corner route, man coverage, and a free blitzer. We weren’t perfect catching it, there were a couple of drops. It wasn’t quite Quinn Epperly’s game against Cornell in 2013 (when he completed his first 29 passes, setting an NCAA record in a 53-20 win over the Big Red), but it was pretty close.”

Princeton’s other QB, Lovett, ran for three touchdowns and threw for one, rushing for 50 yards, passing for 59 yards, and gaining 42 yards receiving.

“He seems to be the X-factor every week; he is a triple double with rushing yards, passing yards, and his receiving yards,” said Surace.

“He just allows us to be so versatile in our offense and so much harder to defend. When you are an opponent and you are breaking it down, you really don’t know how we are going to use him and what we are going to do. Our staff does a great job putting guys in positions to make plays.”

After yielding a total of 73 points and 1,037 yards in its first two games, the
Princeton defense did a great job on Saturday, limiting Columbia to 11 first downs, 57 yard rushing, and 215 yards passing. The Tigers held the Lions scoreless for more than 47 straight minutes, stretching from midway through the first quarter to 5:56 left in regulation.

“I thought our pressure picked up, we were unbelievable, hitting the quarterback, forcing him under duress to make tough throws,” said Surace, noting that there were only two plays where the defense was caught out of position while the starters were on the field.

“I thought we were tighter in our coverage. Defensively, two muffs is too many but for the other 45 snaps, we were on target and did a really good job.”

It was also really good for Princeton to snap a five-game road losing streak with a win in the Ivy opener.

“When you win the conference games and you are on top, you get a conference ring,” noted Surace, whose team last prevailed on the road when it posted a 40-7 win at Lafayette on September 19, 2015.

“There is an importance to how you start the season in the Ivy League. That was really significant and the fact that it was on the road makes it even a little better.”

The Tigers face another significant road test this Saturday as they play at 3-1 Georgetown, which posted a 17-14 win over Columbia earlier in the season and played Harvard tough last Friday night before falling 31-17.

“They create turnovers defensively and offensively, it is like a lot of these teams we play, they spread the field,” said Surace.

“They get the ball to a lot of guys, they have a physical running game. They will use the width of the field and they will take their shots down the field. Harvard did a good job getting pressure on the QB and that is a difference maker. They put him under some stress. At the end of the day, if we can get three-man pressure, four-man pressure and five-man pressure to mix it up, it will make everybody’s life better because that is how you create some turnovers and adversity.”