137 years. That’s how long it’s been since Penn and Princeton began playing each other in football. Plenty has changed since 1876.
Two World Wars were fought. A superpower rose and fell in the East. Revolutions occurred in technology and medicine.
Through it all, at least one thing has remained constant: the Quakers and Tigers have loathed each other.
Now, with everything on the line, Princeton returns for a battle that may have more meaning than any of the 104 before it.
Saturday, a resurgent Princeton (6-1, 4-0 Ivy) squad comes to Franklin Field to take on the Quakers (4-3, 3-1) in a Homecoming duel that will make or break the Red and Blue’s hopes of winning an unprecedented fourth Ivy title in five years.
Though Penn has tamed the Tigers in 14 of their last 16 contests, the Princeton team that will walk into Franklin Field will have a radically different look than the team that got humiliated, 37-9, the last time it visited the Quakers.
On offense, Princeton has had a revelation under center, as junior quarterback Quinn Epperly has suddenly become one of the most accurate passers in the FCS.
In a 53-20 evisceration of Cornell on Saturday, Epperly completed his first 29 passes of the afternoon, setting a Division I record and earning himself airtime on Sportscenter.
But scoring in bunches has been nothing new for the Tigers, who have put up at least 50 points on the scoreboard four times this season and average 544.3 yards of total offense per game.
“I don’t think I’ve been on a team this hot and putting up points the way our offense has,” Epperly said. “It has been exciting to be a part of.”
Defensively, Princeton has been just as fearsome.
The Tigers sacked Cornell quarterback Jeff Mathews seven times last weekend to add to their Ivy League-leading total, spearheaded by fearsome defensive tackle Caraun Reid.
A second-team All-American last season, Reid has been the emotional leader of the Tigers and has still managed to tally 2.5 sacks despite being double and triple-teamed on nearly every play.
“Vocal leadership is probably the biggest area where Caraun has improved,” Princeton coach Bob Surace said. “His growth as a leader has been exceptional and valued by the team and coaches.”
Though Penn’s offensive line struggled last weekend, surrendering four sacks and countless more pressures in a 27-0 loss to Brown, none of the Quakers’ linemen are about to back down from the challenge that the likely NFL draftee poses.
“There’s no monsters out there, there’s no crazy people,” senior center Chris Bush said. “If we play with focus and intensity and no mistakes, good things happen.”
Saturday’s loss to the Bears is one that the Quakers would like to forget. They surrendered a 93-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play from scrimmage, and it was all downhill from there.
“It certainly wasn’t the start that we were looking for,” Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. “It wasn’t the reaction that we should have had, from me on down.”
With the loss to Brown, the situation for the Quakers has become clear. A win would pull Penn into a first-place tie with the Tigers and likely Harvard as well, while a second Ivy defeat would create an insurmountable two-game deficit.
Though Penn’s offense struggled last week, getting shut out for the first time since 2011, some positive injury news could give the Red and Blue a lift.
Despite leaving Saturday’s game early with an apparent leg injury, junior running back Kyle Wilcox has been practicing fully and will be active on Saturday.
Penn could also finally see the return of fifth-year senior quarterback Billy Ragone. The captain has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, but has returned to practice, with his status for Saturday’s game being determined late this week.
If Ragone can’t go, senior Ryan Becker will make his third consecutive start, with Adam Strouss receiving playing time as well.
Ragone or no Ragone though, Penn is in desperate need of a victory, and there may be no better opponent to get back into the Ivy title hunt against than the hated Tigers.
“It’s the proximity, it’s the history, it’s the alumni,” Bagnoli said.
“It’s everything.”
SEE ALSO
Wenik | This debacle was the culmination of a season of sleepwalking
Penn football demolished by Brown, 27-0
Penn football looks to bear down against Brown
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