In their first game since November 2019, Princeton Football dominated defensively en route to a 32-0 win over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem, PA.
“We moved the ball as well as we ever moved it for a first game,” said head coach Bob Surace Princeton Athletics. “I also love the way the defense went to the ball. It was the fastest we have ever played and the best we have played in the first game in a long time.”
The Tigers started the game strong, marching 75 yards down the field on their first drive, with senior running back Collin Eaddy charging in from 13 yards for the game’s first score.
Princeton held Lehigh at bay offensively, and a 34-yard pass from senior quarterback Cole Smith to junior wide receiver Andrei Iosivas gave the Tigers a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Lehigh’s defense held strong in the second quarter, preventing Princeton from scoring multiple touchdowns. The Tigers led 16-0 in the half thanks to a field goal from first-time kicker Jeffrey Sexton.
The offensive turned hot again in the third quarter when All-Ivy senior, 2019 runner-up team recipient Jacob Birmelin, took a short pass from Smith and made his way through the Mountain Hawks’ defense for a 42-yard score snaked. Smith then hurled a 52-yard bomb at Iosivas for Iosivas’ second touchdown of the game.
After stopping Lehigh defensively again, the Tigers bit off large chunks of yards moving across the field but were again stopped in the red zone and had to score a field goal. By the end of three, the Tigers had doubled their half-time advantage and were leading 32-0.
The game slowed down in the fourth quarter with both teams threatening to score but neither did. The 32-0 win gives the Tigers a 1-0 start to their season. Lehigh falls to 0-3 in their season after losing nine straight games in their last three seasons, back in with their last win September 2019.
One of the Tigers’ statistical front-runners was Smith, who went 30/41 for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Eaddy had 16 carries for 70 yards and a score, while Birmelin caught eight passes for 139 yards and a touchdown of his own. Iosivas had four catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
The game was the 61st ever inter-school meeting. Princeton is now running the all-time series 42-17-2 against Lehigh.
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Next Saturday, the Tigers return to Powers Field for a matchup with the Stetson Hatters. The Ivy League game begins the following weekend when the Tigers receive Columbia.
