Tigers’ Anderson passes for three TDs
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The Princeton University football team defeated Columbia at Wien Stadium for the sixth straight time, 27-24, Saturday. It was the fourth time in that stretch that the game was decided by three points or less.
The Tigers used a late turnover to seal their win as they improved to 2-1 by winning their Ivy League opener. Steve Britton forced a fumble that was recovered by Cart Kelly as Columbia was driving for a potential game-tying field goal. The Lions fell to 0-3 with their 11th straight loss overall.
Princeton’s Brian Anderson passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, including a 52-yarder to Trey Peacock midway through the fourth quarter for the decisive points. Jordan Culbreath accounted for two touchdowns, one on the ground and one on a pass.
Princeton opened the second half with a 72-yard scoring drive highlighted by a 34-yard completion from Anderson to Trey Peacock. Four plays later, Anderson slipped out of reach of one Columbia lineman, bought time as he slid to his left and motioned for Thanheiser to move to the end zone, where he lofted the ball to him for a 17-yard touchdown and a 21-10 lead.
The Lions came right back with a 71-yard drive of their own to stay close. Shane Kelly completed a pair of passes of 22 yards, including one to Taylor Joseph to move the ball to the Princeton 4.
The Tigers stuffed Columbia’s attempt to draw closer on their next possession. The Lions reached Princeton’s 22 and lined up for a 39-yard field goal, but Kelly picked up the snap and tried to sweep around the right side for the first down. Collin McCarthy stopped him after a 2-yard gain to give the ball back to Princeton.
The Tigers, however, for the second time went three-and-out and the Lions had to drive just 49 yards to take the lead. After a third-down scramble by Kelly and a subsequent late hit by Pat McGrath moved the ball to the Princeton 9, Jordan Davis did the rest. He rushed once for 8 yards to move it to the 1, then after no gain by Kelly, David dived into the end zone for a 24-21 Columbia lead.
Princeton needed just five plays to regain the lead. Two plays after Anderson found Thanheiser for an 18-yard third-down reception, he hit Trey Peacock in stride for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 27-24 with 8:39 to play. Connor Louden’s extra point was blocked by Owen Fraser. It was the first miss in 57 career attempts for the senior kicker. The Princeton record is 59 straight.
Princeton’s next possession ended when Anderson was sacked, and Columbia took the ball from its own 18 and drove to the Princeton 39. Kelly hit Mike Stephens with a second-down pass, but Britton caused a fumble and Cart Kelly recovered with 1:32 left in the game. Culbreath needed just two carries to pick up a first down to seal the victory.
Princeton scored on its first two possessions of the game, both times converting red-zone opportunities into touchdowns that provided a 14-10 halftime difference. Perfection was in place in the first quarter as Brian Anderson was 5-for-5 passing and the Tiger offense was 3-for-3 on third-down chances in the first 15 minutes.
Columbia took a 7-0 lead on Shane Kelly’s 15-yard option keeper to cap a seven-play opening drive.
Princeton answered with an 11-play drive to tie it, 7-7. Matt Zimmerman kept the drive alive twice with third-down runs. Then on third-and-4 from the Columbia 5, Anderson lofted a high screen pass to Jordan Culbreath, who brought it down with one hand and then lunged into the end zone with 6:20 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game on their next possession. On their second play, Anderson hit Will Thanheiser down the middle of the field, and the senior receiver cut to the right sideline for a 69-yard gain, the longest offensive play this season for the Tigers. Culbreath scored his second touchdown of the game two plays later on a 3-yard plunge up the middle for a 14-7 lead with 22 seconds left in the first quarter.
Columbia ended the first-half scoring when it drove from its own 1 to the Princeton 8. The Tiger defense held, however, to force a 26-yard field goal from Jon Rocholl that cut the PU lead to 14-10 with 26 seconds left in the first half.
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