If you thought the Patriot League was too good to lose more than one game to the Ivy League this weekend, you would have been right - were it not for Tom Methvin.
The Princeton defensive end stuffed Colgate quarterback Mike Saraceno just outside the end zone to deny the Raiders the two-point conversion on the game's final play on Saturday as the Ivy League continued its dominance in matchups between the two conferences this year. With the Tigers' 27-26 win, the Ancient Eight is now
11-3 overall in the 2006 series.
But it was very nearly 10-4. The Tigers should have lost the game when Colgate attempted a field goal as time expired, but Jacob Stein left his 39-yard attempt short. It was an agonizing finish to a drive that began five yards into Princeton territory after a 30-yard return and a 15-yard face-mask penalty.
But even more agonizing was Methvin's hit on Saraceno. After Princeton quarterback Jeff Terrell rushed four yards for a touchdown in overtime, the Raiders scored themselves and elected to go for the win instead of the tie. The decision backfired on coach Dick Biddle.
The now-No. 22 Tigers stand at 4-0 for the first time since 1995. Three of their wins have come against the Patriot League.
Hail to the chief
Clifton Dawson continued rewriting the Ivy record books on Saturday, and he did it in more than one way.
Dawson tied the career touchdown record with his first touch of the day against Cornell - a 93-yard kick return for the 54th of his career. He added his 55th and 56th on four- and one-yard runs in the second quarter as Harvard built a 30-10 lead at intermission and cruised to a 33-23 win.
The total touchdown record had been held by former Brown standout Nick Hartigan (for all of one year). But Dawson still has two more to go before he takes over the career mark in rushing scores.
Considering Dawson has scored three times in all four games so far this year, Hartigan - a current Harvard Law student - shouldn't hold out hope that his record will stand.
Role reversal
No, it isn't a mirage: Brown is 1-3 and Columbia is 3-1.
The Lions took advantage of a sloppy Iona squad to notch their first shutout since 1998, piling up 298 total yards and scoring two defensive touchdowns in a 24-0 rout.
Rookie head coach Norries Wilson will have a far more difficult time in the coming weeks when he takes his team on the road for the first time this year. But at a school where, a year ago, university officials publicly complained about perpetually underachieving athletic programs, 3-1 isn't anything to sneeze at.
Mass. attack
Despite the fireworks in New York and Boston this week, the "most fun to watch" awards go to Brown quarterback Joe DiGiacomo and Holy Cross signal-caller Dominic Randolph.
The two combined for 730 passing yards on Saturday in a shootout in Worcester, Mass., that the Bears came oh-so-close to stealing. After storming back from an 18-point deficit on two second-half touchdowns from DiGiacomo, the Bears attempted an onside kick that linebacker Zak DeOssie just missed. The Crusaders ran out the clock to preserve a 35-30 win.
Those 54 Hartigan touchdowns sure look good right now.
