Princeton Overcomes 24-Point Fourth Quarter Gap to Snap Harvard Win Streak
By Kyle Kensing
Harvard was well on its way to an 15th consecutive win, extending the nation’s longest Div. I streak, sporting a 24-point lead over Ivy League rival Princeton when Colton Chapple threw his fifth touchdown pass. But then…
The program with the most football national championships (seriously, look it up) rattled off five straight touchdowns, all in the fourth quarter, to win 39-34. Perhaps even more astounding than the Tigers’ 29-0 rally was The final and decisive score with 13 seconds remaining came with Princeton’s starting quarterback, Connor Michelsen, on the sideline.
Sophomore Quinn Epperly led Princeton’s final drive, capped off with a 36-yard strike to Roman Wilson. Epperly finished the work Michelsen started by throwing the quarter’s first three touchdowns.
Princeton’s effort rivals that of Michigan State, which scored 38 straight to beat Northwestern in 2006. The Tigers’ comeback may be more impressive, given theirs took 11 minutes; Michigan State’s spanned double that.
Harvard was thoroughly dominating before those fateful final 11 minutes. Chapple passed for 448 yards and rushed for another 82. Had Harvard made even one more stop on the defensive end, Chapple’s 530 total yards and five touchdowns might garner national attention. They still will, but only as footnotes to what could be argued is the best comeback ever.