Last second field goal block at Penn ends Ivy title hopes for Princeton

Princeton football dropped a heartbreaker on Franklin Field this weekend, where Penn completed a game-ending touchdown pass in overtime to seal a 26-23 victory.

The loss mathematically eliminated the Tigers, who needed to win the rest of their games for a chance at catching undefeated Harvard, from Ivy League title contention.

The thrilling matchup against the now 4-1 Quakers couldn’t have been much closer, as the score was tied at 3, 10, and 20 apiece before going into overtime.

Penn’s 11-yd TD pass in OT ended Princeton’s Ivy League championship chances

Trailing 10-3 just before halftime, Princeton ripped off 17 unanswered points in the final five minutes of the half. A four yard run from junior running back Joe Rhattigan capped off a 73-yard touchdown drive to knot things up at 10-10.

Two minutes later, the Tigers started again on their own 30 and marched down the field for another Rhattigan score. Leading 17-10 with just 19 seconds remaining in the half, Princeton recovered a surprise onsides kick and set up senior kicker Nolan Bieck for a 39-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

Penn shut the Tigers out in the second half and posted 10 points of their own to draw even before the end of the fourth.

On the final play in regulation, Bieck lined up for a 35-yard attempt with just four seconds remaining and a chance to win the game.

At that point, the first team All-Ivy kicker was a perfect 10 of 10 on the season and had already connected from 39 and 43 yards that day.

This time, though, Penn’s rush came clean off the edge and blocked the kick to send the game into overtime.

As time expired, Nolan Bieck’s game-winning field goal attempt was blocked

Princeton took the field first and after three incompletions was forced to settle for a 42-yard field goal. This time the line held up, and Bieck drilled his 11th field goal of the season.

But two plays later, a play action fake allowed senior wide receiver Eric Fiore to sneak out of the backfield uncovered and catch an easy game-winner for the Quakers.

Bieck was perfect on the season until the would-be game winner was blocked

While the loss was devastating for the Tigers, it was an impressive showing against a strong Penn team that has a very real shot at winning or sharing the Ivy League title.

Junior quarterback Chad Kanoff, who usually shares some of his snaps with the currently injured sophomore John Lovett, hit 26 of his 42 attempts for 218 yards and no interceptions.

Meanwhile, Rhattigan racked up 116 yards on 30 carries and moved to fourth in Ivy League rushing.

The biggest bright spot for the Tigers’ offense, though, was the return of senior wide receiver Seth DeValve.

After taking a medical hardship waiver, returning for his fifth year, and finally recovering from last year’s season-ending injury, DeValve was sidelined again this fall. A series of injuries have kept him almost entirely off the field since week two.

Saturday was the first time he has been able to play a full game again, and his team-high nine catches for 65 yards seem to indicate he’ll be good to go for the rest of the year.

DeValve and the rest of the seniors will be honored during next week’s homecoming game against 2-3 Yale, this season’s final game on Powers Field.