PRINCETON, N.J. – Ivy League football is back. Saturday’s eight-game slate is highlighted by the Yale vs. No. 5 Holy Cross matchup set for noon at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn. The game pits the Ivy League and Patriot League favorites against each other.
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QUICK HITS
- The Ivy League collectively went 7-1 in season openers last season. Over the past 17 seasons, Ivies are 83-53 (.610) in season openers.
- Dartmouth has won 12 consecutive season openers, the longest active streak in the FCS. Princeton (seven) and Columbia (five) rank in the top seven of active streaks.
- Last season the Ivy League was 19-5 against non-conference opponents. Princeton, Columbia, Cornell and Penn each went 3-0 against non-league foes. The Tigers have won 16 consecutive non-conference games. Overall, the league has enjoyed non-conference success for more than a decade. Since 2010, Ivies own a mark of 177-111 (.615).
- Last year five teams finished in the top 20 in scoring defense: Princeton (1st, 13.5 ppg), Yale (5th, 19.5 ppg), Penn (6th, 19.7 ppg), Dartmouth (13th, 20.5 ppg) and Harvard (16th, 20.8 ppg).
- Three Ivies were named in Stats Perform’s FCS Prospects to Know for the NFL Draft in June. Yale OT Kiran Amegadjie was listed as the top prospect. Princeton OT Jalen Travis and Harvard DT Thor Griffith were fifth and sixth, respectively.
- The Ivy League returns two Bushnell Cup winners from last season: Yale QB Nolan Grooms (Offensive Player of the Year) and Princeton LB Liam Johnson (Defensive Player of the Year). Harvard DL Truman Jones, who shared the Defensive Player of the Year with Johnson, is currently on the practice squad for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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