PRINCETON, N.J.—Princeton opened up a tightly contested, low-scoring game with two fourth quarter touchdowns by running back Collin Eaddy as it registered a 24-7 win over Columbia Saturday at Powers Field at Princeton Stadium. As the Ivy League opener for both teams, Princeton improved to 3-0 overall, while Columbia dropped to 2-1 on the young season.
 
With Princeton clinging to a 10-7 lead, the Tigers drove 61 yards in six plays and scored on a two-yard touchdown run by Eaddy with 8:50 to play. A 23-yard pass from quarterback Colin Smith to Carson Bobo gave the Tigers possession at the Columbia 3-yard line. On its next drive, the Tigers put together a nine-play, 66-yard drive that ended in a 17-yard touchdown run by Eaddy with 2:26 to play in the game. A 22-yard pass from Smith to Jacob Birmelin set up the score.
 
Columbia's defense limited Princeton to just 300 total offensive yards, 139 of which came in the fourth quarter, and 181 rushing yards on the day. The Lions combined for 4.0 total tackles for loss for 18 yards, three sacks for 17 yards, six pass breakups, and one interception.
 
"We fought hard, we played hard," Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Al Bagnoli said. "I don't think the game was indicative of the 24-7 score. We had some bad breaks. You don't have a great margin of error against a team like Princeton. We spent the first quarter trying to get our sea legs. I'm happy with our players' effort and the way that we competed against a team that's very athletic, very experienced, and playing at home. It's a difficult chore. Hopefully, we learn from this and build on this moving forward."
 
Led by sophomore quarterback Joe Green, who completed 62 percent (23 of 37) of his passes for 171 yards and a touchdown, Columbia's offense caught fire in the second half.
 
The Lions got on the board in the third quarter and cut Princeton's lead to 10-7 when Green connected with junior tight end Luke Painton for a 19-yard touchdown pass. After a fumble for a loss of yardage and an incomplete pass on first and second down respectively, Columbia faced a third and 19 from the 19-yard line where Green found Painton at the one-yard line, where he caught the ball and drove past a Princeton defender for the score. The drive, which covered 66 yards in 11 plays, featured a 23-yard pass from senior quarterback Ty Lenhart to Ernest Robertson and a 20-yard pass from Green to senior Emerson Kabus on a crossing pattern to the sideline which put the Lions at the Princeton 14-yard line.
 
After another defensive stop, Columbia's offense took over at its own 45-yard line. The Lions drove down the field and used a 15-yard penalty unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a Ryan Young run to advance to the Princeton 19-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Green was sacked by Princeton's Jeremiah Tyler which forced a long 48-yard field goal by Felkins that sailed wide left. That was Columbia's last offensive opportunity.
 
"We just settled down and got back to who we are," Bagnoli said. "In the first half, we were all over the place and it's almost like we were trying to convince ourselves that we belonged. We should have a tremendous amount of confidence that we can play with everybody in this league. We've just got to be on our game, execute and do all the fundamental things that we've practiced. We certainly didn't do that in the first half, we did it very well in the third quarter. Halfway through the fourth quarter, we missed opportunities."
 
"When you play good teams on the road, you can't make unforced errors. That's what happened. We were all over the place as opposed to being very cohesive, very locked in, as opposed to relying on our technique, coaching and everything we are trying to do. It took us a long time to settle in, longer than I would have hoped."
 
It was all Princeton in the first half as the Tigers built a 10-0 halftime lead. Princeton went up 3-0 in the first quarter on a 42-yard field goal by Jeffrey Sexton following a 12-play, 55-yard drive. The Tigers were forced to kick the field goal after Columbia's John Harris sacked Smith for a nine-yard loss on a key third down and five play. A 35-yard pass from Smith to Andrei Iosivas placed Princeton at Columbia's 21-yard line.
 
The Tigers took a commanding 10-0 second quarter lead after a 1-yard touchdown run by Ja'Derris Carr. The touchdown culminated a 16-play, 67-yard drive that lasted seven minutes and 34 seconds. Key plays in the drive included an 11-yard run by Smith and a 15-yard face mask penalty on Columbia that advanced Princeton to the Lions' 27-yard line.
 
Late in the second quarter, Princeton again drove the ball deep into Columbia territory, but Columbia's Ben Corniello made a key stop on a fourth and two play at the Columbia 21-yard line. The play gave Columbia the ball back with 1:27 to go before halftime. After gaining possession, Columbia's offense got on track when Green completed five passes and engineered a 60-yard drive that included a 24-yard pass to Wills Meyer, and first down receptions to Mike Roussos and Marcus Libman moved the Lions down to the Princeton 27-yard line. A five-yard delay of game penalty on Princeton set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Alex Felkins that was blocked as time expired in the first half. With the missed opportunity, Princeton took its 10-0 lead into halftime.
 
For Princeton, Eaddy finished the day with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Smith threw for 119 yards on nine completions, and Daniel Beard led the Tigers' defense with eight tackles and two pass breakups.
 
Columbia was penalized 10 times for 98 yards. The last time Columbia was penalized for 100 yards was 34 games ago on November 12, 2016 vs. Cornell.
 
On defense, Columbia safety Ben Mathiasmeier led the Lions with 10 tackles (seven solo) and two pass breakups. Safety Fara'ad McCombs finished the day with seven tackles and a first quarter interception, cornerback Bryan Bell-Anderson had six tackles and two pass breakups, while defensive linemen Thomas Thibault and Ben Corniello each had six tackles.
 
Columbia is back in action next week when it travels to Central Connecticut State for its final non-conference game in New Britain, Conn. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.