NEW YORK — Columbia Football steps into Ivy League play on Friday night when it heads to Princeton to kick off week three of action in the Ancient Eight. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU, with Eric Frede handling play-by-play and Jack Ford serving as the analyst.

OPENING DRIVE
• Columbia edged Georgetown, 19-10, last weekend to reclaim the Lou Little Trophy in its home opener.
• The Lions will open their Ivy League title defense against the Tigers on Friday night to kick off week three of Ivy League action.
• Columbia is leading the Ivy League and ranks No. 2 in FCS in passing defense, allowing just 116.5 yards through the air in two games.
• In three career games against Princeton, Justin Townsend has five sacks, 10 tackles and returned an intercepted a pass for a touchdown in 2023.

A COLUMBIA WIN WOULD...
• Give the Lions a 1-0 start in Ivy League play for the second consecutive season.
• Be Columbia's first at Princeton since 2017 and sixth in program history.
• Improve Columbia's record to 12-17 in primetime games.
• Mark Columbia's second win in its past three night games.

SERIES HISTORY
Columbia and Princeton will meet for the 94th time Friday. The Tigers have won 11 of the last 13 meetings and have been dominant at home, winning seven of the last eight meetings at Powers Field.

The Lions are in search of their first win at Princeton since a 28-24 victory in 2017.

A LOOK BACK...
Columbia used a big second half to top Princeton, 34-17, to start Ivy League play 1-0. The Lions snapped a five-game losing streak to the Tigers, which dated back to 2017 and was the last time Columbia won its conference opener. Three Princeton turnovers turned into 13 Columbia points to keep things close after a tightly contested first half. From there, Columbia outscored the Tigers, 28-7, after the intermission to secure its first home win against the Tigers since 2010, snapping a five-game skid at home.

The Lions posted 479 yards of total offense, compared to just 280 for the Tigers, and controlled time of possession, keeping the ball for 38:17.

Joey Giorgi had a monster game, rushing 18 times for 157 yards. Edan Stagg posted a career-best 99 receiving yards on six catches. Chase Goodwin returned to action and completed 19-of-30 passes for 210 yards, with a touchdown through the air and another on the ground. Hayden McDonald posted a pair of interceptions and led the defense with seven tackles.

PRINCETON'S STATUS
• Princeton is coming off a 38-28 victory over Lafayette. The Tigers bounced back last week after dropping their season opener to San Diego. Dareion Murphy, Ethan Clark, and Blaine Hipa each recorded a rushing touchdown, while Torian Roberts returned an interception for a touchdown and forced a fumble. 
• Last season, Princeton posted a 3-7 mark, going 2-5 in Ivy League play.
• Princeton's offense is averaging five touchdowns per game and over 360 yards of offense. Kai Colón is second in the Ivy League in passing yards (317) and has thrown two touchdowns. Dareion Murphy and Ethan Clark have combined for five rushing touchdowns, while Charley Rossi has racked up over 100 receiving yards. 
• Princeton's defense is allowing over 440 yards of offense. Christopher Chase and Marco Scarano have recorded 24 and 20 total tackles, respectively. In last week's contest versus Lafayette, Chase recorded a career-high 15 tackles en route to a Princeton victory.
• Brady Clark is averaging 50 yards per punt with a long of 65 yards. Kenny Jordan has returned three kicks with a long of 36 yards.

GEORGETOWN LEFTOVERS
• Columbia forced three turnovers, all interceptions by linebackers, in the win. Charlie Newton came up with the Lions' first takeaway of the season in the second quarter, and Jack Smiechowski picked off a pair of passes in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
• The Lions held Georgetown to 3-for-14 on third down to get off the field and limited the Hoyas' passing attack, giving up just 67 yards through the air.
• Hutch Crow caught a touchdown pass for the second consecutive game.
• Columbia used four quarterbacks in the game. Chase Goodwin started, while junior Xander Menapace and first-year Xander Eschelman each came in for designed run plays. Goodwin exited the game due to injury in the second half and Caleb Sanchez finished the game.
• Senior Justin Townsend picked up his first two sacks of the season and had three tackles, all behind the line of scrimmage in the game.

COLUMBIA/PRINCETON CONNECTIONS
• Columbia wide receivers coach AJ Gallagher served on the Princeton staff from 2021-22 as an offensive line and wide receivers coach.
• Princeton head coach Bob Surace's daughter, Alison, is a senior on Columbia's lacrosse team.