There were a lot of great moments for the 2022 season that featured eight wins and an opportunity for an Ivy League title in the final week of the regular season.
A defense that was one of the best in country.
The top passing offense in the Ivy League.
Superstars on offense and defense.
Let’s take a look at some of the top plays of the year.
- Andrei Iosivas’ย 43-yard catch vs. Stetson.
It was his introduction to 2022. The Stetson defensive back had great coverage on the senior captain but it didn’t matter. Iosivas, with his defender draped all over him, rose and snagged the ball out of the sky for his first big play. It eventually led to the Tigers’ second touchdown of the game and tied the score at 14-all. The Tigers would go onto to score 32 consecutive points to secure the victory over Stetson. - Dylan Classi’sย 23-yard catch vs. Lehigh.
In a career defined by tough catches, Classi’s toe-tap along the sideline almost felt routine. This was the beginning of an all-time season for Classi, who led all non-Princeton receivers in both catches (61) and receiving yards (915), and he added four touchdowns. - Andrei Iosivas’ย 65-yard touchdown vs. Lehigh.
Sometimes, you’re just faster than everyone. Iosvias caught the ball at the Princeton 38-yard line, got to the corner of the field and outran the Lehigh defense. The NCAA Track All-American showed off the old adage โฆ Speed kills. - Connor Hulstein’sย blocked punt vs. Lehigh.
Hulstein sliced through the line, ย blocked a Lehigh punt and recovered the ball at the Lehigh 23-yard line. It led to a Princeton field goal which gave the home team a 13-point lead. The Mountain Hawks never got within nine the rest of the way. - Will Perez’sย 4th down sack vs. Columbia.
In a game where Princeton’s defense did not allow a point in 13 Columbia drives, Perez was arguably the best player on the field. He had six solo tackles, two going for a loss, a big fourth-down sack to end one Columbia possession and an interception to end another. - Dylan Classi’sย 34-yard touchdown.
Stars have a knack for finding the camera. Classi scooted into the end zone for his first of two on the day, putting Princeton up 21-10 and gave a wave to the camera. He finished with nine catches for 169 yards, which was a career high. - Andrei Iosivas’ย 61-yard touchdown catch vs. Harvard.
It’s usually a bad idea to leave the best player in the Ivy League wide open, but the Crimson did so, and Princeton took advantage. On a flea flicker, Iosivas went streaking down the middle of the field untouched into the end zone. The potential NFL draft pick had a little motivation after the Harvard Crimson newspaper called him and Classi supplementary receivers. He finished with nine grabs for 176 yards. Not bad for a supplementary player. - Liam Johnson’sย 89-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Cornell
The game was in hand, but the play was impressive. Johnson made a snag at the Princeton 11-yard line, made two defenders miss around the 35-yard line and then got a convoy to the end zone for his first career pick-six. - Matthew Jester’sย PAT return for two points vs. Cornell.
Johnson deflected a pass and Jester caught it while standing in the end zone. Theย senior captain made his move and hurled over the Cornell quarterback trying to tackle him before going the distance. - Liam Johnson’sย 92-yard fumble return for a touchdown vs. Penn.
It was a signature moment in an outstanding season for Johnson, who scooped up the football and rumbled 92 yards for his second touchdown of the campaign. He became the second straight Tiger to win the Bushnell Cup for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year (Jeremiah Tyler) a few weeks later after finishing with 90 tackles, fourth most in the conference.ย
