In a wide open Ivy League football race featuring several potent offenses and numerous high-scoring games, the quarterback position has become one of utmost importance.
Princeton (2-4 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) in particular has benefited from high quality passing this year — but from multiple sources.
While the Tigers have been blessed with tremendous depth at football's most important position, they have been cursed with the misfortune of having to test that depth.
Last week against Harvard, the bad karma continued as freshman David Splithoff — the third quarterback to start for the Tigers — suffered an injured jaw on the Tigers' final offensive play. Tests conducted over the past few days confirmed that the jaw was broken, thereby ending Splithoff's season.
The five teams currently tied for the Ivy lead — with identical 2-1 league records — have featured highly skilled signal callers. Consistency and experience under center has helped Penn and Harvard — both quarterbacked by juniors — average 35 points or more per game in Ivy contests.
Turnstile
Splithoff replaced senior Jon Blevins, who sprained his ankle against Colgate on Oct. 7. Blevins began the season as the Tigers' backup behind junior Tommy Crenshaw. Crenshaw performed admirably in Princeton's first two games before breaking his wrist against Columbia in the third contest of this star-crossed season.
" 'Take four' with the quarterback situation, right now," head coach Roger Hughes said.
With the injury to Splithoff, only three passers remain healthy on Hughes' roster — junior Brian Danielewicz and sophomores Matt Groh and Dave Mroz.
Currently, the Tiger coaching staff has not decided who will start against fellow league-leader Cornell (2-4, 2-1) this Saturday. Blevins' ankle remains tender, and it has not been determined whether he will be able to play on the artificial turf surface of the Big Red's Schoellkopf Field.
"[Blevins'] ankle is coming around," Hughes said. "I'm very concerned about his ankle on Astroturf since the cuts are much sharper."
Still, Blevins is taking snaps in practice with the first team offense, as are Danielewicz, Mroz and Groh, according to Hughes.
If the veteran Blevins is unable to play for Princeton, then Danielewicz — who has thrown two passes in his college career — will start.
"Right now, we're trying to figure out which guy can best handle what we're doing," Hughes said. "Certainly Jon did a great job when he was in there. It's going to get down to how much he can tolerate, pain-wise. Beyond that, we really have untested kids."
Eyes on the prize
Despite this latest turn of the orange-and-black quarterback carousel, the team still remains focused.
"Our goal [from] a team standpoint is still the same," senior tight end George Citovic said. "It's still the league championship. Obviously, it's a little disappointing, but goals are still the same and team mentality is still the same. It's a small setback as far as feeling badly for David, but from a team standpoint we just gotta keep doing what we have been doing, and that's try to win games."
"We're trying to use it as a rally cry," Hughes said. "Everybody else has to take it up a notch."
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