Splithoff to start under center for young team

Everyone loves a quarterback controversy. Fans, journalists, talk-radio hosts — everyone, that is, except for the affected football team and its coaches.

After a wild 3-7 season that saw no fewer than five quarterbacks score touchdowns, it looked like Princeton was heading into a situation to rival the famous spat played out on the Buffalo Bills over the last few years. Instead of Doug Flutie or Rob Johnson, however, the controversy would have involved rising sophomore David Splithoff, junior Tommy Crenshaw, and rising senior Brian Danielewicz.

But head coach Roger Hughes wants nothing of the sort. He won't name a starting quarterback, but he'll come close.

"Dave Splithoff definitely has the upper hand," Hughes said. "He took all the reps at No. 1 this spring, and he'll have the chance to be the starter.

"And when you talk about leadership, whatever it is, he has it. He's got a way about him that I think helps motivate kids around him."

In just one full game and parts of two others before he suffered a season-ending jaw injury, Splithoff posted what would have been the best passing efficiency mark in the nation if he had played enough to qualify for consideration. When Princeton beat Brown, 55-28, he passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

But the Tigers also have Crenshaw, who started in 1999 and entered 2000 as the incumbent No. 1. He suffered a broken wrist against Columbia early last season, however, and took the year off. Hughes said that Crenshaw might not return to the team for the upcoming season.

Joining the quarterback-to-be-named later in the backfield will be a young crop of running backs, led by speedster Cameron Atkinson, a rising junior.

"From a depth standpoint, [freshmen] possibly could help us in the backfield. Cameron Atkinson, who's a good running back, is doing track right now. We've signed some guys who we think can help at tailback," Hughes said.

Also, the backfield will suffer greatly from the loss of unanimous All-Ivy selection Marty Cheatham at fullback.

The Tigers have an impressive group of athletes at the wide receiver spot. Every receiver who played last year returns — including rising junior Chisom Opara, who had 51 catches last season and is Princeton's best pass catcher.

Trying to provide opportunities for the skill players to shine will be a relatively inexperienced offensive line. Princeton loses four of its five starters to graduation, including Dennis Norman, who was selected in the seventh round of the National Football League draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Only rising senior guard Matt Peluse returns in the trenches, where veteran leadership is crucial.

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On the other side of the ball, the Tigers lack some depth on the defensive line, and they will need some freshmen to contribute immediately. But the defensive ends, including rising sophomore Tim Kirby, have put on some weight, which Hughes expects to improve their play.

Princeton's linebackers are the team's best group on defense. Bob Farrell, who will captain the team next season as a senior, plugs gaps at middle linebacker. Behind the linebackers is a young secondary that could use some added depth from the incoming freshmen.

The Tigers will need a strong freshmen class to be competitive in the Ivy League.

"Penn, I think, has a chance to be the best," Hughes said, "but Harvard always has great athletes and Brown has a lot of skill on offense and can score a lot of points. If a young team gets hot and some confidence, they can get on a roll early and win it."

With an eye to the upcoming season, the team has been training hard for months.

"Going into my sophomore year, this team compares well with teams from the past. We are very talented and although we are very young, we have great leadership, work ethic, skill and confidence in ourselves," Splithoff said.