Youth reigns for inexperienced football squad

It is an undeniable fact that a chain is only as good as its weakest link. Hang a weight on it, and the weak link snaps, ruining the rest of the chain. However, if the chain has yet to be tested, the strength or weakness of the chain cannot be determined.

The Tigers of Princeton University are no doubt an untested chain this year. Last year's squad finished a paltry 3-7 on the season, going through four different quarterbacks in ten games. While they played teams like Lehigh closer than Princeton ever has, every fan knows that a team's success is determined by whether it wins or loses, not how close it might have come.

From that team, three players signed with teams in the National Football League, and two of them have made the cut. And the two who made it were from the offensive line, necessarily the strongest links of any successful team.Meanwhile, the Tigers are left with young and inexperienced players in key positions. While many have justifiably predicted a sad season for the boys from Princeton, it has not fazed them. The Tigers have done the only thing a team can do to get ready — they went to practice.

While most students were enjoying their last few weeks of summer vacation all around the world, the football team was back on campus in preseason camp, working to create team unity among a team that is only 12 seniors strong.

"Simply staying in Scully together and practicing essentially from six in the morning until 10 at night for two straight weeks, it's almost impossible for a team not to come together," senior captain Bob Farrell said.

While a young team might tend to make mistakes due to lack of game-time experience, offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan is not concerned.

"We're young. The guys that have any experience are young, but that's good. It bodes well for the future."

The one area where the team's youth could be a detriment is the offensive line. Not a single member of the line started against Lafayette at the beginning of last season. They have yet to prove themselves in game-time conditions, and with the cancellation of Saturday's game, they will have to wait for Lehigh to prove their mettle. But sophomore quarterback Dave Splithoff remains confident in his protectors.

"We have a great offensive line coach in [Stanley] Clayton," Splithoff said. "He's been working hard with them. They've been watching a lot of film, and in drills they're going all out. They've got him yelling in their face all the time, and it's getting them going, getting them better."

Although it appeared that Princeton would have to suffer through a quarterback controversy during spring practice, head coach Roger Hughes gave his vote of confidence to the only freshman quarterback ever to start for Princeton, Splithoff. Though his ability to evade the rush was nothing short of spectacular and his passing ability set a new record (most consecutive completions with 14), if his new offensive line blocks for him, "it can add a new dimension to the game for us and make something out of nothing," Splithoff said.

The first test for this young team came Sept. 5, in a preseason match-up with Ivy-favorite Penn. Though the game was ended early due to inclement weather, Princeton was able to hang with the Quakers, 7-7, in a little over one quarter of play. Senior second-string quarterback Brian Danielewicz connected with freshman receiver B.J. Symanski on an 85-yard pass to tie the game. Before the scrimmage, the two teams had competed in various drills, such as 7-on-7, red zone, goal line, and third downs.

After their preseason contest, the Tigers by no means relaxed in their resolve to become a better team. Upon evaluating the film from the scrimmage, the team has worked to iron out mistakes the only way football coaches know how — with more practice.

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"We just realized that number one, we need to be more physical. We need to stop the run a little bit better on defense, and we need to be able to run the ball a little bit better on offense," Farrell said. "The second thing is that we need to be on the same page by the time the ball is snapped. Mistakes made by making checks and the linemen not understanding where the protection is are things that we can practice and things we can fix."

While youth and inexperience may weigh down this football team, the sheer talent in the various skilled positions certainly buoys it. Of the six players who started in last season's opener, all of them are at skilled positions: two wide receivers, two cornerbacks, a linebacker, and a strong safety.

"Our strength is we have a lot of talent," Splithoff said. "Our wide receivers, our running backs, and our skilled positions are especially loaded. Our defensive line and our defensive ends are very, very good — tops in the Ivies."

With temperatures reaching triple digits during their camp, the football team seems to have been forged in fire, from drills to the scrimmage with the pre-season number one team in the Ivy League.

Come next Saturday, the Tigers' chain will finally be tested. But according to Farrell, it will not be Lehigh who will break the chain.

"Preseason camp has been very intense," Farrell said. "The Penn scrimmage especially what we learned from that is that we can play with anybody, and if anyone is going to beat us this year, it will be ourselves."