Weiss out for football's season, but Opara may make comeback

"We just can't let the injury bug hit us this year like it did last year," football head coach Roger Hughes said at the beginning of the season.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, though, the injury bug bit last week, and it bit hard, putting five starters on the sideline by the end of the game against Colgate. Luckily for Princeton, though, the sprains and strains were less severe than they could have been and most of the Tigers will be back on the field this Saturday when Princeton travels to Brown.

The medical nightmare began during the practices the week before the game. The first injury was to senior linebacker Chris Roser-Jones, who pulled his hamstring and was only able to roam the sideline during the game and watch the Princeton defense give up 506 yards.

Also injured during the week was the team's leading tackler, sophomore cornerback Brandon Mueller, who was taken out with a shoulder injury. Sophomore defensive back Blake Perry received the final injury before the game, sustaining fractures in both wrists, though he was still able to come away with 11 tackles and one interception. Mueller and Perry should be back on the field this weekend. Roser-Jones was day-to-day last week and managed to practice Tuesday, but he is questionable for Saturday's game at Brown.

Game-time injuries began in the first quarter when junior wide receiver Chisom Opara caught a pass and then went helmet to helmet with the Colgate cornerback. Opara suffered a neck injury and was on the ground for the next 10 minutes while the medics took precautionary measures to stabilize his neck and take him to the hospital. Luckily, though, he suffered only a neck sprain and should be able to return.

Hughes said that Opara had recovered very quickly, but probably will miss the Brown game. The junior, however, should be ready for Harvard next weekend.

Last week's worst injury, though, happened near the end of the third quarter, when sophomore defensive end Joe Weiss broke his fibula. He had surgery on Monday and will be out for the rest of the season.

The final player to miss time was sophomore quarterback David Splithoff, who, in the fourth quarter, received hard hits in a series of downs and was taken out of the game after being blindsided and staying on the ground a bit too long on his last play of the game. He was taken to the sideline, examined quickly by a trainer, tried to get back into the game after the trainer was done with him. Splithoff finally gave up once one of the coaches took away the helmet he thought was his and placed it under the water table. He, too, should be ready for this weekend's game.

The Tigers have received injuries before, though. Just last season, the injury bug attacked the quarterbacks time and time again. Before the 2000 campaign ended, four different quarterbacks started at least two games. This persistent change forced the other offensive starters to constantly adapt to the different quarterback styles, an arrangement that did not always work out well.

Although the situation appeared to be dire after last week's game, the doctors and time have been kind to the Tigers and the team looks to return to the field near full strength on Saturday.