The arrival of wide-eyed freshmen to campus also signifies the arrival of another American tradition — football.
While the rest of campus is finishing up adjustments to dorm rooms and settling in for classes, most of the football team has already been at Princeton for two weeks, practicing for their season opener against Lehigh a week from tomorrow at Princeton Stadium.
Defense was supposed to be the strength of this year's team, but suspensions and injuries to key players have shifted the pressure onto the offense to carry the team early in the season.
"During spring practices I thought that our defense was going to have to play very well to give our offense time to adjust, but now the reverse must happen," head coach Roger Hughes said.
Quarterback
The Tiger offense will be directed at the start of the season by junior quarterback Matt Verbit. Verbit, who also plays for the men's basketball team, replaces senior captain David Splithoff who started last season's opener.
Splithoff was hampered by injuries for much of last season and started only six of the 10 games. Following off-season shoulder surgery on his throwing arm, Splithoff was expected to battle for the starting job. However, tendonitis in that same shoulder has kept Splithoff from getting the reps that he needs to be ready to play.
Verbit is a more traditional quarterback who thinks pass first and then run. He is much more likely than Splithoff to stay in the pocket and check his third and fourth receiving options.
Nonetheless, Hughes insists that both of his quarterbacks can effectively run the offense using both their arms and their legs.
Hughes is quick to dismiss any rumor of a quarterback controversy, promising that "if they can both produce, then they'll both play."
Backfield
The job of replacing tailback Cameron Atkinson '03 will be a very difficult one. Atkinson finished his career third on Princeton's all-time rushing list.
Junior Jon Veach will get most of the carries to begin the season. He was expected to battle fellow junior Brandon Benson for the starting job, but nagging hamsting injuries have hampered Benson.
Benson's injury woes have elevate sophomore Greg Fields to second string. Fields did not play last season following shoulder surgery but is healthy again this season.
Hughes feels that this year's crop of backs is better at catching the ball out of the backfield, which will create some exciting new offensive opportunities. But both Veach and Benson lack Atkinson's speed and his intuitive knowledge of the position. Fields does have similar quickness, yet lacks the interior running ability that made Atkinson great.
Wide Receivers
At the wideout position Princeton bid farewell to one of its finest in Chisom Opara. Fortunately, the Tigers return two other top receivers, junior standout B.J. Szymanski and senior Blair Morrison.
In the four games Verbit started for the Tigers at the end of last season, Morrison's productivity improved dramatically, including an eight-catch performance against Cornell.
"Many times teams were rotating their coverage to Szymanksi and Opara leaving [Morrison] open on the individual route," Hughes said.
Morrison is also the Tigers' best blocking receiver. "[Morrison] is an assassin when it comes to blocking," Hughes said. "Tough, physical, will crack your face."
Szymanksi, at six feet, five inches is a huge target for any quarterback with blazing speed — 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash — and soft hands. Szymanski further demonstrated his athletic prowess last spring when he was an All-Ivy selection for baseball in the 2003 season.
The third and fourth wide receiver positions are "up in the air," according to Hughes. Junior Clint Wu has played the most at the third wideout slot, including at the Yale scrimmage. Freshman Eric Walz, senior Ryan Alberti, and sophomore Monte McNair are vying for the fourth spot.
Tight End
Senior tight end Mike Chiusano is back after taking a year off last season to rehab from a shoulder injury. Chiusano's return means that the Tigers once again have a legitimate receiving threat at the tight end position.
"You talk about a great work ethic, a guy you would want your daughter to marry, [Chiusano's] it," Hughes said.
Offensive Line
Protecting Verbit and Splithoff and opening holes for Veach will be a young and inexperienced offensive line.
"When you have four guys in there who haven't really played much, that's definitely a concern," Hughes said.
The line has improved in its blitz pickup and man-to-man blocking schemes yet still has trouble picking up twists. Without improvement in this area, Verbit and Splithoff could end up on their backs more often than Tanya Harding in Celebrity Boxing.
Senior Kevin Manning is the lone returning starter at left tackle. He is healthy this season after playing though a groin hernia last year. Junior Paul Lyons, who started five game slast season, also looks to bounce back from injury problems. He will be playing right guard. Junior Jeremy Moore is the most likely candidate to start at center. Sophomore Andrew Wilson will start at left guard and sophomore Dave Szelingowski will be at right tackle.
This year's line is also undersized as compared to years past. Wilson at left guard, for instance, weighs in at only 260 pounds, small for that position.
Hughes recognizes that the season will be a learning process for his young linemen, saying "hopefully by the time we get to the Ivy League race they'll have a couple of games under their belt and have been slapped in the face a couple of times."
Kicking
Sophomore Derrick Javarone will resume the kicking duties he took over last season for the departed Taylor Northrop '02. Javarone made eight of 13 field goal attempts last season and 26 of 27 point after tries.
In the end, the fate of the Princeton season could rest in the hands of an inexperienced offensive line.
"I really believe the offensive line sets the tempo and work ethic of the whole team," Hughes said.
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