Stull, McCareins lead veteran Tiger 'D'

For the past two seasons, the New England Patriots have won the NFL title without a single star holding the limelight, instead relying on a team of workmanlike football players. And while no one will be confusing the Tiger football team with the Patriots any time soon, Princeton certainly could pick a worse team as a model.

If the Tigers are to enjoy significant success this season, the Princeton defense — an experienced if starless unit — will need to help carry their young, unproven offense.

The approach is a break from the 2004 season, in which First-Team All-Ivy League linebacker Zak Keasey '05 led the Tigers' defense. Since taking his final snap at Princeton, Keasey has moved on to bigger arenas — he made his NFL debut with the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Despite his departure, though, the defense still has a healthy supply of experienced players that will help lead the Tigers in the upcoming season.

The team's defensive leader is senior inside linebacker and defensive captain Justin Stull, one of three First-Team All-Ivy selections Princeton returns. Stull was a captain last season as well, making him the Tigers' first two-time captain since 1916.

The other first-team selection on the defensive side of the ball is senior cornerback Jay McCareins. McCareins also spent time playing wide receiver last year due to the large number of injuries sustained by Princeton's receiving corps. McCareins — whose brother Justin plays wide receiver for the New York Jets — will likely focus on defense this season, though.

"Last year his defensive productivity dropped at the end of the season, so we would prefer to play him only at defense," head coach Roger Hughes said.

With junior Tim Strickland playing at corner alongside McCareins, the Tigers will have one of the most formidable cornerback tandems in the Ivy League. In his first year with the team, Strickland became just the second freshman in Princeton history to start every game on either offense or defense. He tied another Tiger record when he made three interceptions against Colgate during his sophomore season.

Rounding out the defensive backfield are senior free safety David Ochotorena and senior strong safety Rob Anderson. Ochotorena is starting for the first time in his Orange and Black career, but he saw action in all ten games last season as a backup.

The seven-man rotation that made up the defensive line last season has been pared down to three starters who will spend the majority of the time at the positions. Seniors James Williams and Mike Meehan will both start at defensive end, while junior Brett Barrie will start at nose guard.

Like last season, Princeton will use a 3-4 scheme, which utilizes the speed and athletic ability of the team's linebackers. Playing alongside co-captain Stull are two other senior linebackers: inside linebacker Rob Huloba and outside linebacker Abi Fadeyi. Junior Brig Walker, who saw limited playing time due to injuries in previous seasons, will start as the other outside linebacker.

"We're sticking with the [4-3 defensive scheme] we went with last year," Hughes said. "We think we've got some pretty good people at the second level at the linebacker position. That defensive scheme best fits what we have from the talent standpoint. We have a bunch of aggressive kids and guys that run pretty well, and that fits our needs in terms of allowing those guys to move around off the line."

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With Keasey absent from the inside linebacker position, it will fall to these fast, aggressive players to fill the void left by his departure.

"You know, we're trying to fill in for Keasey, and we're not going to replace him. You're not going to," Hughes said. "He's in an NFL football camp right now, and you don't replace NFL football players."

Even if the Tigers are unable to find one player to specifically replace Keasey, the defense is a talented unit with eight returning starters, all of whom will work together to not only keep the Princeton defense at the same level, but also to make it better than the year before.

Last season, it was the defense that was supposed to lead the team, but the offense ended up carrying the reins. The season ended with the Tigers ranked fourth in the league in scoring, while the defense struggled its way to a tie for sixth in the league.

But as much as Princeton hopes its offense once again exceeds expectations, inexperience may well prevent it from doing so. Which is to say, of course, that the more the Tigers' defense resembles the Patriots', the better.