Benches to trenches

When football teams are forced to replace their graduating seniors with a crop of first-time starters, the solution too often becomes a drastic case of what physics majors call heat transfer. Former backups accustomed only to warming the bench suddenly become the objects of warmth, thrust into the heat of battle.

But as Princeton looks to rebuild its linebacking corps this season without Justin Stull, Abi Fadeyi, Rob Holuba, or Nate Starrett — its four leading tacklers from the 2005 season — thermodynamic principles are being reconsidered.

Why risk burnout by throwing the new linebackers into the fire for too long, Tiger coaches figure, when you can send them back to the sidelines every so often to pump some of that heat back into the pine?

"Where Justin played 80 plays [per game last year] and Abi played 80 plays, now [junior] Tim Boardman may play 25 or 30 plays, [senior Luke] Steckel may play 25 or 30 plays, [junior Jon] Stem may play 25 or 30 plays," defensive coordinator Steve Verbit said.

The plan is to take a promising group of seven or eight linebackers with minimal starting experience and turn them into a potent rotation — one capable of matching last year's unit in terms of production, if not star power.

Along with Boardman, Steckel, and Stem, Verbit mentioned senior Brig Walker, junior Doori Song and freshman Scott Britton as those who will see playing time at the position. Juniors Misha Cvetkovic and Pat McGrath should also figure into the mix.

"We've got a lot of solid citizens," Verbit said, "so our plan is to keep everybody fresh to get maximum effort out of everybody every play."

If there is one player coaches are expecting to get the most big-play potential out of, it is Walker, the only returning linebacker with starting experience.

Rotating with Starrett last season at the outside linebacker position, Walker started the first five games and created havoc in opposing backfields. He was one of only four Tigers with at least three sacks and three tackles for a loss in 2005.

Walker's pass rushing skills will be especially crucial for Princeton in an Ivy League where only two opponents return their starting quarterback from a year ago. But Walker is much more than a situational linebacker who can be depended on to hurry the league's inexperienced signal-callers into poor decisions. His versatility will likely exempt him from being rotated in and out of the lineup along with his fellow linebackers.

"He's really a special weapon that we have on defense," said Steckel, a Tiger co-captain this season along with senior quarterback Jeff Terrell. "We're really lucky to have him because we know that he can be physical and strong and play the run, but also when we face a passing offense he's got the speed and athleticism to cover more athletic offensive players and also to rush the passer."

Meanwhile, at the other linebacker position, Steckel figures to be part of a dynamic one-two punch. Time will tell how exactly the coaches will employ the unique skill sets of Steckel and converted defensive lineman Pat McGrath, but it seems appropriate that a captain like Steckel is himself platooning on a team chock full of shared positions.

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"I think a linebacker rotation will utilize our strengths the best and hopefully limit our weaknesses as a unit so that whatever the offense throws at us we have the best possible personnel in order to defend that," Steckel said.

Still, you can't blame Princeton fans for turning giddy when Steckel and Walker are on the field together. The pair played the supporting cast for one of the Tigers' most memorable plays of last season, which started when Walker blocked an extra-point attempt in the second quarter against Penn.

Steckel scooped up the ball and — ever the one to share the glory with teammates — lateraled it to speedster Jay McCareins '06. McCareins sprinted the length of the field into the end zone for two points, becoming the star of yet another Princeton win and ensuring that Walker and Steckel would have to wait until this season for name recognition.

Other Tigers with a chance to break through in 2006 include classmates Stem and Song, the two likely starters at the inside linebacker position. Starting won't guarantee either player an excess of playing time, however, and they'll both be motivated to make plays on the ball while in the lineup.

"[Head] coach [Roger] Hughes preaches to us all the time, 'If you have the ball keep it, and if you don't have the ball, take it,'" Song said. "One of the biggest keys for us is to create as many turnovers as possible."

Though both are undersized, Stem and Song proved that they can be depended upon as difference makers while being featured on special teams last season. They have benefited from their two-year apprenticeship under Stull — who spent time in Washington Redskins' camp this summer — and Steckel considers them two of the hardest workers on the team.

At a position where individual playing time and accolades figure to be diluted across a crowded pool of players, a work ethic like Stem and Song's is more than a prerequisite — it is an identity.

"The reputation that we've been trying to build is one that rests on hard work and commitment," Steckel said of his fellow linebackers. "We want to be able to outwork everyone else on the team to set the example for how we feel they should conduct themselves, whether it's at practice, in the weight room, or just handling themselves off the field."

And if some of that off-field leadership must come while on the bench during games, Tiger coaches certainly won't be taking any heat.