Scrimmage shows flashes of potential

“I think we look very promising on both sides of the ball,” senior center and captain Rich Hagner said. “Senior Andrew Dixon is leading the offense at quarterback, and although we are running the same system as the past two years, this year we have some different personnel, which certainly gives our offense a fresh face.”

Though the team certainly feels the loss of quarterback Alex Kandabarow ’08 and lineman Lon Johnson ’08, the raw talent and potential of the freshman squad appears to have more than balanced out those missing ingredients. This year’s freshman class is led by five-foot, seven-inch linebacker Atray Dixit and defensive back Rob Parise, both of whom have impressed the coaching staff and their teammates with their performances and have made immediate impacts on defense. Freshman quarterback Mark Tanner also got a chance to showcase his abilities by connecting on a long touchdown pass in the alumni game on Sept. 14.

Overall, the team displayed the most potential on its defensive front, led by perhaps one of the strongest linebacker corps in the team’s history. In addition to newcomers Dixit and senior Gordon Scharf, the defense also returns a familiar face in senior Brendan Reilly, who sat out all of last season with an injury. Reilly returned to action last Saturday in fine form, recording the most tackles of any player on the field in the scrimmage.

“We did some things well on defense against Mansfield,” head coach Tom Cocuzza said. “I thought the guys made good hard initial contact, and save for a few big plays down the field, our guys held tough consistently. We managed to put some pressure on their guys at times, so I’d say defensively we should be ok.”

It was a different story on the other side of the ball, however. The Tigers’ success will hinge on the team’s performance on the offensive front. Led by Dixon, Hagner and junior wide receiver Anthony Soroka, Princeton will have to find some way to put points on the board if it is to have a shot at victory this season. The Tigers failed to find the endzone in the scrimmage and finished the contest without putting up a single point.

“We moved the ball well against them up and down the field,” Hagner said. “But unfortunately, when we got close to the red zone, we just couldn’t punch it in.”

One of the major factors leading to Princeton’s weak offensive production is the relative youth and inexperience on its offensive line.

“We need to get better up front, our line needs to be more physical and certainly more cohesive,” Cocuzza said. “We have three first-time starters on the offensive line, and our sixth and seventh linemen are also first-time starters.”

Last year, the Tigers amassed a total of 51 points over six games, one of which was a forfeit, with the most offensive production coming in the Tigers’ season opener at home against Cornell. In that game, Kandabarow threw for a touchdown and ran for two more against the visiting Big Red.

Princeton kicks off its official season Friday night at home against Penn, who beat the Tigers twice last year, 60-7 and 53-18. The Quakers are fresh off a 17-3 win at home against perennial powerhouse Cornell. Despite the seemingly daunting task ahead for the team, Cocuzza is confident and ready for the start of the 2008 season.

“Penn will be a really good team, and they’ll walk in with a lot of confidence,” Cocuzza said. “But the guys will have a good week at practice, plus it’ll be the home opener. The guys will be ready.”