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Princeton University Athletics
Air To The Throne
September 05, 2001 | Football
Sept. 5, 2001
In advance of the upcoming football season, www.goprincetontigers.com will take a position-by-position look at the 2001 Tigers. Today, we look at the passing game:
Math 101:
Princeton gained 103 passing yards in its quarter-plus scrimmage against Penn, which would translate to 291 passing yards over a 60-minute span. That, in turn, would be 71 more passing yards per game than a year ago, which would equal one more touchdown drive. If Princeton had had seven more points in every game last year, its record would have gone from 3-7 to 6-3-1.
Okay, so maybe there are some liberties being taken with the numbers. Still, the point is that Princeton was not that far away from a winning record last year, and an improved passing game can help close that gap.
There is certainly reason to be optimistic about Princeton's 2001 passing attack. The Tigers are coming off a season in which they passed for 2,198 yards, the most by a Princeton team since Jason Garrett led the offense in 1988. And this was in a year when Princeton had four quarterbacks start at least two games and had five quarterbacks rush for a touchdown. This year, the Tigers hope to avoid that sort of tumultuous ride at the most important position. The starting quarterback is sophomore David Splithoff, who went from a defensive back to a backup kicker to an unknown quarterback to a folk hero in a span of a few short weeks of his freshman season. Splithoff began the year as the No. 4 man on the depth chart, but he stepped in when injuries knocked out Tommy Crenshaw and Jon Blevins and completed 31 of 48 passes for 543 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also set a Princeton record with 14 straight completions at one point.
Splithoff led the Tigers to a 55-28 win over Brown and then scored three rushing touchdowns the following week against Harvard before a broken jaw ended his season. He came back in the spring game to lead the Tigers to a final-minute win over the Japanese champion, and he has established himself as the No. 1 man this summer.
Behind Splithoff is senior Brian Danielewicz, who was 29 for 47 for 334 yards while rushing for two scores last year. Danielewicz led Princeton on a dramatic last-minute touchdown march against Cornell, and he threw an 85-yard touchdown pass in the Penn scrimmage. He is a tremendous asset as a backup quarterback. After the first two comes freshman Matt Verbit, who brings with him serious skill and potential.
Splithoff and Co. will have no shortage of targets at the receiver positions. The main man is Chisom Opara, who caught at least three passes in every game last year and 51 for the season. Opara also carried 12 times for 98 yards.
Nate Lindell, who averaged 31.7 yards per catch on seven receptions before tearing his ACL, is also back. The Splithoff-to-Lindell combination has worked pretty well to date: two passes, 124 yards, two touchdowns.
Patrick Schottel is a track man with good size who often lined up at tight end a year ago, while Blair Morrison set a Princeton freshman record with 17 receptions a year ago. Andy Bryant, who can run, catch and return kicks, has been moved to wide receiver. Brendan Dillon and Dennis Alshuler also have experience in varsity games.
And then there is B.J. Symanski, a 6' 5" freshman with good hands who caught the 85-yard touchdown pass against Penn and looked very good doing it.
Of the eight receivers listed above, one is a freshman, one is a sophomore and six are juniors. None is a senior.
With slightly more than a week to go before the season starts, Tiger fans can visualize a year in which Splithoff stays healthy and picks up where he left off last year and the deep corps of receivers makes play after play.
If that vision becomes reality, it will make for more than just winning football. It will go a long way in propelling Princeton into the thick of the league race.