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Princeton University Athletics
Experienced Line Continues To Key Development Of Offense For Football Team
April 29, 2005 | Football
April 29, 2005
PRINCETON - When the Princeton football team faced eventual 2004 Ivy League champion Harvard last fall, the Crimson started four seniors and one junior on its offensive line.
When the Tigers faced eventual 2003 Ivy League champion Penn the season prior, the Quakers started five seniors on its offensive line.
Coincidence?
Simply put, no.
It's easy to say that the 2005 Princeton offense will be inexperienced, but that isn't the complete truth. The backfield will be remade completely, and the ability of those eventual starters to make plays will be critical in the Tigers' drive to next year's title. Those young players will have the chance to make plays because of the five returning starters up front.
Offensive Line
"Finally, we can put five seniors out there," head coach Roger Hughes said with a major smile on his face. "I don't worry about those guys, I just hope we can stay healthy."
`Those guys' are rising seniors Andrew Aurich, Ben Brielmaier, Paul Lyons, Dave Szelingowski and Andrew Wilson, a quintet of former starters who will be the driving force of the 2005 Princeton offense.
Four started on the offensive line last season and helped Princeton be in the top half of the league in both fewest sacks allowed and rushing offense. Both Aurich and Wilson started as guards while Szelingowski and Brielmaier started as tackles.
Both tackles will remain the same, and both are technically two-year starters. Szelingowski, a local product from Mercer County, has started at right tackle for two seasons and continues to show improvement. Brielmaier, who was elected the Princeton offensive captain at the end of the 2005 spring, started at defensive tackle in 2003 and was moved to the offensive line prior to the 2004 preseason. His work ethic, intelligence and physical presence made him a natural fit at left tackle, and he continued to grow into the position with his first full spring on the offensive line. Aurich will remain as one guard, and he will be joined by 2003 All-Ivy selection Lyons, who missed last season with an injury. Aurich, who also served as long snapper last season, will have surgery in the offseason but should be ready to go for the preseason. Like Brielmaier, Aurich looked good in his first year as a fulltime starter and will only benefit from that experience next season. Lyons, arguably Princeton's best offensive lineman in 2003, is healthy and gives the offense a tough and athletic figure at the other guard position.
Wilson, the 2002 Princeton Offensive Rookie of the Year, will move from guard to center to replace Jeremy Moore, the lone senior from the offensive line last season. Wilson is a physically gifted two-year starter at guard, but he is also a highly intelligent player that should have little trouble handling all of the leadership responsibilities at center.
Hughes has made a point to continue the development of the underclassmen, not only for the 2006 season, but also for this upcoming campaign. Similar to the defensive line rotation Princeton employed last season, Hughes hopes to work in the likes of Kyle Vellutato, Sam Ritter and Robert Bruesewitz, each of whom the coaching staff felt showed solid progress in the spring. The ability to rotate those players, and others who could break out in the preseason, will allow the senior five to be fresh in the fourth quarter, when their experience will be critical in the final drives.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Hughes was impressed with the play of both of his tight ends, Jon Dekker and Brendan Swisher. Dekker is the incumbent starter, which gives the offense a sixth experienced body on the line, while Swisher has looked good as a backup and could be called upon as both a blocker and/or receiver. Dekker will be the main figure at the position for the upcoming season, and Hughes is hopeful to find more ways to utilize his versatility.
The wide receiver position, like the other skill positions in the backfield, will not be fully settled until late in the preseason. Four potential starters missed some of the spring; three [Derek Davis, Brian Shields and Eric Walz] compete on other varsity teams, while Greg Fields has been dealing with a minor injury.
Let's start with Fields. After leading the team in receptions and all-purpose yards last season, Fields didn't have anything to prove to the coaching staff this spring. It was more important to keep him healthy, since it sounds like he will have plenty of opportunities to impress the football community this fall.
"It's 9.8 yards every time he touches the ball," Hughes said of his wideout/top return man. "We have to be very creative and find as many ways possible to get him those touches."
The coaching staff will be looking for somebody to stake their claim to the other starting receiver spot. Davis started most of last season, while both Walz and Shields scored on long touchdowns last season. Monte McNair was another player with a touchdown last season, although he lost most of last season to a shoulder injury.
One name to watch for is rising junior Brian Brigham, who dealt with ankle injuries through most of last season.
"He brings a lot of athleticism and ball-catching ability to the field," Hughes said. "He made some great plays during our spring game."
Running Backs
When Hughes took the head position prior to the 2000 season, Cameron Atkinson had just finished his first season as the Tigers' featured tailback. When he finished his career in 2002 with the third-most career yards for any Princeton runner, a pair of juniors named Jon Veach and Branden Benson, both of whom had already proven themselves as capable tailbacks, were ready to step up as the starters.
There is no such experience waiting in the wings for 2005, but that hardly means the cupboard is bare. If anything, the depth of talent should drive a highly competitive preseason for the starting spots.
There is also the starting fullback option to consider, so let's start there first. Rising sophomores Jake Staser and Rob Toresco are both extremely tough potential starters. Staser, who saw some action last season, is a strong blocker who is happy to hit anybody in his way. He is a natural fit at fullback, and he showed an ability to run inside as well as block.
Toresco is an interesting case, since he could fit at either fullback or tailback.
"Rob Toresco probably had the best spring of any of our backs," Hughes said. "He can go out and catch the ball, and he can run and block. He's just a tough kid with a great work ethic."
Toresco was one of several Tigers looking at the tailback position. Junior Cleo Kirkland has the most experience of any, and Hughes was pleased with the improvement in his running style. Derek Brooks, John Carroll and Ray Simnick also showed flashes in the spring, but each will need to be physically and mentally ready to earn the position when the preseason rolls around.
It's not out of the question for an incoming freshman to also win the job, as Hughes feels that there are talented players joining the team this fall as well. Whether it will be one, two or even three different players that earn significant time will depend on the progress each makes over the summer and their ability to quickly grasp and thrive in the offense during preseason.
Quarterback
David Splithoff. Matt Verbit.
Any fan of Princeton football knows those two names very well. Since the beginning of the 2001 season, those are the only two quarterbacks who have taken a snap without the game being out of reach.
Both are gone, and like the running backs, the young quarterbacks battled for position in the spring.
What was the result?
Like the running backs, nothing will be decided until the preseason.
Four players showed promise as potential replacements to Verbit, who started the last 24 games at quarterback. Current sophomores Chris Lee and Jeff Terrell, along with current freshmen Bill Foran and Greg Mroz, each showed unique abilities that would lend to the position.
"I think we're blessed with talented youth at the position," said Hughes, who works specifically with the quarterbacks. "The one with the best arm is probably Mroz. The most athletic is probably Foran. The one with the best knowledge of the offense is Terrell. The one who grades out the best on a daily basis is Lee.
"We have an open race at the position," Hughes continued. "We'd like to make some kind of decision somewhat quickly so we can get our top two guys plenty of snaps in our scrimmage at Yale (Sept. 3)."
The winner of the job will not only go a long way in determining the team's overall success, but will also help determine what type of offense Princeton will run. Both Mroz and Foran give the added edge of speed, while Terrell and Lee have the better understanding of the offense that would likely allow more complicated plays.
In other words, the offensive staff will be covering all bases this summer. But they feel good that, when fall rolls around, five seniors will be covering those bases.
And if Princeton achieves success in 2005, it will be no coincidence that an experienced line was a key part of it.