.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
The Countdown Begins: 100 Days Until Princeton Football Season Opens
June 09, 2005 | Football
June 9, 2005
PRINCETON - Football may be the furthest thing from some people's minds on June 9, but it shouldn't be. After all, the 136th season of Princeton football is a mere 100 days away, and a team blessed with experience and talent at key positions is welcoming in a talented Class of 2009.
The Princeton football season will open Sept. 17 at Lafayette, the defending Patriot League champion. The home team has won each of the last five meetings in this rivalry that dates back to 1883. The Tigers held serve at home in 2004 when five different Tigers scored in a 35-18 victory at Princeton Stadium.
The 2005 schedule features the same opponents as last season, when Princeton finished 5-5. The Tigers will play a trio of home games after Lafayette, beginning with the first home contest against the University of San Diego. The Tigers defeated San Diego 24-17 last season in Princeton's first game ever in California; consecutive defensive touchdowns by James Williams and Jay McCareins led the way to the victory.
The Ivy League season opens the next weekend against Columbia, and if the current trend holds true, that game won't be decided until the final play. In 2003, Columbia stunned Princeton with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Otis to Wade Fletcher with no time remaining. Princeton returned the favor last season when it drove 64 yards in 13 plays over the final 2:11 to send the game into overtime. A blocked extra point by McCareins, a short touchdown run by Jon Veach '05 and an extra point by Derek Javarone gave Princeton the thrilling road victory.
Colgate (Oct. 8), Cornell (Oct. 29) and Yale (Nov. 12) will make up the remainder of the home schedule. Princeton will look to avenge losses last season against all three in games that weren't decided until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Following its road game with Lafayette, Princeton will travel to Brown (Oct. 15), Harvard (Oct. 22), Penn (Nov. 5) and Dartmouth (Nov. 19).
Princeton returns veteran experience at several key positions, especially on the offensive line. Four juniors started on the offensive line, and with the impending return of Paul Lyons, who missed last season with an injury, the Tigers will have five seniors with experience on the offensive line. One such senior is Ben Brielmaier, who joins Justin Stull as the captains for the 2005 team.
Stull will lead both the linebacking corps and the entire defense, which head coach Roger Hughes hopes will be among the best in the league. With Stull, who has more tackles over the last two seasons than anybody in the Ivy League, and Jay McCareins, the first-team All-Ivy defensive back from last season, the Princeton defense will have two of the premier players in the league.
There are several positions that need young players to step into, and among them are the incoming members of the Class of 2009 (listed below). Each will try to join junior punter Colin McDonough as the only players in Princeton football history to be named first-team All-Ivy as a freshman.
The Class of 2009
Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. High School Hometown Anderson, Brian QB `09 6-2 190 Jacksonville Jacksonville, Ill. Ayasso, Evan DB `09 6-0 180 Gateway Senior Monroeville, Pa. Baitt, Greg DB `09 5-11 185 St. Ignatius Richmond Heights, Ohio Berry, Adam WR `09 6-0 165 Bel Air Bel Air, Md. Berry, Bryan OL `09 6-5 250 Foothill Cowan Heights, Calif. Buchignani, Peter DE `09 6-3 245 University Bloomington, Ill. Denson, Chris TE `09 6-4 225 Chapel Hill Douglasville, Ga. Gallagher, Pat DT `09 6-0 225 Hun School Belle Mead Gunter, Kenny QB `09 6-2 185 Arlington Arlington, Wash. Hurley, Tom CB `09 5-10 175 St. Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio Jones, Todd DT `09 6-2 240 Bethel Park Senior Bethel Park, Pa. Koch, Matt DT `09 5-11 275 Nease Ponte Vedra, Fla. Kranz, Zack TE `09 6-3 210 Holland Hall Tulsa, Okla. Lagomarsino, R.C. TB `09 5-11 175 Lansdale Catholic Sellersville, Pa. Louden, Conner PK/P `09 6-4 195 Parkersburg Vienna, W.V. Magro, Joe TE `09 6-4 225 Paramus Catholic Little Ferry, N.J. McCarthy, Colin LB `09 6-0 200 Pioneer San Jose, Calif. McMillan, Ian WR `09 6-3 190 Jesuit Portland, Ore. Methvin, Tom DE `09 6-3 240 Charter's School Newark, Del. Mitchell, Billy TE `09 6-1 195 Notre Dame Langhorne, N.J. Morgan, Nick OL `09 6-1 250 Eden Prairie Eden Prairie, Minn. Newell, Barry CB `09 5-11 170 St. Mark's Mesquite, Texas Ploszek, Peter RB `09 6-1 185 St. Charles East St. Charles, Ill. Pritchard, Ryan DS `09 5-11 215 Novi Novi, Mich. Rodman, Josh OL `09 6-4 260 Winston Churchill Potomac, Md. Sims, Stephen LB `09 6-1 195 Brookville Forest, Va. Thanheiser, Will QB/WR `09 6-2 190 Kinkaid Houston, Texas Thorpe, David TB `09 5-8 175 Mountain Brook Birmingham, Ala.