.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Team Meets Local Press During Annual Media Day
August 31, 2007 | Football
The 2007 Princeton football team, fresh off its Aug. 30 scrimmage at Yale, met the press Friday morning during its annual Media Day session. Following a lengthy press conference with head coach Roger Hughes, offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan and defensive coordinator Steve Verbit, members of the local media met with several upperclassmen on the squad, including captains Brendan Circle and Jon Stem.
Having gone through 10 practices and Thursday's scrimmage, Hughes was able to shed some more light on his team than the last time he met with the media.
"I really like the effort they're giving," Hughes said. "I know it's cliche, but we have to build on the last two years one game, one play and one practice at a time. Success makes you slow to learn and quick to forget. We can't forget what its taken to make us champions."
Rackovan talked about the youth in certain positions, including on the offensive line, where as many as three freshmen played last season. He has also been pleased with the progress of the running backs, including sophomore Kenny Gunter, who was moved from quarterback last spring. Both Rackovan and Hughes were also happy with the progress of senior Bill Foran, the current No. 1 quarterback for the Tigers.
"I'm just as happy with his development off the field as on the field," Hughes said. "His leadership on the sidelines and in the locker room has really improved. We ask our quarterbacks to do a lot and make important decisions, and I'm pleased with what I've seen, although we have more work to do. We think we have three quarterbacks we can win with, including Greg Mroz and Brian Anderson, so we have the ability to be creative this season."
Verbit talked about the importance of replacing a pair of All-Ivy defensive backs in J.J. Artis and Tim Strickland.
"Those two might have been the best defensive backs in the league last year," he said, "and we have about 6-8 players in the mix that we're moving around to see what fits. We have Dan Kopolovich playing some corner and some safety. Kevin Kelleher is a great leader back there, but we'll need contributions from guys like Cart Kelly, Tom Hurley and couple other guys you might not have heard much about in the past."
The coaches will continue watching film from the scrimmage before today's late-afternoon practice. There will be two practices Saturday, exactly two weeks before the 2007 season opener against Lehigh. The 6 p.m. start will take place on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium.