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Princeton University Athletics
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Experienced Offensive Line, Running Game Expected To Bolster Football Team In 2009
September 02, 2009 | Football
Three seasons removed from the championship drama of 2006, the Princeton football team has finally come together on campus and will open its preseason camp Wednesday night. Based on the preseason poll, little is expected of this, the 141st team in program history. Of course, even less was expected in 2006, when Princeton won the Ivy League title from the sixth position.
With significant returning experience on both sides of the ball, there is a strong foundation to build on this season. Both sides also have their question marks, but with a full preseason ahead, there is time for the coaching staff to find some answers.
GoPrincetonTigers.com will preview the offense today and the defense/special teams later this week. Both season and single-game tickets are still available and can be purchased online here or by calling 609-258-4TIX.
To check out all of the updated football content on GoPrincetonTigers.TV, including the accompanying practice video and a full facilities tour, click here.
Offensive line: While 2006 was Princeton's championship season, the 2005 season might be a better comparison for this team. With an unknown talent at quarterback, head coach Roger Hughes felt that his offensive success would rely on the men up front. That line returned four starters, and they ultimately would allow Jeff Terrell time to grow in a 7-3 season.
Fast forward to this season and you'll find the exact same scenario. The quarterback position is up in the air, but the eventual winner will have an experienced crew in front of him. The group begins with senior Mark Paski, the only Princeton football player to ever start all 10 games of his freshman season on the offensive line. Paski has been a fixture at right tackle since his career began, but with a right-handed quarterback starting the season, he will move to left tackle this fall.
Opposite of Paski will be classmate J.P. Makrai, who was also in the 2006 starting lineup when Princeton scored in the 30s in back-to-back thrillers over both Penn and Yale. Makrai missed much of the spring with an injury, but he put in significant work over the summer with former Princeton captain Ben Brielmaier (one of those 2005 starters) and is ready for the season. Between Paski and Makrai, there are 56 combined career starts, an unprecedented total for a pair of returning seniors.
Senior Andrew Hauser has started 20 career games at the guard position, but he moved to center in the spring to replace Matt Reynolds. Offensive line coach Adam Hollis was impressed with how quickly he picked up the position and feels that Hauser will fortify Princeton's inside run game. In the spread offense, Hauser will also need a reliable shotgun snap to keep drives moving smoothly.
The fourth senior is Marc Daou, and Hollis felt that Daou may have progressed more than anybody in the last nine months. Daou was a starter at guard early his sophomore season, but missed most of the year with an injury. He worked his way back into shape and was a reliable starter throughout 2008. He will move to right guard this season to continue his partnership with Makrai.
The other guard position is up for grabs in camp. The likeliest candidates are junior Andrew Mills and sophomore Matt Allen, both of whom had solid springs and have a strong handle on the offense.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Princeton lost both starting wide receivers from last season, as well as its tight end; in both cases Hughes feels there is talent ready to step up.
Junior Trey Peacock has 21 career receptions, including 15 last season, and is expected to play a far more prominent role in the offense. His physical gifts are limitless; at 6-3, 210 pounds, he is physical enough to go over the middle, but he also has the speed to break free on a deep pass, as he did for the game-winning 52-yard touchdown reception he made against Columbia last season.
Another speed threat for the 2009 Tigers will be Jeb Heavenrich, who missed all of last season but returns healthy and ready to contribute. In the spread offense, his speed makes him as dangerous on slants, options and end arounds as it does on the deep ball. Heavenrich could also provide a needed boost in the punt return game.
With two speed threats on the field, it will be crucial to find a possession receiver, and the coaching staff feels that person could be junior Andrew Kerr. After battling injuries throughout his first two years, Kerr could be ready to finally break out. He could play the role of Brendan Circle — move the chains and block on the perimeter runs. Kerr was able to get on the field last season, so he does have some game experience to build on.
Juniors Matt Ransom and Meko McCray will also factor into the position. Ransom has found time both in the offense and in the return game since his freshman season, while McCray is a championship-level sprinter on the track team who is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball.
Junior Harry Flaherty is the leader for the open tight end position. A well-rounded athlete, Flaherty can both block and become an effective receiver. Since Jon Dekker's career ended in 2005, the Princeton offense has not gotten much in the passing game from the position, but Hughes is hopeful that can change this season. Senior Adam Fee and sophomore Brandon Glyck will also vie for time at tight end.
Running Backs: Senior Jordan Culbreath led the Ivy League in rushing last season with 1,206 yards. He had the fifth-highest single-game rushing total in Ivy League history in the 2008 season finale with 276 yards against Dartmouth. He is threatening to break into elite company in the Princeton record books this season, joining names like Elias and Garrett. He was one of only two unanimous first-team All-Ivy selections last season.
And both Culbreath and the coaching staff thinks he can be even better during this, his senior season. He is a physical runner with the speed to break free after the first defender misses. He has fumbled once in his career, and even that one was controversial. Between he and his experienced line, there is no reason to expect anybody to match his numbers this season.
One thing Hughes hoped for this season was for somebody to take some of the pressure off Culbreath. Enter Kenny Gunter, who is back after a missed season and is a versatile threat from the backfield. At 6-2, 220, he is more than willing to run over you, but he showed the kind of speed last spring that makes him more likely to just run by you. A former quarterback, Gunter could even move behind the center once or twice and cause a new level of confusion.
Junior Matt Zimmerman is more of a conventional fullback in the offense and proved more than capable after replacing three-year starter Rob Toresco last season. Zimmerman averaged 4.1 yards per rush and per catch last season and caught a touchdown pass during his first career start. Senior Ryan Smith also had a good spring and will likely find time, especially in short-yardage situations.
Quarterbacks: Every position, even those that lost starters from last season, has enough returning experience that fans can feel like they have a certain expectation of what they'll see in 2009. And then there is the quarterback position.
It's likely that a sophomore will start at quarterback for the first time since 2003. The frontrunners in the Class of 2012 are Tommy Wornham and Harrison Daniels, a pair of sophomores who have combined for two career completions.
Of course, that doesn't mean hope should be lost for the offense. In 2005, Terrell took the starting position without one career snap and won 16 of his next 20 games.
The two career receptions belong to Wornham, who left the spring as a narrow leader in the race for the starting position. He saw time in three games last season as Brian Anderson battled injury, and while he only completed two passes for seven yards, Wornham at least got a taste of real game speed. He stayed around all summer, throwing passes to, among others, Peacock, and was the most accurate passer in the spring.
Daniels wasn't far behind Wornham in the spring and is the more dangerous runner, which means a great deal in the spread offense. The younger brother of Pro Bowl tight end Owen Daniels of the Houston Texans, Harrison Daniels has all the athleticism necessary to run the offense and will need to show the accuracy to move the chains when necessary.
There are other talented players at the position, including Drew Ellis, Andrew Dixon and a pair of freshmen; they will likely need a major move towards the end of camp to break into the top two.