Seniors’ send-off twofold

PU football seeking greater success

By: Justin Feil
   On Sunday, the day after a disappointing 21-14 loss to Yale all but ended the Princeton University football team’s hopes of an Ivy League title, Tigers head coach Roger Hughes spoke to his JV team.
   The Princeton JV is comprised of players who are mostly freshmen and sophomores, and Hughes wanted them to understand that in a week they’d be leaders for the Tigers varsity.
   Princeton’s final game of the 2005 season comes when it takes on Dartmouth 12:30 p.m. Saturday. It will be the final game for 25 seniors who will be the second class since 1999 to graduate with two winning seasons in their careers.
   "I told everyone who played the JV game, we’ve been preaching to the upperclassmen about bringing this team along," Hughes recalled. "Now it’s your turn. The upperclassmen only have seven days left. It’s going to be your team in seven days. You need to prop them up at this point. They’re hurting. They feel bad. They don’t get another chance. Your guys are going to get another chance. You need to make sure you underclassmen do everything you can to lift the seniors up this week. So far, we’ve seen that."
   Those that played JV aren’t the ones that will be making most of the plays Saturday, but there are several underclassmen who have made notable contributions and will be counted on to continue what has been established this season by the seniors. Princeton is 6-3 overall, 4-2 in the Ivy League, and hopes to send its seniors out with a seven-win season for the first time since 1995. A win Saturday would keep that momentum going and transfer it to the rising leaders of the Tigers, and though they will have their work cut out for them, Hughes believes they’ll be able to keep the winning culture.
   "If you look at our skill on offense, it’s all underclassmen," he said. "Hopefully by getting that experience, they will be able to transfer that to the kids who did not get on the field.
   "The other thing, if you look at where we’re at right now, we’re where we’re at because we’re a ‘team.’ Harvard and Brown, who are at the top of the league, they have one player they can go to all the time. We really don’t. Our best player on offense has been really hurt all year in Greg Fields. It speaks to the leadership and character of our seniors on our team that we’ve found a way to win."
   Princeton will lean heavily on its seniors one more time Saturday. The Tigers start an offensive line of five seniors. Their experience has enabled the young skill players to develop faster.
   "With having five senior starting offensive linemen like we have, it’s allowed our quarterback, Jeff Terrell, to have some time to get his feet wet and not get pounded every play," said PU receiver Brendan Circle. "That enabled the receivers to have time to get open. Maybe the first time in there, it took us a split second longer to get open. The offensive line really gave us that extra time we needed to get the rest of the guys up to speed. Then we’ve followed suit behind them."
   Circle is one of the future leaders for the Tigers. A sophomore, he is tied for third on the team with 20 receptions and has averaged a gaudy 14.0 yards per catch. Saturday, he’ll be matched against a Dartmouth secondary that is physical and fast, but it’s nothing that Circle hasn’t seen every day in practice against the Ivy League’s consensus top defensive back, senior Jay McCareins.
   "I don’t know if they’re as good as Jay," Circle said of the Dartmouth corners Steve Jensen and Mike Ribero. "I dread having go against Jay every day. He’s quite a good player. At some point in every practice, I have to go against Jay.
   "These guys will get up. They’re physical and they’ve got their safety deep who pretty much tries to read those routes and pick off the ball. They have a strong defense. They’re real physical. And they give you a big hit when you get the ball."
   The Tigers have faced other teams that have tried to get up in the face of their young skill guys. San Diego and Colgate both tried to press the Tigers. Princeton’s less experienced players have developed through the year by playing against different types of defenses. Circle and the underclass Tigers haven’t just observed new defensive philosophies. They’ve also studied how the Princeton seniors have led this year’s team.
   "There are a lot of leaders that just try to preach to the players," Circle said. "Our captains here are really trying to lead by example in addition to lead by their words. I think that speaks volumes because when someone is just saying it and not doing it, it doesn’t hold as much weight as when they’re doing what they say. Ben (Brielmeier) and Justin (Stull) have done a real good job of that."
   Added Hughes, "Those things, and seeing the success we’ve had this year because of the things we preach hopefully will instill in our kids those habits that will make us successful for the rest of the time once this year is over."
   Princeton won’t look beyond this year yet. First, they need to get by a Big Green team that always given the Tigers all they can handle. The home team has won six of the last eight meetings, including the last three.
   "The only league that matches this league in its parity is the NFL," Hughes said. "If you look at it, the NFL has very structured rules about how people get in their league. Our league does too. Not other league in this country does. So you better make sure you bring you’re ‘A’ game every week because the difference between winning and losing in our league is very minimal."
   And winning this game proves very important because of what it means for closing out this season and preparing for next year. A win provides a happier push toward greater success.
   "The biggest thing going into the offseason would be the impression we’ve been close this year, but not where we want to be totally," Circle said. "So that would lead a lot of people into working hard and having a great offseason and then evaluating once spring ball comes around to fill the voids we’re going to have."
   Those players who are making the voids, they are who Circle and the returning Tigers are playing for Saturday. One more game to send them out with a seven-win season and some satisfaction that they leave the Tigers program in good hands.
   "You always want to go out with a win," Circle said. "These guys have done so much for our program. They’ve laid the foundation for the season we’ve had so far this year. Hopefully with a win Saturday, we can carry that momentum over to next year."