Walker, new starters get first test Saturday
By: Justin Feil
Brig Walker was fighting for time as a freshman special teams player the last time the Princeton University football team played Lehigh University.
Three years later, Walker will play a far more significant role as a starting linebacker when the Tigers kick off their season 1 p.m. Saturday at Lehigh.
"It’s the circle of life," said Walker who is now a senior. "Linebackers graduate. Linebackers come up. You’re forced to have some role on the team. Luke Steckel and myself are the only two members of the senior class. We came in with seven freshmen and the rising sophomores and juniors. As a senior, you’re looked at as a leader, Luke as a captain and me as a guy who played last year."
Walker actually started the first three games last year in place of the injured Nate Starrett, and he showed with his situational play through the season that he will be one of the Tigers’ top linebackers. The entire starting linebacking corps graduated and Justin Stull, Abi Fadeyi, Rob Holuba and Starrett are being replaced by Walker, Steckel and juniors Jon Stem and Doori Song.
"The dynamic is different," Walker said. "There are no Stull’s or Abi’s to follow. There’s no Nate’s or Holuba’s. But our junior class is extremely mature. They had opportunities to play last year and when they did, they played very well. Coming into the season, they came in as if they were starters all the way. They’re returning players as well.
"We haven’t had to regulate too much. There’s already a culture that we have to all be leaders and we all need to be extra accountable to the team as far as our position goes. I think that’s kind of permeated through all our classes. If there’s a specific time when senior leadership is needed, we’ll bring it. But it hasn’t been an issue."
There will be as many as six new starters on defense for the Tigers, who are coming off a 7-3 season, their best in 10 years. Princeton will start an entirely new offensive line among eight new starters on offense.
"I think we’re going to find out a lot about our team this weekend," said PU head coach Roger Hughes. "I’m excited about the opportunity. Frankly, I’m excited we’re going to play a very good quality opponent in Lehigh. That will give us a good measure of where we’re at right now."
Lehigh certainly will be a test. Though they have a new coach, they haven’t changed much since the last time the Tigers played them in 2003. The Mountain Hawks were a Top 25 team last year, one disappointed not to make the Division I-AA playoffs. They have opened the season with two close games, a one-point loss to Albany and a three-point win over Villanova last Saturday.
"I think it’s pretty clear that Sedale Threatt is a pretty athletic quarterback," Walker said. "Even when he has pressure on him, he manages to get a ball off that’s catchable. They have two pretty good running backs that rotate in and out and a good slot receiver. They have a lot of threats that are out there.
"The game comes down to how well can we stick to the fundamentals we’ve been coached, how fast can we be, how strong can we be, and how much of a competitor can we be."
While Lehigh has not changed much since the last meeting of the programs, the Tigers have. They followed up a two-win season when Walker was a freshman with a five-win season in 2004 and a seven-win year in 2005. Princeton has tried to build on last year’s winning season.
"Two years before, we had lost too many close games," Walker recalled. "It (last year’s success) gave us a mental edge because we know we can win those games. We know when the chips are down, we can make the play to win the game. When it’s a close game, we can all tighten up together and come up big.
"Emotionally and mentally, that’s huge in the offseason. A lot of guys were here in the offseason and not only were they here, but they were getting in an extra lift because they just knew it was attainable. There was no disjoint between what we want and what we can do."
The Tigers are referring back to last year’s success for an idea of what it takes to contend wit the likes of Lehigh. Princeton comes into Saturday hoping to duplicate the keys from last year’s season with a largely new lineup.
"We preach to our kids about turnovers, creating them on defense and not turning the ball over, not beating yourselves first," Hughes said. "Making sure when you get in the red zone, you turn those into points. Those are the things that made us successful last year. Those things are going to be consistent regardless of who’s lining up and whose jersey number is on the field."
Hughes’ major concern is how Princeton will react to the game speed in its first game of the year vs. Lehigh’s experience after already playing two games. Princeton overcame a similar disadvantage to top Lafayette last year. The Leopards went on to win a share of the Patriot League title.
"If we continue to play hard and don’t beat ourselves," Hughes said, "we’re going to have a chance to win the game. I don’t think anyone on our schedule is so far above us or below us that we won’t have the chance to do that."
The success of last season in part fueled all the time leading up to Saturday’s opener. Walker thinks that has helped prepare the Tigers.
"We got a lot of momentum from last year’s season," he said, "as far as emotionally as well as added trust between the players and between coaches and players and the other way. It’s those things that make a team tighter."
And it’s that camaraderie that the Princeton football team hopes will carry it into its season opener. The Tigers have a very different cast this year, with plenty of inexperience to open the season. Many of the new starters have the advantage of being around last year’s turnaround season, and are looking for an even bigger finish this year.
"We’re going for 10-0," he said.

