Ivy League??

[hawkeye]

Any experts out there that could comment on Ivy League teams this week?
Colgate/Dartmouth, Harvard/Holy Cross, Bucknell/Cornell, Pricneton/Lafayette, Brown/Georgetown, Duquesne/Penn, Yale/San Diego & Columbia/Fordham--Thanks

 

[IE]

Penn -18 /Duquense.



Quakers must focus on pass vs. Duquesne






Heading into its season opener against Duquesne, the Penn defense will have to shift focus from the run-first mentality of most Ivy League teams to Duquesne's powerful aerial assault.
At the helm of the Dukes' attack is redshirt freshman Scott Knapp. Knapp completed 23 of 42 passes last week for a Duquesne freshman-record 365 yards in a 23-12 victory over Robert Morris last week.

Knapp's yardage total was the seventh best in school history and eclipsed the first career starts of Duquesne's last four quarterbacks in both yardage and passes completed. The Pittsburgh native threw for 255 yards in the first half alone.

However, Penn should be well prepared to defend the passing attack. The Quakers return five seniors to the defensive backfield, including All-Ivy honorees Casey Edgar and Michael Johns.

"We feel pretty strong at secondary," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "We return a lot of experience there to make it at least an even matchup."

The Dukes host Fordham Saturday before making the trip to Franklin Field on Sept. 17.

Missing Players

The Quakers will enter the season without two players who were originally listed on the 2005 roster.

Junior defensive end J.T. Laws left the University due to financial reasons. The New Castle, Del., native opted to return closer to home and is now taking classes and playing football at Delaware.

Laws appeared in all 10 games last year, making seven tackles -- one for a loss -- and recovering a fumble.

Rookie tight end Andrew Thurston is out for the year after having shoulder surgery at the end of high school. The Mesa, Ariz., native is still attending the University and is expected to remain with the team.

These two losses go along with the other two season-ending injuries to sophomore defensive lineman Scott Martinho (collarbone) and senior linebacker Chad Slapnicka (back).

Run first

Despite Duquesne's emphasis on its passing attack, Bagnoli acknowledges that his defense will be much more focused on stopping the run this season, especially as the Quakers enter the Ivy League schedule.

With players such as Brown running back Nick Hartigan -- who lit up the Quakers for 176 yards last year -- and Harvard tailback Clifton Dawson -- who rushed for 160 in Harvard's Ivy League title-clinching 31-10 win over Penn -- both on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award -- given to the best offensive player in Division I-AA -- the Quakers will be concentrating more on their opponents' ground attack than in the past.

"If you look at the returning marquee kids in the league ... [they] are tailbacks," Bagnoli said. "A couple of years ago they were all wide receivers."

No Ivy League player has ever won the Payton Award since it was first given out following the 1987 season.



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round up of duquense's win over fordham last weekend..

 

[IE]

Duquesne's swarming defenders, who were giving away pounds per man across the front, more than held their own against the Rams, a formidable foe expected to challenge for the Patriot League championship. The Rams were held to 45 yards rushing on 40 carries, and Daniels completed 19 of 39 passes for 205 yards and was intercepted once.

"I could tell their game plan was to wear us down," Schmitt said of the Rams (0-2). "But we're in very good condition and we used our speed and quickness to our advantage. Eventually, we wore them down."

The Dukes rode the strong right arm of Scott Knapp, a redshirt freshman quarterback from Perry Traditional Academy who completed 12 of 23 passes for 265 yards and touchdowns of 65 yards to Bruce Hocker and 66 yards to Conrad Carter.

The victory was tempered by a shoulder injury to Hocker, who left the game for good after he fell hard following a 29-yard reception in the second quarter that carried to the Fordham 7 and set up Jeremy McCullough's 2-yard touchdown run for a 17-10 lead.

Asked about Hocker's condition and status for the game at the University of Pennsylvania next Sunday, Schmitt said, "I don't know."

Hocker spent the second half pacing the sideline with his right shoulder in a sling.

The Dukes avenged a 41-34 loss to Fordham last season in which Daniels threw five touchdown passes.

"You don't forget games like that. We wanted to solidify things, especially in the secondary," Antinopoulos said.

"We wanted to physically dominate them. This is definitely the best defense I've played on since I've been at Duquesne. We really weren't sure what we were capable of, but we've all played together and know we can rely on each other. There's a lot of trust."

Duquesne's 'D' has made a believer out of Schmitt.

"They are impressing me more and more," he said. "They've taken the talent they have and are very disciplined. They're even better than I expected."

 

[IE]

Terrell named Princeton's QB


PRINCETON TOWNSHIP - After starting the preseason third on the depth chart, junior Jeff Terrell has been named Princeton's starting quarterback for Saturday's season opener at Lafayette.

Terrell, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound left-hander, threw for more than 5,300 yards and 44 touchdowns in high school at University School in Hunting Valley, Ohio. He has yet to throw a pass at Princeton.

Terrell re-entered the picture after sophomore Greg Mroz struggled in a Sept. 3 scrimmage at Yale. Head coach Roger Hughes then felt Terrell was more consistent than the other candidate, sophomore Bill Foran, who enters the season as the backup.

Two New Jersey residents, sophomore Rob Toresco (Flemington) and junior Cleo Kirkland (Voorhees), will start at fullback and tailback, respectively. Hughes said sophomore Derek Brooks also will probably see action at tailback, with sophomore Ray Simnick in the mix, too.

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New backfield must mature quickly
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
By CRAIG HALEY
Two quarterbacks are better than one. A running back by committee. A defensive line rotation. A weekly contest between the kickers.

During the Roger Hughes era at Princeton, it's been evident the Tigers are not necessarily orthodox in their use of players.

"The nature of football is substituting," offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan said. "Guys have to adjust to that."

There's no substitute for winning, however. The Tigers, who haven't done enough of that in Hughes' five seasons - 19-30 overall, 5-5 last season - will face a difficult prospect of trying to secure a winning record for only the second time (on the field) since they last won the Ivy League title in 1995.

The Tigers were picked to finish sixth by the eight league coaches in their preseason poll. It's a reflection on a starting offensive backfield that is entirely new. Fullback Rob Toresco has impressed the coaches, but quarterback Jeff Terrell and tailback Cleo Kirkland barely claimed starting jobs during preseason camp.TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHARTS

Offense WR- Derek Davis, Brendan Circle; RT- Dave Szelingowski, Robert Bruesewitz; RG- Adam Flynn, Paul Daou; C- Andrew Aurich, Nick Morgan; LG- Paul Lyons, Josh Rodman; LT- Ben Brielmaier, Matt Murphy; TE- Jon Dekker, Brendan Swisher; WR- Greg Fields, Brigham; QB- Jeff Terrell, Bill Foran; FB- Rob Toresco, Joe Kovba; TB- Cleo Kirkland, Derek Brooks.

Defense DE- James Williams, Pat McGrath; NG- Brett Barrie, Peter Buchignani; DE- Michael Meehan, Jake Marshall; OLB- Abi Fadeyi, Les Steckel; ILB- Rob Holuba, Tim Boardman; ILB- Justin Stull, Doori Song; OLB- Brig Walker, Nate Starrett; CB- Tim Strickland, J.J. Artis; FS- Dave Ochotorena, Kevin Kelleher; SS- Rob Anderson, Blake Williams; CB- Jay McCareins, Evan Ayasso.

Special Teams PK- Derek Javarone, Conner Louden; P- Colin McDonough, Ryan Coyle; KR/PR- Fields, McCareins; LS- Ryan Pritchard; H- McDonough.

KEYS TO THE SEASON -- The Tigers need their senior leaders - co-captains Ben Brielmaier and Justin Stull, and Jay McCareins - to take over the team and improve both the morale and level of play from recent seasons. Too often in recent seasons, the Tigers have found ways to lose games in the fourth quarter.

-- New QB Jeff Terrell and an inexperienced TB corps must not hold back the team. Mistakes are expected, but they must be cleaned up quickly, especially with backups on the starters' heels.

 

[IE]

Leopards, Seeking 3-0 Start, Welcome Tigers to Fisher Field


Game Notes



THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette is looking for its first 3-0 start since the 1988 Colonial League championship season as Fisher Field plays host to traditional Ivy League opponent Princeton. The Leopards started 2-0 a year ago before falling 35-18 in Princeton, and have consecutive 2-0 starts for the first time since 1992-93. The Tigers are opening their season with the Leopards for the second straight year.

THE SERIES: Princeton has given Lafayette more trouble than any other opponent in 124 years of football on College Hill. The two schools played 19 times before Lafayette registered its first victory, a 6-0 win in 1909. There have been two long hiatuses in the series, from 1919 until 1945 and 1953 to 1982. The Leopards have three wins in the last 11 meetings, dating back to 1982. The home team has won each of the last five games.

THE HEAD COACHES: Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) is in his sixth season at the helm of the Lafayette football program. He is the 27th head coach in the program's 124-year history. Tavani enters this weekend's contest with a career record of 26-32.

Roger Hughes has a 19-30 record in five seasons at Princeton. The Tigers return 17 starters off a team that was 5-5 last season.

SEVEN IS ENOUGH: Lafayette's 7-0 win over Richmond last Saturday was the Leopards' first win by that margin since 1968, when they won two games by a 7-0 score. Lafayette defeated Hofstra on Oct. 5, and then shut out Kings Point on Nov. 9. The 1967 season finale at Lehigh was a 6-0 victory for Lafayette.





STAYING HOME FOR THE WEEKEND: This Saturday's game is the second in a nearly unprecedented stretch of home games for the Leopards. Lafayette will make just one bus trip, for an Oct. 1 date at Georgetown, until it hits the road for the final two games of the year. In the interim, Fisher Field will host seven games over nine weeks (one away game and a bye week), something that has happened just twice in the college's 124-year history of football - Lafayette was home for seven of the first eight games in 1904, and eight of its nine contests in 1910.

BENNETT ON "BUCHANAN BATTLE" LIST: Senior linebacker Maurice Bennett has earned a number of preseason accolades, including placement on the watch list for the prestigious Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in I-AA football. A total of 16 players were named to the first list, released Aug. 24. Bennett joins Bucknell defensive end Sean Conover on the list. Both players gathered first-team All-Patriot League accolades in 2004 and second-team preseason All-American recognition from the Sports Network as well.

BUCHANAN BATTLE UPDATE: After opening the season with eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble against Marist, middle linebacker Maurice Bennett turned in 10 tackles, half a sack, and deflected a pass in Lafayette's 7-0 shutout of Richmond. The sack came at the end of the Spiders' 16-play, 75-yard opening drive that finished with a missed field goal. Bennett has 288 career tackles, 20.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in his career. He has started 26 of the 36 games he has played in his career at Lafayette.

THE LEOPARDS' LINEBACKERS: With seniors Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon lining up in the second level of the defense, Lafayette has the best linebacking corps in the Patriot League. Their talents were on full display at Marist, as each of the trio had at least one sack and they combined to make 28 tackles. In the home opener vs. Richmond, Witherspoon led the way with 11 tackles (1.5 TFL), Bennett made 10 stops including half a sack, and Costanzo had six tackles and an interception. They recorded 265 total tackles a year ago despite Witherspoon making just five starts, as he was playing behind two-year co-captain Wes Erbe.

THIS DEFENSE IS DEVASTATING: After shutting out Richmond last week, the Lafayette defense is ranked sixth in the nation in opponents scoring average at 10.5 points per game. Grambling opened the season last weekend with a 44-0 win over Alabama A&M to claim the top spot. San Diego, Princeton's opponent next weekend, has allowed just 3.0 points per game through two contests. The Leopards have held eight of their last nine opponents under 22 points, with the exception being the I-AA playoff game at Delaware which included a fumble return for a touchdown.

STANFORD'S SPECIALTY: Senior wide receiver Brandon Stanford didn't just catch the only touchdown pass of the game in Lafayette's 7-0 victory over Richmond, he also set up the play with a 23-yard punt return to give the Leopards the ball inside the 20. He has already surpassed his punt return yardage from 2004. After returning 20 punts for 114 yards last season, he has 139 yards on eight returns (17.4 avg.) and is ranked 10th in the nation in punt return average through two games this season (Stanford ranks fifth if a minimum of 2.5 returns per game is set). Stanford's 36-yard return against Marist was a career long and set up the Leopards' first touchdown.

BRINGIN' THE HURT: Junior tailback Jonathan Hurt was Lafayette's standout offensive performer in the opener against Marist despite not getting the start. Hurt just missed his first career 100-yard game, finishing with 97 yards and three scores on 13 carries. He was named the starter for the week two match-up with Richmond, and carried 21 times for 70 yards, including two rushes for 12 yards that set up the game's only touchdown and an eight-yard run with less than two minutes left that helped put the game away.

THE DRIVE FOR FIVE: Lafayette's 7-0 win over Richmond last week gave the Leopards four straight regular season victories dating back to Nov. 13, 2004 vs. Holy Cross, a feat that was last accomplished in the final three games of the 2002 season and the opening game of the 2003 campaign. The 1994 Patriot League championship team was the last Lafayette squad to win five straight games, as that group opened the season 0-6 against non-league opponents before sweeping the league slate. The Leopards won at Buffalo, 24-17, in the first game of the 1995 season to make it six in a row. That victory was Lafayette's last win over a scholarship school until last year's 21-16 victory at Richmond.

AN EVEN DOZEN: Lafayette is 12-5 in its last 17 games dating to the final three contests of the 2003 season. The last time the Leopards posted a dozen wins in 17 or fewer contests was 1991 through 1993, which includes the Lafayette's 1992 Patriot League championship team that went 8-3, the last three games of the previous season, and a pair of victories to open 1993.

SEASON DEDICATION: The Lafayette football program has dedicated the 2005 season in memory of Tom Norton '59, a member of the faculty in the sociology department for 37 years and a long-time supporter of Leopard football. Norton passed away on June 24, 2005 at the age of 68. Head coach Frank Tavani is dedicating the season in Norton's memory to thank him for his love and unwavering support of Lafayette football, and to promote the scholarship fund that has been established in his honor.

RIGHTING THE SHIP: After back-to-back two-win seasons in 2000 and 2001, Lafayette has won 20 games over the past three years, the most for the program over a three-year span since 1981-83. Lafayette is 12-8 in Patriot League play in that time, putting together its best league run since a 10-5 record from 1994-96.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF FISHER FIELD: Lafayette will make seven appearances at Fisher Field in 2005, the second time in three years and just the third time since 1915 that the Leopards have played seven home games. Lafayette has played its home games at Fisher Field since 1926 and has played host to 381 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and has a 228-140-13 (.615) overall record.

GAINING RESPECT IN 2005: Lafayette checked in with the top spot among others receiving votes in the initial poll from The Sports Network, released Aug. 8. The Leopards garnered 268 points, just 25 behind Grambling State, which held the 25th spot in the poll. Two weeks into the 2005 season, the Leopards have slipped to the fourth "others receiving votes" spot in the poll. Massachusetts (333 points) is No. 25, followed by South Carolina State (317), Grambling State (276), Wofford (224) and Lafayette (211). Lafayette gained 85 points from the previous week but still slid one spot in the rankings. Matt Dougherty, Executive Director of I-AA Football for The Sports Network, listed Lafayette 25th in his preseason rankings in early July. Street and Smith's 2005 College Football Yearbook has the Leopards at No. 18 in the country.


FROM THE DESK OF MATT BAYLY, DIRECTOR OF SPORTS MEDICINE . . The current listing of Lafayette football injuries (9/13):

PROBABLE: So. WR James Dixon (shoulder), Jr. DB Bryan Kazimierowski (hamstring), Jr. DL Marvin Snipes (shoulder)

DOUBTFUL: Jr. LB Justin Stovall (ankle)

OUT: Jr. DL Keith Bloom (eye), 2-4 weeks; Jr. TE Craig Bloom (foot), 2-4 weeks; Sr. FB Shane Davenport (hamstring); So. TE Ben Hoover (hand), 6-8 weeks; So. DB Ryan Williams (shoulder)

 

[hawkeye]

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