This weekend when the football team travels to scenic central New York to take on Colgate, Princeton's offense should differ very little from previous weeks.
The Tiger attack will again feature a blend of powerful running by senior tailback Kyle Brandt, the speedy sweeps of sophomore halfback Ismael El-Amin, long passes to sophomore wide receiver Chisom Opara and flares to senior fullback Marty Cheatham out of the backfield.
The only difference will be the player who gets the ball to each of the aforementioned players — the quarterback.
Senior Jon Blevins will start under center for Princeton on Saturday for the first time in the 2000 season, because of a broken right wrist suffered by junior Tommy Crenshaw against Columbia last Saturday. Crenshaw will miss the remainder of the season with the injury.
A quiet — yet confident — passer, Blevins replaced the injured Crenshaw in the third quarter of last Saturday's game against Columbia. Under his guidance, Princeton rallied in the final minutes to force overtime and eventually won the game, 27-24.
"It's not like Jon Blevins is inexperienced," head coach Roger Hughes said at a press conference yesterday. "He started four games last year. He came in and took us down for three crucial drives in a very high-pressure situation."
A consummate veteran, Blevins should grab the reigns of the Tiger offense without causing a bumpy transition.
"I think he knows our offense," Hughes said, "so we're going to prepare as if [Blevins] or Tommy or anyone else was behind the center."
Crenshaw actually hurt his wrist during the first quarter, after hitting the hard ground in Columbia's Wien Stadium awkwardly after being tackled. Thinking his wrist was only sprained, Crenshaw played through the pain and was fairly effective in the contest. Despite the injury, Crenshaw completed 10 of 16 passes for 126 yards.
Crenshaw was forced to the sidelines in the third quarter, when, while following through on a pass, his hand struck a helmet, bending his thumb in such a way that he had to leave the game.
"I feel really bad about Tom Crenshaw's situation," Blevins said. "I know how much this team meant to him, and my prayers go out to him."
Clones
As quarterbacks, both Crenshaw and Blevins bear a striking resemblance to each other. Crenshaw is listed as six-feet, two-inches, 210 pounds, Blevins 6-3, 210. Both have strong arms and are confident in the pocket.
Crenshaw may have a notion to run a bit more than Blevins, though he concedes that, "[Blevins] is probably a better drop-back passer than I am."
"I don't think their talent level is much different," Hughes said. "I don't think they have different qualities that we can accentuate because I think they're very similar."
Despite the suddenness of the quarterback change, Blevins remains unfazed. In his time with the Tigers, Blevins has racked up a career passing efficiency rating of 127.55, the highest by a Princeton quarterback since Joel Foote '94, who reached 130.68 from 1992-93.
The future
"We've got seven games left in the season and we just have to prepare the best that we can," Blevins said. "I don't feel a lot of pressure, mainly because I have a lot of support from the coaches and the rest of the team."
If needed, Blevins will be backed up by freshman David Splitthoff and sophomore Matt Groh.
With a new signal-caller — but the same offensive package — Princeton should still be able to fire on all cylinders against the Red Raiders.
"I don't worry about a letdown from a standpoint of confidence in the quarterback position," Hughes said.
Read More
By the Numbers: Women’s water polo seniors end strong and track records set
Harrison BlankThis week in By the Numbers, women's track and field shined down in Virginia and the Tigers clinched some conference regular season championships. Amid these accomplishments, the Tigers won over two-thirds of their games and had winning records both at home and on the road.
This week in By the Numbers, women's track and field shined down in Virginia and the Tigers clinched some conference regular season championships. Amid these accomplishments, the Tigers won over two-thirds of their games and had winning records both at home and on the road.
No. 2 men’s lacrosse overcomes slow start to defeat Penn, 12–8
Hayk YengibaryanThe Tigers’ 10–2 start is their best start to a season since 2009.
The Tigers’ 10–2 start is their best start to a season since 2009.
Women’s lacrosse earns regular season Ivy title after defeating Brown on senior day
Leila Eshaghpour-SilbermanPrinceton women’s lacrosse became regular season Ivy League champions for the first time since 2022.
Princeton women’s lacrosse became regular season Ivy League champions for the first time since 2022.