FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Stokes will be ready to go against Lions

Don't expect sophomore quarterback Mark DeRosa to throw 31 passes in the first half of Saturday's game against Columbia at Franklin Field. A porous Holy Cross secondary was not the only reason DeRosa was forced to throw the ball downfield more frequently last week. Another contributing factor was the fact senior tailback Terrance Stokes went down with a sprained left ankle on his fifth carry. Although Stokes continued to be a bystander in sweats at yesterday's practice, he is confident he will return today and be 100 percent come Saturday. Stokes was able to jog yesterday, and has been doing strengthening exercises and soaking his ankle in the whirlpool. "I'll be back in practice tomorrow," Stokes said. "I don't think it will affect me. Unfortunately, though, my season is down to eight games." That reality is especially unfortunate considering Stokes entered the season needing 1,313 yards to surpass Bryan Keys as the Quakers' all-time leading rusher. Through the first three games, the slashing back has only 244 net yards, leaving him with plenty of work left to do if he hopes to leap to the top of the record books. · In another product of last Saturday's blowout, coach Al Bagnoli was extremely pleased with the play of freshman kicker Doug Miller. Miller, a red-shirt transfer from Northwestern, sent several kickoffs deep into the end zone for touchbacks. He also was successful on his lone extra-point attempt. "Miller was highly recruited coming out of high school," Bagnoli said. "He provides us with a lot of flexibility because he is capable of kicking off, kicking field goals and punting. "I am very pleased with Andy [Glockner's] kicking, but we might minimize his role to just kicking field goals and extra points and let Doug handle the kickoffs." Miller's versatility provides the Quakers with an enormous asset -- especially for road games. Since he can handle all three kicking positions, Bagnoli and staff get two-man depth at all three positions with only three people. This frees up spots on the bus for other players. One of those players is junior defensive back Sheldon Philip-Guide, whose eligibility was reinstated. Philip-Guide saw limited action last week during the second half. "I know from practice that he is one of the best cover guys we have," junior wide receiver Miles Macik said. "He's a great athlete." Philip-Guide will be a valuable asset against Columbia's Jamie Schwalbe-led passing attack this week. · Another piece of good news that has kept Bagnoli smiling is the return of junior offensive tackle Bill Glascott from a foot sprain. Although Glascott did suit up for Holy Cross in case of an emergency, he is expected to return to practice today. His left arch is expected to be completely healed by Saturday. Senior Kevin Lozinak replaced him against the Crusaders. "Provided he doesn't re-injure it in practice, Glascott should start on Saturday," Bagnoli said. · Stat of the week: The Ancient Eight is 15-3-1 against non-conference opponents. "The spring practices and 35 eligible freshmen have been a major contributor," Bagnoli said. "It provides immediate depth for substitutions and special teams. You don't need a major impact player to make a real difference. This will have short- and long-term consequences." Prior to the addition of spring practice and freshman eligibility, the Ivies went 13-11 in 1993, compared with 12-12 in 1992 and a dismal 7-17 in 1991. Bagnoli did add he thought the league was in a very good cyclical phase right now, and things could certainly change in two or three years. "[Executive Director of the Ivy Group] Jeff Orleans made a very good point when he said there are no bad teams in our league right now," Bagnoli said. "This may be the first time that there's not a really bad team."