When the Princeton football team rolled into Franklin Field last season for homecoming, Penn fans were already planning their post-game celebrations.
The Quakers had defeated Princeton in the last nine meetings, blurring the line between historic rivalry and annual blowout.
But as fans across the Ivy League learned, this Princeton team was different.
Despite being ranked sixth in the preseason polls, the Tigers left the Quakers in the dust, cruising to a 30-13 victory in front of a crowd of over 20,000.
Princeton finished the year tied for second in the league, having knocked off Harvard as well in a surprisingly successful campaign.
And with wins over Lehigh and Lafayette to start this season, coach Roger Hughes and his Tigers are hungry for more.
"We're a bit farther ahead than I expected to be at this point in time," he said.
Hughes will put his faith in junior quarterback Jeff Terrell to lead Princeton against Ivy League competition. A mobile quarterback that likes to run the option, Terrell led the Tigers with five rushing touchdowns last season, meshing nicely with Princeton's spread offense.
The major drawback to Terrell's scrambling is that he gets sacked frequently - Princeton surrendered 23 last season. With the graduation of the entire offensive line from 2005, he will be under added pressure to make quicker and more responsible decisions while his linemen gain experience.
With good pass-catching ability to complement his 4.3 yards-per-carry last year, junior Rob Toresco brings the Tigers versatility at running back - his 28 receptions last season were second-most on the team. Running back Cleo Kirkland will also see plenty of action, giving Princeton a good alternative in the red zone.
At receiver and tight end, the Tigers will have to fill a big hole left by first-team All-Ivy tight end Jon Dekker, who recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Junior wideout Brian Brigham will look to bounce back from injuries sustained over the past two years and lead the receiving corps along with classmate and track star Brian Shields. Junior Brendan Circle, who averaged 14.5 yards per catch last season, also demonstrated strong blocking ability and will help to open up the ground game.
Defensively, Princeton will stick with a 3-4 front, with linemen Jake Marshall, Tom Methvin and Pete Buchignani all returning from last year.
Maintaining a high quality of play at linebacker will be key for the Tigers, since Justin Stull and Abi Fadeyi graduated last spring.
At defensive back, junior standout Tim Strickland will be called on to lead what was once Jay McCareins' secondary. Junior J.J. Artis will replace the graduated McCareins and will need to avoid his injuries of the last few seasons.
Though Hughes is confident in his team right now, he is unsure of how it will fare against the Ivy League based on its parity this season.
"This league is so balanced that anyone can win it," he said. "It's one of the most balanced leagues that anyone has seen, and it's really up for grabs."
Penn coach Al Bagnoli declined to comment on Princeton, saying that he had not yet watched tape of the team.
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