Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Princeton QB Wins National Honor

The Sports Network has named Princeton quarterback Jeff Terrell the national I-AA co-offensive player of the week after he led the Tigers to a critical comeback-victory over Yale Saturday. ... Princeton coach Roger Hughes, the Dartmouth offensive coordinator when Jay Fiedler was in Hanover, called Terrell's performance Fiedleresque.

Should Princeton defeat Dartmouth and Harvard knock off Yale Saturday, the Tigers would win the Ivy League title outright and Terrell might just claim the Bushnell Cup as the conference's player of the year. If he does, he'll be at least the second son of a Dartmouth man to win that award for Princeton. Terrell's father, Steve, was a three-year Dartmouth punter and classmate of current Big Green head coach Buddy Teevens. The 1974 Bushnell winner was Princeton running back Walt Snickenberger, son of Dartmouth grad Walter Snickenberger '46 and brother of Dartmouth co-captain Tom Snickenberger '75. (Thanks to Dartmouth athletic historian Jack DeGange for pointing out the intertwined Ivy family tree.)

Also of note, the last time Princeton won a title by tying Dartmouth in Hanover on the final day, the current Tiger coach had a first-hand view as a Big Green assistant. Dave Rackovan, a Hughes assistant, was also on the Dartmouth staff at the time.

Now, a Dartmouth win, combined with a Cornell win over Penn would guarantee the Big Green no worse than an upper division finish -- a tie for fourth in the Ivy League. (An earlier post incorrectly said that would be a fifth-place finish.) Dartmouth and Cornell winning would put both teams -- along with Penn -- at 3-4 in the league. A Brown win over Columbia would make it a four-way tie for fourth and leave the Lions next -- in eighth place.

If you are a subscriber to the Big Green Insider audio/video service, you are in for a treat Saturday. Instead of a single-camera operation, the service will be picking up the TV feed for the Princeton-Dartmouth football game, which is being broadcast on Central New Jersey cable station Patriot 8.

I-aa.org's latest Gridiron Power Index (the unofficial BCS-like poll for I-AA) has Dartmouth ranked behind two teams it defeated this fall. A total of 122 teams are included. The rankings:
16. Princeton
24. Harvard
26. Yale
37. Penn
T-67. Cornell
71. Brown
79. Columbia
82. Dartmouth

Other Dartmouth opponents:
8. UNH
54. Holy Cross
70. Colgate

A Daily Dartmouth story about what's happening at James Madison University, which is cutting sports to comply with Title IX, has some interesting quotes from Dartmouth Athletic Director Josie Harper. ... The D also has this story about Harper being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

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