Last year every team in the Ivy League returned its starting quarterback. Ivy watchers had a hard time remembering the last time that happened.
What's the story under center this year? Glad you asked. Here are the most experienced quarterbacks returning for each team with their class next fall (listed from most experienced to least):
Columbia
After making the All-Ivy League first team as a sophomore, senior Sean Brackett saw his numbers slip last year with 156 completions in 315 attempts (49.5 percent) for 1,831 yards and 15 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He ran for 379 yards. Over his first three years he has thrown for 4,361 yards (53.7 percent) with 38 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He's run for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Cornell
Junior Jeff Mathews rewrote the Ivy League record book with 3,412 passing yards last year, completing 67.9 percent of his passes on 250-of-368. He had 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His 548 yards passing against Penn were an Ivy League record. He threw for 1,723 yards as a freshman, meaning he has 5,135 yards through the air in his first two years.
Penn
A finalist for Ivy League player of the year two seasons ago, senior Billy Ragone threw for 1,860 yards last fall, completing 151-of-265 passes (57.0 percent) with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for 424 yards and seven touchdowns. After getting hurt against Dartmouth as a freshman and playing in just two games, he passed for 834 yards and ran for 548 as a sophomore. Although 2012 will be his fourth year in uniform, Ragone should have another year of eligibility after this one if he so chooses. Ryan Becker completed 20-of-37 passes (54.1 percent) for 187 yards without a TD or an interception last fall. The junior made two starts in 2010 while completing 44-of-76 passes (57.9 percent) for 548 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Harvard
Senior Colton Chapple passed for 414 yards and four touchdowns against Cornell and five touchdowns against Bucknell as he posted two of the best games a backup quarterback anywhere ever enjoyed. On the season he completed 65-of-105 passes (61.9 percent) for 918 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 101 yards filling in for injured standout Collier Winters. Chapple passed for 439 yards and three touchdowns while making three starts as a sophomore.
Brown
Senior Patrick Donnelly had no stats last year but completed 43-of-81 passes (53.1 percent) for 411 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as a sophomore. Also rushed for 114 yards.
Princeton
Sophomore Quinn Epperly made his first career start in the final game of the 2011 season at Dartmouth, completing 9-of-19 passes for 93 yards and leading the Tigers with 73 yards and two touchdowns rushing. On the season he was 23-of-52 passing (44.2 percent) for 259 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. He ran for 215 yards on the year. Sophomore Connor Michelsen completed 3-of-5 passes (60 percent) for seven yards with one interception. He also ran twice for seven yards while appearing in two games.
Dartmouth
Junior Andy Gay and sophomore Alex Park both saw limited time last fall. Gay made the only start of the two at Yale and finished the season 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) for 13 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Park completed 6-of-8 throws (75.0 percent) for 48 yards, with no TDs and no INTs. Both quarterbacks had negative rushing yards.
Yale
Junior John Whitelaw completed 1-of-4 passes for eight yards and ran five times for 14 yards.
