Around the League

BROWN
Head coach: Phil Estes
Last season: 7-3, 6-1 Ivy
Outlook: Brown is led by two of the top receivers in the Ivy League in seniors Bobby Sewall and Buddy Farnham. They’ll have a new quarterback throwing to them, as Michael Dougherty is gone and has been replaced by junior Kyle Newhall-Caballero. Defensively, Brown will be anchored by senior defensive linemen—and preseason all-Ivy favorites—Jim Develin and David Howard.
Game to watch: Brown and Harvard—the two teams that shared the league title in ’08—will kick off Ivy play on Sept. 25 in Cambridge.

CORNELL
Head coach: Jim Knowles
Last season: 4-6, 2-5 Ivy
Outlook: The Big Red lost 33 seniors to graduation, many of them major contributors, so this could be a bit of a rebuilding year. Cornell’s top two returning players are senior running back Randy Barbour and senior linebacker Chris Costello. Barbour led the Big Red with 413 rushing yards and five touchdowns in ’08 while Costello finished with the second-most tackles in the league.
Game to watch: With so many new players seeing action, Cornell’s Week 1 matchup vs. Bucknell should help clear up how this team will look in 2009.

DARTMOUTH
Head coach: Buddy Teevens
Last season: 0-10, 0-7 Ivy
Outlook: Coming off its first winless Ivy League season, Dartmouth can take some solace in the fact that its starting QB, senior Alex Jenny, enters this season as the most experienced quarterback in the Ancient Eight. Offensively, the Big Green will be looking to the combo of Jenny and junior wide receiver Tim McManus to move the ball. After a stellar freshman campaign, cornerback Shawn Abuhoff will aim to disrupt the passing game with equal success in ’09.
Game to watch: Dartmouth will try to break a string of nine straight Ivy losses as it opens its league slate at home against Penn on Oct. 3.

HARVARD
Head coach: Tim Murphy
Last season: 9-1, 6-1 Ivy
Outlook: The Crimson may have lost Bushnell Cup Player of the Year Chris Pizzotti, but it is still the favorite to win the Ancient Eight in ’09. Junior Collier Winters, who is known to have good speed, will be under center protected by a strong, experienced line and surrounded by top Ivy talent in senior receiver Matt Luft and junior running back Gino Gordon. If Harvard’s defense remains as tough as it has been under Murphy, the Crimson should be tough to beat.
Game to watch: “The Game” at Yale on Nov. 21.

PENN
Head coach: Al Bagnoli
Last season: 6-4, 5-2 Ivy
Outlook: Defense has been Penn’s specialty, and this year doesn’t look to be any different. Each level of the Quakers’ defense has a star player, with second-team all-Ivy Leaguers Joe Goniprow and Jake Lewko headlining the defensive line and linebackers, and first-team all-Ivy corner back Chris Wynn patrolling the secondary. Penn’s offense will be led by junior Kiefer Garton, who won Ivy Offensive Player of the Week in three starts at quarterback last season.
Game to watch: The Ivy title could come down to Penn’s matchup vs. Harvard in Cambridge on Nov. 14.

PRINCETON
Head coach: Roger Hughes
Last season: 4-6, 3-4 Ivy
Outlook: The Tigers will go as far as senior running back Jordan Culbreath will take them this season. In ’08, Culbreath was easily the most dominant runner in the Ancient Eight, as he rushed for 1,206 yards and 10 touchdowns. Every team will be trying to shut down Culbreath, which could help quarterback Tommy Wornham find some seams in the passing game. Linebackers Steven Cody and Scott Britton finished in the top 10 in the league in tackles last year and are expected to anchor the Tigers’ defense.
Game to watch: Princeton’s first league game at home against Columbia on Oct. 3 will set the tone for the season.

YALE
Head coach: Tom Williams
Last season: 6-4, 4-3 Ivy
Outlook: Yale is coming off a season that, by its standards, was a disappointing one. With new head coach Tom Williams in tow, the Bulldogs are looking to challenge for an Ivy League title. They won’t have standout running back Mike McLeod, but they still expect to have a deep, solid backfield. Though junior Brook Hart was Yale’s man at quarterback last season, sophomore Patrick Witt will get the start in Week 1 against Georgetown with Hart getting playing time off the bench.
Game to watch: “The Game” vs. Harvard at the Yale Bowl on Nov. 21.