The veteran defensive unit returns nine starters, including first-team All-Ivy linebacker Rory Wilfork and 27-year-old defensive tackle Eric Keck, Wilfork led the team in tackles (127), tackles for a loss (16) and forced fumbles (3). The Lill brothers, linebacker lake and strong safety Jim, combined for 130 tackles last season.
4. Princeton
Princton's offense looks weak on paper, but experience suggests that there is more than meets the eye to this squad. An unyielding defense has been Princeton's trade-mark under coach Steve Ends Ryan Moore, Dale Bartley and Darrell Oliveirs as well as tackle Brian Groody are a solid base to build a defense on. Linebacker Dave Patterson was an All-Ivy first-teamer and defensive back Tom Dudwig had seven interceptions--three against Harvard--last season. Point generation could be the Tigers biggest problem. Princeton lost tailback Bill Jordan and wide receivers Dave Scoggin and Mare Ross, though the Tigers hang on to quarterback Harry Nakielny. Three of five offensive linemen--six offensive starters in total--have departed as well. The bottom line is quite simple: Princeton will be able to keep opponents off the scoreboard, but will the Tigers be able to get on the board themselves? 5. Harvard 6. Cornell Almost the diametric opposite of Brown, Cornell looks like a team on the descent. The Big Red started the 1994 campaign out on a very high note, with victories in six consecutive weeks. And then the wheels fell off the wagon. Cornell crashed to earth with a thud: four straight losses to end the season. Cornell's primary asset is Chad Levitt, the Ivy League leader in rushing last season. The problem is Levitt is the only guaranteed merchandise the Big Red has. Quarter-back Steve Joyce started two games last year but is inexperienced. Two returning linemen will not be enough to blow open holes for Levitt. Five starters return on defense, including cornerbacks Nick Bombach and Doug Knopp. The secondary may be in on a lot of action because all but one (John Vitullo) of Cornell's seasoned linebackers are gone. Coach Jim Hofher says that the competition will be fierce on the defensive side. The implication is that there are many spots to fill. 7. Dartmouth Training camp may be breeding more questions than answers for the Big Green of Dartmouth. Junior Jon Aljancic, senior Ren Riley and senior Jerry Singleton are at war for the quarterback spot. Pete Oberle, who sat out four games of 1994 with knee injury, may or may not be able to go this season. Dartmouth counts seven offensive starters returning from a 2-5 Ivy League team. Only five defensive starters are back. Dartmouth hasn't been the same since super quarterback Jay Fielder left in 1993. Until the Big Green can find a player who makes the sleepy town of Hanover, N.H. forget about "The Man," Dartmouth's gridiron game just won't be the same. 8. Yale Yale doesn't just come last alphabetically in the Ivy League. Despite last season's 32-13 thumping of Harvard at the Stadium the Bull-dogs won't have much to bark about this season. The Elis have lost their offensive and defensive anchors in Bob Nelson and Card Ricci, although the Bulldogs return seven starters on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Chris Hetherington is behind center once again, but the senior threw more than twice as many interceptions as touchdown passes in 1994. Last season, the Eli defense allowed a surprisingly stingy 15 points per game in Ivy League contests. However, Yale was second-to-last in total defense, allowing 360.9 yards per game. With Ricci gone, an anemic defense could be in the offing. Although legendary Carm Cozza is back for his 31st year, don't be surprised if the buzz at The Game is that the coach Cozza's head may be on the chopping block; some of the Eli faithful feel he's out of touch.