Football In August

Okay, following up on the list TigerBlog had yesterday, did you see the story about the rookie New Orleans Saints' placekicker?

His name is Blake Grupe, and he stands 5-7 and weighs 155 pounds. Also, he has something of a baby-face.

He kicked at both Notre Dame and Arkansas State, and now he's a rookie free agent in the Saints' camp. New Orleans played Kansas City this weekend in its preseason opener, and Grupe was given a hard time by Superdome security because they thought he was trying to sneak onto the field without the proper credential.

Fortunately, the dilemma was sorted out in time for him to kick the game-winning 31-yard field goal on the final play. Did that resolve it all? No, he was stopped by security again on his way out.

The preseason is filled with little stories like that as newcomers try to make their teams. Of course, none of the others are 5-7, 155.

One of the ones who is trying to fit in is 6-3, 215. That would be Princeton alum Andrei Iosivas, who was a sixth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals this past spring. 

Iosivas has opened some eyes in training camp this summer, and he then had a really good first outing as the Bengals took on Green Bay. On the night, Iosivas caught four passes for 50 yards and was just millimeters away from a touchdown reception when his left foot just barely scraped the sideline.

This is what one postgame story had to say about him:

A possible fringe 53 player before the game, Iosivas seemed to cement his status as one of the six or seven wideouts they keep. He’ll need to keep the arrow pointing up on special teams, but it’s pretty clear in the base offense that he’s not just a former track standout and project player.

If you watched the highlights, Iosivas certainly looked the part of an NFL wideout. Cincinnati currently has 12 wide receivers in camp, by the way.

As for Princeton's other alums in training camps, Stephen Carlson had one reception in the Bears' preseason opener. Former Bear Jesper Horsted, who caught the first career NFL TD pass for Justin Fields, is now in Las Vegas. Henry Byrd is trying to make the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent offensive lineman. The Dolphins released John Lovett, who otherwise would have been on the injured list for the year. He can now sign with any team.

The current Princeton football team is preparing to arrive on campus to begin practice for the 2023 season. It does so having been chosen second in the Ivy League's preseason media poll.

The Tigers return, among others, quarterback Blake Stenstrom, who threw for a league-best 2,742 yards a year ago, and linebacker Liam Johnson, the Ivy League's Bushnell Cup winner as the top defensive player in the league.

What else does Princeton return? A winning culture, and that is something that goes beyond one class or a handful of standouts. 

Princeton has gone 10 straight seasons without a losing record. The last time Princeton did that? It was an 11-year run from 1947-58. 

Princeton won at least eight games in every season from 1888-1907. Since then, how many times has Princeton won at least eight games in four straight seasons? 

Once. That would be the current streak of four seasons.  

And if you think it's not fair because the team plays 10 games in a season now, as opposed to nine, the last time Princeton lost five games over a four-season stretch was 1963-66.

That doesn't happen accidentally. And that doesn't happen unless you can successfully turn your roster over several times. That's what Bob Surace and the coaching staff have done. 

Will this year be more of the same? That remains to be seen, of course. 

Princeton opens the season at San Diego and then has the home opener a week later against Bryant, which just announced a move in football to the Coastal Athletic Association, which used to be the Colonial, for the 2024 season. For this year, the Bulldogs are in their final year in the Big South-OVC Football Association.

The game at San Diego is on Sept. 16.

Hey, that's a month from today.