The Huddle

What do TigerBlog and Princeton offensive lineman Scott Becker have in common? 

It's not size. Becker is 6-2, 305, which puts him a bit out of TB's weight class. 

It's not age. TB is about three times as old as Becker.

So what is it? How about footwear? Apparently, they both have multiple pairs of Kanes.

How did TB learn this? He listened to a new podcast on goprincetontigers.com called "The Huddle." 

It's being hosted this year by senior linebacker Nicholas Sanker. The first episode was up yesterday, and you can listen to it HERE.

The premise is that Sanker will be interviewing two of his teammates each week, starting this week with two of the 2024 captains, Collin Taylor and Mason Armstead. 

TigerBlog has done a bunch of podcasts, and he understands that they have to be conversational. What he never has been able to do is take you, figuratively, into the huddle.

Sanker, of course, can do that. Figuratively, and literally.

The perspective that a current player has is radically different than someone who is an observer, like TB or a broadcaster. To make it work, though, the player needs to take it seriously and not turn it into a bunch of inside jokes and laughing. 

If Week 1 is any indication, Sanker has already mastered that balance, of being a player and a podcaster. He does a great job of keeping the conversation going and to cover all sorts of topics, from their development as football players to the toughest classes they've taken. There was some joking, and there was some serious. Like TB said, Sanker has already mastered the balance.

It's definitely worth your 33 minutes to listen (you can also hear head coach Bob Surace with play-by-play man Cody Chrusciel on the "First In Football" podcast HERE).

Speaking of Week 1, tomorrow will mark the opening kickoff for the 2024 season for the Tigers, who will kick off at Lehigh at noon. 

It's Week 4 for the Mountain Hawks, who bring a 2-1 record into the game, with an opening loss to Army followed by wins over Wagner and LIU. Princeton won't care who the opponent is; after the long weeks of training camp and then watching everyone else play games, opening day is a welcome moment.

So what is there to expect from the 2024 Tigers? Well, there are lots of knowns and some big unknowns. 

The knowns? Princeton's top four receivers last year combined for 130 catches, 1,650 yards and 12 touchdowns; all four (Luke Colella, AJ Barber, Tamatoa Falatea, Tyler Picinic) return. So does leading rusher John Volker and Dareion Murphy, while the offensive line is also experienced. 

Defensively, you have familiar names up front, as outside linebackers and in the secondary.

The unknowns? That would be quarterback (Blake Stenstrom has graduated) and inside linebacker (likewise with Liam Johnson and Ozzie Nicholas). 

Those are some really big holes at really big spots. 

Want to know more? You can read the same preview stories that TB read, HERE for the offense and HERE for the defense/special teams. And you can thank princetontigersfootball.com write Craig Sachson for that. 

Princeton is one of six Ivy teams who will be playing a Patriot League school this weekend. Princeton leads the all-time series with Lehigh 43-17-2 and has won three straight. 

So, if TB is doing the math correctly, 43+17+2=62, which makes this the 63rd meeting in a series that dates to 1887. 

The other two non-league games this year will be against teams Princeton has never before played. The first will be next Saturday, with the home opener against Howard. The other will be Week 4, at Mercer, which is in Macon, Ga.

Week 3 will see Princeton play at Columbia in its Ivy opener.

For this weekend, it's not about anything other than getting onto the field against an opponent and seeing how the returning pieces and new pieces blend and watch how the 2024 Princeton team begins to build its own identity for the season. 

And then when this game is over? 

You can go back in The Huddle with Nicholas Sanker next week to learn more about it.