Princeton sophomore quarterback poses threat

Tommy Wornham will have the spotlight thrust on him this season after becoming the first sophomore since 2001 to start at quarterback for Princeton. A 2007 graduate from The Bishop’s School in San Diego, Wornham had a strong showing in Princeton’s camp which earned him the starting job. The last three quarterbacks for the Tigers were all seniors, leaving some big shoes for Wornham to fill. However, despite Wornham’s clear potential, coach Roger Hughes plans on gradually easing him into these shoes by not asking him to do too much early this season.

Schematically, this means limiting the complexity of Princeton’s playbook and reducing the reads Wornham will have to make on opposing defenses. One way Princeton looks to achieve this is through frequent use of the option play, which would also allow Wornham to showcase his speed by enabling him to rush the football or to flip it out to the tailback.

Starting the season at running back this year is unanimous all-Ivy first team running back Jordan Culbreath. Culbreath, along with the veteran offensive line the Tigers are returning, will be expected to carry the bulk of the work as Wornham gains experience. With the focus of Princeton’s offense on its running game, Wornham will be looked at more to manage the game rather than to air it out every down.

In Princeton’s season opener against The Citadel, Wornham threw the ball 41 times for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. In that game, Princeton gradually fell behind, which forced it to rely on its passing game—exactly what it doesn’t want to do. This one-dimensional attack eventually led to The Citadel blowing the game wide open after Wornham threw two fourth-quarter interceptions while trying to get the Tigers back into the game.

Against Lehigh, Wornham was 9 of 20 passing for 47 yards in a 17-14 victory. This game showed Wornham’s role managing the game as he ran the option often and had many short passes. However, the game also displayed Wornham’s enormous potential when he scored on a 68-yard touchdown run, deking a potential tackler and outrunning Mountain Hawk linebacker Devin Greene to the end zone.

This Saturday against Columbia, look for Princeton to run the option often, especially after the Lions did a poor job stopping the play last week against the CCSU Blue Devils. Wornham may also be asked to throw the ball more due to Culbreath’s uncertain status resulting from an ankle sprain he suffered last week. If Wornham is given the chance to throw the ball more, Princeton fans will get a glimpse of the direction the Tigers’ passing attack may be headed in the future.