OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT: Big Green has found Fiedler's replacement

Dartmouth junior quarterback Ren Riley had a successful season playing freshman football back in 1992, throwing for 604 yards and four touchdowns. Then he disappeared. Riley didn't suffer a serious injury in 1993. Riley didn't study abroad. He also didn't play the usual backup's role, mopping up in blowouts and relieving an ineffective starter. That part is a bit different when the man above you on the depth chart is the most successful quarterback in Dartmouth history, Jay Fiedler. Fiedler owns most of his school's passing records, and led the Big Green to consecutive Ivy League titles. Destined for the Philadelphia Eagles, Fiedler undeniably owned the 1993 Dartmouth squad. That fact left the young Riley waiting patiently and invisibly on the sidelines. "Going into last year, I knew I wouldn't get much time," Riley said. "But to tell the truth, I thought I might play a bit more. I thought we'd have a few more games where I'd have an opportunity to play. It just didn't work out that way.?In terms of physical play, it was almost like I took a year off." Hoping for garbage time is the unfortunate existence of many a backup, but for Riley and the 1993 Big Green, there was little of it. Although Dartmouth did finish second in the Ivies, it began the season with consecutive losses and earned three of its seven victories by less than a touchdown. Still, playing understudy to a master was not entirely a negative experience for Riley. "I think playing behind Jay was a tremendous help for Ren," Dartmouth offensive coordinator Roger Hughes said. "Jay really took him under his wing. Ren would ask Jay why things happened, and why Jay did what he did, and what Jay was looking for. Also Jay was a guy a lot like Ren -- easygoing and confident but not cocky. He was very willing to help the younger quarterbacks, and he and Ren were friends off the field." Now the Big Green is Riley's alone to lead. That new role did not, however, simply fall into his lap. Riley faced a fair amount of competition for the starting job. Riley was pressed by sophomore Jon Aljancic, who threw for 762 yards and seven touchdowns on last season's junior varsity squad. In addition, transfer Jerry Singleton had thrown for more than 3,500 yards in two junior college seasons. Both Aljancic and Singleton had seen more collegiate action than Riley. "You can look at it and say I wasn't in the heat for a year, that I didn't have the game-time exposure," Riley said. "But?I came in [to preseason practice] with what I think was a little bit of an advantage. I'd been in the program and could understand the offense and what the coach wanted me to do." Indeed, Riley emerged from the preseason as the Dartmouth starter. His first action at that position, last Saturday at Colgate, produced mixed results. Although Riley did not come up a winner in his debut, his overall performance was promising. After Riley led the Big Green to a 16-0 lead, he saw that margin dissipate to a 20-16 deficit. Finally, on a fourth-down option play from the Colgate two-yard line with three minutes left, Riley slipped, sealing the Dartmouth loss. Nevertheless, Riley did complete an impressive 16 of 26 passes for 191 yards on the afternoon. "I think he played pretty well," Hughes said. "His numbers were excellent?and he made all his audible checks correctly. He was very poised and threw well under pressure." Despite the loss Riley remains confident, citing an Ivy crown as his only goal for the season. Several factors point to success for Riley. The first of these is a strong supporting cast. He is flanked by experienced targets in wide receivers David Shearer and Andre Grant, and should be able to count on tailback Pete Oberle for a solid running game. The second is an offensive system that has produced an Ivy title and a second-place finish in Big Green coach John Lyons' two seasons in Hanover. "We're running the ball better than we were last year," Riley said. "There's always the impetus to run the ball and I think that's true of every team in the country. For the most part, though, it's the same offense." Third is Riley's own combination of personal attributes. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Riley possesses impressive size and a strong arm. He seems to possess the proverbial intangibles. "My strengths are my leadership qualities," Riley explained. "People respect what I'm doing. As a result, I think I can get my team to where it needs to be to win games." For his own sake, Riley must prove himself correct. The footsteps of a star, even when that star is a friend, are indeed "big shoes to fill."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.