EASTON, Pa. -- In their heyday, the Dallas Cowboys of the mid-90s featured the "triplets," quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmit Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin.
The Indianapolis Colts of today showcase the electrifying offensive trio of Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison.
And the Penn Quakers, though admittedly lesser known nationwide, boast Gavin Hoffman, Kris Ryan and Rob Milanese.
Penn's three offensive stars proved on Saturday that they can put up 37 points on any given day, even one that many of them termed a "struggle."
"As an offense, we just didn't feel in sync out there. It was a roller coaster ride," Hoffman said.
"I made a couple of bad decisions... I think inconsistency on offense is to be expected in the first game, but going into this next week, we definitely know we have a lot of work to do."
The reigning Ivy League MVP may have statistically had a below-average game by his own standards. He threw two interceptions, which with poorer luck could have been four, and there were undoubtedly a couple of throws made off his back foot that he would like to have over again.
But a 22-for-40 afternoon for 226 yards and three touchdown passes was still more than enough to produce what was, by far, the most convincing Ivy League victory of the weekend.
Senior wideout Rob Milanese caught nine of Hoffman's 22 completed passes for an even 100 yards receiving.
His solid afternoon of work, which included a 17-yard touchdown catch with 0:39 remaining in the first half, placed him in a second-place tie with Doug O'Neill on Penn's all-time reception list.
It would logically seem that if the Quakers were not operating at their full potential, then their 471 yards of total offense would at least suggest they were close, and the team was just being modest about blowing out last year's Patriot League champion.
Yet, Lafayette also believed that its defense against Penn's air attack in particular was strong.
"That score probably could be double what it was if [our defense] hadn't played very, very well and very, very hard," Lafayette coach Frank Tavani said.
Tavani's sentiment is in part a testament to the even more explosive offense that Penn is capable of generating -- the same one that rained 45 points on the Leopards last year at Franklin Field.
The Quakers possess one of the most dominant passing attacks in Division I-AA, and the idea that they can "struggle" their way to a 37-point output is a statement that is both factual and intimidating.
Penn running back Kris Ryan appeared not to have quite as much rust to shake off, as he carried 24 times for 151 yards.
The senior recorded the day's lone rushing touchdown when he burst into the end zone virtually untouched to extend Penn's lead to 27-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Ryan entered the day needing 123 yards on the ground to reach the 2,000 mark for his career. And on a seven-yard surge up the middle late in the third quarter, he accomplished that feat -- which was acknowledged over Lafayettte's P.A. system.
"When they started talking about it, I pretty much just covered my ears," Ryan said with a grin. "We had bigger things on the agenda at the time."
The biggest thing on the Quakers' agenda now, before they head to Dartmouth on Saturday, will be fine-tuning an offense that is clearly strong enough, even while struggling, to overwhelm an opponent.
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