Notebook | The rise of King Tuten

In his first two years with the Quakers, wide receiver Matt Tuten suited up for nine games and hauled in just one reception for seven yards.

It wasn't going to be any easier for him to earn playing time in his junior year. To see the field more he would have to compete with three established seniors - captain Kyle Derham, Marcus Lawrence (who was second in receptions last year behind Derham despite missing the first three games) and Tyler Fisher.

Yet after fine-tuning his receiving skills and putting on 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, Tuten was ready to impress his coaches in the preseason.

"We thought he was a good player last year; he just had limited opportunities," coach Al Bagnoli said, "but you could always see that he had the ability and was competitive and had the tenacity that you look for."

Bagnoli was even more impressed with Tuten after his strong preseason, and the Littleton, Colo., native earned the starting spot well before Saturday's season opener.

"We evaluate [every position] based on who's the person that gives us the best chance to win, regardless of what you've done in the past," Bagnoli said. "We thought at this point in time that he gave us the best chance."

Tuten made Bagnoli look smart against Villanova. He racked up 82 yards on four catches, including two for 55 yards on a third-quarter drive to the Wildcats 19-yard line that ended in a blocked field goal.

Both numbers were career highs for Tuten, but probably will not last for long.

Front and center. One of the biggest position battles entering this season took place on the offensive line.

At center, junior Luis Ruffolo - who started the first six games last year before going down with an injury - was fighting to win back the starting job that was earned and kept by junior Joe D'Orazio last season.

He didn't succeed - but he didn't fail either. D'Orazio started the Villanova game at center, but Ruffolo was taking snaps in the second half as well as seeing time at guard throughout the game. New offensive coordinator and returning O-line coach Jon McLaughlin likes rotating his linemen and playing at least one backup at each position in every game.

Bagnoli put it this way: "They're all interchangeable parts."

Good news for Ruffolo.

Time to shine. Four defenders put up career numbers Saturday, and two came in the players' first starts.

Junior linebacker Zach Heller recovered the first fumble of his career. (He also tallied three tackles.) The other starting linebacker and last year's leading tackler senior Jake Lewko put up a career-high 13 take-downs.

"They just happened to run the ball my way that many times," a humble Lewko said.

Senior cornerback Jonathan Moore's interception was the second of his career, but also the second in as many games. His first career interception came in last year's season finale against Cornell.

Starting all 10 games at defensive end last year, junior Owen Thomas never recorded a sack. It only took him until the end of the second quarter of 2009 to notch the first of his career.

-Staff Writer Eli Cohen contributed reporting to this article.

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