Which position group has the most to prove this year?

 

While Penn has a strong set of captains (just look at the front cover) to lead the team in 2014, there are plenty of players and position groups with something to prove. Across offense, defense and special teams, the Quakers will look to shore up a few spots in order to compete with an Ivy title. After all, if any part of Penn’s team appears to be weak, the rest of the Ivy League will look to exploit said weakness. Our editors debate which position group has the most to prove.

Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m going to come out and say that the secondary has plenty to prove. Last year, I wrote a story for our supplement talking about how a plethora of veterans in the defensive backfield was going to shut down the rest of the Ivy League. What did Penn’s pass defense promptly do? It surrendered 240.7 yards per game, a middling fifth-best in the conference. The Quakers let their opponents complete 62.7 percent of their passes, the third-worst mark in the Ancient Eight.

Penn has plenty of talent returning in its secondary — fifth-year seniors Dan Wilk and Evan Jackson, just to name a few — but it’s a long way back to the top for a secondary that helped Penn win an Ivy title just two years ago.

Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: It’s tough to say anybody but the kickers. Special teams can be a thankless job and fall under the radar, but it is extremely important to any team’s success. In 2012, it seemed like whenever Penn needed a clutch kick, then-sophomore Connor Loftus was there to make it, especially during the Quakers’ 20-17 homecoming win against Brown.

But last season was different as the Red and Blue went 4-for-13 on field goals, setting themselves back in multiple games. While junior Jimmy Gammill has impressed during camp, we will have to see whether he can get the job done within games. If he struggles or gets hurt again, Loftus or sophomore Aron Morgan could get a few reps at the all-important placekicker spot.

Sports Editor Holden McGinnis: I think a young and inexperienced offensive line is going to have the most to prove. The Quakers are fielding a group with a combined five starts between them last season, and they graduated a core group of veteran linemen, including first-team All-Ivy center Chris Bush.

Though Penn had a strong offensive performance last season against Cornell — when three of this year’s projected starters made starts — this group is definitely one of the largest question marks for coach Al Bagnoli. Bagnoli even said so during the Ivy League preseason media teleconference. Every strong offensive performance starts in the trenches, and if this group can’t find a way to protect sophomore quarterback Alek Torgersen, it’ll be a long season for the Quakers.

Sports Editor Colin Henderson: I couldn’t agree more, Holden. The offensive line is a serious question mark. But what about the man that they will be tasked with protecting?

Torgersen has approximately one quarter’s worth of play under his belt. Lighting up Cornell in a relief role at the end of a season is one thing, but taking the reigns of Penn’s offense is quite another. Granted, he seems to bring a downfield passing threat that, paired with Penn’s deep squad of receivers, could be deadly, but with an inexperienced line in front of him, can he handle the pressure?

He certainly doesn’t have the type of mobility that Billy Ragone had, which could make Penn’s questions on the line even more significant. Ragone also set a pretty high mark for Penn quarterbacks, contributing to three Ivy League championship teams. We’ll see if Torgersen can live up to those types of expectations and have a similar level of success.

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