ON THE SIDELINES: Linebackers excel in 5-2 defensive scheme

HANOVER, N.H. -- With under two minutes to play, the ball rested just outside the Penn three-yard line. It was third down, and the Big Green could still get a first down without getting into the end zone. Dartmouth junior quarterback Ren Riley kept the ball and ran left with it. "That was an option play, where I saw a hole and thought I could just duck it in there," he would say later. But the hole closed before Riley could get through. It was closed by Penn senior linebacker Kevin DeLuca. Now it was fourth and one from just outside the one-yard line. This time Dartmouth went right, with junior tailback Pete Oberle taking the handoff. Oberle tried to slash forward for the game-winning score. But once again the hole closed. This time it was Penn's other senior linebacker, Pat Goodwillie, who met the ball carrier head on. Penn coach Al Bagnoli will be the first to tell you the linebackers are critical to the Quakers' defensive schemes. Sure, the defensive line has to pressure the quarterback. And of course the secondary has to stop the big play. But it is ultimately the linebackers who determine if the Penn system will work. With the game on the line, DeLuca and Goodwillie made it work Saturday. The Quaker defense found itself being tested throughout the game. It didn't get much in the way of help from the offense or the special teams. The offense clicked for only 189 yards, and the special teams allowed several long kick returns and had a punt blocked. All of this meant that Dartmouth was winning the battle for field position. For every time the Penn offense sputtered and every time the coverage teams allowed big returns, Riley and the Big Green offense could set up shop closer to scoring territory. It gradually became clear that if Penn was to come away from Memorial Field with a win, the defense would have to make the big plays. "We made some decent decisions, but the kids executed," Bagnoli said of his defense. "You've got to make the plays, and the kids made the plays when they had to make them." For much of the day, that somebody was the Penn linebacking core, especially DeLuca and Goodwillie. DeLuca seemed at times to be everywhere. The senior racked up 19 tackles -- good enough to lead the Quakers for the second straight week -- and even picked off a pass before stopping Riley on third down at the one. DeLuca's most impressive performance Saturday may have been during Dartmouth's first third-quarter possession. The Big Green took over on the Penn 42-yard line and ran the ball nine consecutive plays. DeLuca made five tackles, including a third-down stop at the one, and the Big Green had to settle for a field goal. Despite his statistics, the senior linebacker was quick to attribute much of his success to the system in which he plays. "I just have to give all the credit to the defensive line and to Pat," he said. "The defensive line holds them up for us, and whoever gets through is who we try to stop." Goodwillie was also a major factor throughout the game. His 13 tackles included that critical fourth-down stop at the goal line. Goodwillie tried to contain Oberle all afternoon as Dartmouth used its running game to take pressure off the inexperienced Riley. The Big Green coaching staff knew the Penn defense depended on Goodwillie to make plays. They did their best to throw him off stride by letting Riley audible running plays. Things did get tough for Goodwillie and the Quakers as Oberle grinded out 109 yards on 32 carries. But when the game came down to one play, Goodwillie knew where the ball was going and that he had to stop it. The senior let his defensive line take on the blocks and headed straight for the tailback. And like DeLuca, he said it was all in the system. "I was free on the play because it was a zone play away from me," Goodwillie said. "I was unblocked, and I guess I'm expected to make that tackle. Our defense was in a perfect situation to make that play." After the crushing loss, Dartmouth coach John Lyons refused to second guess the decisions he made in that final series of plays. Instead, he credited the Penn linebackers. "The play calling was fine," Lyons said. "They've just got some pretty good players on the defensive side of the ball." Lyons felt the credit belonged with the players who stopped his offense -- DeLuca and Goodwillie. But DeLuca and Goodwillie said the credit should go to the Penn defensive system. Both parties were right. For on Saturday in Hanover, Kevin DeLuca and Pat Goodwillie made the system work.