COLUMN: Penn offense exceeds all expectations

"A Front Row View," By Jason Liss As this season approached, there were certain things I was fairly sure I could expect of the Quakers. I expected a solid defense. Last season Penn's defense finished nationally-ranked, and the return of such leaders as Dave Betten, Andy Berlin, and 1992 Ivy Sophomore of the Year Pat Goodwillie certainly boded well. I expected a good running game. The departure of Sundiata Rush was certainly a big blow, but Terrance Stokes showed flashes of brilliance even as a backup. Stokes, in fact, finished seventh in the league last year in overall rushing, and if anything, was even more exciting than his larger backfield partner. What I didn't expect, though, was an NFL-style (or at least a team-from-a-school-in-Florida-style) scoring machine right here in West Philly. Last year's Quakers scored under 20 points in six of their games, and even when they were beating Brown 38-0 they were doing it with the running game. Quarterback Jimmy McGeehan, meanwhile, showed flashes of – adequacy? Penn opened this season with the sort of game I thought typical of a Quaker victory. Any kind of win over Dartmouth is a good win, but the 10-6 squeaker did not send visions of championships dancing through my head. The following week, though, Penn trounced Bucknell 42-12, and since then it's been all offense. The Quakers have now scored 30-plus points in five consecutive games for the first time in almost 50 years, and the trio of McGeehan, Stokes and sophomore wide receiver Miles Macik appears to be one of the best in Division I-AA. Seen from this new perspective, Saturday's 34-9 destruction of 2-4 Brown was actually nothing out of the ordinary. Stokes, for example, ran for just 73 yards, a far cry from the 192 yards he racked up three weeks ago against Fordham. The numbers of both McGeehan and Macik, meanwhile, were also a bit off their recent trends. Not to worry, though. Certain mitigating circumstances make these statistical dropoffs less-than-alarming. First of all, as hard as it may be to believe, the normally toothless Bears have actually improved. We here at the Daily Pennsylvanian are fond of pointing out that Brown sucks, and, well, they do. This year's Bears, though, seem to be on the threshold of genuine mediocrity. A 2-4 record does not a title contender make, but no Brown team has bettered that two-win mark since 1987. Penn coach Al Bagnoli has a career winning percentage of over .800, and if he says the Bears' defense is better, then it probably is. "They're an improved defensive team," Bagnoli said after the game. "They've done a nice job getting their kids to play hard and schematically getting them in the right places." Brown's defensive emphasis on the Quaker running game was also a bit of a surprise, according to Bagnoli. So while Stokes's 73 yards were slightly subpar, his 18 carries were also on the low side, and, once again, there is no cause for concern. In the passing game, meanwhile, McGeehan was busy spreading the wealth. Macik came into the game averaging over eight receptions per game, but five catches for 62 yards and two very significant touchdowns, along with a successful two-point conversion, sure beats a sharp stick in the eye. I can't imagine Macik would be overly concerned with his numbers after a game in which he set a Penn single-season record for touchdown catches. Macik now has nine TD grabs, two more than the Quaker team had last season. At the same time, Macik's fellow receivers were getting into the act more than they usually do. If anything, Macik's low reception total is indicative of Penn's depth. Senior wideouts Chris Brassell and Jared DeLancey and junior tight end Brian Higgins all played key roles in the Quaker aerial attack, with DeLancey catching his first career TD pass. Similarly, Jimmy McGeehan fans can rest easy in the knowledge that while their favorite quarterback had only 220 yards passing after consecutive weeks approaching 300 yards, it was not due to any failure on his part. In fact, McGeehan was very sharp, connecting on 21 of 32 attempts. Brown hit McGeehan hard throughout the game, though, and after one play in the fourth quarter Bagnoli brought in the reinforcements. Junior Nick Morris and sophomore Jack Friend shared time at the signal-calling spot for the rest of the game. It would have been nice to see McGeehan go after the 300-yard day, something no Penn quarterback has done since 1974. McGeehan has been brilliant this season, and he's on track to set Quaker records for career and single-season passing yards as well as touchdown passes in a season. Ahead 31-9, Jimmy had earned his rest. A 34-9 final score is a big margin, but Saturday's game wasn't exactly the stuff of Super Bowls (Penn won by 25, not 35, that is). The Quaker offense is still in high gear, though, and even if it did come back down to earth now, it's already topped my expectations. Jason Liss is a College junior from Dalton, Mass., and a sportswriter for the Daily Pennsylvanian.