LIGHTWEIGHT RESULT VS. NAVY: Lightweights turn over game and win to Navy

Football games last four quarters. If not for that seemingly insignificant fact, which all fans and players take for granted, the Penn lightweight football team's aspirations of an undefeated season might still be alive. But the obscure rules of football stipulate that a contest must last four quarters, each 15 minutes in length. So the Quakers must suffer. Their record will suffer as well, dropping to 1-1 as league play begins. Going into the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against Navy (2-0), Penn trailed the Midshipmen by a paltry six points. But when the gun sounded and the smoke cleared, Navy had forged a 27-6 victory, taking advantage of sloppy play and Quaker turnovers. Ah, turnovers. Two years ago, Penn coughed up the ball in a crucial situation and lost a heartbreaker to Navy. Last season, Penn turnovers led directly to Navy's big win. Saturday, Penn junior quarterback Carmine Greco tossed two interceptions which led to 14 Navy points and eventually to the Quakers' first loss of the season. "It was a disappointing loss," senior fullback Todd Levine said. "We felt like we could've beaten them, but the two interceptions hurt." The Midshipmen outgained Penn, 306 yards to only 125. Twenty-one of those yards were gained on the last play of the first half when a gadget play burned the Quakers. Navy wide receiver Gary Devinger took a pitch from QB Matt Kirby and hurled a 21-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Peyton. After Penn blocked the extra-point attempt, Navy went into the locker room leading 6-0. Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, with Navy still leading 6-0, Greco dropped back into a spacious pocket and rifled a pass to Penn freshman running back Clinton Schmidt – 26 yards later, the score was tied, and it stayed that way when senior kicker Robert Lu's extra point was blocked. A key defensive stop got the ball back for Penn, but Greco's interception gave it right back to Navy, who wasted no time in scoring on an eight-yard TD sprint by RB William Simmons. Ditto the next possession – the scenario was devastatingly similar. The Quakers got the ball, but then coughed it up again, giving Navy an easy trip to the promised land via a 6-yard pass from Kirby to wideout Sean Stephenson. Senior tailback Tom Morrin, who had 156 yards in the victory over Princeton, managed only 60 yards on 22 carries against Navy. A 4 for 19 performance from Greco did not help either, as he threw for only 49 yards, bringing his season statistics to 11 for 41, 105 yards, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. Despite Greco's inability to live up to expectations, Quaker coach Bill Wagner does not believe it is time to panic. "He is unquestionably our number one QB," Wagner said. "He has the talent to be a great quarterback, he just needed to gain some experience." Part of the blame lies with the defense, which was burned for 300 yards. But in avoiding the big play, the defense was consistent. Navy's longest gain was 27 yards, but Kirby and a truckload of backs and receivers ran a number of short plays which killed Penn on the scoreboard. "We played well against Navy," said junior defensive end Matt Astrom. "We were surprised at how well we were able to contain them." Nevertheless, league play starts in three days, with the opener at Franklin Field on Friday against Cornell. The players have a few days to regroup and rally. The Quakers remain confident, though. They have shown signs of brilliance – witness Morrin's average of 108 yards rushing and the defense's solid play. Furthermore, Penn stayed pretty even with Navy, the reigning champs, albeit for only three quarters, on their field. The Quakers are looking forward to the rematch at Franklin Field on October 15 – when it counts in the league standings. "We'll get them when they come here in a couple of weeks," Levine said. "As long as we don't beat ourselves, we'll beat them." As far as the other games go, the team feels that it can play with anyone in the league. "We're in pretty good shape," Wagner said. "We have a good team, and we feel that we're good competition for the rest of the league."

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