Lightweight Football

"It'll be a big game." That is Penn lightweight football coach Bill Wagner's assessment of his team's matchup at Princeton (tonight, 7:30 p.m.). In the teams' last meeting, senior tailback Tom Morrin ran for 156 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown sprint, and the defense held the Tigers to a paltry 189 total yards in dominating the line of scrimmage en route to a 28-6 trouncing of rival Princeton. But that game was in the friendly confines of Penn's Franklin Field. Tonight, the scenario will be very different, as the Quakers travel to New Jersey to try and salvage the remains of a 1-3 season. The 0-3-1 Tigers, who have not won a game in two seasons of play in the Eastern Lightweight Football League (ELFL), will look to enter the win column for the first time by victimizing a reeling Quaker club in the throes of a three-game slide. Although the Quakers have lost three consecutive contests, two to Navy and one to Cornell in between, the team is confident, especially after showing some vital signs in the latter stages of the most recent 28-6 loss to Navy. Freshman quarterback Greg Small came into the game midway through the second quarter and went on to play very well – throwing 17 completions on 25 attempts for 185 yards. Unfortunately, Small threw four interceptions, although a pair of them bounced off his receivers and into the waiting hands of Navy defenders. Wagner seems to have tremendous confidence in his young quarterback, as he gave the now-starting Small the green light to throw on many first down occasions. However, it is more likely that Small will be handing off to Morrin more often than he'll be looking into the secondary for his receivers. Either way, this game is a must win for the Quakers, as the rest of the ELFL is tearing each other apart. Last week, Army defeated Navy. Although the game does not count for league standings, the fact remains that Navy had not lost a game in two years, and the Army victory shows the Midshipmen's vulnerability. Thus, the Quakers may, after all, have a shot at a respectable finish in the ELFL, although critical losses to Navy and Cornell severely limit the likelihood of these prospects. Either way, the Quakers are hoping to finish the season in style. "This team needs a nice win to head into our final game against Army," Wagner said. "We hope to leave Princeton with a 'W' and then head to Army with the upset in mind, but we must get through the first game first." It will again be important for the Quakers to maintain concentration. Last time out against Princeton, both the offense and defense turned in solid performances for the full four quarters. That was the last time this season that that has happened in conjunction, and, not coincidentally, that was the Quakers' only foray into the win column. Despite the losing streak since that game, the Quakers remain confident, especially when they look back at the past three games against the Tigers, in which they are 2-0-1. Still the Quakers will not enter the game overconfident. "We can not take them too lightly, despite their record," senior defensive lineman Jeff Mensch said. "They played well in losing to Cornell last week, and we know that we can not afford to lose concentration. Nevertheless, we feel confident that we should be able to beat them." "Basically, Princeton had better get ready for a butt-kicking," freshman wideout Clinton Schmidt said.