Quakers look to stay on a roll

Football hosts 0-3 Fordham Brrrrrrring. Sometime during halftime of last week's 42-12 win against Bucknell, about 60 men clad in blue must have heard that sound constantly ringing in their ears. They woke up. This week, the Penn football team hopes that the alarm clock sounds before 1 p.m., so that when it faces another bottom-rung Patriot League opponent tomorrow, the only people put to sleep will be the Fordham Rams on the turf of Franklin Field (WXPN 88.5-FM). Tomorrow marks the second meeting between these two teams. In last year's game, the epic battle was won by the Quakers, 13-10, in the Bronx. This time, a much improved Penn team (2-0) hopes to ram an 0-3 Fordham squad that most recently suffered a 7-0 loss to Columbia. Despite an apparent mismatch in talent, the Quakers are not overlooking the Rams. "Fordham may be 0-3, but they're a strong defensive team and they're very physical," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "They're struggling offensively and hopefully we'll catch them at a volatile time for them, but sooner or later, they will put things together, and I hope Saturday is not the time to do it." Just how bad is the Fordham offense? The Rams have scored just 11 points in three games. That's an average of 3.7 points per game, which ranks the Rams dead last (115th) in all of Division I-AA. Fordham has been inside opponents' red-zones (20-yard line) seven times, but has only nine points to show for it. Fordham's biggest problem on offense right now is its tenuous quarterback situation. Junior starter John Pohlman was yanked against Columbia after going 3 for 14 for 29 yards to start the game. Sophomore Joe Moorhead replaced Pohlman and connected on 11 of 15 passes for 101 yards. An apparent quarterback controversy has developed and Fordham head coach Larry Glueck is unsure of his starter tomorrow. "We are totally evaluating between Pohlman and the other quarterbacks," Glueck said. "We have to look at that position, and we're looking at Moorhead and [junior] Mark DeFranco." Just how bad is the quarterback situation? Fordham's leading passer is Pohlman, with 217 yards in 3 games. To put that in perspective, Penn senior quarterback Jim McGeehan threw for 251 yards last week against Bucknell. This week, the Quakers' goal is to force an unstable Ram offense into second- and third-and-long situations. "Although we're expecting the second-string quarterback (Moorhead) to start, we're looking to contain the running backs to stop the run and force them to pass," Penn senior defensive end Dave Betten said. "We don't want the same situation as last week, when Bucknell had 2nd and 5's, which led to some uncertainty as to whether they'd run or pass." For the Quakers, stopping the run will mean stopping junior tailback Darren Wallace, who leads Fordham with 131 rushing yards on the season. Joining Wallace in the I-formation will be senior fullback Adam Lang, who has gained 100 yards this year. Junior running back Chris Ross is the team's second-leading rusher, but is out with an ankle injury. However, while the Rams' running backs have achieved moderate success, they and the team have been unable to convert on third downs, something that has caused Glueck some unwelcomed stress. "I don't have a lot of hair left on my head," said Glueck, a former Penn assistant coach under Bob Odell in the early 1970s. "And if I didn't think about it I probably would have more. But really, [converting on third down] is about confidence and the ability to convert." Despite the Rams' apparent glaring offensive weakness, the defense is not about to make the same mistake it did against Bucknell in the second quarter – a letdown. "Although they've been somewhat ineffective in their three losses, they still come out and hit you," Betten said. "We've got to get up for this game or we'll have a real fight on our hands. We're not taking them lightly." And while the Fordham offense may be sputtering, the Penn offense was working on all cylinders last weekend, amassing 485 total yards. Individually, with their respective performances over the past two weeks, both junior running back Terrance Stokes and McGeehan broke into the national spotlight, as Stokes ranks 20th in rushing with 104 yards per game and McGeehan stands at 20th in total offense with 213.5 yards per game. McGeehan has had 2 games of 18 for 31 passing, and according to his coach, is fulfilling expectations. "Jimmy is an athlete capable of doing what he is doing," Bagnoli said. "Right now, he's as relaxed as he can be. He knows if he doesn't do well for a quarter, he won't be pulled." McGeehan's Bucknell performance was the best of his career, with 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. In addition, Stokes has provided some offensive explosions of his own, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, 7.7 yards per catch, and 34.3 yards per kickoff return. All of that offense has taken some of the pressure off of the defense. Glueck of all people knows how potent this year's Quakers can be. "Offensively, they are getting more confidence with their system," Glueck said. "They are an excellent team and one of the better we face." And some of those who are getting used to the system are the sophomores and freshmen who have been seeing considerable time in these first two weeks. Bagnoli will continue to rotate players and utilize his depth tomorrow, as he did against Bucknell. "This is another week to get young kids on the field," Bagnoli said. "We're playing an awful lot of sophomores, and we're still playing a few young kids." And players use games such as this one to prepare for games later in the season – ones that have more Ivy League importance. "These games are more about testing personnel," Betten said. "You see different runs and passes, and you test yourself and see how you react to different plays." And if the Quakers rise on time, they should shine.

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