Struggle of the Comeback kids

Football travels to Colgate They might have been talking about it all week. In fact, it was the type of comeback that players talk about years later, when football becomes a distant memory. Even the fans are still talking. But now it is time to move on and face an opponent that many consider their most formidable of the season, at least to date. No, it is not the Quakers, but the Red Raiders. And who are the Red Raiders? The Red Raiders are the team that the Penn football team will face when they travel up to Colgate tomorrow (1 p.m., WXPN 88.5-FM), to brave the cold, the cows and the mud at Andy Kerr Stadium. But getting back to Colgate's come-from-behind victory – consider how impressive Penn looked in erasing a 30-14 deficit in the final 20 minutes of last Saturday's game against Fordham. But Colgate managed to rally from 20 points down to defeat a Columbia team that has played impressive defense all season. And if that's not convincing enough, now consider the Red Raiders' rally came with just 4:34 remaining in the game. Colgate is now 2-2 on the season, but has looked impressive in beating two Ivy League opponents in the last two weeks. And after opening the season against Rutgers and Army, new coach Ed Sweeney was happy just to get back to playing Division I-AA teams. "We're feeling good about ourselves again now that we're lining up against the same kind of kids," Sweeney said. The question is whether the Quakers (3-0) really are the same type of kids. In its first three games Penn proved that it is a step above its opponents. And although the Quakers needed each and every one of sophomore wide receiver Miles Macik's 12 catches and all of junior tailback Terrence Stokes's 192 yards rushing, they fended off a surprising Fordham team that managed to score 30 points. Interestingly, for the Quakers it has been the offense that has proven explosive in the last two games, scoring 42 and 34 points respectively. And while those point totals have been accumulated against lower-rung Patriot League squads, nothing can be taken away from the superb play of the Penn offense. Led by senior quarterback Jim McGeehan (633 yards and six touchdowns this year) and Stokes (400 yards on 71 carries), the Quakers have developed the balanced offensive attack that they were hoping for when the season began. "Jimmy's been doing a great job of throwing the ball," Macik said, understating his 12-catch effort against the Rams. "He's been putting the ball right on the money for me." But does the 6-4, surehanded Macik consider himself the new Quaker go-to guy? Not yet. "As far as a go-to guy, Jimmy's going to throw the ball to whoever's open," the 6-4 sophomore said. "[Senior] Chris Brassell is an excellent receiver, and [senior] Bill Cobb is an excellent receiver and those guys are doing a great job too. Fortunately, it's been coming my way a little bit." Or a lot, as the case may have been last Saturday. But in their preparation for the Colgate defense the Quakers must be sure not to underestimate what looks like a small defensive line. Although coach Al Bagnoli knows what it is like to have a small, yet potent defense, the Red Raider defense appears extremely vulnerable (without one player over 230 pounds). Regardless of their size, the Red Raiders have recovered an impressive 12 fumbles so far this season. And considering that Colgate's starting defense includes four underclassmen, the defense is only going to get better. For Penn the question last Saturday was what happened to the defense. Typically strong, the Quakers got burned by Fordham sophomore backup QB Joe Moorhead. And although junior Jamie Daniels had three interceptions en route to Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors, Penn's allowing 30 points to an Ram offense that had scored 11 total points in its three previous games seemed inexcusable. Sweeney, however, is calling Penn's performance against Fordham an aberration, and is convinced the real Quaker "D" will show up at Andy Kerr Stadium tomorrow. "Maybe [Penn] didn't take the Fordham offense seriously," Sweeney said. "But we feel their defense is as good as Army's was (Army defeated the Red Raiders 30-0). They are outstanding against the run, giving up less than 2 yards per carry." This should make for an interesting matchup. Colgate's strength so far this season has been its running game. Senior tailback Bill Sparacio rushed for 168 yards last week against the Lions, including a 32-yard touchdown that capped the Colgate comeback and gave the Red Raiders the victory. Furthermore, Colgate's offensive line, which includes 300-pound freshman Steve Lueptow, significantly outsizes the Quaker defense's front seven – those primarily responsible for stopping the run. One final concern for the Quakers is the field-goal kicking tandem of seniors Marc Horowitz and Andy Glockner, who combined to miss all four field goals they attempted (in perfect weather conditions kicking off astroturf) last week against the Rams. The two Quaker booters were remarkably efficient for the team last season but have gotten off to an inauspicious start so far, missing their last seven attempts after starting one for one. With the questionable field goal kicking, in conjunction with what may be terrible field conditions on the often-muddy grass at Colgate, the Penn offense may be called on to turn in one more stellar performance against a non-league opponent if the Quakers hope to retain their unbeaten record. But more importantly, Penn must search for consistency. If the Quakers hope to make a run at the Ivy League title this year, they must find a consistent balance of offense and defense. And in the first three games of the season – although Penn has managed three victories – it has not looked sure of itself in the process. "We're looking to do the same things we've been doing," Macik said. "But we're looking for more consistency. Sometimes we come out and have a good first quarter or first series and then we'll slow up a bit. We have to make sure that doesn't happen."