1994 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL STANDINGS:

Football has no problemsFootball has no problemsPenn beats Lafayette, 27-7 Sure, there was a new, untested quarterback. And true, there were some key players to replace on the defense. But did anyone really expect the Penn football team to do anything but continue last year's dominance? If they did, Saturday's 27-7 trouncing of Lafayette must have been quite a shock. Behind solid play from Michael Turner and Pat Goodwillie, the Quakers dominated defensively and didn't miss a step with sophomore quarterback Mark DeRosa taking the snaps. The more things change, though, the more they stay the same. As the defense shut down Eric Marsh, Lafayette's all-American tailback, the offense rode to a 19-0 halftime lead on the back of Terrence Stokes' 143 rushing yards, most of which came in the first half. The Quakers (1-0) used a 31-yard punt return by Mark Fabish on their opening drive to set up a 35-yard Andy Glockner field goal. Penn continued the onslaught after stopping the Leopards at midfield. The Quakers used a 24-yard run by reserve running back Jasen Scott to drive deep into Leopard territory. Stokes then ran the ball in from two yards out behind defensive end Turner, doing double-duty at fullback. It was 10-0 before half the fans had arrived. Turner also came up big on defense, recording a couple sacks and leading a defensive shutout -- Lafayette (0-2) didn't score until Steve Teodecki, in for DeRosa late, threw a ball up for grabs under pressure that Leopard linebacker Dan Bengele intercepted and ran back 78 yards for the score. The defense was impeccable, holding Marsh to 78 yards and pressuring the Lafayette quarterbacks into some very poor throws, one of which cornerback Jamie Daniels picked off and ran in for a touchdown. "They were using that offset back and we started driving the front, slanting the front towards that offset back," Turner said. "In the first half, that's all they were running, the offset back almost 100 percent of the time." Lafayette did convert a number of long third- and fourth-down plays, but that was about the only place the defense was deficient. The only time in the first three quarters the Leopards got farther than two yards into Penn territory, Goodwillie and Mike Juliano combined to block Lafayette's field-goal attempt. "On third and fourth down, something that we hang our hats on, we didn't do too good a job, especially in the first half," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "It's one thing to be giving up third and twos and fourth and ones, but it's something completely different when it's third and forever, so that's the one area I'm a little concerned about." One area of concern, DeRosa's much-talked-about debut, went about as smoothly as possible. He was 14 of 22 for 131 yards on mostly short routes. Although he only completed one third-down pass, he showed a great deal of poise for a first-time starter. "I have to see the film, but in terms of him putting the ball where it had to be, and finding the correct receivers, I think he did a pretty good job," Bagnoli said. "We didn't have any fumbled snaps or delay-of-game penalties, which are usually some of the problems you experience with a first-time quarterback." To nobody's surprise, the Quakers' veteran offensive stars helped take the pressure off DeRosa. Stokes took advantage of a remarkable performance by the offensive line to earn his 143 yards, averaging almost seven yards a carry. He was rarely touched by Leopard defensive linemen, and spent most of his time in the secondary. He did it all in front of 75 members of the Trenton Little Tigers football team, who Stokes played for as a youngster. "I expected a little stiffer competition," Stokes said. "The heat got to them and wore them down. You have to be in shape to play this game and they weren't in the best shape. They were really sucking wind." Strong performances by Stokes' backups, sophomores Aman Abye and Scott, helped take some of the load off the workhorse back. Scott, in particular, showed some fancy open-field moves, breaking runs of 24 and 19 yards. "Jasen did a great job. Hopefully it won't take away from my carries," Stokes joked. "But they're definitely going to get better as the season goes on." DeRosa benefited from another strong performance by Miles Macik as well. Macik caught one touchdown pass and another for a two-point conversion, as well as two of his trademark sideline tightrope catches. He also fair-caught an onside kick, a heads-up play one doesn't see very often. "He's incredible," DeRosa said. "I've never seen a receiver make catches like that. I think he took one ball out of the stands. He amazes me on every play -- you just sit on the sideline and laugh about the things he does." You have to wonder if the fans are starting to feel the same way about the continuing dominance of the Quakers.