BUILDING BLOCKS: Linebackers

DeLuca tries to fill linebacker void Penn coach Al Bagnoli knows better than anyone the special kind of athlete it takes to play linebacker in the Quakers' 5-2 defense. It is a position that requires an intricate combination of intense discipline and reckless abandon, not to mention flexibility. Lots of flexibility. "If you ever get the consummate linebacker, those are the kids you never have to take out of the game," Bagnoli said. "You don't have to take them out on third and 10 and substitute them for a coverage kid. You don't have to take them out on goal line and substitute them for a run kid. Those kids are hard to find." Last season, Bagnoli had two of them. Senior Pat Goodwillie and '94 grad Andy Berlin formed the core of a dominant defense. Goodwillie and Berlin led the Quakers in tackling, and both were clear first team all-Ivy selections. "We've been blessed with the Goodwillies and Andy Berlins," Bagnoli said. "We've been blessed by some of those players who can do everything." All good things must come to an end, however, and Berlin's departure has left behind a big hole. Senior Kevin DeLuca, junior Joe Allen and sophomore Tim Gage are all hoping to fill the void. DeLuca is slated to start on opening day. But DeLuca only saw limited playing time behind Goodwillie and Berlin the past two seasons. Allen saw all his action on the opposite side of the ball at running back. Bagnoli realizes it will be tough to replace Berlin. "We may need more than one kid," Bagnoli said. "[DeLuca] is a logical kid who's going to do it most of the time, but we're going to have to break it up because I'm not sure there's one kid there -- because of Andy's experience and everything else -- that has that kind of package." While Bagnoli is losing the complete player in Berlin, he has more than one reason to feel optimistic heading into the season. On the one hand are DeLuca and Allen, players who have the tools, if not the experience, and who are just waiting for the chance to make their mark. DeLuca, while lighter than Berlin, is a good runner and pass defender, something the Quakers need at linebacker, because if Goodwillie has a shortcoming, it is as a coverage man. While DeLuca looks good on paper, he hasn't had the opportunity to prove himself. Soon he will. "Now it's [DeLuca's] turn to step up," defensive coordinator Michael Toop said. "He's more than ready for it. Whether he can do it or not, we'll find out in a few days. I have all the confidence in the world in him." DeLuca is ready, but he knows he has a tough task ahead. "I don't really go on strengths," said DeLuca of his strong points. "Everything has to be improved." Then there is Allen, who may be without peer as far as physical specimens go, at least in the Ivy League. He is a 240-pound behemoth who also happens to run 40 meters in 4.6 seconds. That adds up to tremendous shock power, as opposing runners may soon find out. Allen knows too well what linebackers can do to a running back, having spent the last two years in the Quaker backfield. Recognizing the lack of playing time available behind senior Terrance Stokes this season, Allen agreed to return to linebacker, a position at which he excelled in high school. "The guys in college are at a completely different level," he said. "I need a lot of work getting down the thought process, but I should be ready. When you're out there at linebacker, you're out to kill somebody. I like that." Allen must also like the opportunity to learn from Goodwillie, one of just three unanimous selections to the first team all-Ivy squad last year, and the only non-senior. He is the ideal linebacker for the 5-2 formation, roaming the field, filling lanes and making tackles while the five linemen occupy the blockers. If he can bring his pass coverage up to the level of his run defense, he will be just about invincible. He should be getting some attention from NFL scouts this year, and certainly from opposing offenses, but none of that fazes him. Size and strength are pretty hard to stop, especially when combined with tremendous intensity and a love for hitting. "I think we've had so long in this defense that we're used to what's going on and feel comfortable in the position," Goodwillie said. "Tactics only work so much before athleticism and instinct take over." Of which, all the Penn linebackers must have plenty, for they are the hub of a very aggressive defensive scheme. In theory, all action ends with them. "Our job is to stop every offensive play," DeLuca said. Last year, Bagnoli had two players who could do that. He hopes he has that many for the 1994 campaign.