1994 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL STANDINGS: Football wants to avoid letdown

Perfect Penn hosts 0-4 Holy Cross This is not the first time an unregarded Patriot League team with a quarterback controversy and without a win has come to Philadelphia to play the Penn football team. Almost one year ago to the day, 0-3 Fordham nearly spoiled the Quakers' undefeated season, jumping out to a 24-7 lead in the second quarter. Penn came back to win, 34-30, via some fourth-quarter heroics by departed quarterback Jim McGeehan and then-sophomore Miles Macik (whose 12 receptions tied a school record). The Quakers will try to avoid a similar situation tomorrow at 1 p.m. when 0-4 Holy Cross travels to Franklin Field (WXPN-FM 88.5). "I have been coaching now as a head coach for 12 years. I am trying to think back if there has ever been a game like that with so many crazy things happening in one game, and I honestly cannot," said Penn coach Al Bagnoli after the Fordham game. Like Fordham, Holy Cross has been beat up by the competition. And like Fordham, the Crusaders are in the midst of a quarterback controversy. Unlike Fordham, though, Holy Cross faces a Quaker team that is a year older, a year wiser, and with the Fordham experience under its belt. Perhaps because of this, no one is taking the Crusaders lightly. "When you look at Holy Cross' record, everyone thinks it's an easy win," defensive coordinator Michael Toop said. "But that's what everyone said about Fordham, and they were leading by 17 points late in that game. They're very capable, they've just turned the ball over in key situations." One reason for that has been the instability at quarterback. Junior Andy Fitzpatrick, a former Patriot League Rookie of the Year, has started all four games for the Crusaders, but has been replaced each time by Rob Callahan. Fitzpatrick has been mediocre, completing just more than 49 percent of his passes while throwing three interceptions in 29 attempts. Callahan has been markedly better, completing almost 57 percent of his passes, including two touchdowns. Callahan gets the starting nod for the Quaker game. Crusader coach Peter Vaas' decision came after another solid relief performance by Callahan against Harvard last Saturday. In addition to leading Holy Cross to two second-half touchdown drives, Callahan threw for 247 yards and ran for one touchdown. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, the running game has not been stellar either. Only freshman J.R. Walz, a former all-California selection in high school, has rushed for more than 100 yards -- and of his 163, 102 came in mop-up duty against Massachusetts. About the only offensive strength Holy Cross can boast is kicker Anthony Pignio, who is among the leaders in all of the kicking categories in the Holy Cross record book, and is three of five this year, although without a field goal longer than 31 yards. "We just have to execute," Callahan said. "We have to worry about what we do offensively. It's been frustrating. We've been shooting ourselves in the foot. We turn the ball over too much and have untimely penalties." Inexperience abounds on the Crusaders. Five sophomores start, and there are only two more seniors than sophomores on the depth chart. Amidst the losing, however, there have been bright spots -- the two long touchdown drives in the second half against the Crimson certainly qualify. However, no one in the Holy Cross brain trust is comparing the Harvard defense to the Quaker defense. "The more you drive the ball, the more confidence you have," Holy Cross quarterbacks coach Tom Caito said. "But Penn is a tremendous football team and they have outstanding players on defense. We're just going to go in there and try to play a good game." As for the Quakers, Holy Cross' anemic ground game provides a golden opportunity to fine-tune a run defense that had a bit of a letdown against Dartmouth after shutting down Lafayette's all-American tailback Erik Marsh. Last year, the Quakers allowed a stingy 96 yards per game on the ground. This year, the Quakers have allowed 119, including 154 to the Big Green. "We have to be firmer against the run than we were against Dartmouth," Toop said. "We let them drive the ball a couple of times." For Penn, the biggest fear is that a combination of Holy Cross' experience against stronger teams, like Army and Massachusetts, and a Fordham-like letdown could end the Quakers' winning streak at 14 games. "Holy Cross is deceptive," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "You look at their won-lost record and the 0-4 jumps out at you. But look at the schedule. I don't know how many Ivy League teams could open up with West Point and play a full-scholarship UMass team in its first two games."