A FRONT ROW VIEW: Give the 'D' some credit

Its performance as a group has been nothing short of spectacular. It has shut down opponents repeatedly. It has made big plays under pressure. It has compiled statistics that are almost incredible. Yet it remains an anonymous group. It is a defense -- nothing more, nothing less. No names. Just a defense. The Penn defense. It is not surprising the Quaker defense has been overshadowed this season, despite ranking No.1 in Division I-AA and not giving up more than nine points in a game. This lack of recognition is largely due to two factors. First, Penn continues to field the best offensive skill position players in the Ivy League. Unfortunately, it is often the nature of football that those who score will get noticed before those who stop the opponent from scoring. Second, dominance has become expected of the Penn defense. And so when defensive coordinator Mike Toop's unit meets these expectations, it is only doing its job. But both of these trends must stop. They must stop because the Penn defense deserves more credit and attention for its truly amazing play in this season's five Quaker wins. And they must stop because this credit is long overdue. The Quakers are a winning program. They clearly have an all-around talented team. No one -- not even coach Al Bagnoli -- wins 17 consecutive games without quality personnel on both sides of the ball. But those who lead the Penn offense continue to overshadow those who lead the defense. Granted, this is somewhat natural. Just look to the NFL, where Dallas fields one of the top defenses and everyone focuses the attention on Aikman, Smith and Irvin. It's the same at Penn. Don't take credit from Miles Macik or Terrance Stokes -- these two players have led Penn to countless victories and certainly deserve the spotlight. But they do not deserve all the spotlight. What about the defensive stars who have contributed so much to the recent Penn success? The Penn defensive line is both quick and powerful. It has owned the line of scrimmage in every game this year. Senior defensive ends Michael "Pup" Turner and Tom McGarrity have constantly been in opposing backfields. What may be most impressive about the defense is its linebacking core. Bagnoli and Toop employ a 5-2 defensive scheme that depends on big plays from the linebackers -- seniors Pat Goodwillie and Kevin DeLuca have been phenomenal all year. The pair has combined for an unbelievable 117 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions, and they both were key in the pivotal goal-line effort at Dartmouth. The Quakers also have plenty of leadership in the secondary. Life as a safety or cornerback means not getting much attention until you get beat for a long touchdown. But senior strong safety Nick Morris and senior cornerback Jamie Daniels have not been beaten yet. As critical as the Stokes draw plays and Macik tight-rope grabs are for Penn each week, let's remember there are some important Quakers on the other side of the ball too. And it is these Quakers who help the offense to shine. A closer look at the numbers shows something interesting. The Quaker defense has been more than just dominant. It has been virtually impenetrable. The first defensive unit has only allowed one touchdown this season in five games. Lafayette scored on an interception return. Holy Cross scored on the second squad with the score at 52-0. In the two most recent contests, neither Columbia nor Brown ever crossed the goal line. Only one touchdown, Sept. 24 at Dartmouth. And that fourth-quarter Big Green drive started at the Penn 23. It gets better. That one touchdown was actually a play the Quakers almost stopped. Dartmouth faced a third down at the Penn 10. Quarterback Ren Riley rolled left and threw to the end zone -- Daniels was in perfect position to make the play, but he tipped the ball to wideout Brian Radics for the score. The impact of these performances cannot be fully grasped without a few more numbers. What it all comes down to is this: The Penn defense is allowing an average of 4.0 points per game, and the first-team defense is only allowing 2.4 points. Enough said. Someone once said defense wins championships. It looks like that may be the case this season. Lee Goldsmith is a College junior from Huntingdon Valley and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.