A FRONT ROW VIEW: Turner has a day to remember

As Michael Turner ran off the field after scoring his first career touchdown, he still had the ball tucked under his arm. Even when he came into the interview room, seemingly countless hours after that first-quarter score, he still was clinging to that ball. He refused to give it up, not even to the referee who asked for it after he went into the end zone to give Penn an early 7-0 lead Saturday. And although his score proved pivotal in a 14-6 Penn victory over Yale, it was not what really made him the player of the day. In front of former players returning to Franklin Field for homecoming, Turner proved himself worthy of such lofty company. While legendary Penn coach George Munger's players honored their recently deceased coach at halftime, Turner was coming up with even new ways to top his stellar first-half performance. "We said at the beginning of the year that the front seven was going to dominate," senior safety Nick Morris said, "and that's what they're doing. That's why we're undefeated." But Saturday was something unique. Saturday, Turner seemed to be everywhere all the time. One moment he is rushing the passer and knocking down passes -- the next he is scoring touchdowns. Every play was a chance for him to shine. Even when Yale was marching late in the contest, he never feared a possible Eli tying touchdown. The thought never even crossed his mind. "They were driving on us in the second half, but we buckled down," he said. "Nobody lost their head. Nobody was screaming at each other in the huddle. We just realized that we had a job to do and we did it." After all, that is what Turner and the defense have been doing all season. Against Dartmouth, the defense bailed out the offense with an almost unbelievable goal-line stand. Against Columbia, the nation's No. 1 defense held the Lions to just one field goal. Last week, after the Quakers shut out the Bears, Brown coach Mark Whipple called Turner the best in the league. And after this week, the Elis now know more about Turner than they ever cared to. After scoring Penn's first touchdown, Turner did all he could to create another opportunity to score just 41 seconds later. As Yale quarterback Chris Hetherington rolled to his left on an option run, Turner read it perfectly. As Penn defensive lineman Chris Johnson closed in on Hetherington, Turner stayed with Yale running back Keith Price. And when Hetherington's flip inevitably came, Turner tipped it toward the Eli end zone. Morris picked it up and returned it to the Yale 19-yard line. Although the Quakers failed to convert, Turner's influence was far from complete. Late in the second quarter, Turner created the second Penn touchdown. Hetherington had to see him coming. Turner ran right around the offensive line and pressured Hetherington into letting go of a poorly thrown pass. Morris grabbed the football and returned it to the Yale 28-yard line. Six plays later, the Quakers had a 14-point lead. But even this double-digit buffer was not enough to ensure a Pennsylvania victory. But then in the second half, Turner added to the legend. He paced the defense as it shut down the Elis as they attempted to march for the tying touchdown in the final minutes. It's this kind of cool leadership that wins close games. It's this type of leadership that makes up for a sputtering offense. It's this kind of leadership that leads to consecutive undefeated, Ivy League titles. Joshua Friedman is a College senior from Beverly Hills, Calif., and sports editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.