Quakers run over Crimson

Perhaps Al Bagnoli knew something. The Penn football coach, normally so serious and determined, was as loose as ever in the days leading up to Saturday's Penn-Harvard clash at Franklin Field. Maybe he knew there was just no way his Quakers could lose. Not in the last game the storied senior class would ever play at home. Not with sole possession of the Ivy League title on the line. With one of their more dominating performances of this remarkable season, the Quakers thrashed Harvard 33-0 to clinch the undisputed Ivy championship for the second year in a row. The win was Penn's 20th straight, tying Holy Cross' all-time Division I-AA record for consecutive victories. It is now the longest winning streak in the nation since Auburn tied Georgia. In a frenzied locker room after the trophy presentation, the coaches and players were thinking of nothing except Ivy League title No. 2. "Both [championships] are equally fulfilling and satisfying, but also different," Bagnoli said. "Last year, we were just so excited about getting there. I think this year, we just appreciate doing it and how hard the accomplishment is." Difficult as the accomplishment may have been, Saturday's game could not have been easier. The Penn offense had developed a habit of producing one week and then going on vacation the next. But after putting up 33 points at Princeton last week, the Quakers (8-0, 6-0 Ivy League) matched that performance Saturday. Senior running back Terrance Stokes ran rampant in his final Franklin Field game, gaining 143 yards on the ground. Quarterback Mark DeRosa threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns, and directed two long drives for scores before exiting with an injured right thumb in the third quarter. DeRosa may miss next Saturday's game against Cornell. DeRosa first led Penn on an 85-yard drive that took 14 plays and straddled the first two quarters. He was 4-for-5 passing on the drive, and Stokes ran for 38 yards, including a scamper from three yards out, to give the Quakers the only points they would need all day. "When we put that first score on, we knew we were driving right on," senior center Pete Giannakoulis said. "It was our game." On the other side of the ball, the Penn defense was its usual swarming, ferocious self. Eight Quakers had at least four tackles. More importantly, Penn converted six Crimson turnovers into 17 points. Harvard's cause wasn't helped when quarterback Vin Ferrara left the game for good in the second quarter. He may have a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, and will miss the Crimson's season finale against Yale. Backup Steve Kezirian was never able to find a rhythm. Scurrying around in the closing seconds of the first half in a desperate attempt to get something going, Kezirian was separated from the ball by Penn senior co-captain Michael "Pup" Turner. Senior safety Nick Morris recovered the loose ball and returned it eight yards to the Harvard 25 with 32 seconds remaining. Three plays later, wide receiver Miles Macik, who had been sidelined earlier in the game with a knee injury, came back to drive the dagger into the Crimson's heart. Leaping over two defenders to snag DeRosa's pass, Macik increased Penn's lead to 17-0 with the 19-yard score. It was the 122nd reception of his collegiate career, an all-time Penn record. "To wrap up the title at home after everybody's put in so much time and effort -- the record to me is just icing on the cake," Macik said. If any doubts remained about the outcome, they were erased when the Quakers took the second-half kickoff and marched 72 yards for a 23-0 lead. DeRosa capped the drive with a 16-yard strike to senior wide receiver Leo Congeni. Soon thereafter, DeRosa injured his thumb and had to leave the game. In contrast to Harvard, the Quakers did not stumble when their backup came in. Backup Steve Teodecki was 7-for-9 passing, including the touchdown that finished the scoring. He also led Penn to a field goal. "When 'Teo' came in, we didn't lose anything," Giannakoulis said. "He and DeRosa are both unbelievable quarterbacks and they're going to carry this team hopefully for a couple more years." With Penn up 23-0 at the end of three quarters, the fourth was little more than a celebration for the seniors. As the rabid crowd waited eagerly to tear down the west goal post, the seniors received numerous standing ovations. The Quakers finished the scoring with a 22-yard pass from Teodecki to receiver Mike Chico, a seldom-used senior who had never caught a pass. He was mobbed by his teammates after he just barely got the ball over the goal line. Moments later, the goal posts succumbed to the mob of fans. The Quakers were left to watch and try to savor the moment. "It's going to take years for this sink in," Stokes said. "We really focused in and worked hard to achieve this. As a senior, this is the right way to go out -- with a championship."

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