COLUMN: Easton hardly memorable

From Nick Hut's "A Front Row View," Fall '95 Then there is Easton. It's not any of the above. It is not thoroughly intolerable, nor is it particularly charming. It's just there. Nothing about it stands out in your mind after you have left it. It is, in sum, a non-entity. Which made it a perfect setting for Saturday's Penn-Lafayette clash. The game was like the town in which it was contested: a non-entity. A year from now -- a month from now, even -- no one will be talking about this game, except perhaps to wonder what made him or her want to attend. Dana Lyons' 96-yard interception return for a touchdown will be remembered as one of the highlights of the season, so it's not that absolutely nothing about the Quakers' 28-8 victory stands out. It's just that very little about it does. The biggest problem was the opponent. Penn's wins over Columbia and Yale last season were truly ugly, but they were significant because they came against league opponents. You have to wonder why a perennially-ranked school such as Penn continually schedules the majority of its out-of-conference games with Patriot League schools. From a fan's perspective, it is very difficult to get excited about games against this kind of clearly inferior competition. On paper, then, this was not a memorable match-up. And this was one case in which paper translated to the action on the field quite nicely. For 30 minutes, the Quakers dominated. But their performance was hardly memorable. Lyons' pick was really the only play that stands out. Penn was precise and efficient on offense, unyielding for the most part on defense. It was not, however, spectacular. That's because against the woeful Leopards, there was no need to be. None of Penn's three touchdown drives was extraordinary. They all began around midfield; they were all vintage Al Bagnoli. That means methodically picking apart the opponent with runs and short passes, before finally catching the adversary off balance with a relatively long pass. The strategy is usually nothing if not effective. But it does not exactly push the thrill-meter through the roof, especially in a game in which the outcome is determined practically before kickoff. The defense was its usual dominating self, not permitting the Leopards more than one first down on any possession until about a minute before halftime. But assistant coach Mike Toop's unit has turned in performances like this one so often over the past year or so that they are no longer memorable, but routine. Perhaps that's the highest compliment that can be paid to the Quakers' 'D'. Then came the second half, which was one big dose of garbage time. Penn's offense bogged down, while the defense was merely above average. Lafayette hardly looked any better than the Quakers, and at least two fans were spotted catching up on their sleep. Give Penn credit, though. Any team that owns the longest winning streak in the nation is going to have to find a way to fight through games like these at some point or another. As unglamorous as it was, the Quakers did not allow the drudgery of the whole affair to overtake them. They simply came out and did what they had to do to win. Give them credit for this much, as well: Their first-half performance afforded all the fans who had made the trek from West Philadelphia the opportunity to escape early. No need to spend any more time than necessary in? What was the name of that town again?