Lightweight Football is dominated at Cornell

Three first-halfThree first-halfturnovers proveThree first-halfturnovers provedeadly for Penn Friday night the Penn Quakers opened the lightweight football season with a 30-6 loss at the hands of Cornell. Cold, slippery Schoellkopf Field provided for less than ideal playing conditions, as evidenced by the Quakers' offense in the early going. After a rocky first half that included three turnovers, the Quakers trailed 24-0. In the second half Penn regrouped and played the talented Cornell team to a 6-6 tie. The half was highlighted by Rich Miller's electrifying touchdown run from just outside the Cornell 10-yard line. Feeling good about their strong defense in the second half, the Quakers are looking forward to their next game against Princeton Oct. 6 at Franklin Field. Senior punter Brian Upbin remains upbeat: "This is only the first game of a long season. We always get pumped for Princeton, and we are really excited about game two." The Quakers approach their arch-rivals with renewed faith in their running game, as Rich Miller continues to emerge. The Penn signal caller is a different story. "At this point the quarterback situation remains unresolved," Upbin said. Without a bona fide starting quarterback, the Quakers' passing game is suspect. Sean Paras got the start against Cornell, but he did not play the entire game. The move of Michael Steib from weak-side linebacker to the offensive line seemed to help the Quakers up front in the season opener. The Quakers will rely on the running game and a tough attacking defense to shut down the Princeton squad. Penn hopes the start of its season is an aberration, and not indicative of things to come.