The Lafayette Leopards were winless and despondent. They had suffered through six straight losses and used four quarterbacks. Their fourth signal caller, a freshman, had struggled for three games. Despair seemed imminent. But the fortune of Lafayette football changed through the arm of one man. After dropping their first six games, all out-of-conference matchups, the Leopards rode the coattails of that freshman quarterback to five straight wins and a Patriot League championship. Shawn McHale emerged from oblivion to lead the Leopards to glory. After breaking into the starting lineup, McHale managed a less-than-stellar eight interceptions in his first two games. A close defeat to Navy the following week was the last notch in the losing column for Lafayette. McHale and the Leopards reeled off five straight wins, including a 56-14 drubbing of Bucknell in which McHale threw for 285 yards and four touchdowns and a 34-6 win over Fordham in which he passed for 370 yards. In the final game of the season, the Leopards faced arch-rival Lehigh, for the Patriot League crown. The finale left bragging rights in little doubt, as Lafayette crushed the hapless Engineers, 54-20. "Last year's success is directly attributed to Shawn McHale," Lafayette football coach Bill Russo said. "We threw him to the wolves, and he exhibited remarkable on-the-job training." McHale had led the Leopards to a miraculous turnaround and the league title. For his efforts he was named both the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-league selection. "He is a big kid who has good arm strength, lots of presence and has progressed nicely," Penn football coach Al Bagnoli said. "He is poised and has run the offense well." Penn's 27-7 win over Lafayette last season may have been the beginning of then-quarterback Mike Talerico's demise. Talerico and backup Mike Clair combined for horrific numbers -- 12-for-35 passing, 102 yards and no touchdowns. After one more loss, 27-6 to Hofstra, Russo inserted McHale into the starting spot. "He has a strong arm and is able to overcome coverage, a prerequisite for any good quarterback," Russo said. "He can complete passes to receivers in tough situations, even overcoming solid defense." While McHale was dramatically successful at quarterback last season, and has been one of this young season's highlights, questions have arisen regarding how successful he will be without graduated all-American tailback Eric Marsh, the leading rusher in the history of the Patriot League. Opponents could not focus on one aspect of the Leopards' offense last season. They instead had to confront the potent two-headed offensive monster of Marsh's running and McHale's passing. Over the final six games of last season, McHale's numbers improved dramatically as the team began its wining ways. While McHale's 236 yards passing were the key to Lafayette's opening 24-17 win over Buffalo, the running game has stalled somewhat this season -- that was evident in last week's 26-0 loss to Hofstra. This concerns Russo. "A good team needs offensive balance, and right now, any success we have is due to the passing game" the coach said. "We need to establish the run." While the running game may be in doubt, the passing game remains a source of pride for Lafayette. McHale faces a veteran Penn secondary that has overcome countless roadblocks in helping continue Penn's 22-game winning streak this Saturday. With three of four starters returning for the Penn secondary, McHale faces one of his toughest tests without Marsh, his backfield ally. Saturday's air wars should present the game's most interesting confrontation. A Lafayette team, needing to throw for success, rests its hopes on an emerging quarterback. And a young Penn defense, looking to establish itself, must stop McHale's passing attack to win.
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