1995 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL STANDINGS: Tribe tomahawks Quakers, 48-34

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- In a wild contest that produced many startling statistics, two in particular stand out: William & Mary tailback Derek Fitzgerald's 219 rushing yards and Mark DeRosa's Penn-record five interceptions. These factors propelled the Tribe to a 48-34 victory over the Quakers on a rainy and humid day, marking the first time Penn coach Al Bagnoli has lost two consecutive games in his four-year reign as the Penn coach. But neither Fitzgerald's exploits nor DeRosa's woes had anything to do with the key play of the game -- Tribe quarterback Matt Byrne's hail-mary, 36-yard touchdown pass to Terry Hammons, who out-jumped a slew of Quakers to snatch the ball as the remaining seconds of the first half ticked away. That play, which put William & Mary (5-2) up 21-7, seemed to demoralize the Quakers, and by the time Penn recovered, it found itself down 34-7 in the third quarter. Penn (3-2) would never get closer than two touchdowns the rest of the day. "We practice the hail mary," said a visibly frustrated Bagnoli at game's end. "What can you tell them -- jump higher than the other guy and knock it down. The kid made a great play." The play epitomized breakdowns in Penn's secondary, which was due in part to Bagnoli's decision to leave his corners in man coverage. Particularly victimized was left cornerback Kevin Allen, who was burned on a 75-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Billy Commons late in the second quarter. Because the safeties bit on the play action, Allen was left all alone and vulnerable to the deep pass. "[Picking on the left side] was not in our game plan?It just worked out that we ended up picking on that side of the field," Byrne said. The Quakers could ill-afford secondary lapses with Fitzgerald (37 attempts for 219 yards) gaining nearly six yards a carry. Penn thought it received some good news when it found out the Tribe's other superstar running back, Troy Keen, would not play because of an ankle injury, but Fitzgerald easily picked up the load for the both of them. Fitzgerald was particularly valuable in the fourth quarter when the Quakers mounted a last-ditch effort to make a game of it. Penn -- sparked by running back Dion Camp (6 carries for 51 yards) and Mark Fabish, who returned a punt 39 yards for touchdown -- closed the gap to 34-20 with 14:54 left in the game. But William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock called Fitzgerald's number again and again, and William & Mary was able to move the ball methodically and put more points on the board, while simultaneously eating up time. Nine of the last 13 plays for the Tribe were handoffs to Fitzgerald, who recorded 137 of his 219 rushing yards in the second half. The other factor that stalled the Quakers' comeback attempt was DeRosa's fifth interception, nabbed by Darren Sharper, who returned the errant pass 40 yards for a touchdown. That play gave William & Mary a 48-27 lead with 2:17 to go. On two earlier occasions, a DeRosa interception led to a Tribe touchdown on its subsequent drive. "We got in a situation where we had to take too many gambles," Bagnoli said. "Once you have to do that and you get behind, you try to make things happen and sometimes that's not in your best interest." But despite the turnovers, DeRosa and the rest of the Quakers never gave up. Down 48-27, DeRosa flicked a 12-yard scoring pass to all-American receiver Miles Macik (11 catches for 117 yards), who quietly put up superb numbers for the day, as usual. A 31-yard scamper up the middle by Jasen Scott (13 attempts for 89 yards) set up a one-yard touchdown run by Camp with 1:17 remaining. William & Mary's lead was cut to 48-34, and it was on-side kick time for the Quakers. A perfect dribbler by Doug Miller combined with a lacksidaisical Tribe return team allowed Penn to easily recover the kick after patiently allowing the football to roll its requisite 10 yards. After two misfires, DeRosa connected with wide receiver Brian Bonanno for 43 yards, putting Penn at the Tribe's 11-yard line. But Penn failed in four tries to score or get a first down, and with that series went any chance of a Penn victory.