ON THE SIDELINES: Defense dominates

It took seven weeks, but the 1995 model of the Penn defensive unit finally mirrored its highly regarded predecessors. Throughout the Al Bagnoli era and the 24-game winning streak that has earmarked it for anyone familiar with the Quakers or the Ivy League, defense has been Penn's trademark. This year, something has been missing -- until Saturday. And it was not simply a matter of box scores. Sure, last year's defense ranked first nationally in total defense and scoring defense, but, more importantly, the Quakers' defense was a presence throughout the past two seasons. Those defenses made the plays to win games. Last year, they stopped Dartmouth from the one yard-line to eke out a 13-11 victory in Hanover, N.H., In toto, the Penn defense shut out three opponents and held two others without a touchdown. Back in 1993, the defensive corps caused numerous turnovers to upset Princeton. Penn held current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jay Fiedler without a touchdown in that year's season-opener against the Big Green at Franklin Field. A slew of sacks and a key interception shut down Cornell's attack in the second half and sparked a 17-point rally to clinch the season finale. Until Saturday, this season had been a different story. When Bucknell came to West Philadelphia at the end of September, Penn's defense allowed the Bison a 27-yard touchdown pass with the Quakers protecting a tenuous 17-12 lead. In the past, such a lead was as secure as Fort Knox. The following week, Penn allowed Columbia quarterback Mike Cavanaugh to run the option to perfection, galloping for over 100 yards while leading the Lions to a 20-12 streak-breaking upset. Never before had the Penn defense looked so porous for so long -- until the next week, when William & Mary exploded for 48 points and Tribe running back Derek Fitzgerald rambled for 219 yards, the most ever against a Bagnoli squad. The statistics were not always terrible, but the Penn defense lacked that dominating presence. The Quakers no longer controlled the line of scrimmage. Opposing quarterbacks had not made a habit of hobbling to the sidelines. Opposition turnovers had been few and far between this season, and the defense no longer battled the offense for the team lead in points scored. Saturday at the Yale Bowl, the 1995 defensive unit finally came together for the Quakers. It came together as 11 men and it came together for 60 minutes. Well, almost. The Quakers lost their shutout with 14 seconds left, but the 16-6 victory was already in the bag. Earlier in the fourth quarter, with more than four minutes remaining and Yale still within two scores, the defense made a goal-line stand reminiscent of those in years gone by. After a penalty gave Yale a first down at the Penn 2, the defense let the Elis nowhere near the end zone on four consecutive running plays. When Kena Heffernan was stopped for a 2-yard loss by Mike Soyster on fourth down, the Quakers knew they'd leave the Yale Bowl as victors. Penn coach Bagnoli Bagnoli knew his defense had matured enough as a unit to make the big plays with the game on the line, something nobody on the Penn sidelines had really seen all season. "We definitely came together as a unit," senior linebacker and ECAC Player of the Week Joey Allen said. "From the seniors on down, it was a total effort by everyone. Even for a soggy and stormy day when the Elis were without star quarterback Chris Hetherington, the Penn defense was dominating. The Elis and their three quarterbacks got only 12 first downs. They ran 36 times for 97 yards and racked up only 183 yards on 33 attempts over the airwaves. In fact, until midway through the fourth quarter, the Elis had only 45 yards on the ground. The Quakers made 11 tackles for a loss, racked up five sacks, intercepted one pass and recovered one fumble. They also stopped a fake punt and a two-point conversion attempt. Just like the days of yore, many stars shone brightly for the Penn defense. Strong safety Nick Morris led the way with 10 tackles, but five of his teammates had five or more. Four different Quakers sacked Yale's trio of signal callers. Bagnoli could be nothing but pleased. "We really played very well defensively," he said. "Especially in the third quarter. That was as good a quarter as we've played in a long time. The game plan was an accurate reflection of what Yale was trying to do and the kids did a nice job of digesting what we were telling them." The 1995 edition of the Penn defense will be able to prove that it, like its predecessors, is a collector's item when the first-place and undefeated Princeton Tigers invade Franklin Field for Saturday's Homecoming game.

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