Macik, Greathouse on verge of records

As this weekend's monumental Homecoming showdown with Princeton approaches, the Penn football team is doing its best to go about business as usual. "As far as preparation goes, everyone here is taking this week as seriously as possible," quarterback Mark DeRosa said yesterday. "Everyone here is treating this like the biggest game of their lives. Everyone here is preparing to go to war on Saturday." Business as usual -- well, maybe not. Try as they may, the Quakers can't hide how big Saturday's showdown is going to be. This game will make or break Penn's year. · If DeRosa and the offensive unit will be stressing anything in particular this week, it is taking care of the football. Whereas earlier in the year DeRosa was plagued by the interception bug, throwing 13 in Penn's first five games, now he seems to have made the proper adjustments. The signal caller has not tried to force the action and has gone without an interception the last two games. He'll need to continue that trend if Penn is to win Saturday. "We can't turn the ball over -- that's going to be key," he said. "They have a defense which can take advantage of those mistakes. Last year I went down there [to Princeton] and I didn't throw an interception, and we won the game." Princeton once again fields an extremely strong defensive squad, led by senior linebacker and captain Dave Patterson. Patterson leads the Tigers in tackles this season, averaging 11.4 per game. · Coming off a stellar performance at Yale last weekend is senior linebacker Joey Allen. Allen recorded 15 tackles, 10 of which were solo. He also tallied one quarterback sack and two interceptions -- one on a two-point conversion try. In light of these numbers, Allen has been recognized in a variety of ways. Allen, who also is a member of the Penn wrestling team, was named Penn Athlete of the Week. His efforts in New Haven also brought him ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Finally, Don Hansen's national Division I-AA listings named Allen as Co-National Defensive Player of the Week. · As if this weekend's game needed any more spice, several Quakers will be chasing records along with a share of the Ivy League lead. All-everything wideout Miles Macik is currently tied for the career Ivy reception mark in league competition. The Penn tri-captain has 122 Ivy catches, placing him even with Princeton's Derek Graham, who starred for the Tigers from 1981 to 1984. Macik leads the nation with 7.4 receptions per game. "When I look back on sophomore and junior year, it was just a tremendous feeling just to set some Penn records," Macik said. "I can't even imagine the thrill it will be to have done some things better than anyone in Ivy history. I don't think it will really set in until the season's over." For Penn coach Al Bagnoli, Macik's skills are more important today than ever. "Miles puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the defensive side of the ball," Bagnoli said.. "He also gives a comfort level to our quarterbacks. If you throw the ball near the kid, there's a pretty good chance he'll catch it -- so they know they don't have to throw a perfect pass." Penn kicker Jeremiah Greathouse will also have a shot at the books come Saturday. The all-time record for field goals in Ivy play is 10 for the year. Greathouse, who has 10 total field goals, has already split the uprights eight times in league play this season. · According to Bagnoli, Saturday's game is reminiscent of 1993's clash of the unbeatens at Franklin Field. "Once again, there's no margin for error," he said. Penn won that 1993 contest, 30-14.

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