Abye, Scott ready if pendulum swings to ground game

With 1,379 combined rushing yards in '95, Penn's platoon outgained its predecessor in the backfield - all Ivy back Terrance Stokes With the graduation of Penn all-Ivy running back Terrance Stokes after the 1994 season, the pendulum of attention given to the Quakers offense quickly swung from the running game to the passing game, boosted by the talents of wide receiver Miles Macik and quarterback Mark DeRosa. While Macik and DeRosa helped the Quakers blaze downfield, the three-man running game was quietly gaining more yardage than Stokes and his understudies did the year before. Now as DeRosa plays minor league baseball and Macik catches passes for the Detroit Lions, the attention of the running attack could swing right back to where it was two years ago. The stealth with which Penn's rushing game blossomed last season can be attributed to the balance and depth that blessed the position. Then-junior Aman Abye led the position with 695 yards rushing, with classmate Jasen Scott close behind him with 684. Individually, those stats are not spectacular. But combined, the two runners, along with 1996 graduate Dion Camp, gave the Quakers a running threat as great as the 1995 squad's. This season, both Abye and Scott are back for more. "This year, he and I came into the season looking to run the ball a lot," Abye said. "This is our last hurrah -- we're seniors going out, and we'll carry the team if we have to." Despite the loss of DeRosa, Penn hopes the backs won't have to carry the load alone. They are counting on Abye and Scott to complement, not overshadow, the the aerial attack. "We're definitely behind [quarterback Steve Teodecki] 100 percent, and we know we can throw the ball if we want to," Abye said. Besides the talents of Abye and Scott, sophomore Jason McGee will also see significant playing time. Although he only had one carry for seven yards last season, McGee's playing time will increase since Abye is expected to see some downs at wide receiver. Catching the ball is nothing new for the Penn running backs. "We've done a lot of things with the back catching the ball in the backfield -- just to open up the offense," Scott said. Wide receiver, however, is something completely different. "I might be playing a little with the wide receivers this year," Abye said. "I guess it's just to get more players on the field -- guys with more experience." Abye's participation in the receiving flanks is not due to a lack of depth, however, as the Quakers return Mark Fabish, John James and Erik Thompson. With the three backs weighing between 170 and 185 pounds, the Quakers add a new element to their short game with Rick Granata, a junior transfer from Eastern Michigan. Besides what Penn coach Al Bagnoli described as an improved academic challenge, Granata will have the opportunity to use his skills as a running back. With a new coach at the helm at Eastern Michigan, the program switched to a run-and-shoot offense, which meant Granata would have his hands full blocking -- not carrying the ball. At 215 pounds, his size will be an asset to the Red and Blue's short yardage game -- a perfect compliment to the other three backs. With two seniors, a junior and a sophomore making up the ground attack, the position is Penn's most experienced in terms of returning starters. Even Bagnoli admits, however, that experience doesn't make a position. Bagnoli feels that a lot of pressure will be put on the kickers to consistently convert down inside the 20-yard line. The backs have high standards for themselves as Abye and Scott enter their final seasons. "We wanted the Ivy championship, and I guess we fell back on our own expectations," Abye said. "I guess on an individual standpoint, statistics, yardage and all that, I think we did what was asked of us. This year, we want to take it to the next step, bring it up another level, and go above and beyond what we did last year." "I'm not leaving here without doing something. It's my senior year, so I definitely want to do some good things," Scott said. Looking past 1996, as Abye and Scott move on, the Quakers should benefit from having four productive backs. If that is the case, the pendulum may wait another year to swing back to the passing game.