Colgate fumbles away game

Red Raiders' seven fumbles, twoRed Raiders' seven fumbles, twomuffed punts give Quakers manyRed Raiders' seven fumbles, twomuffed punts give Quakers manychances in Penn's blowout win A 31-point win is supposed to serve notice to future opponents that your team is one to be reckoned with -- a power. Rivals should shudder at watching the game film, knowing they could be next. But don't expect any of Penn's eight remaining opponents to fear them on the basis of Saturday night's 38-7 conquest of Colgate in front of 11,412 fans at rain-soaked Franklin Field. Although the Quakers (1-1) thoroughly earned their lopsided victory, Penn failed to eliminate the errors that are so costly in Ivy League play. Despite the best efforts of the Red Raiders (0-4) to fumble the game away, Penn allowed the visitors to stay close until a four-yard pass from Steve Teodecki to tight end Travis Arbogast on the opening play of the fourth quarter gave the Quakers an insurmountable 24-7 lead. Three times in the first quarter Penn was given field possession deep in Colgate territory, twice by fumbles. But the Quakers only scored on their first drive, as senior tailback Jasen Scott, who enjoyed a strong game (18 carries, 74 yards) despite slippery field conditions unsuited to his slashing style, opened the scoring from one yard out. Later Penn drives begun in scoring position faltered, largely as a result of penalties. "We were way too inconsistent in the first quarter," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "We had great field position numerous times and we came way with way too few points. Conceivably, it should of been 21-0 in the first 10 minutes of the game; instead it's 7-7." The Quakers' missed opportunities gave Colgate a chance to get into the game early in the second quarter. Capitalizing on one of two Penn turnovers, the Red Raiders tied the game on a quarterback sneak by Colgate's Mark Lindell. That play, which made the score 7-7 with 13 minutes, 55 seconds left in the first half, was made possible by a 40-yard run by Marcus Cameron's on a fake punt that kept the drive alive. Turnovers would continue to be the story of the game. Colgate, which came into the game averaging nearly five fumbles per contest, coughed up the ball seven times. The Raiders' three QBs also combined for three interceptions. "We were trying to do too much instead of taking what the team has to give us," said Colgate coach Dick Biddle, whose team was unable to run its favored option due to the second-half deficit. "Then we get behind in the fourth quarter, and we have to throw it, and that's a problem." If the Raiders' problem was turnovers, then Penn's had to be penalties. The Quakers were hit with 15 infractions in the game, including three illegal procedure calls in one series. Penn's three turnovers might be chalked up to the weather, but that excuse doesn't work for mental errors. "I don't know what it is -- I wish I had better answers for you," a frustrated Bagnoli said. "If it's one kid, I can see it. But it's different kids." While there are areas of concern, Penn has to be satisfied with its ability to play with the lead, a fatal flaw one week ago against Dartmouth. The Quakers ground out over 200 yards rushing, a figure inflated somewhat by junior running back Rick Granata's 67-yard dash for his second touchdown in the waning seconds. Granata rushed for 107 yards on the day. "I've said that the running backs are the strength of our team," Bagnoli said. "We're very fortunate to have Jay Scott, Aman [Abye] and Ricky Granata." The running game was complemented nicely by the Quakers' short-passing game. Penn made much use of bootlegs and short drop-backs, throwing the ball almost twice as often (34 attempts) as last week, despite the slippery ball. Steve Teodecki impressed in his second start, completing 15-of-29 for 151 yards and spreading balls among the wide-outs, tight ends and U-backs. No. 2 quarterback junior Tommy McLeod got into the game in the fourth quarter. "We were going to try to open it up a little more this week," said Teodecki, who threw both his first touchdown pass and interception of the season. "I don't know how many times we threw today, but it was definitely part of the game plan." Teodecki also scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter, slipping in from a yard out after Colgate return man Cameron muffed a punt, and Penn recovered on the two-yard line. A Jeremiah Greathouse 37-yard field goal 19 seconds before halftime made the score 17-7, which would hold up until Arbogast's touchdown in the fourth quarter.