COLUMN: Who should be the Quakers QB? It's time to look to next season and start the junior, Tom MacLeod

Penn coach Al Bagnoli admitted as much after last weekend's game, a 28-24 loss to Lehigh, a game in which the Quakers blew a 14-0 first-quarter lead. "To a large degree, we have people that are spoiled here, and these are some tough times that we're going through," Bagnoli said. "There's no reason to think that we're not going to be able to overcome it. But we're going to have to do some intelligent things. We're going to have to look at it, and really take a realistic look at how kids are playing and why they're making mistakes and what we're telling them and make sure it makes sense." In the Ancient Eight, though, not being very good does not mean you won't win the league title. This year, parity has reached the point that each Ivy game is essentially a coin toss -- decided on one play, one bounce, one call. The Quakers lost their first two coin flips -- first to Dartmouth, 24-22, then to Columbia, 20-19, in overtime -- all but elimining from the title hunt. Therefore, it's time to look to the future, and the future is represented by junior Tom MacLeod. The truth of the matter is, neither Penn quarterback -- senior Steve Teodecki nor MacLeod -- has performed well this season. Teodecki has completed just 42 percent of his passes, MacLeod just 43 percent. It is unfair to conclude from this admittedly limited sample that either Teodecki or MacLeod cannot be an effective quarterback in this league. Teodecki has shown leadership in his four years at Penn and is well respected among his teammates. MacLeod, although erratic, has shown poise at times -- specifically against Columbia, in the junior's finest performance. MacLeod went 13-for-26 overall for 123 yards against the Lions and led the team down the field in the final two minutes of the first half, which resulted in a field goal. In terms of arm strength, MacLeod is probably a bit better; in terms of mobility, Teodecki has the slight edge. In terms of sideburns, MacLeod's are longer. But basically, talent-wise, it's a draw. So Bagnoli faces three choices: (1) stick with Teodecki, out of loyalty or out of experience, and start with an inexperienced quarterback again next year, (2) play both QBs, allowing neither to establish a rhythm and not letting MacLeod get the proper experience for next year, and (3) play MacLeod, let him get the necessary reps and get familiar with Bagnoli's passing system. To put it concisely, at this point, MacLeod has proven himself just as effective -- or ineffective -- as Teodecki, so Penn might as well play the younger guy. This is especially so since the Quakers are all but out of championship contention. It seems like Bagnoli, being the smart guy that he is, has already made this decision. MacLeod played nearly the entire second half in a close game against Lehigh last Saturday. It is definitely not an easy decision to play MacLeod --ETeodecki has worked for the team for four years, waiting patiently for his break -- but it's the right one.