Penn eases by Princeton on the road

Schmidt breaks Lwt. Football careerSchmidt breaks Lwt. Football careerreceiving yardage rcord in Quakers victory PRINCETON, N.J. -- Any definition of "team effort" should include a description of the Penn lightweight football team's 30-12 demolition of Princeton last Friday night on the Tigers' home field. Sure, there were a couple of individuals from Penn that had the glittering statistics -- senior wide receiver Clint Schmidt's 148 all-purpose yards and freshman running back Tim Ortman's 114 yards rushing stand out -- but those numbers would never have been possible if not for the strong efforts on defense, special teams and the offensive line. The game got off to an inauspicious start when the hand of sophomore Greg Grabon, Penn's leading rusher, was cut and badly bruised on the first play of the game. After treatment, Grabon carried only twice more in the game. But the Quakers did not miss a beat as Ortman scampered through mammoth holes opened by the line, gathering momentum to punish Tigers defenders six and seven yards downfield. "The offensive line blew them off every time I got the ball," Ortman said. The only person happier than Ortman with the line's strong play was Penn offensive line coach Bill Haines. He was especially pleased with the line's left side, consisting of freshman Carl Jamison, sophomore Neil Batiancila and junior Marc Menkowitz. "We didn't do anything fancy," Haines said. "Jamison was phenomenal. His man was five or six yards downfield all day. "Overall, the fat boys did all right." Penn's first drive culminated in a touchdown when Ortman exploded over the goal line for a seven-yard score -- giving the Quakers, after a missed extra point, the early 6-0 advantage. And Penn's defense set the tone from there as the Quakers sacked Princeton quarterback Rich Barnett on the first play of the game. "When this defense comes to play, it's the best in the league," Penn junior Jordan Matusow said. When the Quakers regained the ball, they stuck with the running game. Penn drove 74 yards, and Ortman scored again, this time from the 11-yard line. Penn quarterback Matt Veneri's two-point conversion attempt was incomplete, and Penn led 12-0. Princeton followed the score with a 50-yard kickoff return that set up a 27-yard touchdown pass from Barnett to wide receiver Sidney Smith. After the Quakers blocked the extra point, Penn's lead was cut in half to 12-6. On the kickoff, Schmidt bolted down the right sideline for a 72-yard return that put Penn in scoring position. But the Quakers were forced to settle for a 32-yard field goal Dan Malasky, increasing the Quakers lead to 15-6. Princeton's offense came back to register a score when Barnett scored from the three-yard line. After intermission, the Penn defense took it upon itself to stuff the Princeton wishbone offense. The Quakers defensive line controlled the second half, and the Penn secondary came up with a key interception. "We all came up big," Penn defensive tackle Kwesi Edwards said. "We felt really good in the second half." On Princeton's first possession of the second half, it was Quakers defensive back David Klein who provided the highlight with a leaping interception to stop the Tigers' drive. As the fourth quarter began, Penn clung to a slim three-point lead. Then the fireworks began. Penn punter Keith Lotman nailed a 67-yard punt that pinned the Tigers back on their own two-yard line. The defense held the Tigers and forced them to punt. Schmidt fielded the punt at the Princeton 45-yard line and cut to the right sideline. After a key block by Kave Golabi helped seal the initial wall, Schmidt roared down the sideline, then quickly cut back to the inside off of a strong block from junior defensive end Carter Byrnes and high-stepped into the end zone. "Every day in practice we do this stupid punt return drill," Schmidt said. "That's why the coaches do it." Penn's two-point conversion from Veneri to Schmidt was successful, putting the Quakers ahead, 23-12. It got worse after the Quakers defense recovered a Princeton fumble on the next possession. On fourth down, Penn's Schmidt finally broke the Penn career receiving record with a 20-yard reception. After another fourth-down conversion, fullback Joel Correia scored on a short run, giving the Quakers the 30-12 lead, which would hold up as the final score.