Replay of '95 Bucknell game is not Penn's hope

After it took a last-minute field goal to beatAfter it took a last-minute field goal to beatthe Bison last season, the Quakers areAfter it took a last-minute field goal to beatthe Bison last season, the Quakers arelooking to put the game away early this time Last season, Penn and Bucknell met in what will go down as one of the classic battles in their series. The game featured big plays, late-game heroics and high drama, as the outcome was not decided until Penn placekicker Jeremiah Greathouse's 41-yard field goal bounced over the crossbar with 27 seconds left. Someone searching for examples of football at its finest would be best off not viewing the films of Penn's first two football games this season. Turnovers, penalties, missed kicks and blown plays have plagued both the Quakers and their opponents in the early part of the season. Even in its 38-7 victory over an out-of-sync Colgate team last week, Penn was far from impressive. Tomorrow, Penn will travel to Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium to meet a Bucknell team that is similarly struggling. The last two games for the Bison have been ugly affairs, albeit more one-sided then the Penn contests. Bucknell has been outscored 77-7 over its last two games by William & Mary and Harvard. The Bison seem to be ideal candidates to help the Quakers overcome their inconsistent play as the rest of the Ivy League schedule looms ahead. Its not often that a team is criticized for winning by 31 points, but Penn's victory last week was not met with great praise. Quakers coach Al Bagnoli was also not particularly pleased with his team's performance, especially in light of the 15 penalties Penn was assessed last week. The penalties are piling up at an exponential rate for the Quakers, who now have 26 in just two games. Especially frustrating are the false starts which have become a theme on offense. Bagnoli wants to avoid the third-and-long plays which have resulted, but this is reliant on the team as a whole to concentrate more. "The biggest problem is different kids are getting called for penalties," Bagnoli said. "Its not one player or one type of penalty that we can key on." The Quakers will continue to feature a balanced offensive attack that showed signs last week of how it can work when everything comes together. Quarterback Steve Teodecki spread the ball among all of his receivers, instead of keying on wide-out Mark Fabish, who was sidelined much of the game with an injury. The running game, in sharp contrast to the Dartmouth game, improved as the game went on. The Quakers were able to bring in Rick Granata and his fresh legs late in the game, and he proceeded to run all over the weary Colgate defenders for 106 yards, all in the second half. "They have a real solid idea of what they are doing on offense," Bucknell coach Tom Gadd said. "Its not a high-risk passing game, and you also have to put enough people up there to challenge the running game." Bagnoli is wary of the Bison defense, led by linebacker Brandon Little. He does not believe the lopsided scores in the last two games have been indicative of how the defense has played. "Even though the scores don't show it, their defense has played real well," Bagnoli said. "They have lots of twists that they bring to their defense." If blame is to be placed for the collapse of a Bucknell team expected to challenge for the Patriot League title, the offensive line would be the chief recipient. The line features four new starters who have yet to show any signs of forming a cohesive unit. Gadd believes his team has just been outplayed and dominated off the line of scrimmage. "Their offensive line is very young and hasn't played well," Bagnoli said. "It has diminished the effectiveness of their skill players." No one has felt the effect of the truly offensive line more than running back Rich Lemon. Heading into the season, Lemon was thought to have a chance at the all-time Division I-AA career rushing record. Now Lemon is having trouble even crossing the line of scrimmage. He has failed to gain positive yardage in either of the past two games and is now averaging a paltry 1.9 yards per carry. This is all good news for a Penn front seven which will be looking to take advantage of Bucknell's weakness up front. The Quakers have actually had more success than anyone against Lemon, holding him to 76 yards in two games. That does not bode well for Lemon, who would be better off facing another Patriot opponent as he tries to regain the past success that now must seem very distant. Last year's game showed the Quakers what could happen if they underestimated Bucknell. With this potent reminder, Bagnoli does not expect a repeat performance of last year. Gadd, however, is too concerned with his team's present struggles to even consider the past. His only focus is salvaging a season that could quickly be slipping away. "I know they will find themselves soon," Bagnoli said. "We just hope it isn't until another week."