After 27 years, Army falls to Lwt. Football

The Cadets won theThe Cadets won thepossession battle by 18The Cadets won thepossession battle by 18minutes, but got upset. Penn students celebrated the homecoming weekend everywhere -- Cav's, Smoke's, Murph's, even dorm rooms. But the biggest celebration came Saturday night on Franklin Field. As Penn sophomore strong safety Keith Lotman pounced on an Army fumble to end the game in overtime, Penn players and fans poured onto the field, celebrating a 16-13 win over Army. For the first time since 1969 and for the first time in coach Bill Wagner's career, the Penn lightweight football team had defeated Army. "This is a major win for our program, and the biggest win for me as a coach," Wagner said. The victory was more special because of how the Quakers played. They overcame the Cadets' staggering statistical edge with pure determination. Army racked up 354 yards of total offense, held the Quakers to five first downs and had possession of the ball for 18 more minutes than Penn. "We played with more heart and more discipline than the Cadets," Penn linebacker Chris Graham said. While the Quakers did not turn the ball over, the Penn defense intercepted one pass and recovered three of Army's five fumbles. In addition, the Cadets were flagged for 80 yards of penalties. Credit the Penn coaching staff with having the Quakers ready. Coaches John Amendt, Tony DiPietro, Nate Scott and Eric Visokey had the defense prepared to bend, but not break. Offensively, Bill Haines's offensive line did the job when it had to, and the receivers and quarterbacks, under coach Gordie Hotchkiss, contributed both touchdowns. After Army took a 6-0 lead on a Jason Torczynski plunge, Penn wide receiver Clint Schmidt rejuvenated Penn with a dazzling 84-yard punt return. On the return, Schmidt spun away from one tackle, shot through a hole in the Cadets' coverage, then crept down the right sideline, pausing to shake off the punter and finally cutting back off a block to stride into the end zone. "Schmidty had a heck of a game," Quakers defensive tackle Kwesi Edwards said. Dan Malasky's extra point gave Penn a 7-6 first-quarter lead, which the Quakers held into halftime after Malasky's 33-yard field-goal attempt was blocked at the end of the half. In the third quarter, Penn running back Greg Grabon set up the the second Quakers touchdown with a 33-yard punt return to the Cadets 14-yard line. Seven plays later, quarterback Matt Veneri rolled right and sidearmed a two-yard strike to Schmidt past an Army defender for a score. Malasky's extra point sailed wide, and Penn led 13-6. With more than 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Army capped off a 77-yard drive when quarterback Nathan Self kept the ball on an option from the four-yard line. The Cadets extra point by Dan Ashley tied the score at 13-13. Penn had one final chance to win in regulation, but with 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Veneri suffered a mild concussion on an Army late hit. His replacement, freshman Zach Shinar, could not move the team into field-goal range and the game went into overtime. "Their secondary was blanketing receivers," Veneri said. The Quakers got the first possession of the overtime. Aided by a penalty on Army for face-masking, Penn got to the two-yard line before being forced to attempt a field goal. From a difficult angle on the left hash, Malasky connected on a 19-yard field goal. It was his second winning field goal in overtime in eight days. "It doesn't get any better than this," Malasky said. " You keep this for the rest of your life." On the crucial play that sealed the victory in overtime, Army running back Robert Bryant fumbled an option pitch, and Lotman and the Quakers defense were there to capitalize. The victory was especially sweet for the Penn players who lost last year to Army, 3-0. "We put 26 years of history to bed tonight, and took back what they stole from us last year," senior nose guard Cameron Reilly said. A Penn victory against Princeton this Saturday coupled with an Army upset of Navy will give the Quakers a share of the Eastern Lightweight Football League title. "We'll take the title any way we can," Wagner said. "Coach Wagner deserved this win more than any other coach on campus," Penn offensive tackle Neil Batiancila said.