Swarming degfense leads Penn to first Ivy victory

The Quakers held Yale to 166 yards ofThe Quakers held Yale to 166 yards oftotal offense and just one field goal toThe Quakers held Yale to 166 yards oftotal offense and just one field goal tosnap a three-game losing streak. Yale coach Carm Cozza guided his team into Franklin Field for his last time on Saturday. After 32 years and 300 games, the legendary sideline general made his last trip to Penn's historic field before his retirement at the end of this season. The game was one Cozza will not soon forget. "That's about as poor an offensive showing as I think I've had in my 32 years at Yale," Cozza said. Displaying a spark which had been lacking in its previous games, Penn played with a confidence one would not expect from a team that had entered the game with a 0-3 Ivy League record. Penn's defense shut down the Yale offense, allowing just a field goal in the 20-3 win, while the offense continued its progression under junior quarterback Tom MacLeod's leadership. Penn wasted little time in assuming a lead it would never relinquish. The Quakers relied on their one offensive constant this season, tailback Jasen Scott, to march them downfield after taking the opening kickoff. Scott, on his way to his second straight 120-yard game, carried five times in a drive punctuated by a 43-yard field goal by Jeremiah Greathouse. "Jasen, from week one to week seven has been our go-to-guy on offense," Bagnoli said. Late in the first quarter, Penn began a drive that would net the Quakers all the points they would need to top Yale. A pass interference call against the Elis resulted in a first down for the Quakers at the Yale 10-yard line. MacLeod capped the methodical 12-play, 84-yard drive with a seven-yard scoring toss to Scott that put the Quakers up 10-0. Scott, who entered the game with a total of two receptions through six games, led the Quakers with five catches against Yale. "The swing pass was something we put in to defend the blitz," MacLeod said. "Yale really didn't defend it too well." Utilizing the backs coming out of the backfield is just one example of how the offense continues to grow under MacLeod. In his first win as a starter, MacLeod stood up to the blitzing Yale defense and responded with an efficient 13-for-21, 102-yard performance. "The coaches have worked with me on a game plan that focuses on my strengths," MacLeod said. On the other sideline, the two-headed quarterback tandem that is Kris Barber and Blake Kendall was struggling to move Yale past midfield. After the scrambling Barber failed to advance the Elis past their own 47 in his three series, Kendall, a stronger, more conventional QB, was brought in. Yale immediately took to the air, and once again Penn's inexperienced secondary was the all-too-familiar target. Chris Rodriguez faked out cornerback Joe Piela, and, when Piela stumbled, Rodriguez hauled in a 31-yard pass just past midfield. What ensued was one of the strangest sequences of the year for the Quakers. Six plays later, on third-and-10, Kendall threw the ball right into the arms of nose guard Chris Osentowski. Osentowski, who doubles as Penn's top shot putter, picked the wrong time to display his tossing skills, as his attempted lateral ended up back in Yale's possession. Rodriguez again picked on the disoriented Penn defense, torching the Quakers for a 34-yard gain. Penn tightened up its defense, and, three incompletions later, Yale settled for a 31-yard field goal. While the offense provided the Quakers with the 10-point first-half lead, it was the defense that eventually secured the game for Penn. In its most dominant performance of the season, Penn held the Elis to 166 total yards of offense, including just 66 yards in the second half. Penn put constant pressure on the Yale quarterbacks, and not even the return of starting running back Jabbar Craigwell could jumpstart the offense. Spearheading the relentless rush into Yale's backfield was defensive tackle Mitch Marrow, who led Penn with seven total tackles, including four for losses. While it was Yale that was twice called for having 12 men on the field, it appeared as if the Quakers constantly played with a man advantage on defense. Midway throughout the fourth quarter, Penn took over at the Yale 25 following a 17-yard John Lafferty punt into the wind. Two plays and two Yale penalties later, Scott scored his second touchdown of the day for the final 20-3 margin. The importance of the win is hard to underestimate as Penn tries to resurrect its season. The Quakers finally broke through with their first Ivy League win, and a 4-3 league mark is not completely out of question. "This was a win we needed badly," Bagnoli said. "It is a whole new season, and we still have some big games left." Cozza and the Elis were left wondering why they collapsed against the Quakers after nearly upsetting Columbia last week. Cozza, not prone to overstatement, remained convinced he had witnessed the poorest performance in his 32-years tenure at Yale. "Penn deserved to win," Cozza said. "But they lost last week to a Brown team we beat 30-0 the first game of the year. That should tell you something about the way we played today."