'Eke-Gadd': Bucknell holds on to beat Penn

Bison coach Tom Gadd wins a squeaker LEWISBURG, Pa. -- It's only week two of the fall season, but the Penn football team is already showing reruns. And, worse yet, there don't seem to be plans for any new episodes in the weeks to come. Penn (0-2) had been flirting with losing to Bucknell for years, but it finally made a commitment Saturday, losing 20-16 before 10,172 Bison worshippers at Christy Mathewson Field. The opponent and location differed from last week, but the basic plot was the same -- give the other team a 20-point lead and try to make up the difference by dominating the second half. The director, lead actor and cast all seem to be out of fresh dialogue and ideas of where to take the story line from here. "We are just making a ton of mental mistakes from kids who shouldn't be making mental mistakes," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Right now I am just so frustrated. We really have to evaluate what the hell we are doing. Right now nobody knows." It is understandable that Bagnoli is confused because there is no one place to point the blame for the Quakers' 0-2 start. Whereas the defense was nearly faultless in last week's loss, everyone played a part in the tragic ensemble against the Bison (3-0). Penn's special teams contributed by failing to convert on two second-half field goals inside 33 yards. The second was the backbreaker, as Jeremiah Greathouse sent one flying to the pit of despair that is wide right from just 22 yards away. The miss ended what had been the best drive of the season for the Quakers, covering 17 plays and 74 yards in seven minutes, 21 seconds. After the game, Greathouse offered only a "no comment" as an explanation for what appeared to be well-executed snaps and holds. "We've got a great field-goal kicker; he's got to hit those things," Bagnoli said. If the Quakers special teams can be described as comic, then the offense most definitely definitely has a knack for being dramatic. Quarterback Matt Rader guided the Penn offense to one net yard in the first quarter and just 16 total yards before a 20-yard drive in the final 35 seconds of the half, which cut Bucknell's lead to 20-3. Before the quick strike, Rader had zero completions in five attempts. Maybe the offensive players watched too many MacGyver episodes when they were kids. Whatever the reason for their second-straight slow start, the Quakers' impressive third-quarter comebacks are not strong encouragement for them to give up their modus operandi. Penn scored on the first three possessions of the second half to cut the Bison lead to 20-16 with 9:56 to play in the third. "That's the million-dollar question. Why does it take us one half of football to wake up?" Bagnoli said. "We wanted [to blow out Penn], and we thought we could do it," Bucknell coach Tom Gadd said. "But then, all of a sudden, the field position changed on us, and the second half was on." The Quakers offense, led by mediocre performances from everyone, failed to score on three red-zone possessions. Lacking a clear-cut go-to player, Penn seemed baffled as to where to direct its offensive attack. "On those [Bucknell] turnovers, we should have scored three touchdowns," Rader said. "I just don't have the answer as to why we couldn't put anything in the end zone. We had a lot of good plays called back due to stupid penalties. It gets to the point where you look around the field after a good play and wait to see if there's a penalty." The only major change this week was that the defense decided to contribute to the lackluster effort. Bucknell moved the ball with fluidity, thanks to the scrambling abilities of quarterback Jim John. Penn's defensive line clearly suffered again without defensive end Mitch Marrow, who left the game after three series, complaining of a lack of equilibrium. Marrow was apparently not feeling well in the day leading up to the game. "We came out defensively and thought they were going to roll over," Bagnoli said. "We played with no emotion. We couldn't tackle at all in the first half." Bucknell also suffered a serious injury when receiver Oji Perkins was knocked unconscious on a third-quarter kickoff return. After fumbling the ball, Perkins remained motionless on the ground for at least a minute. Shuttled off the field in an ambulance, Perkins was reported to have been responsive, but the severity of his injury is yet to be determined. Penn returns to campus this week worse than 0-2. They return without any definite idea of how to turn their season around. If the Quakers don't start working harder in rehearsals, as suggested by Bagnoli during the week, it may become time to make some cast changes. Otherwise their ratings are going to continue to plummet. And there is no cushy time slot to hide behind.

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