First weekend showdown awaits Quakers

When Penn and Dartmouth meet, there are usually Ivy League title implications. With the first game of the Ivy League football season tomorrow, a commonly used sports catch phrase comes to mind: "Let's get ready to rumble." Penn will march onto Franklin Field tomorrow to do battle against the defending Ivy League champions, Dartmouth, at 1:30 p.m. It will be the opening game for each squad, and if precedent holds, it should be a heated encounter. Each of the past four years, the Quakers-Big Green contest has come down to the wire and almost always has had championship implications. On paper, these two old rivals look to have similar strengths and weaknesses. Penn and Dartmouth will rely heavily on their defenses to keep the game close. Each club returns seven members of its defense from last fall, which they hope will sustain revamped offensive schemes. The Quakers and the Big Green will both test several new players on offense. Coincidentally, both teams rely on the their wide receivers for any significant game-time experience on the offensive side of the ball. However, the edge clearly goes to Dartmouth, which returns first team all-Ivy wide-out Zach Ellis and senior Eric Morton. Ellis -- who had a team-high 32 receptions while amassing 623 yards -- and Morton (17 receptions for 209 yards) will immediately test Penn's seasoned secondary. The Red and Blue return two junior defensive backs, Joseph Piela and James Finn, plus seniors Larrin Robertson and captain John Bishop. Fifth-year senior Bishop commented on the secondary's renewed commitment to playing consistent football, cutting back on mental errors and playing each down as if it is the most important. "We have been together for a while, and we know what to expect out of each other," Bishop said. "But all the talking in the world doesn't do any good. We have to go out there and prove it on Saturday. That is our goal right now." Nothing would make Penn defensive coordinator Mike Toop smile more than to see his secondary have a good day tomorrow. But Toop will also look to his linebackers, Tim Gage and Darren MacDonald, along with seasoned linemen Doug Zinser and Mitch Marrow to apply a good dose of pressure on Dartmouth's green signal caller, Peter Sellers. Not only will the Big Green start an inexperienced quarterback, but their running game features two unknowns -- Dylan Karczewski and Eric DavisE-- plus a brand new offensive line that should allow Gage, MacDonald, Marrow and Zinser to have a field day. Penn is not without its own question marks on the offensive side of the ball. Junior running back Jason McGee has spent the past two weeks on the sideline with a hamstring pull and is doubtful for tomorrow's game. Backups Melvin Alexander and Bruce Rossignol have yet to see any varsity action at the tailback position. "Depending upon whether McGee practices this week will factor into how much he will play [tomorrow]," Penn head coach Al Bagnoli said. "If McGee can't go, I have plenty of confidence in my other two backs, Alexander and Rossignol." Dartmouth coach John Lyons believes that despite the Quakers' lack of a dominant running game, the Penn offense is still lethal, especially with Duke transfer Matt Rader at the helm. "With Penn's new quarterback, we haven't had an opportunity to see much of him," Lyons said. "But coming from Duke, he must be a talented player. And we just need to do a good job in getting pressure on him, otherwise he could hurt us." What also might throw off the Big Green defensive unit is that their star cornerback, Lloyd Lee, broke his thumb last week in practice. The senior from Bloomington, Minn., who led the Ivy League with seven interceptions last fall, will play tomorrow, but will not be at 100 percent, according to Lyons. Bagnoli and Bishop are quick to point out that Penn has had its share of nagging injuries lately. But with the exception of McGee, all other Quakers should be ready to roll. With a team chock full of veterans, Bishop doesn't foresee any problems getting fired up for Dartmouth. "Right before we get ready to take the field, there will be a lot of guys slapping each other's pads, and you will hear helmets knocking into each other," Bishop said. "And then some other players like to just stand off on their own just clinching their fists. Either way, all of us will be pumped for the game."