FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Carson makes switch from throwing to catching

Another change on the Penn football team has Melvin Alexander running the ground attack, not Jason McGee. It seems like Penn has its own "Slash" on the field these days. Like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart, Penn's Brandon Carson has been proving himself as a multi-talented weapon. In last weekend's game against Dartmouth, the sophomore lined up in the wide receiver slot for the first time as a starter. While it would be a special moment for any player, it was particularly different for Carson. As a freshman, Carson came to Franklin Field hoping to step under center and take snaps at the helm of the Quakers' offense one day. But as a quarterback, he found himself low on a depth chart in constant flux. This year, Carson is on the other end of the receiving game. He now finds himself catching bullets over the middle instead of throwing them. Other than running an option for the Quakers, in the game against the Big Green, Carson flashed all signs of this Stewart-like play. Carson ended the game with three receptions for 37 yards, as well as two carries on reverses for eight yards. He showed extra diversity returning kickoffs for the special teams as well. Though he momentarily caught the turnover syndrome that marred Penn's offense, fumbling a kickoff return, Carson showed big-play ability. Before losing the ball, Carson broke off a 32-yard return. All told, he came out with 97 yards on four returns. · Dartmouth's visit to Franklin Field marked a journey into unfamiliar territory for the Quakers. After a year in which the Penn offense chose Jasen Scott as the first, second and third options, this year's starting running back had never had a game carry. Melvin Alexander came into the game a question mark, looking to prove the rushing attack was still a viable weapon for the Quakers' attack. With Jason McGee falling to injury bugs this year, Alexander's starting role was solidified. After a first quarter in which Alexander accumulated 22 yards on seven carries, it seemed the running game may remain second option. In the second half, however, Alexander reminded the Dartmouth defense that the backs still had to be watched. "I feel that the line blocked the same way they did in the second half as they did in the first half," Alexander said after the game. "Fortunately, I stopped dancing in the second half, and I was fortunate enough to do better the second half. The holes were still there in both halves." Alexander accumulated 43 yards on nine carries, an average of almost 4.8 yards per carry. He also became an option out of the backfield as a receiver, with a five-catch, 19-yard net. Second-half wonder, or Jasen Scott replacement? · The answer: Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Cornell and, yes, Penn. The question: Which Ivy League teams scored less than Dartmouth kicker Dave Regula? In one game, the Big Green senior, whose Akron, Ohio-based family was in the stands, tallied 17 points alone for the Big Green last weekend, as they defeated the Quakers, 23-15. These points included a touchdown, three field goals and two point-after attempts. "I was ready to stick my head in and try and make the tackle," Regula said Saturday afternoon. "All of a sudden I was staring right at the ball, it bounced right to me, I guess I was in the right place, but it's probably not going to happen too much more." No more jokes about kickers not being athletes, for now at least. That's 74 percent of the Big Green points, and more points than 63 percent of the Ancient Eight -- all done in front of his family.

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