Offense returns to 'normal' with seasoned QBs

In 1996, Penn ran the ball 70 percent of the time. Now it's time to look to the air. In its annual football preview, The New York Times picked Penn quarterback Matt Rader, a junior transfer from Duke, to carry the Quakers on his shoulders back atop the Ivy League. Did someone in the Times research department jump the gun on this prediction? At the time of print, Quakers head coach Al Bagnoli hadn't yet announced his starting quarterback. Senior Tom MacLeod, who threw for five touchdowns and 720 yards in 1996, had regained starting consideration after the best spring practice of his career. The Times, however, correctly inferred that Bagnoli would eventually announce Rader as his starter. The junior's upside is tremendous -- completing 85 of 150 passes last season at Duke for 905 yards and five touchdowns. "At this point, Matt will be our starter," Bagnoli said. "We are confident that our quarterback situation is as good as any we have in the league. The speed you see in the ACC when you are playing Florida State or Virginia or North Carolina or Clemson is more than you're going to see in our league." Linebackers in the Division I-AA Ivy League aren't as quick on the blitz as in the major Division I-A conferences. The added time to sit in the pocket should help Rader improve upon the '96 statistics that he accrued playing for Duke. Last season, Penn's overall record fell to 5-5 -- the worst in Bagnoli's five seasons with the Quakers. The loss of receivers Miles Macik and Felix Rouse, who graduated in 1996, coupled with an injury to Mark Fabish and the early season struggles of quarterback Steve Teodecki forced the Red and Blue offense to run the ball more than 70 percent of the time. "Our goal is to go back to what our normal offense was," Bagnoli said. "Last year wasn't the typical Penn offense. It just wasn't a good situation with an inexperienced quarterback and inexperienced wide receivers." Although new to the Ivy League, Rader -- who started seven games last season as a member of the 0-11 Blue Devils -- brings immediate experience and leadership to the Quakers. The 6'4'', 235-pound quarterback is accustomed to a pressured environment and has already amassed his share of clutch performances. In a career game, Rader completed 27 of 49 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns against Northwestern last season. "The reason I chose Penn was, No. 1, because of the education and, No. 2, because of the football program," Rader said. "Offensively, we run all of the same sets and some of the same pass plays [as Duke]. But we run a lot of different routes than I'm used to, a lot of quick routes to the running backs." Realistically, it will take time for Rader, as for any new quarterback, to learn all the intricacies of the Quakers' offense. Bagnoli isn't expecting magic from his transfer overnight, but rather plans to ease Rader into the full-time quarterback position. With two experienced quarterbacks, the Quakers afford the luxury of changing signal callers, even though Rader is the starter going into the season. "I don't think we want to put a quarterback or any player in a position that's more pressure than already exists," Bagnoli said. "This year, we'll probably go a little bit against what we traditionally have done and get both quarterbacks into the game. There's just some things that Tommy's more comfortable with than Matt." As for McLeod, the 6'1'' senior can claim to be the best back-up quarterback in the Ivy League. The Kettering, Ohio, native adds another dimension to the Quakers' offense with his ability to move around in the pocket and run the option. He also serves as a valuable insurance policy in the event that Rader suffers an injury.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.