A losing streak must end, as Towson arrives

Tigers are preparing to invade West Philadelphia, but these Cats don't reside in New Jersey. Instead another school, with the same feline nickname as Princeton, will grace Franklin Field tomorrow night at 6 p.m. to tangle with Penn. For the first time ever, Towson coach Gordy Combs' Tigers will go head-to-head with Penn coach Al Bagnoli's Quakers (0-2). It is only the second time the Tigers (2-2) have ever lined up against an Ivy League squad; the first contest came last weekend when Towson was dropped by Columbia 16-6. This weekend's game features teams mired in two-game losing streaks. In the last 14 days, Towson and Penn have experienced what it's like to be defeated by their own careless mental errors, as each team racked up nine turnovers during this time. In addition to the sloppy play, inconsistent offensive production by the Quakers and Tigers hasn't helped matters. For Penn, the third quarter has proven to be the only period in which they have managed to score on a regular basis. As for the Tigers, well they are just having trouble putting up points all together. Because of these circumstances, Combs believes both teams will come out pumped to start the game. "I am sure what is going to happen Saturday evening is Penn's offense is going to get really juiced up and their coaches are going to really work hard at dissecting our defense," Combs said. "Boy, that first half is going to be a really knock-'em-out-sock-'em-out football game. It is going to be an intense game -- that's for sure." A bit more hesitant than Combs, Bagnoli repeatedly responded with "I have no idea" when questioned about how to improve the Quakers' slow starts. In the first half of their contests thus far, Penn has managed a total of one field goal. Bagnoli does intend keep the offense open, trying to keep Towson guessing. At the heart of the Quakers' two defeats has been the hot and cold offensive unit. Combs was quick to point out how Penn's offense has a lot of speed but "the pieces to their puzzle are not quite fitting together." One of the few bright spots for the Quakers is leading receiver John James (12 receptions, 155 yards). However, the senior will not be able to play this weekend because of a deep cut in the front of his mouth which required several stitches. Despite his absence, James expects Penn to ring up a victory tomorrow night. "People are a lot more up-tempo now," James said. "I mean we can't go into the game down, or think that the other team is just going to fall over because we are Penn. We have to come out and play 100 percent. I think this week in practice, people have a lot more pep in their step." Bagnoli virtually mimicked his wide receiver, and went on to comment how this week's practice has been much better than the previous one, when he felt Penn was not as serious as it needed to be heading into Bucknell. The Quakers are well aware that despite Towson's offensive struggles, the Tigers have a veteran quarterback in Kevin Smith (73-for-120, 776 yards passing) and an established running back in Jason Corle (122.3 yards per game average in 1997). With James out this weekend, the injury bug continues to infect the Penn football team. While Brandon Carson is back receiving, and Jason McGee has returned to the backfield, linebacker Mark Van Meter and running back Melvin Alexander are doubtful for tomorrow night. Worst of all, defensive tackle Mitch Marrow's condition continues to plague the Penn defense. Widely considered the best defensive player in the Ivy League before the season, an "equilibrium" should sideline him this weekend. With all of the injuries, some players for Penn have had to shift their roles. One is James Finn, a junior defensive back, who has been given the opportunity to do his best impersonation of Deion Sanders. Last weekend at Bucknell, Finn ran the ball five times for 20 yards, including an 11-yard scamper for a touchdown, while playing nearly every down in his normal position of defensive back. For the disgruntled Penn coach, it does not make a difference to him whether it is McGee or Finn running plays out of the backfield tomorrow or whether it is Carson or Alec Dafferner hauling in Penn quarterback Matt Rader's passes, as long as he hears two words at the conclusion of the contest: Penn wins.