Football tries to boost title shot vs. Brown

Every game is do-or-die for Penn as the season enters its second half. Penn football coach Al Bagnoli knows it. His team knows it. Even the loyal fans who will head down to a frigid Franklin Field this weekend know it. The Quakers' 1:30 p.m. contest tomorrow against Brown will make or break any dreams the Red and Blue have of capturing an Ivy League title. As much as the Quakers (2-3, 1-1 Ivy) have tried to do everything in their power to avoid a repeat performance of last year's 5-5 record, there is every reason to believe that, if Penn is dropped by Brown, it will once again have nothing left to play for except pride. If the Quakers run the table, they may be able to claim a share of the conference title. But a second loss will all but eliminate the possibility of the Franklin Field goalposts making a return trip to the bottom of the Schuylkill River. It was the Bears (4-1, 1-1), who dashed any hopes the Quakers had of grabbing the title last year when they knocked off Penn, 27-21, thanks to a long drive late in the fourth quarter in Providence, R.I. "Look, everyone who was here last year knows how bad it felt to walk away from the Brown game losers," said Bagnoli, who suffered his first loss to Brown in five meetings. "As a coach, I never try to predict what will happen when a bunch of 18-, 19- and 20-year olds take the field, but these guys know what is at stake Saturday. It's a home game, it's a team that beat them last year, it's Parents Weekend, it's a live TV game. So if they are not ready to play this game, I can't explain it." Bagnoli added that under the current circumstances, Penn cannot afford to make the same mental errors it has so far this season. After it has shown problems through the first five games, Bagnoli hopes the special teams unit can finally put together a clean game for week six. He also referred to the play of his veteran Quakers secondary as a "major key to stopping Brown." In general, the Penn corners and defensive backs deserve an 'E' for effort this season, despite inconsistent play at times. But without a doubt, they will face their toughest test of the season tomorrow when they line up versus Brown's young and talented corps of receivers. The Bears wide-outs, led by All-Ivy receiver Sean Morey, whose 36 receptions for 714 yards far surpasses any Quaker, will test virtually the same Penn secondary that allowed ex-Bears signal caller Jason McCullough torch them for 250 yards. At the center of Brown's victory last fall was Morey, who had the fifth-best receiving day in Bears history with nine receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns. "There is no question Morey is a very talented receiver," Bagnoli said. "Our game plan will be similar to how we matched up against [Lehigh's star receiver] Deron Braswell. There will be no one guy asked to shadow Morey, but we will rotate and always be very conscious of where he is on the field at all times." The strategy worked against the Engineers' Braswell, who made three insignificant receptions. However, Lehigh quarterback Phil Stambaugh was able to elude Penn defenders all afternoon and connect on several short routes, negating the excellent coverage of Braswell. Unlike the athletic Stambaugh and McCullough, Brown's signal caller of the moment, James Perry, tends to stay in the pocket and is not considered "too mobile" by his coach, Mark Whipple. Shutting down Morey will only be half the battle for the Quakers, who will also face raw power in running back in Azibo Smith. Despite only rambling for 312 yards, the sophomore has a five-yard average and is coming off a career high against Rhode Island in which he rushed for 112 yards. "Our running game is a crucial ingredient to our offensive scheme," Whipple said. "If Smith and [Michael] Powell are successful at running the ball, this will help free up time for Perry, which in turn gives our receivers time to run routes? It will be difficult to win without a solid running game versus Penn." The Quakers' coach agreed whole-heartedly with Whipple. Bagnoli emphasized the importance of both running backs, Jason McGee and James Finn, banging out yardage to help the passing game. McGee, who has spent the week watching plenty of game film of the Brown defense, is confident that it can be exploited. There is plenty of evidence to back McGee's assessment. When studying the Ivy League's team statistics, Brown ranks near the bottom in rushing defense. In addition, the Bears' passing 'D' is tops in the Ivies and has already recorded 18 interceptions. Brown is able to boast the nation's leader in pickoffs, Roderic Parson. The senior, referred to by his teammates and coaches as "Rocky," has eight interceptions to go along with 32 tackles. His tag-team partner Jamaal Stephenson has stolen opposing quarterbacks' passes four times as well. All of this is to say, with Penn's passing woes this season, Quakers signal caller Matt Rader's rocket arm is going to have to be extra precise against Parson and Stephenson. Rader's unimpressive statistics -- eight interceptions compared to three touchdowns -- might have some Quakers fans beginning to wonder whether the junior transfer can lead Penn to an Ivy title this fall. Upon further review of the Penn attack, there is reason to believe that Rader and his offensive mates, who are averaging 21 first downs a game, could raise their paltry scoring average of 17.2 points-per-game as early as this weekend versus Brown. If, for some reason this should not occur, and the Red and Blue is coldcocked by the Bears, Quakers fans will shift their attention to the Penn hoopsters a month earlier than usual.