Football puts nose back to Ivy grindstone

In general, powder blue uniforms and a 1-3 record don't exactly induce fear in the hearts of many. But that this game is a must win as the Quakers head into the Ivy League part of the schedule is enough to make Columbia a scary opponent. This weekend's game with the Lions matches two teams struggling to put the wind back into the sails of their season. "You don't know what to expect. Their team is kind of like us, trying to find their way," Quakers safety and senior co-captain John Bishop said. "Anything can happen." Bishop highlighted the Quakers' losing performance against Lehigh last week. He racked up a career-high 22 tackles, 21 of which came unassisted. His previous best, 14 tackles, was against these same Lions a year ago. Penn's defense will be called upon to raise their game and stop the ball at the line of scrimmage. The Quakers need to shut down sophomore tailback John Toye, who ran for 105 yards on just 23 carries in the Lions' 29-point loss to Holy Cross last week. The task should be somewhat easier on the defense as tackle Mitch Marrow should see some playing time in Saturday's rumble at Wien Stadium. "Mitch is a great player," Bishop said. "If he can come out and play at full strength, obviously he is going to help the team." Marrow's recovery from a viral infection should give the line a little more room to pressure the Columbia ground game. It will be necessary to prevent the same free-running exhibition that Lehigh's Rabih Abdullah put on last week. Abdullah had his best showing of the season with 153 yards on 26 carries. Repeat performances by the linebacking corps should help keep the backs away from Bishop and the rest of the secondary and allow them to read the routes of the wide receivers. "I think this week our focus should be a little bit more on attitude," Bishop said. "We need really to go out with a chip on our shoulder and go out and play with a lot more aggression and enthusiasm than [we] did last week." While the defensive side of the ball has its work cut out for them, the offense has hopes of getting into a rhythm in time for the heart of the season. Quarterback Matt Rader hopes to lead the Quakers into the end zone for more than the one touchdown put on the board in Bethlehem, Pa. "I feel comfortable with the system right now," Rader said. "I think coming in it was kind of rough. I don't think that is a problem now. It is more of an issue of the team getting comfortable with each other, with the receivers and the offensive line, and everybody just getting the job done." The game with Columbia will give the Quakers a chance to focus on finishing the drives they have been capable of putting together and capitalizing in the red zone. Coming into this week, the Quakers have out-rushed opponents, 557 to 458 yards, and have outpassed opponents, 885-782. The Quakers will need to break trends like those set against the Engineers last week, as they were able to put together more first downs than Lehigh (19-18) but only put the ball in the end zone once. "We have put good drives together, but it has been something different every time," Rader said. "It's either a penalty or somebody making a mental mistake. Everyone has got to get on the same page and stop making mental breakdowns." Rader will continue to try to spread the ball to a versatile core of receivers. Sophomore Doug O'Neill contributed with a team-high six catches for 71 yards. John James also got into the act with five receptions and 53 yards. The Quakers will need Jason McGee to continue his comeback to establish a running game against a Lions defense that has allowed 835 yards to opposing running backs.

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