Playing dead: Football shut out, 33-0

Nothing went right in the Quakers' loss Harvard, which was coach Al Bognoli's worst defeat in his career as Penn's coach. and Matt Wurst BOSTON -- It was a frigid Saturday afternoon when the Penn football team took one last stand at the Ivy League title. But on the muddy sludge of Harvard Stadium, Penn was turned away by a Crimson avalanche that plowed over the Quakers, 33-0. Harvard, which hasn't won an Ivy League title outright since 1956, arrived on its home tundra with a mission. And while the weather conditions made such basic tasks as snapping the football and punting challenging for the Quakers, the Harvard offense ran as smoothly as on a warm September day. Although Penn junior Jim Finn recovered his own fumble on the game's opening kick, the Quakers' sloppy start foreshadowed events to come. Penn's offense went 18-and-out on its first six drives, with the opening play a halfback option pass that Crimson defensive pressure forced Finn to throw away. "We may have thought that initially they were a little desperate after that opening play," Harvard defensive end Chris Smith said. The Crimson offense, however, needed no desperation gimmicks, marching the ball methodically up-field on the Quakers. Crimson back Chris Menick spun into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown run, capping off an eight-play, 73-yard drive that placed Harvard ahead, 7-0. The drive was highlighted by a 40-yard Rich Linden strike on to Jared Chupalia that sailed over the head of Quakers cornerback Joe Piela. Harvard scored again before Penn could complete a first down. After slowly gaining in the battle for field position, Crimson senior Colby Skelton returned a Jeff Salvino punt to Penn's 43-yard line. On a fake reverse, Linden rolled out and hit Chupalia for a 33-yard gain. A Penn penalty on the end of the play moved the ball to inside the Quakers' five. After three consecutive holds by Penn's defense, the Crimson elected to go on fourth-and-one, where Linden hit a wide-opened Chris Eitzmann in the end zone. "We had 11 men on scrimmage," said Penn coach Al Bagnoli, who suffered his worst loss and first shutout in six years in charge of the Quakers. "We obviously didn't have coverage." On the ensuing kickoff, however, the Quakers began showing signs of life. Penn returner Bruce Rossignol scampered to the 35-yard line returned Giampaolo's kick, eluding Harvard downfield coverage by faking a lateral to Finn. Finn then broke free to the outside on a pair of draws, and caught a screen pass out of the I-formation on fourth-and-three for a first down. Just as the Quakers appeared to get back into the game, Penn quarterback Matt Rader threw a fourth-and-four pass to Finn at the first down marker which bounced off the arms of his receiver and into those of cornerback Glenn Jackson. He ran it back 67 yards for a touchdown. A missed extra point left Harvard up 20 going into the locker room at the half. Harvard got the ball to start the second half and picked up right where it had left off. Menick led the Crimson drive down the field, which was capped by a four-yard touchdown on a keeper by Linden, as Harvard went up 27-0 with 11 minutes remaining in the quarter. To add salt to an already deep wound, Harvard added another touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. Linden found Tom Giardi in the end zone for Harvard's second touchdown on a fourth and goal of the game. Harvard missed another extra point, but that had long since ceased to matter. "The bottom line is we didn't need 33 points to win this football game," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. By outgaining the Quakers 362 yards to 114, Harvard secured a share of the Ivy League championship for the first time since 1987. With this win, Harvard heads to last-place Yale on Saturday just a win shy of its first unshared Ivy League title in 41 years. And for the Quakers, any hopes of an Ivy League title are as gone as the Harvard Stadium grass, destroyed by a weekend storm.

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