Dartmouth hits rush hour in Hanover

The Penn football team edged out Dartmouth, 17-14, in the season opener behind Jim Finn's 151 yards rushing. HANOVER, N.H. -- Penn may have to start thinking about getting new goal posts this winter. Of course, title talk is premature one game into the season. Still, the poise shown by the Penn football team in its 17-14 win over Dartmouth on Saturday indicates that this just may be the beginning of a special season. Six inches stood between Penn (1-0, 1-0 Ivy League) and a needed Ivy League victory. Facing unseasonable warmth and the goal line defense of the Big Green (0-1, 0-1), Quakers running back Jim Finn ran behind right side linemen Jesse Simonin and Aaron Atkins. The linemen's push, and Finn's second effort, was enough for the winning score three minutes into the fourth quarter. The touchdown capped a 14-play, 5:31 drive that existed courtesy of a fumble recovery by Quakers linebacker Jim Hisgen. The series featured a pass interference penalty on fourth down. Dartmouth cornerback Tom Reusser seemed to have successfully defended Penn wide receiver David O'Neill when the flag came flying from behind. Instead of a Dartmouth possession at its own 31-yard line, Penn continued its drive from the Big Green 20, foiling the Dartmouth comeback from first-half doom. "From where I was, it was an awful call," Dartmouth coach John Lyons said. "Just to have the lead and have the game in control with guys dropping like flies out there, and then we lost it. It's a tough loss." Dartmouth, however, will certainly examine the inept first-half offense that managed a meager four yards of total offense. The Big Green attack did not gain a single first down in those opening two quarters, due largely to the omnipresence of Penn's front seven on defense. Penn opened the scoring 5:31 into the contest with Finn's first touchdown run through the gut of the Dartmouth defense. The six-yard run was part of Finn's 151 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Penn sophomore Jason Feinberg added a 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter, giving the Quakers a 10-0 lead before halftime. With no response mounted by the Big Green, the margin seemed relatively safe. "The first half was one of those good-news/bad-news halves," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "We played very well in spots, but only had 10 points to show for it. We conceivably could have scored 21 or 24 points." Enter Dartmouth punter Wayne Schlobohm. After averaging a remarkable 46.7 yards on six first-half punts, Schlobohm topped himself and finally pinned Penn with a 71-yard punt five minutes into the third quarter, placing the Penn offense inside the one-yard line. "Today, I wasn't completely consistent, but I just tried to kick away from him (Penn punt returner Joe Piela), get hang time, and make an opportunity," Schlobohm said. Penn yielded after three downs, and a low snap on the next punt by Quakers long snapper Clint Burhorn caused Penn quarterback Matt Rader -- who also handled some punting duties Saturday -- to reach low for the ball. Rader managed to barely get the punt away, but the kick was blocked and rolled to the Penn 15-yard line where Dartmouth took over possession and momentum. The Big Green's first blow was Coffey's 26-yard high pass to outstretched wide receiver Damon Ferrara seven minutes into the third quarter. Ferrara pulled down the pass, which seemed beyond the reach of him and Penn safety Hasani White. Dartmouth started its next series in Quakers territory for the second possession in a row. This time, Coffey scrambled 13 yards for the touchdown, giving the Big Green a 14-10 lead with 2:36 left in the third quarter. After Penn's winning drive on the next series, Dartmouth never answered for the remaining 11 minutes of the game. With the exception of the third quarter, the Penn offense had its way for much of the afternoon. Rader completed 17-of-28 passes to eight different receivers for 161 yards. Quakers receiver Doug O'Neill was one of the beneficiaries, catching six passes for 62 yards. For the Big Green, Coffey went 10-of-22 on the afternoon for 85 yards and one touchdown. Tailback Eric Davis led Dartmouth rushers with only 34 yards, and Ferrara led Big Green receivers with 43 yards on two catches. The Quakers' success on the day came much from the team's heart. "Nobody put their head down," Penn co-captain Joe Piela said. "That's the difference between this team this year and the team in the past couple of years."