Finn leads Penn's run for an Ivy crown

See Jim run. See Jim run again. No, it's not the opening of a Dr. Seuss story. It's the Penn Quakers offense in 1998. Yes, Matt Rader threw for 1,832 yards last year and was third in the Ivy League in total offense. But when the game is on the line, Rader will get the ball to senior co-captain Jim Finn. If all goes well, that should take the Quakers a long way. "Any coach wants a balanced attack," Finn said. "I think we have a strong running game and a strong passing game that opens up both sides of the offense." "I think we have all the confidence based on last year, that he can go out there and continue to run? to balance out the defense," Penn football coach Al Bagnoli said. Although the young receiving core is a year older, talk of a balanced offense is purely that. Talk. At crunch time, Finn's 5.1 yards per rush and 11 touchdowns of a year ago will be too hard to ignore. His bruising style makes him even more appealing later in the game. "I'm the type of runner that wears people down," Finn said. "Last season, sometimes I was kept in check but as the game progressed, I wore them down and they weren't coming in that aggressively on me, and I was able to break more tackles." The unanimous first team All-Ivy tailback finished second in the conference in rushing at 797 yards. But he was not even the starter until the fifth game of a 10-game season. Given a full season at tailback, Finn should challenge Harvard junior Chris Menick for the rushing title that Menick won in 1997. While Menick finished 470 yards ahead of Finn last year, they both averaged 5.1 yards per carry. With a full season as the featured back, Finn has a good shot at the title. "I don't really worry either way about Chris Menick, to tell you the truth," Finn said. "I want to worry about my team and throughout the season, those questions will be answered by themselves." Finn did see action on offense in goal-line situations from the beginning of the 1997 season, but he was primarily expected to fill the role of starting strong safety and kick returner. With starting tailbacks Jason McGee and Melvin Alexander suffered from injuries and ineffectiveness early in the year, however, Finn made a full time switch from defense back to offense and the position for which he was originally recruited. The turning point of his transition came at Columbia when he rushed for 138 yards and scored on both sides of the ball. The move from being a defensive role player to the focus of the offense was surprisingly smooth, as Finn rushed for over 100 yards on six separate occasions. "I've been a running back all my life, so it wasn't like I was unfamiliar with it," Finn said. While last year's Quakers team was filled with many talented yet unknown players, the offense starts this season with far fewer questions. Rader has been at the helm for a full year since transferring from Duke, and the receivers which formed his core targets at the end of the season have all returned. "The offense was a little in disarray last year," Finn said. "But this year, we knew who the people were going to be in the spring so we had time to prepare in the spring and over the summer, working on shoring things up earlier with the people you know are going to be there." Doug O'Neill led the Quakers in receiving in 1997 with 32 receptions and 430 yards. He will again be joined by David Rogers, who returns for his sophomore season. "There is definitely a lot more chemistry between the offensive people this year," Finn said. "I could sense it even before we started practicing. The receivers look like they are working really well with Matt and are going to put some points on the board." Finn will also rely heavily on an offensive line that is not yet cemented. "It's going to be a team effort," Bagnoli said. "Our concern is inexperience, because you don't really know what happens in the first early games: The whistle blows, and how are they going to be acting? They get so excited they forget everything." This is especially vital for Finn because of his running style. "Finn is harder to bring out because he's a larger back, as opposed to Jason McGee, who makes more cuts," Penn guard Jesse Simonin said. The young line is weakened by the injury to starting center Carmelo Rubano. He injured his back lifting weights over the summer and is doubtful for Saturday's opener at Dartmouth. Teammates are hopeful he will be ready to play, but Simonin will start at center if he is still out. "[Carmelo] is probably the quarterback of the offensive line," Finn said. "He's the center. Everybody trusts him. People go to him when they have a question." While the loss of Rubano would hurt, Finn is looking forward to the Dartmouth game. "To tell you the truth, I like Dartmouth away," Finn said. "I like their field, their stadium, their atmosphere. It's a great trip. Some say it's too long. I like long trips. It builds camaraderie." Finn and senior defensive back-kick returner Joe Piela were voted co-captains by their teammates. "They're both stand-up guys, they play very hard, have good leadership qualities and game experience," Simonin said. "Everyone respects them so it was kind of just a natural thing." The pair know each other very well from Finn's days on the other side of the ball. "I think the two of us understand each other," Finn said. "We know exactly what one another is going through, and we agree on a lot of things on the football field. That is definitely going to help this team." There are still a lot of questions for the 1998 Penn Quakers. But one thing is certain: Opposing defenses will see a lot of Jim Finn this year. If he lives up to the expectations he set last season, he might just run the Quakers all the way to their first Ivy League title in four years.

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