GAME ANALYSIS: Miles scrambles Football's hopes for win

The Penn football team was unable to contain the athletic ability of Richmond quarterback Jimmie Miles. To say that Richmond was miles ahead of Penn last weekend is hardly an overstatement, as the difference in the game really was miles -- Jimmie Miles. The Jimmie Miles show took over Franklin Field last Saturday as Richmond's junior quarterback turned most of the Spiders' option plays into unscripted keepers in Richmond's 34-18 victory against the Quakers. Miles' 78 rushing yards and one touchdown made Penn's good defensive plays end badly. Most of Miles' runs were scrambles that turned seemingly contained plays into substantial gains. "We knew that he was dangerous," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "That is one of the frustrating things you face -- you play pretty well, you collapse the pocket and the kid is very athletic. I thought [our defense] did okay against a conventional running attack." What the Quakers faced, however, was anything but conventional. Even when the Penn defense covered its individual gaps, Miles found ways to elude tacklers. "Jimmie Miles is a creator," Richmond coach Jim Reid said. "You four-man rush or five-man rush Miles, and he has a chance to split [the defense]." When Miles did not scramble left and right, the Richmond tailbacks followed their offensive line. The results, however, were not quite as fruitful. Senior tailback Jasper Pendergrass averaged only 2.3 yards per carry. Nevertheless, his 15 carries were designed to physically wear down Penn's defense in the Philadelphia humidity. "It was our goal to make the game physical," Reid said. "We felt that the Penn defense last week didn't dominate Dartmouth -- they smothered them." The big beneficiary of this physical play was Richmond running back TyRonne Turner, who worked off the opportunities set up by the scrambling and pounding of Miles and Pendergrass. Turner, normally the backup running back, ran outside sweeps and straight-ahead dives en route to 110 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. To its credit, the Penn defense bailed out poor special teams play and an ineffective Quakers offense by holding Richmond to 14 first-half points despite watching the Spiders continually start their drives on the Penn half of the field. But the tackle totals show that Richmond penetrated deep into the Quakers defense far more often than Dartmouth did a week ago. The Quakers' defensive line had its hands full trying to shake off the Spiders' offensive front five, leaving little time to contain the athletic Miles. Quakers linebackers Darren MacDonald and Jim Hisgen strung out sweeps and made stops up the middle, combining for 13 unassisted tackles. Their six solo tackles against Dartmouth pale in comparison. The Penn secondary had more tackles against Richmond as well. Increased downfield movement by the Spiders, which allowed more tackles for the linebackers, also turned the secondary into the last line of defense on several plays. Defensive backs Joe Piela and Bruce Rossignol made sure the first half did not turn into a blowout. Piela had three tackles and four assists, including two score-saving stops on long Richmond runs. Rossignol tallied four tackles and one interception. But being on the field for 18 of the first 30 minutes of play put more work on the shoulders of the unit's key players, eventually wearing down the defense. Miles' running prowess overshadowed the Quakers' defensive ability to shut down Miles' occasional attempt to throw the ball. The Richmond signal caller accumulated only 79 yards passing (7-for-17). "[Richmond] made some plays off of some shorter routes which I hate to see -- a five-yard hitch route turns into 35-yard play," Bagnoli said. It will take integral contributions from more players within the Penn defense to shut down teams of Richmond's caliber. That factor, along with help from the rest of the Quakers in football possession and mistake-free play, will be key areas of improvement for the next two non-Ivy League contests.