Senior Joe Piela will lead a talented but inexperienced corp of defensive backs. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently declared that, "For our team, Emmitt Smith is a luxury and not a necessity." In the case of Penn football, however, if senior cornerback Joe Piela isn't a necessity, winning certainly must not be either. With the loss of All-Ivy safety John Bishop to graduation, Piela will call the shots this year in a secondary that features two players -- Hasani White and Joey Alofatiuli -- both returning from a year off. "I'm the only experienced person back in the secondary," Piela said. "The only advice I have for the newer players is that you can't take any plays off in the secondary. I'm not a very outspoken person, but I want to lead the same way I did before -- by giving my all at every practice and on every down." This year, Piela returns for his senior season as a co-captain. With an inexperienced corp around him, versatility is the most valuable quality that Piela brings to the team. So it is not surprising that he has been seeing some time at safety during practice. Who better to lead a relatively inexperienced cadre of defensive backs than someone who has played every position in the secondary except strong safety? Piela, who was fourth on the team in 1997 with 66 tackles while leading the defense with four interceptions, was especially excited to see that two players in particular were ready to move on from the reasons that kept them away from action last season. Both White, who returns this year to the secondary after being sidelined with a torn knee joint for his entire sophomore year, and Alofaituli, who took a year off from football for personal reasons, rejoin the Quakers at the DB position. "Hasani has been working very hard and getting better in practice," Piela said. "He doesn't look like he has lost much in the year away, but I think what he really needs is to make some plays in an actual game to get his confidence back." Another player who is missing from last year's opening secondary lineup, Jim Finn, will nevertheless still be a major influence on Piela's season. They may not be on the field at the same time, but one of Piela's most reliable teammates is Finn, the other co-captain, from Bergen Catholic School, who midway last season had his position changed from cornerback to the starting tailback. Finn and Piela have played together since high school in Fair Lawn, N.J., and after three full seasons with the Quakers, both have seen the legacy left by an undefeated team. Few others, if any, on this Penn team have experienced the feeling of taking to the football field not remembering the last time the Quakers scored less than the opposition. Piela and Finn have seen it all in their three years and share a mutual respect and mentality. "I think the two of us understand each other," Finn said. "I don't need to talk to him to understand what he's thinking. I can just see from how he's playing and what he's thinking. We know exactly what one another is going through. And we agree on a lot of things on the football field." The Quakers would be well-served if the two combine for games similar to the one they finished off last season against Cornell. In that game, which Penn won 33-20, Piela opened the scoring with a 74-yard punt return and sealed the win for Penn with a 25-yard interception return in the fourth quarter. Finn, meanwhile, scored twice on runs of six and 22 yards. Together the two outscored the Big Red by themselves, 24-20. One proposition that both certainly agree on is that Penn was better than not only last year's official 1-9 mark, but even its actual 6-4 record reflect. "We had a realistic goal last year to go 10-0 and win the Ivy League," said Piela. "Everyone has such goals at the beginning, but ours was definitely achievable. But the main feeling in the locker room now is one that we've put last year's disappointment behind us and are ready to move on." The test for Piela, White and Alofaituli will come in the very first game of the season, when the Red and Blue travel on Saturday to Dartmouth. Last year, the Big Green jumped to a 23-0 lead before QB Matt Rader rushed for a score and passed for another to salvage a 23-15 decision. That game highlighted Penn's special teams troubles, which Piela will be asked to take a part in fixing this season. Against Dartmouth, placekicker Dave Regula recovered a fumble on his own kickoff and sailed 32 yards into the endzone for the score that extended Dartmouth's lead to more than two touchdowns. With inexperienced blockers in front, special teams duties will not be any easier this year. "We lost some seniors on special teams but we have the same basic formations as last year," said Piela. "There are some new people who will be blocking for me, but I am confident that they know their assignments on a particular return call and will be able to do it." Penn has not beaten Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H., since 1994. "All I am thinking about right now is Dartmouth. I don't want to have to say that [Penn] lost to them [both] years that I played here," Piela noted. If Piela picks up where Bishop left off last season, maybe he will not have to.
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