Football welcomes Biscon stampede

The Penn football team is seeking revenge tomorrow at home for a difficult loss to the Bucknell Bison last season. Last Saturday, with nearly 10 minutes remaining in the Penn football team's matchup with Richmond, the stands began to empty. Apparently, fans had seen enough of Richmond's domination of their Quakers. If recent history is an indication of the future, do not expect the same at this weekend's Bucknell game. For the past three years, the Penn-Bucknell matchup has been one of the most exciting of the season, with the game usually coming down to the wire. Last season, the Bison squeaked out a 20-16 win after a go-ahead touchdown for Penn was called back on an illegal motion penalty. In 1996, Penn won 30-21 in overtime, at the time a record for margin of victory in overtime. And three years ago, Jeremiah Greathouse kicked a 41-yard field goal with 27 seconds left to lift Penn to 20-19 victory. If the Red and Blue (1-1) find themselves on the winning end Saturday, it might be due to the resurgence of running back Jim Finn. "We hope to reestablish [the rushing attack]," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Last week we had trouble with Richmond's defensive line, specifically Marc Megna, who is a terrific player." After carrying Penn past Dartmouth in week one with 151 rushing yards, Finn only accumulated 33 yards and fumbled three times against the Spiders. Although the Bison (3-1) do not feature a player like Megna -- a Division I-AA All-American selection -- on the defensive line, Finn should find a few roadblocks when trying to gain yardage. Bucknell is holding opponents to 77 rushing yards per game and only allowed eight yards on the ground to Duquense on September 5. Since gaining 100 yards on the ground will be no easy task for Finn, the Quakers are planning a balanced offensive attack for Saturday. This includes passing to the tight ends, who have been virtually nonexistent the last two weeks. "[Quarterback] Matt [Rader] is going to spread the ball around, so the [Bucknell] defense can't key in on any one person," said junior Doug O'Neill, Penn's leading receiver with 11 catches for 158 yards. While the Penn offense plans on spreading the ball around, the Quakers defense -- which is currently ranked third in Division I-AA -- expects the same from Bucknell. While the Bison have a top receiver in senior Ron Rockett, they also have a good rushing game. Tailback Dan Palko is averaging over five yards per carry. This balanced attack will prevent the Red and Blue from focusing on Rockett, who is seventh on Bucknell's all-time receiving list with 1,329 yards. "The defensive line and the linebackers have been doing a good job against the run, so it's not a great concern," Penn safety Bruce Rossignol said. "But if they do break into the secondary, we have to be able to make the tackle." Getting to the ball carrier, however, should not be too difficult for the Penn defensive line. The Quakers, who allowed Richmond's TyRonne Turner to run for 110 yards, feel comfortable facing the Bucknell offensive line. "I think we'll match up pretty well," Penn nose guard Adrian Puzio said. "A lot of us are returning against the same line we faced last year." The offense and defense both hope to improve on last week's performance, but it is the special teams unit that needs the most work. Richmond punt returner Winston October returned six punts for 89 yards, consistently giving the Spiders good field position. "We hope it improves," Bagnoli said. "Last week, we got exploited by a pretty good athlete on punt returns." Penn first faced Bucknell in 1895 when the Quakers slaughtered them, 40-0, at Franklin Field. Saturday's game will be the 27th between the two. The Red and Blue hold a 22-4 series lead and have typically won by several touchdowns. The way things have been going the last few years, however, Saturday could be one of the most exciting games of the year.