Football 'comes home' a step closer to crown

The Penn football team's strong first half proved essential in the win as the Quakers' offense sputtered late. After scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter against Brown last weekend, the offense of Penn's football team still had one thing to prove -- consistency. Starting Saturday's homecoming game against Yale with a huge offensive thrust that resulted in a 24-7 halftime lead seemed to prove just that. Then the Quakers came out sputtering in the second half. Instead of panicking, though, the Quakers handed the ball over to the Ivy League's leading rusher, Jim Finn, who took control of the reins, allowing the Quakers (5-2, 3-1 Ivy League) to cruise to a 34-21 victory over the Elis (3-4, 2-2). "The first couple drives, it seemed like we were in the same situation as last week," Finn said. "Everything was going well for us. In the third a few things went wrong The key was that we settled down, and we started moving the ball again late in the third and going into the fourth quarter." Scoring in four out of their five drives in the first half, the Quakers started Saturday's game where they left off the previous week against Brown. Against Yale, Penn amassed 267 total yards in the first half, averaging 8.3 yards per play. "In the first half they had us guessing what they were going to do," Yale middle linebacker Peter Mazza said. "They were really balanced with the run and the pass. That through us on our heels, and that's what killed us." Notorious as a running offense, Penn was able to initiate a lethal passing attack that accumulated 182 yards in the first two quarters. "Everybody is pretty confident in themselves," Rader said. "Jim's running the ball well, and I am throwing the ball well. The offensive line did a good job protecting, and our receivers did a good job getting open and making the plays when they had to. You put the ball on the money and you hope that they make yards after the catch, and they did." On second-and-13 from the Quakers 48-yard line halfway into the second quarter, Rader noticed Mazza coming on an inside blitz. Lining up in the slot position on the right side, Penn wide receiver Brandon Carson caught Rader's hurried throw and never looked back, scoring a 52-yard touchdown. The score put the Quakers up 21-0. "There was one-on-one coverage with Carson and Doug [O'Neill]," Rader said. "Brandon just made a heck of a catch. I thought I overthrew him, because I got hit when I threw it. When I got up, he was standing in the endzone." In previous games, Rader spread the ball around to most of his receivers. In the first half against Yale, the Pennsylvania quarterback found comfort in passing the ball off to wideouts David Rogers and Carson. The two combined for eight receptions and 149 of the 182 receiving yards. "We took what the defense gave us," Rogers said. "The middle of the field seemed to be open a lot. Matt was doing a good job staying in the pocket and making his read." Then came Penn's third quarter. In their first four drives in the third quarter, Penn gained only 37 yards, including an interception, a fumble, and a drive that ended on loss of downs. They looked very much like the team that had been outscored 49-16 by all previous opponents in the third frame. "All season long, we have had the third quarter blues," Bagnoli said. "We had the ball out to midfield [on the second half kickoff], but before you know it, it is back to the 30 because of a penalty. The first play [of the half] the ball gets punched out, and the next thing you know, you are on defense." Able to complete 12-of-15 passes in the first half without getting sacked, Rader completed only three of six attempts in third quarter, while getting sacked four times for a combined 25 yards. "You don't really know where to put your finger on it," Rader said. "When you come out and the first play you fumble the ball, and the next possession you throw an interception, you really can't explain it. The first half we played really well, and then come out in the third quarter we just had the blues." Hanging onto a 24-14 lead midway through the third quarter, the Quakers knew the Elis were still in pursuit. On their fifth drive of the half, Penn finally solved their offensive worries by going back to square one. Starting the from their own 35 yard line with 2:23 left in the third, the Quakers drove the length of the field on Finn's back. "Yale was obviously pumped up from the half," Finn said. "We knew that if we relaxed and did what we were doing early in the game, we would be fine. I don't think there was a sense of urgency, it was just a matter of time before we settled down and got back into our groove again." Seven of the 11 plays and 54 of the 65 yards on the drive came from Finn's possession of the ball. Being able to hand the ball off to Finn also allowed the rest of the offense to fall back into sync. The final play of the drive came on third-and-goal from the seven. Rader found Rogers open on an inside slant route for his first collegiate touchdown catch. "Finn was doing a good job running it right down the line," Rader said. "It was the same slant pattern we had been running the whole time. Dave just made a great catch. It basically sealed the game." Finn finished the game with 141 yards on 27 carries and the two first-half scores. Rader ended with 247 yards passing, competing 18-of-26 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Rogers and Carson both finished with career highs in both receptions and yards. Rogers finished with seven receptions for 84 yards, and one score, while Carson ended with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Proving in the first half that they could run a well-balanced offense, things started to come undone in the second half. With the top Ivy League rusher in their backfield, Penn went back to the reliable Finn who restored order and caused Yale to desert all hopes of a fourth quarter comeback.

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