Football 'comes home' a step closer to crown

Penn running back Jim Finn rushed for 141 yards in the Quakers' 34-21 win over the Elis. Not even the date on the calendar could stop the return to normalcy for the Penn football team. With a reemerging defense, cruise-control offense and a Homecoming crowd of 20,875, the Quakers' 34-21 win over Yale was yet another step toward an Ivy League title. The Penn (5-2, 3-1 Ivy) defense returned to its early-season form. The Quakers defensive line highlighted the early effort, sacking Yale quarterback Joe Walland once on each of Yale's first three drives. "We didn't really show [Yale] anything new," Penn defensive lineman Jason Maehr said. "We just basically played strong up front, which is what we wanted to do on the defensive line." As well as the Quakers defense played, the Elis (3-4, 2-2) helped by beating themselves throughout the afternoon. "We didn't execute," Walland said. "We had plays where we could've easily passed the ball on Penn, but our protection broke down. We had dropped passes and bad throws. Something always happened." The visitors saw their run game shut down as well, leading to three punts and a fumble turnover in the Elis' first four possessions. Yale tailback Rashad Bartholomew was held to 52 yards. The Quakers' run defense and early offensive scores disrupted any flow the Elis tried to establish in their attack, providing a long day for the guests. Meanwhile, Penn's offense gained early control of the game. Quaker running back Jim Finn capped off the opening drive by bouncing off two lead blocks on the right side for the 12-yard rushing touchdown. Finn scored the first two touchdowns and tallied 141 yards rushing for the day. The Quakers later provided the most exciting moment of the day midway through the second quarter, courtesy of Penn quarterback Matt Rader and wide receiver Brandon Carson. "Yale blitzed up the middle, and there was one-on-one coverage with Carson," Rader said. "I thought I overthrew it because I got hit when I threw the pass." Instead, Carson made the grab with an outstretched left hand over the middle of the Elis' secondary, and ran to complete the 52-yard touchdown. The Quakers held a commanding 21-0 lead after their first four possessions. Slowly and quietly, however, Yale's offense marched down the field and refused to stop after being outplayed for the first 22 minutes of the half. Seventeen plays and 7:36 later, Walland ran a four yard keeper to finally put the Elis on the board. After the long wait, the Quakers made the most of the 42 seconds left before halftime. Play execution and clock management allowed Penn kicker Jason Feinberg to connect on a 41-yard field goal from the right hash marks to give the Quakers a 24-7 lead. "In the first half, they had us kind of guessing what they were going to do rather than us just reacting," Yale linebacker Peter Mazza said. "They were really balanced with the run and pass. That put us on our heels and killed us." The Elis had one more chance, courtesy of a mediocre start to the second half by both sides. Three turnovers between both teams, including two by the Red and Blue, took place in the first 1:52 of the third quarter. Immediately following the bloopers, Yale had its moment in the brisk sun when they pulled a page out of the Quakers' playbook. Elis running back Josh Phillips threw a halfback option pass to split end Jake Fuller, who found himself wide open on the right side. The score closed the Yale deficit to 10 points, even though they had the ball for only 3:44 in the third quarter. "We still scored the touchdown even after the back-and-forth turnovers," Yale coach Jack Siedlecki said. "Then the next three series, on third down, we didn't step up and make plays." From there, the Quakers finally put the finishing touches on this victory with Rader's seven-yard pass to David Rogers and a Feinberg 37-yard field goal. Rader completed 18-of-26 passes for 247 yards, hitting more than just usual wideout target Doug O'Neill. Rogers caught seven passes for 84 yards, and Carson had 116 yards receiving on six catches. "It sucks, losing sucks," Yale captain Corwyne Carruthers said. "We knew this was the biggest game we had in seven or eight years, and we didn't do the things we needed to do."