Analysis: Running backs fill the void

Penn's Kris Ryan rushed for 99 yards in the first game of the post-Finn era Jim who? The job done by the Penn running game on Saturday wasn't spectacular enough to make Quakers fans forget the name of 1998 Ivy League Player of the Year Jim Finn. But, by the looks of it, that time may someday arrive. Rather than electing one ball-carrier as Finn's successor, Penn appears content to go with the running-back-by-committee approach. Sophomore Kris Ryan, sophomore Matt Thomas and junior Mike Verille emerged from Saturday's 17-6 win over a sickly-looking Dartmouth as the ruling triumvirate of the Penn backfield. "I just think we've got three good players that complement each other real well," Bagnoli said. "We need to keep them healthy and find room for them in this offense. It's a nice problem to have." On Saturday, the Quakers were able to move the ball on the ground. Ryan led all rushers with 99 yards on 15 carries. Thomas had seven carries for 34 yards, and Verille netted seven yards on as many attempts. For the sake of perspective, compare the job done by the Penn backs on Saturday to the performance in last year's opener at Dartmouth's Memorial Field. In their 1998 meeting, Finn carried the ball a mind-numbing 41 times for 151 yards against the Big Green. Jason McGee chipped in with four yards on five tries. So, even with Jim Finn taking handoffs, Penn gained only 11 more yards on the ground in last year's Dartmouth game. This year's trio of Thomas, Ryan and Verille actually averaged 1.5 more yards per carry than Finn and company. "Well, Kris and myself are sophomores. Mike's a transfer, so you don't know what's going to happen with guys with that little experience," Thomas said. "Personally, I'm happy, but that doesn't really matter. I think the offense really meshed together." Each of the three tailbacks brings a different set of abilities to the table. "In a perfect world, Kris Ryan is going to break some tackles and get north/south," Bagnoli said. "Verille's going to catch the ball and be a cut back runner. And Matt Thomas is going to hit the hole a hundred miles an hour. And that's what ended up happening." Ryan proved himself more than just a banger on Saturday. In one spectacular bit of running, he showed that he has the makings of a big-play threat. With slightly more than ten minutes left in the first half, Penn led the game 3-0. The Quakers had the ball at the Dartmouth 48 following a 14-yard lightning fast draw play from Thomas. The call went to Ryan and looked mundane enough off of a quick Hoffman handoff. Ryan headed for a small hole forged in between Penn right guard Todd Giblin and right tackle Matt Bane. Forty-eight yards and three broken tackles later, Ryan crossed Franklin Field's east goal line to the delight of most of the 9,377 in attendance. The Quakers' margin of victory was secure. Ryan was just one yard shy of the century mark on Saturday, and he looks very much like a top-tier Ivy back. Thomas didn't amass Ryan's yardage, but demonstrated an uncanny knack for bursting through the line of scrimmage with explosiveness. He didn't enter the game until the start of the second quarter, but was electric from the first time he touched the ball. His first draw up the middle was good for 11 yards and a first down. By the time Thomas logged his fourth carry, he had earned 43 yards. His 5'8", 180-pound frame had catapulted through line virtually unscathed. "The smaller kid [Thomas] hurt us with some draws. It's a nice change-up they have with them," Lyons said. Thomas is a much smaller back than Ryan. Consequently, he won't be one to run over tacklers. But with speed and an eye for daylight as developed as his, he has a bright future in a Penn jersey. Verille did not have a stellar day running the ball against Dartmouth. He, instead, showed his versatility out of the backfield, catching four passes for an average of 10.5 yards per catch. "When you have three guys going at the same time in rotation, you're going to have days when some guys are doing something well and other guys aren't," Verille said. "In that sense, it's a bit of a luxury for the offense because you don't have to count on one guy to do everything." With multi-talented Verille, jet-propelled Thomas and scrappy Ryan in the backfield, Penn fans may remember Jim Finn, but they won't miss him very much.