COLUMN: Hoffman is the obvious QB answer

If you hadn't known better, you might have missed it. A few errant water bottles littered the line of scrimmage. Coaches were standing on the field of play. And the handful of Penn fans in the Franklin Field stands were clearly outnumbered by the Millersville faithful. At 11:07 a.m. last Saturday, the Penn offense trotted out to run a few 7-on-7 drills prior to the start of a three-period scrimmage against the Division II Marauders. With goal line drills going on at the west end of the field and a few aimless joggers still making their way around the track, Hoffman took his place on the field. Hiking the ball to himself -- center Carmelo Rubano didn't come onto the field until midway through the drill -- Hoffman dropped back a couple steps and fired a pass to Mike Verille on the right sideline. Forty minutes later, the real -- or at least as real as a three-period scrimmage gets -- scrimmage kicked off, and there was Hoffman, taking the snaps with the first-unit offense. If there was any question as to who is the Quakers' No. 1 quarterback, it was answered when the sophomore transfer stepped onto the field. And not that there should have been a question. During spring practice, the big issue regarding Al Bagnoli's squad was simple -- who would replace Matt Rader as Penn's field general? Last season, Rader passed for over 2,000 yards while leading Penn to the Ivy title. His heir apparents appeared to be Ed Mebs -- a sophomore who registered an incomplete pass moments before the goal posts were torn down against Harvard -- and Reed Werner, a junior who punted 23 times but attempted just four passes in '98. Enter Hoffman. Just two years prior, the pigskin gods had brought forth Rader, a transfer who started seven games at Duke in 1996, upon a squad which had not had a steady starter at quarterback since Mark De Rosa left to pursue a pro baseball career. Then in July, the Quakers were blessed with luck once again when Hoffman announced his transfer to Penn. Last season, Hoffman passed for 2,199 yards and registered a 116.3 pass efficiency rating while starting all 12 games at Northwestern. Against Illinois, he completed 20-of-29 passes. In a blowout loss to Penn State, he still managed to throw for 229 yards. And that was in front of 96,382 fans. Penn played in front of 101,254 total fans all last season. At 6'6", he stands four inches taller than his center, co-captain Rubano. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Minnesota as a senior at Breck High in '96. He was a SuperPrep and a Prep Star All-American. That is not the kind of resume one expects to find on an Ivy League quarterback. To the causal observer, the QB question shouldn't even have been an issue. But Mebs and Werner had strong springs and the word from the team as to who would start was very much guarded. "I'm not in a position to say that [Hoffman] has that position," sophomore tailback Kris Ryan said at last Friday's media day. Senior wideout Brandon Carson nearly gave something away in describing the team's balanced offense. "We have a bunch of good running backs, and we have a good quarterback and good receivers?" A good quarterback? "I don't know if I'm supposed to say or not," Carson said. "I guess you're probably just going to have to wait." The unassuming Mebs, who stands six inches shorter and 45 pounds lighter than Hoffman, also revealed little. Mebs -- who like Hoffman has three years of eligibility remaining -- said all the right things, though he appeared a little deflated in spirit. "It's too early to say right now [who will start]," Mebs said. "[The transfer] wasn't the best thing for me personally but for the team it was a good move." Hoffman seemed unfazed by the apparent mystery, unconcerned with the apparent competition. "I'm not too worried about who's going to be named starter and when and that type of thing," he said. But if there was any sort of imposed gag rule, Bagnoli didn't seem to know about it. "Right now, it's Gavin one, and Reed and Ed are battling for two," he said. "Is that not beating around the bush, is that OK?" And so it was that Hoffman came to play the first two quarters in the scrimmage. It might not have been a Heisman-worthy performance. And sure, untouched (thanks to his alternate-color jersey) he still managed to throw a first-and-10 pass dead-on into a group of Millersville defenders. But Hoffman showed poise, arm strength and agility while completing 13-of-21 passes for 163 yards. And on third-and-one, he connected on a 36-yard touchdown strike to Carson. Most importantly, though, it was just an exhibition, a preseason scrimmage, and it was Gavin Hoffman in the flesh, lining up behind Rubano at Franklin Field, and not at Ryan Field, where his former teammates were getting abused by Miami of Ohio, 28-3. Yesterday, it became official. Bagnoli announced that Hoffman is the No. 1 quarterback, with Werner at No. 2. Sophomore Tom DiMenna and freshman Mike Mitchell will compete for the third spot on the depth chart. Mebs has been switched to wide receiver. But not that there was really any doubt in the minds of the fans. Hoffman has the size, the ability and the experience to fill in more than capably for the departed Rader. And like Rader, he is a tall, athletic, former Division I-A starter who fell into the laps of the Penn coaching staff in the midst of a quarterback search. "Both have very strong arms, both have very good football minds. Both make very, very quick and accurate decisions. So they're very similar," Bagnoli said. "The difference is, at the comparative stage, Gavin's much more experienced than Matt was." So maybe that experience will translate positively for the Quakers. Because the last time a former I-A starter arrived on the Penn scene, he left with a ring on his finger and his name in the record books.

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