Three All-Ivy Honorees Head Up The Fourth-Best Rushing Defense in Division 1-AA Story By Andrew McLaughlin Photo by Kent Malmros "All those guys are nuts." A football coach talking about an overly-aggressive opposing team? No. A football player talking about the rowdy fans at an away game? Again, no. Well, if Bagnoli describes the Quakers defensive line as "nuts," then that must be a very, very good thing. To say that Penn football had a great season in 1998 would be a fair characterization of the team's march to the Ivy crown. To say that the Quakers defensive line had a great season would be exactly on the mark. Holding opposing offenses to 78.9 rushing yards per game and just 2.4 yards per carry, Penn's rushing defense ended the season ranked No. 4 in Division I-AA. With seniors Mike Germino, Jason Maehr and Adrian Puzio, and juniors Edward Galan and Brian Person all returning from that punishing D-line, early indications are that the 1999 Quakers are capable of putting up even better numbers than those of 1998. "The line is the strength of our defense," Bagnoli said. "The number of kids you have returning and the experience of the kids you have returning -- it's a nice combination because we can go five and six deep and can keep kids fresh. "They're not overly big but they all run well, they're all good athletes, they're all strong. And they play the way you want people to play -- they play with a relentlessness and a passion. They're tough kids and that's what you need down there." Germino. Despite missing two games due to injury, the Boston University transfer still recorded team-highs with 10 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles in '98. Puzio. The senior has 71 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks in his two years as a starter, and can also bench three reps at 405 pounds. Maehr. The largest starting defensive lineman at 6'4" and 265 pounds, Maehr came up with equally large numbers, registering a team-high eight sacks. In the season finale at Cornell, he also came up with the blood of Big Red quarterback Mike Hood smeared on his jersey after one such sack. Galan. A youngster in the trenches, this junior had five sacks and 28 tackles in '98. But on a line with this much experience, those impressive numbers still constitute having something to prove. Throw in the 4 1/2 sacks of junior Brian Person -- and the experience of versatile senior Qurran Rogers and sophomores Matt Hager and Steven Moroney -- and you've got a front line that averages 6'2" and 250 pounds. So is there a weak link? Not according to the people who should know -- opposing coaches. "Defensively, they're a tough, physical team," Dartmouth coach John Lyons said, "and they caused us problems." Did they ever. In the '98 season opener, Lyons witnessed the Quakers absolutely flatten his ill-prepared squad, allowing them a stingy 20 rushing yards on 28 carries. Yes, Penn's defensive front allowed the "Big" Green all of a big 0.72 yards per carry. Maybe Bagnoli was right -- that is nuts. Two weeks later against Bucknell, the Red and Blue defense limited the Bison to a mere 21 yards on 26 carries. "Penn physically won that battle," Bucknell coach Tom Gadd said. "They won because they dominated the line of scrimmage -- I don't think we even challenged them in the running game." In fact, five times during the Quakers' title run, opposing running backs could not even muster two yards per carry in a game. That's some serious defense. And that's just the way Penn's defensive line operates. Coaches, both for Penn and for the opposition, know that they're determined. And strong. And always ready. The linemen themselves? Well, let's just not forget what Bagnoli said about them being nuts. Is there one particular game or quarterback that Penn's D-line is preparing for in particular in 1999? One would think that the Quakers would have their defensive sights locked on All-Ivy quarterback James Perry at Brown, or whomever wins the starting quarterback job at archrival Princeton. But no, the answer is much simpler, providing a clearer picture of what the Quakers defense is all about. "All of them," Maehr said. "Who cares -- they're just all dummies with helmets on them. They're all Social Security numbers." And you wonder why defensive linemen don't get quoted more often. Last fall, as the Quakers smashed their way through the Ivies, the stellar play of Penn's defensive line was ever-so-often overshadowed by the offensive antics of Jim Finn and Matt Rader. Some athletes might be upset at not being asked for a quote after the game or at not seeing their names in lights after recording two more sacks or seven more tackles, but not these guys. "[The lack of publicity] doesn't bother us. The respect of the team in the locker room is more important," Puzio said. "Some guys get their name in the newspaper and the team knows they didn't do so well. But for us, the team's respect is what's important." Respect is very important to these guys. Being aggressive and letting the poor souls on the other side of the ball know who's the boss is the name of the game. So how does a Quakers defense that had seven players -- including four defensive linemen -- earn All-Ivy honors a year ago expect to fare this year? "We want all five on the [defensive] line to be All-Ivy," Puzio said. "Nothing less." Well, that's bold. But it's representative of how these guys play. "We all have aggressive individual personalities," Germino said. "Basically we break everyone's balls, we're always flying off the handle in practice and always hitting people that we're not supposed to. "The coaches are constantly trying to calm us down." Well, the coaches aren't the only ones. Certain reporters and photographers have a hard time as well. As for the opposing team, well, forget about that. Take the season finale at Cornell last November. On the cusp of an Ivy title, Penn's D-line really did go nuts. Using a complete team effort, Penn sacked the Big Red quarterback four times and knocked him down several more in the Quakers' 35-21 win. "[The Cornell offensive linemen] were doing everything they can do," said Cornell coach Peter Mangurian after his quarterback and front five were pummeled for 60 long, brutal minutes. "[But] sometimes it's not good enough." Good enough? That might actually lead one to believe that the Cornell line was at least minimally effective in stopping the Red and Blue on their quest for the Cornell quarterback. Maehr? Two sacks, three tackles for a loss against Cornell. Germino? One and a half sacks, two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. Puzio? A forced fumble and a pass deflection. Galan? One tackle for a loss and the other half of Germino's second sack. Person? The slacker of the group, recording only one tackle for a loss. Think Dartmouth's first-year starting quarterback will be happy to see this group lining up opposite him come tomorrow afternoon? Make no mistake about it, this season will not be all rainbows and sunshine when the Quakers defense takes the field. Penn lost three All-Ivy defensive selections to graduation in safety Joe Piela, linebacker Darren Macdonald and defensive end Justin Gallagher. None of these players can be replaced that easily and it remains to be seen if a Quakers squad that ranked fourth in Division I-AA in rushing defense in '98 can repeat that success this fall. But there is little reason to be concerned -- a host of large men who can bench-press over 400 pounds are eager to come to the rescue. "[Losing Piela and MacDonald was] a big blow, but on the other hand there are still eight returning starters," senior co-captain and middle linebacker Jim Hisgen said. "Those are our two inspirational players, so it's more of an emotional thing and getting acclimated to different types of players. "But other than that, we're feeling pretty good. We're very solid up front." Solid as a rock may be an accurate description of the Quakers defensive line. Linemen Puzio, Galan, and Jeff Hatch, a junior, are three of the four Penn football players who can bench 400 pounds -- much less move a slow-footed opposing offensive lineman violently aside en route to the much smaller man holding the ball. "We take pride in the weight room and in our strength and quickness," said Puzio, who at 5'11" dispels the notion that you have to be a giant to play in the trenches. "What makes up for my relative lack of height is my strength. I'm not too worried about [our opponent's] size because we're strong." Strong as individuals, and strong as a team as well. The eight young men who will see major playing time together up front have over 11 full years of varsity play between them. Cohesion and playing as a team should not be a problem. And although none of these defensive linemen is majoring in Communications, they are able to move to the right spot and make the right play without having to say a single word to the man lined up next to him. They just seem to play that well together. "Most of the leadership comes from the defensive line --Ethat's where all the old guys are," Germino said. "We have two fifth-year guys, two seniors and the youngest kid playing is a junior. The strength of our defense definitely comes from up front." No one will disagree with that analysis. Traditionally, the Red and Blue have been known as a run-stopping team. This year, with so many big guns returning up front, the outlook for Penn football doesn't appear to be any different. "What happens when you dominate up there, you eliminate the run game," Maehr said. "Then the defensive backs can expect the pass and they can play a little bit looser, which gives them an advantage out there. It makes a lot of things easier on defense." "Our trademark has always been to stop the run," Bagnoli said. "That's what you have to do first and foremost -- and then after that you can kind of do some things to put pressure on the quarterback." Considering that Penn's defensive front allowed fewer than 80 yards per game and sacked opposing quarterbacks 35 times, it appears that the big men figured out how to do both in 1998. So how about '99? "There's pressure on them to keep what we've done in the past -- to keep people under 100 yards a game average," Bagnoli continued. "It starts with the down kids -- they're going to be expected to make plays." Make some plays. Sounds easy enough -- but how do the warriors in the trenches feel about this? Can they do it? Looking back again to the season-finale last November 21, Cornell had been averaging 103 yards per game on the ground before the Quakers mosied into town. But in 22 attempts, the Big Red's rushing attack could only amass 34 yards against the brick wall that was the Penn defensive line. And five of the top defensive linemen from that day are back for an encore. Bodes well for the home team tomorrow, doesn't it? So how do these defensive linemen psych themselves up for a game? What does it take to search and destroy the opposition each and every Saturday, season after season? "There's a mentality that you need to play D-line," Germino so kindly explained. "You've got to be mean. It's an aggressive position and you're the one initiating the contact. "When we get going in practice and the intensity starts to pick up, and then you get nicked up, we start to get kind of pissed off. And you see us getting the bad attitude -- which we think is fun and everyone else hates -- and we just start taking people on and knocking people out and stuff." Alright, but could you maybe put it a little more succinctly? "We're fucking crazy," said Puzio in a low voice. "Print that -- we're fucking crazy." Well, the fans saw the D-line limit Dartmouth to 20 yards, Bucknell to 21, Princeton to 32, Cornell to 34 and Brown to 45 on the ground last season. That's one example of crazy. But they don't often see the Quakers in practice, where they can go crazy just as easily, but in different ways. "The other day at practice, it was pouring out and we all had our shorts on," Maehr happily recounted. "So we all pulled them up so they were thong shorts, and then Jeff Hatch jumped in the mud and he ate mud and wiped it all over his face. Handfuls of mud -- we all loved it." Well, that certainly qualifies as crazy, too. "That's the nuttiest group we have," Bagnoli confirmed. "They're all a little bit off-kilter -- a little bit shaky, a little bit flaky. But that's the mantle of being a down kid. I don't know if they've been hit in the head too many times." Last season, a younger version of the Penn defensive line was able to turn this craziness into controlled aggression -- namely 35 sacks and 18 forced fumbles. This fall, a year older, wiser, stronger and crazier, Penn's defensive line is back with a swagger. And that spells trouble for opposing offensive linemen across the Ivy League this fall.
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