Positioned for an Ivy title Repeat?

With Jim Finn and Matt Rader gone from the offense and Joe Piela and Darren Macdonald departed from the defense, fans might think that the 1999 Penn football team won't live up to last year's Ivy championship-winning squad. The truth is, however, that the Quakers return 16 of their 24 starters, making the 1999 Red and Blue quite formidable. Here's a look at the team, position by position: Quarterback: The quarterback position was the most questionable after Rader's graduation last year. Nevertheless, with the surprise transfer of Gavin Hoffman, the position might even have been upgraded. "He's very talented and he's what we're calling the X-factor," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. Arriving at Penn after a year as a starter at Northwestern -- Bagnoli called him "a transfer from God" -- the 6'6" sophomore shows great promise. Last season for the Wildcats, he was 176-for-323 with 13 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and 2,199 yards. Should Hoffman falter, sophomores Tom DiMenna and Ed Mebs and junior Reed Werner provide steady backup. "Right now, Hoffman is firmly entrenched in the starting lineup, but fortunately we have some talented kids behind him," Bagnoli said. Offensive Line: The offensive line that will provide protection for Hoffman is perhaps the deepest part of the team. Tackle Jason Lebron and center Carmelo Rubano will both be returning as starters, although Lebron may be hampered by some injuries early in the season. Senior Mike Bertolino will not be returning to the line this year as various injuries have ended his football career. Also starting will be senior Matt Bane, who was injured in 1998 but had broken into the starting lineup before the injury. Todd Giblin will occupy the right guard position. "The offensive line is much more experienced than last year, so we're in better shape there than we were a year ago," Bagnoli said. Wide Receiver: It looked as if the wide receiver corps would be the best in the Ivy League, but a recent injury to starter Doug O'Neill coupled with David O'Neill's and David Rogers' absence from the team, the position suddenly seems in question. Doug O'Neill injured his knee in a scrimmage against Millersville and is doubtful for tomorrow. Rogers will be on a Mormon mission this year and David O'Neill has been ruled academically ineligible. The one go-to-guy will be Brandon Carson. In 1998, Carson had 28 catches and four touchdowns. Jason Battung will take over in the starting lineup until Doug O'Neill is able to return. Colin Smith, John Holahan and Rob Milanese may also see significant time at wideout. "We still have a fair amount of kids we can roll out there," Bagnoli said. "All of the kids are pretty athletic and can catch the ball." Tailback: With Hoffman stepping in to take over for Rader, clearly the most difficult position to fill will be the tailback. Jim Finn, last year's starting tailback, was the Bushnell Cup winner as the Ivy League Player of the Year and rushed for a school-record 1,450 during his senior campaign. Many players will try to take over this position. Sophomore Matt Thomas only carried the ball once from scrimmage but was an effective kick returner in '98. Sophomore Kris Ryan also only carried the ball once last year, but shows much promise because of his size -- 6'0", 235 pounds -- and speed. Ryan's one carry last season resulted in an 18-yard gain against Harvard. Another transfer, Mike Verille, will also compete for playing time. Verille, who played at Duke last year, got no playing time at his former school but rushed for 4,073 yards in high school. "All three backs will get in the game and we'll then decide who is the hot runner," Bagnoli said. Fullback: For the third straight year senior Brian Cosmello will start at fullback. His blocking for Finn and the rest of the tailbacks was so tremendous last year, he earned second team All-Ivy honors despite not running the ball once. Ryan will back up Cosmello in addition to his tailback duties. Tight End: The tight end position, like the offensive line, is also very deep. Brandon Clay will start at the position but senior Clint Burhorn and junior Ben Zagorski provide experience and talent as backups. Last year, Clay caught seven passes for 64 yards. "We love the experience that all three players bring to this position," Bagnoli said. Defensive Line: On defense, the Quakers look strong. On the line, the Quakers return four starters, three of whom earned All-Ivy honors. Senior defensive tackle Mike Germino missed two games due to injury last season, but still managed to record 5.5 sacks and 34 tackles. Tackle Jason Maehr had even more impressive statistics in the 1998 campaign with a team-high eight sacks, as well as four tackles for losses. Senior noseguard Adrian Puzio earned second-team All-Ivy honors last season and still looks to improve upon his four sacks and 38 tackles. The defensive end position was also not hurt by graduation. Returnees include juniors Brian Person and Kevin Martin. Person started every game last year, while Martin broke into the lineup midway through last year and stood out by making a fumble recovery and 13 tackles. Linebacker: While Macdonald leaves some big shoes to fill at linebacker, the position is still talent-rich. The linebackers are led by co-captain Jim Hisgen. Despite injuries last season, Hisgen was third on the team with 64 tackles and also recorded two sacks. Junior Dan Morris started as a defensive back but made the transition to linebacker this past spring. His athleticism has helped him secure a starting spot. Senior Brian Hamilton will play behind Morris while senior Joe Yiu will back up Hisgen. "Besides Hisgen, the players are a little young, so that's a bit of a concern, but they're very athletic and talented and we're confident that they'll be effective," Bagnoli said. Secondary: Like Macdonald, Piela will also be sorely missed. However, returning starter Joe Alofaituli is strong at one corner position while Anthony DeSalle will try to replace Piela at the other. Senior Eric Bunn will start at strong safety and Hasani White will take over at free safety after shining at corner last year. Special Teams: Junior kicker Jason Feinberg and sophomore punter Ryan Lazzeri return after starting in 1998. Feinberg was 11-for-17 on field goals and Lazzeri averaged 36.4 yards per punt. The solid defense and a talented quarterback will only take the Quakers so far. For Penn to repeat as champs, the three-tailback rotation will have to succeed and the depleted group of wide receivers will have to perform. If these positions are amply filled, the Red and Blue could win their fourth Ivy League championship of the 1990s and 10th in the last 18 years.