Analysis: 'D' does exactly what it needs to against Rams

Mission accomplished, in convincing-but-not-overwhelming fashion. Although they were far from perfect on Saturday, Penn's defense made the plays when it needed to and the Quakers beat still-winless Fordham 35-18. "We certainly don't have the consistency that I'd like us to have on either side of the ball," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "The difference here was that we made some plays on those key fourth-down stops and third-down stops." Bagnoli's observation is on the mark. Bucknell's 23-16 victory over the Quakers (2-2) last week had everything to do with Penn's inability to execute in pressure situations. That was not a problem against the hapless Rams, however. When the Red and Blue defenders needed to rise to the occasion, they did. The Penn defense made third downs nightmarish for the Rams. Fordham's third-down conversion rate was an abysmal 7 percent as they were successful in only one out of 15 opportunities. It wasn't until there was less than two minutes to go in the third quarter that the Rams finally made good on a third-down chance. "Our main game plan was to try to keep them at third-and-long so we could plan for them to pretty much pass the ball," Penn senior co-captain Jim Hisgen said. "We could run our blitzes and stunts off of that, which made everything a lot easier." This game plan began to manifest itself from the get-go. On Fordham's first play from scrimmage, the Quakers brought immediate pressure upon sophomore quarterback Mark Carney, forcing him to throw a harried incompletion. Fordham tailback Al Lundy gained six on second down but Carney then threw another incompletion under pressure on third down. This pattern continued on Fordham's second possession. After a Carney incompletion on third down, Fordham punter Curt Rubinstein booted the ball 34 yards to the Penn 35-yard line. Penn's Rob Milanese bobbled the punt as he tried to come in on it. Fordham's Ryan Garner recovered it and the Rams had the ball with optimal field position well inside Penn territory. An ineffectual rush and two pressured passes later, the Fordham threat was extinguished. Moreover, this was not an isolated incident. The first quarter saw the Rams get the ball very near or inside midfield three times. But Fordham managed just one field goal with this favored position. Although the Fordham passing game may pale in comparison to a high-octane air attack like Villanova's, there is no question that the Quakers secondary deserves praise for the job done on Saturday. "There were some mistakes and some big plays let up," Hisgen said. "But, other than that, the secondary knew that they had to step up and I think they played rather well considering there were a few injuries and stuff like that." Cornerback Joey Alofaituli and free safety Hasani White were both sidelined against Fordham. "We didn't have Alofatuli or White and you've got a couple of guys banged up," Bagnoli said. "So who do you replace them with? You have [sophomore Steve] Faulk, who didn't play at all last year, and [Fred] Plaza, who's a true freshman." The inexperience of these substitutes, coupled with the relative youth of those Quakers filling in at defensive end, may have played a significant role in creating the disparity between the first and second halves. Fordham managed only three points and 65 total yards of offense in the first half. After the break, the Rams generated 236 yards and 15 points. One could not help but sense that the Red and Blue defenders might have been loosening up a bit once the Quakers had built a healthy lead. "I don't know if loose is the right word. We've got some injuries, especially at defensive end and in the secondary," Bagnoli said. "Anytime you put freshmen in the game, they just have to get used to game speed." Matt Georgia, Fordham's second quarterback of the day, provided a spark for the Rams, throwing for 149 yards and one touchdown. And it was Georgia's 77-yard bomb to wideout Kendal Creer that set up the Fordham touchdown that narrowed the Penn lead to 10 at 28-18. "I think for the first time all season, we got a little bit of a rhythm going with our passing game," Fordham coach Dave Clawson said. "What we run is very much a West Coast timing offense. For the first time all year, the balls were getting delivered on time." Even though one of Kris Ryan's four touchdowns had stretched the Penn lead to 35-18, Fordham still showed signs of life early in the fourth quarter. It wasn't until there was 8:16 left in the fourth that the Penn "D" closed the deal. The Fordham offense had advanced the ball to the cusp of the Penn red zone. After Georgia threw an incomplete on third down at the Penn 24, the Rams decided to go for it on fourth down. The Rams gave the ball to Lundy up the middle. He was stopped cold two yards behind the line of scrimmage by Hisgen. A jubilant Hisgen sprinted off the field and the Quakers breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Penn defense, bumps and bruises aside, had come through when the chips were down.

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