Sprint looks to beat CSFL power Army

Penn coach Bill Wagner has only beaten Army once in his 30-year career as sprint football coach. Could this be the year that the Penn sprint football team finally beats both service academies in the same season? The Quakers (2-0, 0-0 Collegiate Sprint Football League) will face the first half of that test tonight when they travel to West Point, N.Y., to wage war against the Army Cadets (2-1, 1-0) at Michie Stadium at 7:30 p.m. This game is a highly anticipated rematch between the two teams that shared the CSFL championship in 1998. Penn coach Bill Wagner has only beaten Army once in his 30-year career. According to Wagner, one of this year's goals is to beat both Army and Navy in the same season, something that no Quakers team has ever done. Since Navy fielded its first squad in 1946 and Army followed suit in 1957, the Quakers have gone 7-88-1 against the service academies. "This is as good an opportunity as we have had to beat the academies," Wagner said. After blanking Ivy foes Cornell and Princeton in the first two games by scores of 35-0 and 28-0, respectively, the Quakers expect a very rough, physical game from the Cadets. But they are certainly ready to meet this challenge. "We have to set the tone early and hit them hard in the first half," senior linebacker Josh McGrath said. If the Quakers want to emerge with a win, the offense -- led by senior running back Tim Ortman, the league MVP -- must put points on the board early against Army's strong defense. "Our offensive line really must block well so Timmy can have a good game rushing the ball," Wagner said. "Our fullbacks have to come up big in this game as well." On the defensive side of the ball, the Quakers have to contain Army's powerful wishbone running game. "We have to take on Army's offensive line and take the challenge," Wagner said. Stopping the run is even more important for the Quakers because Army traditionally passes only five or six times a game. Even the special teams will play an important role in deciding the outcome of this game. According to Wagner, Penn needs a good performance from the punting and kicking units, especially since Army lost to Navy earlier this season by only two points. "This will be a close game and it could come down to the kicking game," Wagner said. The Quakers have been out of action since defeating Princeton at home on October 8. The two-week layoff has given the players time to rest and recover from injuries. However, this week was also filled with several distractions, including midterms. "It was a rough week but we had some good practices early this week," Wagner said. The week off also gave the Quakers time to improve their pass defense. "Princeton really threw the ball well against us," Wagner said. Penn has beaten Army twice in 42 meetings, with the last Quakers win coming in 1996 -- when Penn finished 5-1 and tied for first place with Army and Navy. Army won last year's contest at Franklin Field 29-9 with the conference title on the line. A week later, however, Navy upset the Cadets, forcing Army into a first-place tie with Penn. "They really took it to us last year, and we're not forgetting that," junior defensive back Brad Gusich said. "We are confident that we have the team to beat them this year," junior defensive back John Clarke added. A Quakers victory in tonight's contest would definitely go a long way towards making Penn the team to beat in the CSFL.