Football hosts Big Red in '99 finale

Cornell brings star QB Ricky Rahne to Franklin Field for the teams' 106th meeting. For the Penn football team to win a second consecutive Ivy League title, it will need the luck of a gaggle of Irishmen tomorrow. Not only do the Quakers (5-4, 4-2 Ivy League) need to best Cornell (6-3, 4-2) in their showdown at Franklin Field, but Brown and Yale both need to lose in order for there to be a three-way tie for the Ivy crown. Even though Penn fans will have their ears fixed on the PA system awaiting the announced scores from New Haven and Providence, the Quakers need to focus on the task at hand. "We can control what we can control, and that's our game on Saturday," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "And if the stars line up right and it happens, that's great. The kids are deserving. If not, we're going to make every attempt to be a 5-2 team in our league, and by most people's standards, that's pretty good." After nine pressure-packed weeks, the Quakers' attitude is pleasantly loose. They know that their fate is partly in their own hands but that a win is a win. "We don't have the pressure that we had on us at the beginning of the Ivy League schedule," Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman said. "Guys are just having fun out there. It would be nice to have a three-game winning streak to end the season." On both sides of the ball, the Quakers are firing on almost all cylinders. With the loss of tailback Kris Ryan in the second quarter of last week's game at Harvard, the Penn passing game excelled when it needed to. Hoffman completed a school-record 29 passes on 48 attempts en route to 348 yards through the air. Hoffman spread the ball around masterfully last week, as nine Quakers had catches and both Rob Milanese and Brandon Carson finished the game with more than 100 yards receiving. But the sophomore signal-caller has hardly finished taking his eraser to the Penn record books. All Hoffman needs to do is pass for 114 yards against Cornell and he will seize the school single-season passing mark from Jimmy McGeehan, who passed for 2,197 yards in 1993. "You can see from Week 1 to Week 9 the progress. You have to remember that [Hoffman] was only here for two weeks [before the season started]," Bagnoli said. Unfortunately for Hoffman and Co., however, the Big Red boast the best passing defense in the Ivy League by far. Cornell has yielded a scant 177.1 yards of passing per game. That is 70 yards better than the Quakers' average and 63 yards better than the league standard. Conversely, Cornell is seventh in the Ivies when it comes to stopping the run. Obviously, it would be best for the Quakers if they could rely on a sound ground game tomorrow, but Ryan's right ankle might have something to say about that. The Quakers' marquee running back, Ryan sits atop the Ancient Eight with 1,194 yards. He injured his ankle last weekend, however, and may not see action against Cornell. The Penn coaching staff says this is going to be a game-time decision. But Ryan has not suited up all week and walked the practice sidelines with a slight limp yesterday. "Obviously, we would like to have Kris there because of everything he's given to our offense," Bagnoli said. "We're not geared to throw the ball 60 times a game, so whether he's there or not, we're still going to need to run the ball." If Ryan does not play tomorrow, the Quakers will turn to speedy and compact sophomore Matt Thomas, who has 185 yards on the year but has averaged only 3.3 per carry. Junior scatback Mike Verille would also see plenty of action if Ryan is sidelined. On the other side of the ball, the Penn defense will need to truly rise to the occasion against a Big Red attack that has proved downright explosive at points in 1999. The year put in by Big Red sophomore quarterback Ricky Rahne is unique in Cornell history. Rahne has been Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week two times this season and his campaign has given him sole possession of the single-season Cornell records for passing yards (2,466), completions (201), touchdown passes (23), pass attempts and total offense (2,406). He will cause headaches for Penn. "Defensively, we want to prevent the big play," Bagnoli said. "We've done a really good job on turnovers recently. We need that to continue." Last year, it was the play of the Quakers defense that sealed a victory up in Ithaca. In an exclamation point to their championship campaign, the Quakers jumped out to a 21-0 lead last year at Cornell, all without scoring an offensive touchdown. "It was really cold. The defense had to step it up because the offense was struggling. This year, I expect them to open it up a little bit," said Jim Hisgen, Penn co-captain and starting middle linebacker. With Rahne taking the snaps, expect the Big Red to open it up on offense. The Quakers will counter this big-play propensity with a defense that has suffered its fair share of injuries. Kunle Williams, the sophomore cornerback who electrified Homecoming fans with his record-setting interception return two weeks ago against Princeton, will probably miss the game due to an injured finger. The latest word is that Penn senior defensive end Mike Germino may also miss tomorrow's contest with a host of recurring injuries. According to Bagnoli, Germino's nagging pains have worsened because of an illness he's currently battling. "Our defense isn't real healthy but it's Week 10, so I'm not sure anybody is real healthy," Bagnoli said. "We're playing well but we're concerned about some of the guys we've got banged up, especially because of their ability to throw the ball." With league-leading receivers Joe Splendorio, Keith Ferguson and Justin Dunleavy, Cornell will push the Red and Blue "D" to its limits. But with eight seniors slated for the defensive starting lineup, the Quakers may be able to ignore the pain for the sake of their last game in Penn uniforms. "I think health-wise we're OK [but] I think we've been better," Hisgen said. "Everybody's ready to give it one more try." These two teams will be battling for the Trustees Cup, which honors the 106-year football rivalry between the two schools. The Quakers lead the all-time series 59-41-5. The Cornell-Penn game will also mark the final contest for both of these teams this century.