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rob milanese -- football v. dartmouth

With a new offensive coordinator, one more year of experience under their belts and the return of their leader and No. 1 option, the members of the Penn football team's wide receiving corps have one phrase on their minds. Bombs away. And with good reason. This current crop of Quakers wideouts is thought to have the best overall talent and depth of any receiving corps in the Ivy League. If Penn is to regain the Ivy crown, it will need its receivers to make the kinds of crucial plays that they think they can make. Senior receiver Doug O'Neill returns after missing the entire 1999 season with a torn ACL, and he is confident in his comrades. "We're really upbeat about this season, [and] we think that the receiving corps could be a major strength of the team," O'Neill said. "People are going to be relying on us a lot." O'Neill's return will bolster a group of wideouts that emerged as a solid force in the Ivy League last year after being shoved into the spotlight by the unexpected departure of several experienced receivers from the team. While one would expect players in such a situation to be somewhat green, last year's receivers performed as well as could be expected. Junior Rob Milanese led the team with 41 catches for a robust 702 yards, which averages out to 17.1 yards per catch. "He did really a great job," O'Neill said of his teammate. "I don't know if anybody expected that coming in. He lit it up, really. He was always there making big plays." This season, Milanese will be accompanied by junior Colin Smith, senior John Holahan, senior Jason Battung and junior Erik Bolinder, all of whom stepped in and delivered fine seasons last year. "Colin, J.B. [Battung], they both had phenomenal years. They were an integral part of the offense," O'Neill said. "They were really confident out there. They knew what they were doing. They knew their assignment, and just went out and played." This year, the Quakers receivers will be able to go out and play with a new passing-friendly offensive system, courtesy of new offensive coordinator Andy Coen, who left Division I-AA powerhouse Lehigh to come to the Quakers. "[With] our new offense, we're going to be throwing the ball a lot more, and that has us really excited," O'Neill said. "We're going to actually throw the ball once we get into the red zone. Last year or the year before, we'd always run it. It should be great for everyone, great for the fans to watch. A friend of mine played against Lehigh last year, [and] said the offense was unstoppable. Hopefully, it will be this year." Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman is also subject to the quiet giddiness that surrounds talk of the Quakers offense leading up to Saturday's season opener at Lehigh. "It's really exciting, because we have so many other returning receivers," Hoffman said of Milanese, Smith, Holahan and Battung. "Now, to add another one that was the No. 1 receiver from two years ago [O'Neill], as many weapons as I can have makes me happy." The Penn receivers reciprocate good feelings toward Hoffman, whom they think has gotten stronger and better -- developments which will make them better in turn. "He's done a good job throwing," O'Neill said. "His arm's gotten a lot stronger. Everyone has a good connection with him." The Quakers are expecting many good connections this year between Hoffman and his numerous, talented targets. "We have six guys that can play," Milanese said. "They [opposing secondaries] are not going to be able to double [cover] one guy." O'Neill, who said that he and his experienced ilk have emerged as team leaders, knows that a year of outstanding receiving is crucial, especially in the first week when Penn will go into battle without injured running back Kris Ryan. "On offense, the receivers are the ones with the experience out there. We need to be mistake-free and know what we're doing, because a lot of people are going to be relying on us," O'Neill said. "We're the leaders of the team. It's good to have that kind of pressure on us." Daily Pennsylvanian sports writers Kyle Bahr and Jason Bodnar contributed to this story.

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