From the jaws of defeat

After a Brown touchdown with two minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave the visiting Bears a 28-20 lead over the Penn football team Saturday, Wharton senior Eddie Bosek decided it was time to head home. "It was getting out of hand," Bosek said. "Penn's defense wasn't doing anything, and Brown was running all over them." Many other students in attendance followed Bosek to the exits of Franklin Field a few minutes later, as the Bears scored their fifth touchdown and a field goal in consecutive drives to give themselves a healthy, 18-point lead over the flailing Red and Blue with just minutes remaining. Little did Bosek and the others know that they would miss one of the greatest comebacks in Penn football's long and storied history. Led by junior quarterback Gavin Hoffman's record-setting 476 yards passing, the Quakers erased the daunting, 38-20 deficit set midway through the fourth quarter by scoring three touchdowns in a span of just over four minutes. Penn's coaches and players then nervously watched as the potent Brown offense's final play fell apart as time expired. The Quakers stormed the field to celebrate their dramatic 41-38 victory at Franklin Field. With the emotional win, Penn remains in a four-way tie for the Ivy League lead with just three weeks remaining. "I've never been a part of a game that meant so much and was so exciting at the end," said Hoffman, a transfer from Northwestern University who last week became Penn's all-time leading passer after just 16 games as a Quaker. "It was such a big win, hopefully this will give us the momentum going into these last three games." Bosek's father and uncle were two of the few who decided to remain at the annual Parents' Weekend game beyond the middle of the fourth quarter. They later told the surprised Wharton senior what he had missed by leaving so early. "My dad said it was the best football game he'd ever seen," Bosek said. "It was his first Penn game ever, and he was really excited about it." Almost by chance, Wharton and Engineering senior Josh Krotec also witnessed part of Penn's 21-point comeback. He came into Franklin Field after finishing a project at the Towne Building, arriving just in time to see Hoffman rush for a one-yard touchdown to bring the Quakers within five with 2:49 remaining. "The stands were pretty much empty when I got there," he said. Krotec then watched as the swarming defense of the Red and Blue forced Brown to punt after a drive that consumed just one minute of playing time. With 1:41 remaining, the Quakers' enlivened offense took over, marching 62 yards down the field in eight plays to score the deciding touchdown. "Penn's passing game looked pretty phenomenal," Krotec said. "You could just feel it in the air that they were going to win the game."