Six down, three to go for a Penn Ivy repeat feat

PENN 37, LAFAYETTE 0

Sept. 22, 2001

What Happened:

The Quakers opened the 2001 season in impressive fashion on the road, holding the Leopards to only 40 yards rushing.

Penn's defense kept Lafayette on its heels and off the scoreboard. The Leopards had only four first downs in the first half and were forced to punt 11 times over the course of the game.

While Penn was stifling Lafayette's offense, the Quakers' own offense was rolling. Quarterback Gavin Hoffman threw for 226 yards, and five different players got into the end zone for the Red and Blue.

Key Play:

In only the second Quakers series of the game, Hoffman marched the Red and Blue 62 yards down the field in six plays. He capped the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Ryan Murray for Penn's first score of the game.

Offensive Hero:

After enduring a series of injuries during the 2000 season, running back Kris Ryan proved he was healthy during the season opener. The senior rushed for 151 yards on 24 carries and recorded one of the Quakers' five touchdowns -- a six-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Defensive Hero:

The entire Penn defense was on a tear, contributing to the Quakers' first shutout in three years and their first opening day shutout since the early '80s.

PENN 21, DARTMOUTH 20

Sept. 29, 2001

What Happened:

The scoring came fast and early in Penn's Ivy opener, as Dartmouth opened the game with touchdowns on its first two series, and the Quakers followed suit, with touchdowns on their first three.

In the second half, though, scoring came to a standstill. Penn was kept out of the end zone for the rest of the day, and the Big Green were forced to punt five times after halftime.

But with the scoreboard reading 21-14 and time winding down, Dartmouth's Michael Gratch found the end zone one last time with less than two minutes left.

The Quakers were able to retain the lead, however, as Penn sophomore Kyle Chaffin blocked the Big Green's extra-point attempt to secure the 21-20 win.

Key Play:

With 1:38 left in regulation play, the Big Green had a chance to knot the score at 21 on an extra-point following Gratch's two-yard touchdown run.

But defensive lineman Chaffin put a stop to the Big Green's comeback by blocking Tyler Lavin's extra-point try.

Offensive Hero:

Running back Kris Ryan scored all three of Penn's touchdowns during the game, rushing for 134 yards on 34 carries.

Defensive Hero:

He's not techinally on defense, but Chaffin was the indisputable hero of the day, preserving a hard-fought Quakers win with a last-minute block.

PENN 43, HOLY CROSS 7

Oct. 6, 2001

What Happened:

In their home opener, the Quakers continued their winning ways, putting on a show for the Franklin Field faithful by toasting the Crusaders.

Penn's offense was seemingly unstoppable -- the Quakers reached the end zone five times on the day.

But the Red and Blue's defense was even more impressive, allowing just 151 yards while tallying five sacks, three turnovers and a safety.

Key Play:

On Penn's opening drive, Hoffman connected with senior Colin Smith to pick up 12 yards. The Quakers then moved downfield, capping the series with a four-yard Hoffman pass to Smith for the touchdown.

The nine-play, 57-yard drive to put the Quakers up, 7-0, would be all the offense Penn needed to put away Holy Cross.

Offensive Hero:

In yet another spectacular outing, Kris Ryan ran for a season-high 169 yards and had two trips to the end zone.

Defensive Hero:

While Penn's entire defensive unit shone throughout the contest, cornerback Fred Plaza led the way with 11 tackles and one sack.

PENN 35, COLUMBIA 7

Oct. 13, 2001

What Happened:

In a game marred by penalties -- Penn was whistled for 10, Columbia for nine -- the Quakers took a game that was close through the third and turned it into a blowout.

Penn was up, 14-0, when Columbia scored its first -- and only -- touchdown in the third quarter. The Quakers quickly responded, as Jake Perskie ran for two touchdowns to put the score at 28-7 and the game out of the Lions' reach.

The Red and Blue ended the day's scoring with a Hoffman one-yard sneak to put the finishing touches on Penn's 35-7 romping.

Key Play:

Penn suddenly had a 14-7 ballgame on its hands after an 18-yard Columbia touchdown pass in the third.

That's when Penn's Perskie responded, running for a six-yard gain and then an eight-yard touchdown with 3:29 left in the third to give Penn back its comfortable 14-point lead.

Offensive Hero:

Perskie put the nail in the Lions' coffin in the third, rushing for two touchdowns -- an eight-yarder and a one-yarder -- in just 2:23 to give the Quakers an almost insurmountable lead.

Defensive Hero:

The Quakers held the Lions to only 81 yards on the ground, and a major contributor to that success was Penn's Stephen Faulk.

The senior defensive back chipped in with a career-high eight tackles, six of them solo.

PENN 21, YALE 3

Oct. 20, 2001

What Happened:

In Penn head coach Al Bagnoli's 150th career win, the defense was the story of the game. Penn didn't allow an Elis score after Yale opened the game with a field goal.

In addition to shutting down the scoring, the Quakers sacked Yale QB Peter Lee a grand total of 10 times, and allowed minus-19 yards on the ground.

Penn's defenders actually reached the end zone more than Yale's offense, as Quakers safety Kunle Williams recovered a fumble and returned it for Penn's second touchdown of the day.

In addition to Williams' tally, the Quakers added TDs on 73- and 91-yard drives. Despite the fact that the Elis were able to limit star running back Kris Ryan to just 79 yards, he scored Penn's two offensive touchdowns.

Key Play:

In the final drive of the first quarter, Penn's John Galan and Steve Lhotak forced an Elis fumble on Yale's 41-yard line.

Williams recovered the loose ball and ran 41 yards for a touchdown. After Roman Galas kicked the extra point, the Quakers were up, 14-3, as the first quarter drew to a close.

Offensive Hero:

Continuing his string of strong games, QB Gavin Hoffman went 18-for-25 for 235 yards to give Penn its fifth win of the season and ninth straight victory dating back to last season's championship run.

Defensive Hero:

The Quakers defense recorded 10 sacks, with senior John Galan tallying a career-high with 3.5.

The defensive tackle also matched his season-high with eight tackles, including five solo stops.

PENN 27, BROWN 14

Oct. 27, 2001

What Happened:

Last Saturday, the Quakers defeated one of the top teams in the Ivy League -- on the road, no less.

For the second straight game, the Penn defense held the opposition to negative rushing yardage, limiting the Bears to minus-26 yards on the ground.

Kris Ryan had no such problems rushing the ball. The senior ripped apart the Brown defense, running for 189 yards. He also gained 58 more yards on a pair of receptions and scored three touchdowns on the afternoon.

Brown's powerful passing game did gain quite a few yards through the air, but the Penn secondary was able to limit one of the top offenses in Division I-AA to just 14 points.

Key Play:

With the score knotted at seven and just over two minutes left in the first half, Ryan broke a screen pass for a 54-yard touchdown.

Following the lead of some key blocks, Ryan cut into the middle of the field and beat the last Brown defender to get into the end zone.

The score gave the Quakers a 14-7 lead going into the locker room and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Offensive Hero:

There's really no doubt about this one. Kris Ryan had a phenomenal game, scoring three touchdowns and gaining 247 all-purpose yards.

The Bears had no answer for Penn's senior star, who averaged 4.6 yards per carry and kept the Brown offense off the field with his tireless running.

Defensive Hero:

The entire Quakers secondary had a great game, but this honor goes to linebacker Chris Pennington.

Pennington led the team in tackles with eight (two for loss) to go along with his two sacks and his first career interception.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.