Football tops Yale, now 3-0 in league

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Saturday's game at Yale couldn't have begun on a more ominous note for Penn, as the Red and Blue found themselves trailing only 19 seconds into the contest.

But the Quakers surged in the final three quarters to defeat the Elis, 41-20, on a brisk and rainy day in southern New England.

Yale (3-3, 1-2 Ivy League) running back and kick returner David Knox ran Roman Galas' opening kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown as Red and Blue (4-1, 3-0) defenders slipped and fell on the wet Yale Bowl field in fruitless pursuit.

"I didn't expect to go the distance," said Knox, who achieved the same feat twice in high school. "I never believed I was going to do it until I looked over my right shoulder and only saw [Yale defensive back] Don [Davis] beside me."

The inauspicious beginning gave Penn coach Al Bagnoli some reason for concern.

"As a coach, it's your worst nightmare that it's raining, you're on somebody else's field, it's a grass field, and on the opening kickoff, they return it for a touchdown," Bagnoli said.

For the remainder of the first quarter, Penn's offense struggled to click. Though the defense held Yale at 7, the Quakers were uncharacteristically scoreless heading into the second period.

They did not waste much time once they switched sides of the field, however. Penn completed a six-play, 62-yard drive when quarterback Mike Mitchell (26 for 39, 351 yards) found Matt Michaleski wide open in the right flat for an 18-yard touchdown.

From that point on, Penn moved the ball virtually at will. Just 1:47 after the Quakers' first score, Bagnoli reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out an option pass.

Mitchell tossed the ball behind the line to wide receiver Joe Phillips, who then hit a streaking Erik Bolinder for a 44-yard score.

The Penn coaching staff totally caught Yale's defense by surprise, but Bagnoli was quick to compliment his players, particularly in light of their poor start and the weather conditions.

"I give our kids a lot of credit," he said. "We have a young team, and you don't know how they're going to react. There are a lot of things going through your head, but our kids really did a nice job."

After Penn kicker Peter Veldman drilled his first of two field goals, Bagnoli did make a questionable call that ultimately cost Penn three points, making it a 17-10 game at halftime.

On a 4th-and-1 play from its own 35, Penn ran a fake punt play, but Michael Kapusta slipped and was stopped for no gain.

Bagnoli laughed when asked about the play after the game, probably understanding the call's unconventionality. But he insisted it supported one of Penn's main themes.

"We always preach to our kids that we're not going to go conservative," Bagnoli said. "We saw some things on film, I was 100 percent certain that that's what we were going to get, and he slips or else he'd probably still be running."

Mitchell continued to slice up the overmatched Elis' defense in the second half, as the Quakers expanded their lead to 34-13 by the end of the third quarter.

Penn senior Rob Milanese was Mitchell's target for a number of big plays, catching 12 balls for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Bolinder finished with six catches for 104 yards.

Without question, Mitchell and Milanese specifically are on the same offensive page.

Mitchell "zings it in there perfectly," Milanese said. "He bails me out one play, I bail him out on another."

Mitchell also praised the Franklin Lakes, N.J., native's abilities.

"He's the greatest receiver ever to play at Penn," he said. "So you obviously have to give a great receiver the ball if you want to win the game."

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