Penn picks up where it left off

(Slideshow of the game) After finishing last season with a 31-0 rout of Cornell, the Penn football team started its 2003 campaign in similar fashion, defeating Duquesne, 51-10.

The Quakers offense got off to a quick start early, scoring a touchdown on each of its first three possessions.

Playing in his first regular season game for the Red and Blue, Sam Matthews -- a sophomore transfer from Navy -- made his presence felt immediately.

He caught a 20-yard screen pass to put Penn up 7-0 and, on the next possession, scored on a one-yard run.

"All the time, when you score a touchdown, it's always big, but it was kind of nice to have my first one on the first drive," Matthews said.

Matthews credited the offensive line for his performance Saturday, which included 89 rushing yards, 29 receiving yards and a game-high 118 total yards.

"They were making huge holes that anybody could run through," he said.

Penn junior Michael Recchiuti also took advantage of those holes, rushing for 41 yards, while senior Jake Perskie ran for 16 yards and recorded Penn's third touchdown.

In addition to clearing space for the running game, the offensive line also did a good job protecting senior quarterback Mike Mitchell, allowing no sacks.

Mitchell completed 19 of 30 pass attempts, for a total of 206 yards and four touchdown passes. During Penn's 20-point run in the first quarter, Mitchell threw eight complete passes on eight attempts.

His first incompletion came with 4:11 left in the first quarter, when Duquesne junior defensive back Armar Watson intercepted a pass and returned it 56 yards for the Dukes' first and only touchdown.

Penn's defense dominated Duquesne's much-heralded junior quarterback Niel Loebig, holding him to to 7-of-18 passing and 116 yards. Prior to the game, Loebig ranked fourth nationally in total offense with 312 yards per game.

Penn seniors Ryan Strahlendorff and Blake Bourne and junior Michael Sangobowale each broke through the Dukes' offensive line once to sack Loebig.

Sangobowale and junior Rudy Brown laid huge hits on Loebig during the Dukes' second series of the game, triggering Duquesne coach Greg Gattuso to switch gears and run the ball more.

Loebig "took some hellacious shots early in the game," he said. "I was not going to expose him to the type of hits he was getting early in the football game."

Gattuso noted that he was concerned about pass protection because the Dukes have such a young offensive line.

"We felt we had to run the football," he said.

In addition to Penn's defensive line, the secondary also contributed to Loebig's sub-par performance.

Junior Bryan Arguello, who replaced injured senior safety Kevin Stefanski in the starting lineup, picked off Loebig in the third quarter.

Sophomore Doug Middleton had an interception as well as a fumble recovery, returning the ball for a combined 59 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Steve Lhotak picked off a Loebig pass midway through the second quarter, when Duquesne had advanced to the Penn 10-yard line, trailing 20-10. Lhotak returned the ball 88 yards, nearly outrunning the last Duquesne defender but ultimately falling just eight yards shy of a touchdown.

"I think I should have paced myself more," Lhotak said.

Penn's secondary also limited Duquesne junior wide receiver Michael Warfield to one reception and 19 yards. Warfield recorded over 100 receiving yards in each of the Dukes' first two games.

Penn's receivers had a bit more success, with 12 players catching at least one pass.

Senior Joe Phillips led Penn with four catches and 76 yards.

There was some good for Penn and some bad in the opener.

While the Quakers crushed the Dukes by 41 points, offensively they struggled from the end of the first quarter to nearly the end of the second, going over 20 minutes without scoring.

"It was a very typical first game," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said.

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