After six games we know a lot about the Penn football team. Most importantly, the Quakers are still undefeated and the most difficult game on the schedule -- Harvard -- looms two weeks from Saturday.
We are far enough into the season to give the Quakers grades. Keep in mind, we're Ivy League students and not used to seeing grades below a B. But this is not just an example of grade inflation, Penn is 6-0 and ranked No. 11 in the country. The grades are -- justifiably -- on the high side.
Rushing offense: A
Sophomore Sam Mathews --a transfer from Navy -- came into the season with a career 12 rushing attempts for 80 yards. In his first game at Penn, he surpassed those numbers, racking up 89 yards on 19 carries. In Penn's win over Yale Saturday, Mathews gained an absurd 204 yards on 36 carries.
With 782 yards on 163 carries for the season, Mathews has turned third-and-four-or-fewer into a potential running down, doing wonders for opening up the Penn offense. The Quakers' offense led the league in scoring last year despite having no one gain more than 507 yards. Backups Mike Recchiuti and Jake Perskie have also been effective in limited time.
Passing offense: A-
Penn's raw numbers do not compare particularly favorably to the rest of the pass-happy Ivy League. The Quakers are ranked fourth in the Ivies and average 250 yards per game through the air.
Despite the relatively low numbers, Penn's passing game has been extremely effective when needed. Quarterback Mike Mitchell passed Penn back into the game in its 31-24 win at Lehigh on Sept. 27, with a performance that featured an 11 for 15 for 130 yard and three touchdown second half. Junior Dan Castles has stepped into the role of the No. 1 receiver well, catching 45 passes for 606 yards and six scores.
However, the offense has had more dropped balls than a year ago. And, in part due to the reliance on the running game and Mitchell's obvious trust in Castles -- a consistent No. 2 passing option has not been established.
Overall Offense: A
The Quakers are averaging 32 points per game and controlling the clock consistently. If Penn loses a game with Mitchell at the helm, it is doubtful it will do so because it did not score enough.
Rushing Defense: B+
Penn led the nation in rushing defense a year ago but that awesome performance has not been replicated this season. While Penn leads the Ivies in rushing defense and is 19th in the nation, allowing 106.6 yards per game, the Quakers have been gashed at times on the ground this season.
Daris Wilson of Bucknell -- an option quarterback -- gained 125 yards on 20 carries three games ago in a 14-13 loss to Penn. Yale running back Robert Carr had 89 yards on 13 carries Saturday. While these performances are attributable to injuries along the front seven, Penn has not stopped the run consistently in recent weeks.
Penn defensive end Michael Sangobowale has played very well up front despite suffering injuries himself. Now that Steve Lhotak is playing again -- he missed three games -- and Ric San Doval is healthier at linebacker, the Quakers run defense might hit their stride down the stretch.
Passing Defense: B-
Before Yale's four fourth quarter touchdowns against Penn Saturday, this grade would have been higher. But Yale quarterback Alvin Cowan led four long touchdown drives almost exclusively through the air. The secondary has been hit extremely hard by injuries, with starting safety Kevin Stefanski going down in the preseason and the other starter, Seth Fisher, missing time as well. Cornerbacks Duvol Thompson and Pat McManus both sat out stretches of Penn's near-collapse against Yale.
The defense has also not pressured the quarterback as consistently as it did a year ago. However, Penn is usually correct in not playing conservatively and not blitzing, given how productive the offense has been. Against Yale down the stretch, though, something was needed to break the Elis passing rhythm and nothing was done.
Overall Defense: B+
Despite the injuries and inconsistency, Penn has the best scoring defense in the Ivy League, allowing only 17.5 points per game. While not nearly as dominant as last year's unit, this defense manages to make stops and force turnovers when needed.
Special Teams: A
Peter Veldman and Josh Appell are both consistent and reliable as the kicker and punter, respectively. Veldman is 7 for 8 on field goals of fewer than 30 yards and 7 for 10 overall.
Perskie and sophomore defensive back Casey Edgar have won Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week the past two weeks. Perskie forced a fumble against Columbia that led to a touchdown and Edgar blocked Yale's go-ahead field goal in overtime, setting up Penn's win.
Penn has four games remaining on the schedule and barring a major injury, only one of them -- Harvard -- should be a tough matchup. Penn's final marks will be given after this game, which will likely determine the league champ for the third straight year.
