Quakers indifferent to No. 11 ranking in Division I-AA poll

Despite the Penn football team's near-fourth quarter collapse in its 34-31 win over Yale, this week's USA Today/ ESPN Division I-AA poll saw the Quakers jump from No. 14 to No. 11.

"I don't know how we moved up [three] spots after that one," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said.

The team does not put much emphasis on these rankings.

"It's nice to see our hard work recognized," senior defensive back Pat McManus said. "I don't think it means anything to anyone."

"They're kind of fun to look at," Bagnoli said. "Realistically, it's very, very hard to figure out who's better than who, especially in I-AA where you don't get a chance to see anybody on TV. You have no idea how Montana is, or [how] Northern Arizona is relative to Harvard."

Junior cornerback Duvol Thompson said that he would care more about the rankings if Ivy League teams could participate in the NCAA I-AA football playoffs.

"I have friends who go to some of those other schools who care more about it," he said. "I don't really think about it that much."

Ancient Eight rival Harvard also moved up in the rankings, rising from 20th to 18th.

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In Saturday's game against Yale, both Thompson and McManus suffered minor injuries.

Sophomore defensive back Michael Johns also left the game for several plays after vomiting on the field.

"I'm feeling pretty good," said Thompson, who left the game in the second half with a hamstring injury. "I'll be ready for Saturday, just like everybody."

Thompson said it was frustrating to watch his defense struggle while he was on the sidelines.

"I'm sure everybody on the sidelines felt the same way," he said. "I definitely wanted to contribute. I wanted to get out there and play."

McManus -- who suffered an injury to his hip -- returned late in the Yale game but was not at full strength.

"It was tough being out there not really knowing what was going on," he said.

The Penn coach feels that injuries to these defensive backs, plus the prior injuries to the defense, contributed to Penn's fourth quarter woes.

"We not only faced a talented Yale offense, we were kind of doing it short-handed," he said.

Bagnoli says that it is important for his team to stay healthy for the remainder of the season.

"We're just holding on here, so we need a couple weeks here where we actually escape not having any injuries at all," he said. "Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet."

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Sophomore running back Sam Mathews carried the ball a hefty 36 times Saturday for a career-high 204 yards.

Bagnoli indicated that he has no qualms about giving the football to the Ivy League's second-leading rusher.

"I hope he can rush for 200 yards every week," Bagnoli said. "We'll be a hard team to beat."

Nevertheless, the Penn coach stressed the importance of having an equally strong passing attack.

"We always want to be balanced," he said. "If people are going to try to play with six guys in the box, we can run the ball effectively. I think we've demonstrated that. If people want to start sticking their nose in with seven or eight guys, we can throw the ball very effectively.

"So right now we're pretty well balanced and that causes people a lot of issues."

Bagnoli credits Penn's blocking in addition to Mathews for the team's offensive success.

"It all starts up front with that offensive line," he said. "They do a nice job."

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