Quarterback Mike Mitchell was the fuse of Penn's thunderous passing onslaught in Saturday's 59-7 drubbing of Cornell.
With the Ivy League title clinched, it would have been easy for Penn to rest on its laurels. But behind the passing efforts of Mitchell and the leadership of the senior class, the Quakers looked like a team that was ravenous for respect.
Mitchell was in top form, beginning and ending the last game of his storied career in fitting fashion.
On the first snap of the game, the fifth-year senior faked a handoff to running back Sam Mathews, dropped back, and connected with receiver Dan Castles for a 60-yard touchdown strike.
"When you score the first play of the drive it kind of just kills the other team," Mitchell said. "Before they bat an eye, they're down 7-0. Getting up on them early is pretty important. For it to come on the first play is pretty big."
Although Cornell coach Tim Pendergast did not think his team was "demoralized at all" after the first play, the psychological impact of giving up a touchdown just 19 seconds into the game can hardly be underestimated.
And Penn's passing assault was unrelenting throughout the first quarter -- an effective strategy which tested the will of Cornell from the beginning.
Mitchell completed a perfect 8 of 8 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone to help the Quakers mount a staggering 28-0 lead.
"We really wanted to get out to a fast start -- get some points early," Castles said. "I think the seniors really did a good job of setting the tone and getting the leadership."
And by the end of the third quarter, he had left his mark on the Penn record books. Mitchell broke the Penn record for single-game touchdown passes with five -- including four to Castles, who set a new Penn record for receiving touchdowns in a game.
The Orlando, Fla. native completed 22-30 passes for 371 yards on the day, nine of those to Castles for 204 yards.
"That first quarter was unbelievable," Mitchell said.
"Then they started playing a little bit of pass defense. We couldn't get the deep ball working quite like we had it in the first quarter. The way the offensive line protected -- and I didn't even take any hits tonight -- was unbelievable. [Castles]going up and getting the ball, it's like money in the bank."
Pendergast stressed that his team's pass defense was lacking throughout the game.
"We did not do a good job defending the pass," Pendergast said. "We didn't get much pressure on Mitchell. Those things have to go hand in hand. Without a pass rush, any quarterback has time to throw the ball, and due to the fact that we weren't particularly good at all in terms of coverage, we allowed them to have a field day."
Yet he also gave Mitchell and the Penn offense its due credit. Penn's senior offensive line -- a contingent which will be tremendously difficult to replace next year -- simply manhandled Cornell's defensive front, giving Mitchell sufficient time to find wide-open targets.
"They did a tremendous job with their pass protection. Their receivers were wide open. Any quarterback can do those kind of things I think. But he's a special quarterback -- maybe the best quarterback in the league."
Indeed, Mitchell is certainly a special quarterback who will be sorely missed.
But he could not have asked for a more storybook ending to his accomplished career.
"It's a pretty emotional day for all of us seniors, knowing it's going to be the last one you're ever going to play," Mitchell said.
"You want to make your last one special and go out with a bang. Our offense played their heart out even though the championship was already won. We still came out like we had something to prove and this game meant something to us because it did. The way we played tonight was really special."
