Not quite. That is the feeling surrounding the Penn football team following a 16-13 loss to Villanova Saturday night at Franklin Field. The Quakers (1-1) had their share of opportunities against the Wildcats (3-1), but came up short thanks to a mostly ineffective offense and a weak kicking game. "The difference was the kicking game," Villanova coach Andy Talley said. The Quakers had the ball three times inside the Wildcats' 15-yard line in the first half and amazingly came away with no points. Senior kicker Evan Nolan had two first-half field goals blocked and hit the upright with a 37-yarder later in the half. Villanova, however, capitalized on its only serious offensive chance of the first half on Terry Butler's 1-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Penn running back Sam Mathews fumbled, and quarterback Pat McDermott was forced to take a safety after recovering the fumble. The series of events led to a 9-0 Villanova lead at the break. The Quakers were left scratching their heads as to how they could have failed to score. In the second half, the Wildcats were able to control the clock with a mixture of run and pass. Sophomore quarterback Marvin Burroughs, looking more comfortable as the game went on, scored on a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to increase Villanova's lead to 16-0. Penn's offense on the other hand looked overmatched most of the night. McDermott was able to throw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, but the second came with just 1:32 remaining and the Quakers never got another realistic chance with the ball. "We could have very easily won this game by maybe more than a touchdown," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "If we had converted some plays earlier [in the game]. To their credit, they made them. They made the plays and we didn't."
Ivy League Scoreboard Villanova 15, PENN 13 Harvard 35, Brown 43 Cornell 19, Yale 7 New Hampshire 45, Dartmouth 24 Princeton 38, San Diego 31 Bucknell 42, Columbia 13
