Castles shines with 3 touchdown catches

Dan Castles made a name for himself last season.

The first two games of this season have been somewhat less kind to the senior wide receiver.

But as the saying goes, the third time's the charm.

Castles and Penn quarterback Pat McDermott connected on three touchdowns in the first half against Dartmouth, one from 52 yards out.

The performance represented a marked improvement from the two scores in as many games so far this season.

Against San Diego and Villanova, McDermott and Castles hooked up for a total of 102 yards. Saturday, they accounted for 145.

For a passing game that had been in question in the early going, Saturday's showing was at least somewhat reassuring to the Penn faithful, which had grown accustomed to the run-and-gun style of last year's QB Mike Mitchell.

McDermott's numbers improved but more importantly, he and Castles showed how effective their combination could be. Of the 11 passes McDermott lofted in his direction, Castles pulled down eight of them.

"I think Pat played great today," Castles said. "He pretty much made it pretty easy for me. He put the ball right there any time I had even a step on someone."

Castles certainly did not need to step on anyone for his third score of the afternoon.

After a quick Dartmouth three-and-out, the Red and Blue offense took over at its own 48-yard line. Wasting no time, McDermott surprised everyone with a majestic throw 50 yards down the field. Waiting at the other end was Castles, who leisurely trotted untouched into the end zone to make the score 20-0.

The 52-yard strike eclipsed the previous mark of 35 yards Castles hauled in against San Diego in the season opener.

And it is a sign that the Quakers may be regaining confidence in their passing game.

Penn head coach Al Bagnoli has been more aggressive in ordering up the big throws to see what McDermott is capable of in a game situation. After mixed results in the early going, things are beginning to click.

"We're starting to get a better idea of what he's comfortable with," Bagnoli said. "Later on, we asked him to throw the ball down the field and I thought he threw the ball well."

Dartmouth head coach John Lyons was also complimentary of the Penn signal caller. "He threw the ball well and made some nice plays," he said.

But this was not the first time Lyons got to see the McDermott-Castles combination.

McDermott got his first minutes last season against the Big Green in Hanover, N.H., as he came in to replace an injured Mitchell.

His first touchdown pass? A 5-yard lob in the fourth quarter to none other than Dan Castles.

Although McDermott entered last year's game after halftime, Castles had already put on his own show, racking up 157 yards on 10 catches. And at 6-foot-3, Castles overmatched the Dartmouth defenders, prompting Lyons to remark after the game, "I could see if [the defenders] could run on stilts."

Saturday was much of the same. A gray day, light rain and a convincing Penn win.

While the circumstances this season are somewhat different from a year ago, the result remains the same.

"As long as it's a win, that's all that really matters to me," Castles said.

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