A 54-yard run by Penn running back Sam Mathews on the first play of the game gave the Dartmouth football team just a hint of what it was in for.
A barrage of Quakera offense was complemented by a stifling defense in Penn's 35-0 blowout of the Big Green in Saturday's Ivy League opener.
The Quakers (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) held Dartmouth (0-3, 0-1) at bay throughout, as the Big Green advanced no closer than the Penn 29-yard line. It was the first time Dartmouth had been shut out since 1997.
The first half of the game was dominated by the tandem of Penn senior wide receiver Dan Castles and junior quarterback Pat McDermott. The pair hooked up for three touchdown passes.
"In the first half I think we saw the maturation of our quarterback," Penn head coach Al Bagnoli said. "He really made some nice throws."
After stalling inside the red zone on its first drive, the Quakers offense embarked on an 80-yard drive that spanned 8:32. After wearing down the Big Green defense with a balanced attack, McDermott hit Castles in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass.
According to Bagnoli, the plan was to get McDermott's feet wet in the first few series.
"We wanted him to come out and make some safe throws, some high-percentage throws," he said.
Once the offense became more comfortable, Penn was able to call more aggressive plays and take advantage of a tired Dartmouth defense that had been on the field for over 19 minutes in the first half.
With 5:45 remaining in the second quarter, Castles was the recipient of a 24-yard touchdown strike from McDermott. On the first play of Penn's next drive, which came less than two minutes later, the pair combined for their third touchdown of the half on a 52-yard pass.
"It's really good to see [Pat] made some big plays in some critical situations," Bagnoli said.
McDermott finished the game with 21 completions for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Castles scored all three of those touchdowns while racking up 145 yards on eight catches. Penn's explosive aerial assault was balanced by its ground attack. Mathews led the running corps with 131 yards on 23 carries.
While the Quakers' offense thrived, Dartmouth's attack fizzled under intense pressure from the Penn defense.
In the first half, the Red and Blue limited the Big Green to just 88 total yards. Overall, Dartmouth gained only 54 rushing yards, allowing Penn to focus on shutting down Charlie Rittgers, Dartmouth's highly regarded quarterback.
Against Penn last year, Rittgers threw for 277 yards and two scores. This year was a different story, however, as he managed just 178 yards while throwing three interceptions.
The Penn defense was more than solid in the first half, but it saved the spectacular for the second half.
With 11:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, senior linebacker Luke Hadden stepped in front of a Rittgers pass and returned the interception 35 yards for a touchdown.
After the game, Hadden was modest about his score, saying, "As far as the interception, I kind of had to redeem myself for missing a sack on the previous play."
However, Hadden was more generous with his praise of the Quakers' defensive unit.
"I was really impressed with us as a defense as a whole," he said. "We figured they were going to come out passing the ball and I think we effectively shut them down."
Putting an exclamation point on the day was junior defensive back Victor Davanzo, who, two plays after barely missing an interception, picked off another Rittgers pass and brought it back 61 yards to pay dirt.
After a complete offensive and defensive effort, Bagnoli was pleased with the Quakers' performance.
"We definitely saw the improvement in both [offense and defense] and I think that's going to be critical as we head down the stretch," he said.
