During halftime of every Penn football game, there is a field-goal kicking contest on Franklin Field for free cheesesteaks. At the rate the Quakers' kicking game is going, the next contest's winner will be in uniform and kicking in the second half.
Penn has missed 10 of its 15 field-goal attempts this season, and has also failed to convert three extra points. For those of you scoring at home, that's 33 points the Red and Blue have left on the board. It is the worst field-goal percentage in the Ivy League, and the three missed PATs are tied for the most in the league. The Quakers are now on their fourth kicker of the season, freshman Derek Zoch.
After using senior Evan Nolan, senior linebacker Bryan Arguello and sophomore sprint football kicker Peter Stine, Penn head coach Al Bagnoli went to Zoch in the second half of last Saturday's 20-16 win over Brown. The freshman was successful on his two extra-point tries. Nolan lost his touch, despite converting a 49-yarder against San Diego and a 42-yarder in overtime against Bucknell. Arguello never really was going to be a permanent solution, and Stine missed two of his three field goal attempts.
There have also been calls for Bagnoli to use Ivy League-leading punter Josh Appell as the placekicker. Appell does the kickoffs for the Quakers, and had some experience as a placekicker in his freshman season. However, Bagnoli is reluctant to add a third duty to Appell's workload, worrying that it may disrupt what has been a stellar season for Appell so far, and what may lead to a football career for Appell on Sundays.
"You'd hate to take the league's best punter and make him an average punter," Bagnoli said.
Bagnoli added that Zoch has a very strong leg and that it will not be a factor in deciding to try to convert fourth downs in the 40-yard range. There have been a few situations, including once against Brown, where Bagnoli elected to try for the first down rather than attempt a kick.
IN ADDITION TO Appell, another bright spot for the Quakers' special teams unit has been punt returner Adam Francks. The junior is second in the Ivy League in average yards per return. His 9.2 average is behind only Princeton's Greg Fields.
However, there have been some punts where Francks has not called for a fair catch despite swarms of defenders around him. Against Brown, Francks muffed two kicks amidst a cloud of Bears players.
"His decision-making for the most part has been good, but occasionally it's not where you want it to be," Bagnoli said of Francks.
However, the coach maintained that "He's done a very nice job back there, he's been an exciting guy back there."
As for Francks, he understands that sometimes he should be calling for fair catches, but his mind and hand do not coordinate well with each other.
"Sometimes I'll be looking up at the ball and be thinking to myself 'fair catch, fair catch,' but my arm just doesn't go up," Francks said.
He added that he relishes the opportunity to go up against speeding defenders and sees his returns as his big chance to contribute to the team.
Even though Francks did not return the final punt of the afternoon against Brown, it was not because he was benched -- he had a shoulder pad problem.
SENIOR RECEIVER Dan Castles tied a significant milestone in Penn's comeback win over the Bears Saturday. His 9-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was his 26th of his career, tying him with Miles Macik atop the all-time Quakers list.
"He's been a great player, and one of the best receivers in Penn history," Bagnoli said. "You're always excited for kids who work really hard for good things to happen to them."
ON THE DAY after the election, it would be inappropriate not to mention the polls. Penn has climbed into the top 20 in both major polls for the first time this season. The Quakers are No. 20 in the Sports Network poll and No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Ancient Eight co-leader Harvard is at No. 16 and No. 15 in the two polls, respectively.
