Four down, three to go

When most Penn fans think of the Penn-Princeton rivalry, thoughts of February nights at the Palestra immediately come to mind. But on the eve of college football's 135th anniversary -- Rutgers defeated Princeton 6-4 in the first-ever game in 1869 -- it is easy to see that the rivalry has spilled over onto the gridiron as well.

The Tigers lead the all-time series, 62-32-1, but the Quakers have dominated of late, winning the last eight in a row, including a 37-7 drubbing last year at Franklin Field.

This year, however, anything could happen at Princeton Stadium.

"It's a big game," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "It would be a big game under any circumstances. It's a bigger game when it's week eight and it's a bigger game when it's Princeton, so there's a lot at stake."

At stake is No. 19 Penn's record 19-game Ivy League win streak, not to mention this season's quest for the Ancient Eight crown. A win over the Tigers would likely set up a showdown of Ivy unbeatens with No. 15 Harvard visiting Franklin Field next Saturday.

But the Quakers (6-1, 4-0 Ivy) are not ready to take any opponent for granted, especially after last week's last-minute comeback against Brown.

"Last week I hope they learned a valuable lesson," Bagnoli said. "If you're not ready emotionally, you're not ready mentally, and you're not in focus, any team in this league could cause you trouble and potentially beat you."

And Princeton (4-2, 2-2) has the weapons to be one of those teams.

The Tigers, much like their Jadwin Gym counterparts, have found success this season by executing a well-organized and efficient offensive system. There are no superstars, and every game is a workman-like effort -- only Harvard defeated the Tigers by more than three points.

Senior quarterback Matt Verbit is second in the Ivy League in completion percentage (57.5 percent) and is averaging 181.6 yards per game on the season. More important, however, is that this is Verbit's 22nd consecutive start for the Orange and Black, making him one of the Ancient Eight's most experienced signal callers.

Verbit is also only 295 passing yards away from 5,000 for his career, a feat that only 11 others have accomplished in the history of the Ivy League.

In the Princeton system, balance is the name of the game. The Tigers do not have a standout receiver that would be the equivalent of Penn wide receiver Dan Castles. Junior Greg Fields leads the team with just 41.3 yards on 3.6 receptions per game. Castles, by comparison, is averaging 99.9 yards on 7.3 catches.

Fields, however, can be a difference maker in the punt return game. The Orlando, Fla., native leads the Ivy League with 11.8 yards per return. This also adds up to 155.9 total yards per game, good enough for 11th in Division I-AA.

Princeton also relies on a pair of running backs, seniors Branden Benson and Jon Veach, who average 68.4 and 64.0 yards per game on the ground, respectively.

On the flip side, the Quakers will look to get back to their running game, starting with junior Sam Mathews, who has had fewer opportunities in the past few games. Last week was the first time Mathews failed to lead the Quakers on the ground this season, trailing quarterback Pat McDermott with 32 yards rushing against Brown. In Penn's 14-3 win over Columbia, Mathews was held to just 46 yards.

Bagnoli looks to change that tomorrow.

"We're a better football team when Sam has the ball in his hands than when he doesn't have the ball in his hands," he said.

Mathews may have plenty of opportunities against the Princeton rush defense, which ranks seventh in the Ancient Eight, surrendering 161 yards per game.

The run may prove a better option for the Quakers, since Princeton will be looking to put quite a bit of pressure on McDermott. The Tigers lead the Ivy League in pass efficiency defense, and have recorded eight interceptions on the season, bested only by Harvard's 10.

Senior Zak Keasey has proven to be a driving force on the defensive line. The 6-foot, 240 pound Keasey leads the Ivy League with 89 tackles in addition to his four sacks.

"They've got some playmakers on defense, especially at linebacker," Bagnoli said of the Tigers. "They've been doing a better job schematically. They've been doing a lot more things that are harder to prepare for."

All things considered, the game could come down to consistency. Princeton has played the same game virtually all season, which has been just enough to win the games it was expected to win. The Tigers' defense has stepped up in key situations, and the team has not lost a game after leading at the half.

Penn, on the other hand, has seen its fair share of ups and downs, especially with its kicking game -- Bagnoli is hoping newly promoted Derek Zoch could provide some stability at the position this week.

Despite the obstacles, the Quakers have found ways to win so far, and feel confident heading into the Garden State tomorrow.

"If we play our game, we should be able to handle them," Castles said.

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