Say this for Penn quarterback Pat McDermott: he has a short memory. McDermott shook off a shaky first 3 1/2 quarters and drove his team 88 yards in nine plays to the winning touchdown on Saturday.
The junior from Yonkers, N.Y., has played his best this season with the game on the line. For the Quakers, that will have to continue, because McDermott's play is the difference between winning and losing.
No one would confuse this year's squad with the 2002 Quakers, a team that won its nine games by an average of 28 points.
This year's squad has had trouble blowing anyone out. The defense, without injured linebacker Ric San Doval and key players lost to graduation, is not as stout as it used to be, especially against the run.
And offensively, teams are loading up to stop running back Sam Mathews, daring McDermott and the receivers to beat them.
"Every team that we're playing is getting eight or nine guys in the box," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "They're gonna put pressure on Pat and the receivers to make plays."
For most of the game, the strategy worked, as McDermott had an uneven performance.
At times, he looked very impressive, making plays with his legs and showing the ability to complete all of the throws.
At other times however, McDermott made poor decisions, throwing into tight coverage and failing to recognize the presence of defenders.
This led to three Brown interceptions, and left observers scratching their heads as to how the Penn quarterback could look so good on one play, only to appear overwhelmed on the next.
McDermott's inconsistency was most noticeable during a Quakers possession early in the second quarter.
On first down, the quarterback scrambled after his protection broke down and squirted up the middle for 13 yards and a first down. On the next play, McDermott threw a 20-yard strike to senior Dan Castles on a deep in-route.
But two plays later, the Quakers signal-caller showed his inexperience by throwing a pass over the middle of the field that was easily intercepted by Brown's Dan Doublin. It appeared that McDermott failed to see Doublin during the play.
The Penn offense continued to sputter after halftime. McDermott was intercepted on the first possession of the third quarter, a play in which he admitted that he made "a mental mistake."
The interception led to a field goal that gave the Bears a 16-13 lead. For the rest of the afternoon, the Quakers looked for the equalizer.
And for most of the rest of the second half, McDermott seemed incapable of providing it. Penn failed to convert five of its next six third downs, as McDermott was sacked once, threw three incompletions and suffered his third interception of the day.
This sent some of the fans and parents in attendance rushing into the parking lot. But, as he has all season long, McDermott saved his best performance for last.
Playing with a poise that had been lacking for most of the afternoon, McDermott completed six of seven passes on the scoring drive.
The quarterback showed the promise that Quakers fans had hoped to see this season. He was effective passing from the pocket on the drive. He was also able to get out of the pocket, where he is a threat to throw as well as run. McDermott set up Penn's final touchdown with a 9-yard scamper down to the 2-yard line.
Give credit to Bagnoli and the coaching staff for putting McDermott in places on the football field where he can best use his abilities. It isn't Mike Mitchell's team anymore, and the sooner the Quakers tailor their playbook around their junior quarterback, the more successful the team will be.
What is it about the two-minute offense that suits McDermott?
He didn't have an answer after the game. But in order for Penn to win its third straight Ivy League title, McDermott will need to come up with the answers.
It's clear that teams will do everything to shut down Mathews and put the game in McDermott's hands. The team's success will ultimately lie in the enigma that is Pat McDermott, with all the good and bad that it entails.
Harry Berezin is a senior history major from San Francisco and is Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is harryb@sas.upenn.edu
