In Ithaca: Quakers survive late Big Red scare

ITHACA, N.Y. - Senior Bobby Fallon got a nice going away present Saturday at Schoellkopf Field. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native snagged a short pass from Cornell quarterback D.J. Busch and took it back 17 yards for the No. 22 Quakers' first score. "It fell right in my lap," Fallon said. "I don't think I've scored a touchdown in any league, so it was pretty special in my last game." It was Fallon's first career interception, and yes, his first score for the Red and Blue. And it set the tone for a 20-14 win over the Big Red that was especially meaningful for Fallon and his classmates. With the win, the Class of 2005 established itself as the winningest in modern Penn history, posting a four-year mark of 35-4. "Not too shabby," said Penn coach Al Bagnoli, who guided the Quakers for each of those wins as well as a pair of Ancient Eight titles in that four-year span. But the win would not come easy - the Quakers again needed a few breaks and a little luck. Senior Gabe Marabella recorded his first touchdown pass on a broken field goal attempt, finding sophomore J.J. Stanton through heavy coverage in the end zone. And while the defense and special teams scored the first 14 points for Penn, the offense got their names in the book in the third quarter as running back Kyle Ambrogi scampered 14 yards for a touchdown. Cornell was not willing to go quietly, however. In his final game for the Big Red, Busch mounted a pair of fourth-quarter drives to put 14 points on the board. With 2 minutes to go, Michael Johns put the brakes to the Cornell surge, picking off the go-ahead pass in the end zone. Senior Dan Castles also earned himself another Penn milestone moving to second all-time in career receiving yards for Penn, after tallying 124 on the day. In his second start, freshman quarterback Brian Walker completed 19 of 36 passes for 257 yards, including a 53-yard strike to Castles and a 57-yarder to sophomore Matt Carre. Penn finishes 8-2 on the year and 6-1 in the Ivy League, good enough for second place behind 7-0 Harvard. Cornell wrapped up the year at 4-6 and 4-3 in the Ancient Eight.