The Penn football team did not play its best in its season opener against Duquesne on Saturday, but still came away with a resounding win on the scoreboard.
While the offense was inconsistent for much of the game, the Quakers were able to capitalize on several big plays by their special teams and defense to break open the game en route to a 41-14 victory on a hot, humid day at Franklin Field.
"It was a good win," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "We were very sluggish early on, and when we seemed to catch our breath a little bit, we got a little bit better with the weather and with our execution."
The Quakers (1-0) jumped right out of the gate, scoring on the first play of their second possession when senior quarterback Pat McDermott heaved a 43-yard pass to junior Dan McDonald.
But the Dukes (2-1) answered right back with the longest scoring drive of the game -- a 13-play, 87-yard drive which exposed the Quakers' inability of several crucial tackles.
Duquesne freshman quarterback Scott Knapp capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Conrad Carter.
But momentum shifted toward the Quakers' side in the second quarter when Penn junior Scott Williams blocked a Duquesne punt deep in the Dukes' own territory. Senior Casey Edgar recovered the ball and ran it to the 5-yard line. Three plays later, McDermott just broke the plane of the goal line with a quarterback plunge.
"Special teams played a big role," Bagnoli said. Duquesne "had been a little bit erratic with their punt snaps, and a little bit erratic in their protection. We wanted to come in and try to pressure them."
The Quakers' defense stiffened in the second quarter, stopping the Dukes' offense after a McDermott interception and never allowing them to threaten to score until the end of the game.
But the Red and Blue caught two huge breaks sandwiching halftime that put the game out of reach.
After the Penn defense held the Dukes deep in their own territory, a Duquesne punt was called back after a kick catching interference penalty.
The reattempted punt went only 29 yards and gave the Quakers 28 seconds to score from the Dukes' 44 yard-line.
McDermott made it quick with a 44-yard pass to junior receiver Matt Carre. Instead of having only a 10-point cushion, the Red and Blue were able to take a satisfying 24-7 lead into the locker room.
But the Quakers didn't stop there.
On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Knapp's pass sailed right into the hands of Penn cornerback Michael Johns. The senior captain returned it 29 yards for a score, effectively draining whatever life was remaining in Duquesne's offense.
"It was a rollout, I was playing zone technique and he threw the ball and I made a good break on it," Johns said.
McDermott was able to tie his career record for touchdowns in a game after he added a 22-yard strike to Carre in the fourth quarter. But he never was able to get any receiver more than three catches on the day.
McDermott finished 10-for-20 with 145 yards. Sophomore Bryan Walker played most of the last quarter with the game already in the bag.
One player who did impress for the Quakers was sophomore kicker Derek Zoch. Zoch, who had his struggles last season, was flawless, going 5-for-5 on extra points and connecting on both of his field-goal attempts -- from 36 and 38 yards out.
Bagnoli emphasized that the critical plays in the second and third quarter were able to open up the Quakers' running game in the second half. Penn controlled the ball for nearly 20 minutes in the second half.
"I thought the real key in the end was that our offensive line started asserting themselves," Bagnoli said. "We started wearing them down a little bit more."
"It was a good win, but we obviously still have a lot of work to do."
