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 during 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) seemed to jump right out of the gate, scoring on their 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 during which exposed the Quakers' mishandling 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 four yard-line. Three plays later McDermott just broke the plane of the goaline with a QB plunge. "Special teams played a big role," Bagnoli said. "They 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 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 catching interference penalty. The second punt went only 29 yards and gave the Quakers 28 seconds to score from the Dukes' 44 yard-line. McDermott made it quick, this time with a 44-yard pass to junior receiver Matt Carre. Instead of 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 to pay dirt and effectively drained 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 his receivers into the game, as none of them posted more than three catches on the day. McDermott himself went 10-for-20 with 145 yards. "Not too good," McDermott said when asked about his performance. "I made some poor decisions, and personally I have a lot of work to do." 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 to Duquesne's nine. "I thought the real key in the end was that our offensive line started asserting themselves," Bagnoli said. "We started running the ball better; 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."
For complete coverage turn to Monday's DP.
