When asked about how he viewed Penn's football program this year, Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens replied, "They're as good as any team I've seen on tape" - high praise, considering Teevens' squad played host to No. 1 New Hampshire last week and ended up on the wrong end of a 56-14 beatdown.
Now he will try to lead the Big Green to a win over the Quakers for the first time since 1997.
What, him worry?
Teevens probably should be concerned, given that his team's question marks on offense and defense have yet to be resolved. Dartmouth was picked next-to-last in the Ivy League's preseason poll this year, and so far has not given any reason to doubt that ranking. (In fact, the only team Dartmouth beat out in that poll - Columbia - has started the year with a pair of wins.)
According to Teevens, the running game will be one of his chief concerns Saturday. The Big Green put up only 160 rushing yards in its first two games - the first one a 28-7 loss to Colgate - with three different backs splitting the carries.
The quarterback situation seems to be a bit more secure, with senior Mike Fritz taking the snaps now after sharing time with junior Tom Bennewitz last week. (Freshman Max Heiges is the third option.) Dartmouth certainly misses Josh Cohen, who would have been the starter this year were it not for his dismissal from the team last summer for academic reasons.
If the Big Green hopes to move the chains, it will have to do it through the air. The matchup between senior wide receiver Ryan Fuselier - who accounted for both of Dartmouth's touchdowns last week - and the inexperienced Quaker secondary could be one of the few that favors the visitors.
"The biggest thing for us is to have balance," Teevens said.
Meanwhile, the Big Green secondary that posted the best pass defense in the Ivy League last year seems to be a thing of the past, as Dartmouth has given up a combined six touchdowns in the air so far. Colgate and New Hampshire also managed a pair of touchdowns on 33- and 65-yard runs.
"We've seen them on tape," said sophomore Robert Irvin, who figures to make his third start at quarterback on Saturday. "We've picked out the spots where we can definitely take advantage of them."
That may be true, but the fact that the Big Green's only action this year has been against heavily favored opponents means it is still a bit of an unknown.
Just like Penn.
"Both of us are hopeful that we've been stretched so much in those games that maybe we'll get ourselves acclimated," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Both of us got tested real early - I think both of us have an assessment of what our kids can and can't do."
But opponents don't have that same knowledge, and the Big Green may still hold some surprises.
"I think the team looks a ton better than it did last year," said the wideout Fusilier - so much so, he added, that the prospect of moving the program up in the Ivy League pecking order inspired several teammates to return as fifth-year seniors. That list includes Mike Rabil, Brian Osimiri and Joe Gibalski, all of whom have become top options on Dartmouth's defensive front.
Against Penn, they will begin to find out if the decision was worth it or not.
Staff writers David Bernstein and Josh Hirsch contributed to this report.
