Josh Hirsch: Quakers' downfall a lack of star power

Truthfully, I was not too excited about this year's football season. I understand that the circumstances of last year, on and off the field, were unique and should not really be an indictment of the team and players, but it was more of a personnel issue that led me to my beliefs before this season.

But when Penn trounced then-No. 22 Lafayette to start the season, I was drawn in. I was more than willing to be wrong about the Quakers. However, the recent loss to formerly 0-3 Villanova makes me think that maybe I was right all along.

Even in the world of Ivy League football, games, and to a larger extent, championships, are won by star players. Since 1998, only once has the Ivy League Player of the Year not come from the eventual league champion.

Those of us who are seniors have seen three different Ivy champs so far, whose teams have been defined by their stars - Penn quarterback Mike Mitchell in 2003, the Harvard tandem of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and running back Clifton Dawson in 2004 and Brown rusher Nick Hartigan last season.

After two weeks it doesn't look like Penn has that kind of player this year, and therefore the Quakers' chances of winning the Ivy League look dim.

I thought that maybe sophomore quarterback Robert Irvin had a chance to be that star after the game against the Leopards. But Irvin completed less than 50 percent of his passes against Villanova for only 87 yards and two interceptions before hurting his ankle in the fourth quarter.

And for the second year in a row, the Quakers could not punch the ball in against the Wildcats at the end of the game - which I think is due in large part to the lack of an offensive go-to guy.

When Penn needs a play, who will it call on?

Senior running back Joe Sandberg had his second straight solid game on the ground, amassing 94 yards on 15 carries. But he only had 15 carries, as Penn's promised balanced attack disappeared. The Quakers attempted 41 passes and only 21 runs, despite the score margin never being more than seven points one way or the other.

And Sandberg wasn't the dominating force he was in Week 1. Considering he had one carry of 74 yards, his other 14 went for a total of only 20 yards, averaging 1.4 yards per rush.

In the second half, Sandberg only had four carries, and in the fourth he had only one rush attempt for a loss of seven yards, to go along with one 11-yard catch.

A star player doesn't get five touches in the entire second half of a seven-point game.

And if the coaching staff really thought Sandberg could be a star they would have given him the ball more.

If Irvin and junior quarterback Bryan Walker do make good throws, they don't have the kind of receiving corps that can make plays for them.

No receiver has more than seven total catches, and none has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in two games. Junior Dan Coleman seemed poised to break out after grabbing five passes for 85 yards in the opening half against Lafayette, but he hasn't caught a pass since.

Twenty-one points per game won't get the job done in the Ivy League, especially if the Quakers' defense continues to give up 480 yards per game, as it has done without having faced a particularly strong opponent.

Penn could be in for a long season if no one steps up and takes this team on his back.

I'm more than willing to be wrong again, I just don't have a clue of who that person is going to be.

Josh Hirsch is a senior urban studies major from Roslyn, N.Y., and is former Senior Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is jjhirsch@sas.upenn.edu.

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