When Penn was storming through the first half of its season last year, its run defense turned heads around the nation by consistently ranking as one of the best in I-AA football.
That front seven was among the more inexperienced units on the 2005 Quakers squad, and they returned this year as a relatively sure thing on a team with no shortage of question marks.
Now, as the Quakers move past lowly Dartmouth and into their higher-profile conference matchups, they may want to look back at the front seven's performance against the Big Green for some pointers. Cornerback Tyson Maugle and his two interceptions may have stolen the show - the sophomore earned Ivy Defensive Player of the Week honors - but the Quakers' ability to stop the run went a long way toward putting away a feisty and improved Dartmouth squad.
On the day, the Big Green - with fullback Jason Bash, tailback Milan Williams and quarterback Mike Fritz all getting their share of touches - ran for just 92 yards in 26 tries.
And though Fritz racked up 255 yards in the air, that number may be inflated because the Penn defense forced the Big Green to take a one-dimensional approach to its offense, and the lack of balance caught up with Fritz in the long run.
But even more pressing were Dartmouth's red-zone woes. Absent a reliable short-yardage back, Fritz was forced to toss rainbows to the corners and short screen passes that Penn's secondary defended more easily than the Big Green's vertical game. Dartmouth twice failed to finish the job after a first down deep in the red zone, and one of those times, the drive came up empty after kicker Andrew Kempler pulled the ball wide.
"We had our opportunities," coach Buddy Teeven said. "Unfortunately, we didn't capitalize when we needed to."
In particular, Williams - Dartmouth's 5-foot-9, 165-pound spark plug - was held to just 14 yards on 10 carries. Last year, the sophomore established himself as a legitimate threat, averaging 4.7 yards per carry in a backup role.
The more imposing Bash barely fared better against Penn, averaging 2.3 yards per carry.
"Our red-zone defense has been solid all year, and it was good again [Saturday]," Bagnoli said.
Senior linebacker Kory Gedin led the way with 12 tackles.
Dartmouth relied on the passing game for much of the contest, but referees called back a fourth-quarter touchdown after an offensive pass interference call on wideout Ryan Fuselier, and a string of interceptions ended the threat. By then, the lack of a credible running game had made the Big Green's offense ineffective - Dartmouth converted only five of 13 third-down chances.
Penn did not have a stellar day on the ground, either, but running backs Joe Sandberg and Sam Shepherd gave the Quakers something their opponents did not have - enough of a running game to have a chance at winning.
