As the cliche goes, football games are won and lost in the trenches. Just ask Columbia coach Norries Wilson, who attributed his team's loss in part to "not [being] strong enough physically."
Wilson specifically credited junior nose tackle Naheem Harris for thwarting the Lions' running game during Penn's 16-0 win on Saturday. All afternoon, the senior managed to get penetration on the Columbia offensive line.
The same thing happened on the other side of the ball as Penn's offensive linemen pushed around the Lions' 3-4 front and paved the way for 157 rushing yards.
"Our strength is definitely one of the best things we have going for us," senior center Art Fritzinger said. Strength and conditioning Coach Jim Steel "does a great job with us in the weight room."
Penn did bring a significant size advantage to the battle of the linemen. The Quakers' five starting offensive linemen weigh an average of 274 pounds - a figure over 30 pounds larger than the average for Columbia's front three linemen.
The Lions tried to respond by mixing up their defensive formations and sending players from different angles but only achieved moderate success. Columbia finished with five tackles for a loss, including just one sack.
"We knew from watching them [that] they stunt back and forth; they throw guys down and out before the snap," junior center Brian Brazinski said. "We did a great job preparing for that."
At no time was that more evident than in the fourth quarter. The Quakers' offensive line manhandled the Lions during a 15-play drive of almost 10 minutes. The Quakers came up empty after a missed field goal, but the time-swallowing drive sealed the win for Penn.
"I think that carried us through [the game]," Brazinski said.
Top of the heap
Perhaps the biggest question marks surrounding the 2006 Quakers concerned their young secondary. If statistics after five games are any indication, their defensive backs may be providing all the right answers.
Junior defensive back Greg Ambrogi currently leads all I-AA players in passes defended per game - a statistic combining interceptions and pass breakups - with two.
Sophomore Tyson Maugle joins his teammate near the top of the list, coming in fourth. Maugle has three interceptions and five passes broken up on the year for an average of 1.6 per game.
Princeton's secondary is also represented, although it's toward the bottom of the top 25. Senior J.J. Artis is 13th with 1.4, while classmate Tim Strickland is tied for 23rd with 1.2.
Even Penn's reserves are getting into the act. Sophomore Britton Ertman, who has appeared in every game this year, is near the top in forced fumbles per game. Ertman has three, and his 0.6 per-game mark places him fourth among I-AA players.
Getting the red light
It might go without saying that to shut a team out, you need a strong red-zone defense. But when you concede three drives of 10 plays or more - as the Quakers in fact did on Saturday - that need becomes even more pressing.
Twice in the early part of the first half, the Lions drove to the cusp of field goal range only to turn the ball over on downs - first on a 4th-and-11 from the Penn 34, and then on 4th-and-1 from the 40.
But the biggest stop came in the fourth quarter. The Lions staged a 10-play, 77-yard march to the 3-yard line, only to have Jon Rocholl's field goal emphatically blocked by J.J. Stanton.
"Penn's been great in the red zone all year," Wilson said. "They did what they do - we got in the red zone, and they stopped us."
