LEWISBURG, Pa.- It was only the first quarter, but the Quakers already knew that a win was on the way.
That's when sophomore quarterback Robert Irvin connected with wide receiver Braden Lepisto on a play-action pass for a 72-yard touchdown on the fourth drive of the game.
"We've been working on [play action] the last couple weeks, and I thought it was a good time to try it," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Braden ran a really good pattern and had really good protection; Robert threw a really good ball."
Making a statement early? Nah.
The Quakers made the Bison think they had a chance, they even let Bucknell score first, but it was readily apparent after Penn's first touchdown that there would be no contest.
You could start by just comparing the first two touchdowns.
The Bison's came after a hard fought 10-play drive, when the trudge downfield finally culminated in a score.
But after Bucknell's methodical attack, Penn countered 30 seconds later to tie the game with Irvin's bomb to Lepisto.
How could the team be so sure it could try such a bold play so early? For one, the record between the two programs seems to give Penn plenty to be cocky about.
Put it this way: the Bison are only 6-26 against the Quakers all-time, and haven't had a win over Penn at home since 1997.
Also, the Quakers' demoralizing 53-7 defeat of Bucknell on Franklin Field last year could only have added a little swagger to their step.
The Bison's offensive linemen leaving Trigg more exposed than Elin Nordegren in a photo shoot probably didn't help his first-game stamina much, either.
"We were able to jump up on them, we just weren't able to sustain it," Bucknell coach Tim Landis said. "You just can't make a lot of mistakes when you're as young as we are and playing a program with that tradition."
Of course, the Bison's starting quarterback Andrew Lair being out with a broken collarbone didn't help. Neither did second-stringer Terrance Wilson sitting out with an injury sustained in Bucknell's last game.
Oh, and did I mention that the third option is freshman Marcello Trigg, who just saw his first two snaps against Marist the week before?
Tim Landis, I think we have a problem.
How else do you know you have the advantage?
When five fumbles and two interceptions don't spell disaster.
Irvin passing for a career-high 304 yards and three touchdowns didn't hurt the team's chances of winning, either.
Penn even tried to give it away at the end, taking out much of the starting defense in the fourth quarter and then fumbling the first snap to lead to a late Bucknell touchdown.
But the Bison wouldn't have any charity - history was destined to repeat itself.
And the Quakers would win no matter how ugly the ending.
So while the Bison's performance wasn't anything to write home about, at least they managed to complete a pass this game.
Parisa Bastani is a junior Biological Basis of Behavior major from Basking Ridge, N.J. Her e-mail address is pbastani@sas.upenn.edu.
