With a chance to go up by a pair of touchdowns on Saturday, the Penn offense ran into a wall. So out strode Penn's leading wide receiver, Braden Lepisto, to try a 38-yard field goal.
He left no doubt. When the ball sailed through the uprights to make the score 17-7, Lepisto had delivered a clear message to visiting Harvard: This would not resemble Penn's last three games. There would be no points left on the field. At once relentless and intelligent, the Quakers went on to defeat Harvard, 22-13.
Penn (5-4, 3-3 Ivy) notched its second win over a ranked opponent this year and snapped a three-game overtime loss skid.
"Thank God we didn't have to go to overtime," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "That's my first statement."
The No. 17 Crimson (7-2, 4-2) were upset by an Ivy League opponent for the second time this year. Harvard tailback Clifton Dawson also broke the Ivy League record for career rushing yards on a 55-yard run, just his second carry of the game. But the Quakers ruined his big day in the end.
That was hardly a foregone conclusion, even though Penn only trailed for the opening 10 minutes. Harvard drove 44 yards in three plays to set up a field goal as time expired in the first half, making the score 20-13.
But that was the last time the Crimson would threaten. Punter Anthony Melillo pinned Harvard inside its own 3-yard line on three straight possessions in the second half, and regaining the field-position battle proved to be too much even for Dawson and quarterback Liam O'Hagan.
"We really struggled with field position in the second half," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "It's a position we haven't been in very much. You don't necessarily have the luxury of running your natural offense."
Or any offense at all. Dawson burned Penn for 100 yards on the ground in the first half but managed just 19 after that.
Penn fullback Nick Cisler and running back Joe Sandberg matched Dawson every step of the way, combining for 96 yards on the ground. More impressive than that were Cisler's team-high 61 receiving yards, including a key 10-yard catch that moved Penn into the red zone and helped Sandberg rush for his second touchdown two plays later.
Penn's championship hopes were dashed last week after a third-straight overtime loss, a surreal 31-30 defeat at Princeton. That game took some of the anticipation out of this one, especially considering that Harvard, a perennial league power along with Penn, already had an in-conference loss.
But Penn still put together some of its best football of the year, playing with little to lose and everything to gain.
The Quakers' offensive line did not allow a single sack, and Robert Irvin avoided an interception until late in the game. Harvard had registered a sack in each of its eight games so far this year.
On defense, Penn forced two fumbles and picked off O'Hagan twice to go along with a pair of big-time sacks.
After starting cornerback and punt returner Greg Ambrogi injured his calf, backup Joey Brown came off the bench to lead Penn with nine tackles. O'Hagan and backup Chris Pizzotti completed just 17 of 38 passes. They had been completing passes at a 56 percent clip.
The Crimson now need help next week to win even a share of the Ivy title. Princeton must lose to Dartmouth - which beat Brown on Saturday - and Harvard needs its fifth-straight win over Yale in The Game.
"This is one we really needed," Dawson said. "This is one that I really wanted."
For the Quakers, it was one that brought back memories of the heady days of Bagnoli's tenure, when a win over Harvard would have likely meant an Ivy championship.
Now, Bagnoli has tied his personal record for consecutive seasons without a title. The present season will not meet its goals. His Quakers only have their own pride and the program's future to play for, but they saw both grow stronger on Saturday.
