Quarterback Robert Irvin was told to carry the Quakers on his back in his sophomore year, but in his junior season the pressure on his shoulder was just a little too much.
After starting the first three games of the season, it became clear that his right shoulder had never fully recovered from offseason surgery, and now it looks like Irvin could be shelved for the remainder of the season.
"Right now, he's probably a long shot," coach Al Bagnoli said yesterday. "We're still trying to figure out exactly what's wrong with him. Until we get the MRI results back and until we get the dye results back we won't know."
Bagnoli said Irvin underwent an MRI yesterday and a dye was injected into his shoulder to detect possible structural damage.
This means that senior Bryan Walker, who has filled in for Irvin in two starts, will likely be under center from here on out.
While Walker was beaten out by his younger teammate during the preseason last year, he expressed mixed emotions regarding his upswing in playing time.
"It's an opportunity I'm grateful for," Walker said. "Of course I want to be out on the field, [but] obviously not at the expense of someone else's health."
Backfield roundup. While senior fullback Nick Cisler was forced to exit early against Georgetown and sat out yesterday's practice, his bruised quadricep won't keep him out of action this weekend at Columbia.
The situation at tailback, however, has seen a few changes in recent weeks.
Freshman Michael DiMaggio, whose 85 rushing yards and touchdown earned him Ivy Rookie of the Week honors, has supplanted Kelms Amoo-Achampong as the number-two running back.
"I think Mike has had a terrific preseason," Bagnoli said. "He's a talented kid and he'll continue to get touches."
Evolving O-Line. The departure of former left guard Sean Estrada literally left a gaping hole in Penn's offensive line, and this year's unit was riddled with uncertainty all the way up to the season opener.
Penn quarterbacks have been sacked just twice all season (tied for a league low), but for the first time this season, the running game was really able to get going on Saturday.
But even though they are aware that they aren't the same without Estrada, a dominating performance against Georgetown's front seven on Saturday showed that they're shaping into a very capable bunch.
"Everyone has made a conscious effort to do more," senior guard Jesse Rigler said. "We're definitely not the offensive line that has . a beast out there that's gonna carry the line. We're all good in our own respects and we share it all."
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