What a difference a win makes.
The Quakers had reached the nadir of coach Al Bagnoli's career. Penn could only manage seven points against Lafayette, threw seven interceptions against Villanova, and fell to Dartmouth for the first time in ten years.
But after a blowout win over Georgetown last week, Penn is ready to put the past behind it and restart its hunt for an Ivy crown when it takes on Columbia in New York tomorrow.
After making two consecutive starts at quarterback to fill in for the injured Robert Irvin, senior Bryan Walker has the position to himself since Irvin's shoulder injury has sidelined him for the rest of the season.
And senior tailback Joe Sandberg said the Quakers might have finally found the one thing that had eluded them in the beginning of the season: Stability.
"We're a lot looser out there," he said. "The team's really rallying around Bryan; he's our leader out there, and that's the way it's going to be for the rest of the year."
Sandberg, who had to sit out the end of the Dartmouth game after bruising his back on a collision with a Big Green defender, dazzled the Penn faithful last week with 117 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Though he has been relatively limited this season because of injuries, he has still averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
And when Bagnoli pulled him after the first half last week with Penn up 35-0, the Quakers discovered another rushing threat in the form of freshman Michael DiMaggio.
"Every week, we're going to look to run the ball," Bagnoli said. "With Mike [DiMaggio], it becomes a nice one-two combination. He's pretty valuable and explosive."
"Penn has two very good running backs, and Bryan Walker is a good player," Columbia coach Norries Wilson said. "You need to keep him contained and get him tackled when you have the chance."
Columbia's defense had quite a bit of trouble containing Lafayette's running attack last week, as the Leopards shut out the Lions 29-0. A combination of backup running backs for Lafayette combined for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions have gotten off to a slow start, dropping their season opener to Fordham, 27-10, and giving up 21 fourth-quarter points to Princeton to lose, 42-32. Columbia's only win came against Marist.
Senior quarterback Craig Hormann leads the Lions offensively, throwing for 217 yards per game through the air this season.
Hormann's favorite target, sophomore Austin Knowlin, has racked up nearly 110 yards per game. He is also Columbia's biggest deep threat, averaging 15 yards per catch.
The Lions have also displayed quite a bit of talent on special teams. Placekicker and punter Jon Rocholl nailed a 49-yard field goal against Fordham to become Columbia's career record-holder for field goals made.
However, the Lions have not beaten the Quakers in 10 years, and Penn has come out on top in 22 of the last 25 meetings. Last season, Penn shutout Columbia 16-0 at Franklin Field, as Sandberg rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown.
But having lost to Dartmouth for the first time in ten years this season, Penn can ill-afford to take Columbia lightly.
"Every road game in the Ivy League is tough, regardless of where you're playing," Sandberg said. "We're gonna have to come out and play our best."
