David Bernstein: Plenty of meaning in a 'meaningless' win

Having been eliminated from title contention last week, Penn's 7-0 win over Princeton on Saturday technically didn't mean a thing.

But don't let the Quakers hear you say that.

During a season with few bright spots, where the Penn football team has had little to be happy about, the Quakers finally have a reason to crack a smile.

Last year's trip to Princeton, the double-overtime battle that saw two botched Penn kicks and a ridiculous fourth-down conversion by the Tigers to win the game, was burned in the Quakers' minds.

And after a game that was the polar opposite of that high-scoring, back-and-forth contest, the victory provides at least a little solace to Penn's senior class, which evened up its record against Princeton but will still graduate without an Ivy championship.

"Last year we had a bitter taste in our mouth, just the way it ended," said senior running back Joe Sandberg, who provided the only scoring with his 26-yard touchdown scamper. "The way this season has gone, it's really good to get a win."

That's what a rivalry does - it makes the losses hurt more and the wins taste sweeter.

And that holds even truer for a game as downright ugly as this weekend's.

Even with Rob Toresco's 66-yard reception, Penn and Princeton combined for less than 300 yards through the air and one red-zone appearance. So when cornerback Tyson Maugle broke up the Tigers' final pass, a contented sigh of relief let out throughout Franklin Field.

Neither team played like a winner, but the Quakers will take any victory they can get, especially a close one. It's a feeling that they haven't had in a while - in the past three seasons, Penn is 2-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less.

"We've lost our share of close games, so it's nice to be on the other side of the ledger," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said.

The Quakers certainly turned the tables on Princeton this weekend, but Bagnoli and his counterpart Roger Hughes weren't just on the same page - they were practically finishing each other's sentences.

"Well I think that game set offensive football back about 50 years," Hughes said.

Bagnoli had a slightly different timetable: "I was kidding Roger after the game that we probably set offensive football back 20 years."

It's hard to argue with them, but stinker or not, this game was a huge boost for Penn.

No one will be able to look back on this game as significant within the context of the 2007 season. It is just a game without any championship implications.

But when they look back on this game and this season, the Quakers will probably say more than just "Well, at least we beat Princeton."

"You want to win [a championship], but if that doesn't happen you're still a football player," senior nose guard Naheem Harris said. "You have so few opportunities to play, you can't waste one."

The Quakers certainly didn't waste its opportunity this weekend. They erased a blemish and bounced back against a team they hate losing to the most.

It may have been ugly. It may not have mattered much. But as far as the Quakers are concerned, now it's Princeton who will have to bounce back.

David Bernstein is a junior Economics major from Washington, D.C. His e-mail address is davidkb@sas.upenn.edu.

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