When the Quakers emerged from the locker room last Thursday and trotted onto Franklin Field for another evening of spring football practice, they did so without their helmets and shoulder pads. The team usually dons those before it hits the turf, even in the spring.
Instead, Penn engaged in a series of sprinting and stretching drills first.
It's part of a new focus - the team is spending much of its spring session working on foot speed, players and coaches said. The players will be tested at the end of the month for improvement in their agility, according to football operations director Daniel Kuhn.
The Quakers have also been working with a speed coach during the spring, Kuhn said.
The players brought out the full pads for the first time in Sunday's practice, which also was the first to feature referees to monitor the plays.
The final session before the summer will be the annual spring scrimmage on April 19.
Quarterback uncertainty. If junior Robert Irvin is ready to start under center when Penn opens its season on Sept. 20 against Villanova, he will. But it's not a sure thing. Irvin is still recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent in October and does not expect to throw all out for another month. He has only participated in footwork drills.
The depth chart behind him consists of sophomore Brendan McNally and two freshmen, Cal Farley and Keiffer Garton.
But because last season's backup Bryan Walker is a senior and therefore no longer with the team, Irvin's hiatus did not give the underclassmen any chance at game experience. McNally had just a cup of coffee on the field while Walker started the last eight games.
Because of that, quarterbacks coach Larry Woods wants to make sure they get their reps in now while Irvin is still unable to throw.
"It lets them take some chances, show us what they can do," Woods said of Irvin's hiatus.
"The guys get to take a couple of chances."
Punting hijinks. The team only has one viable punter on its roster at the moment, senior Matt Belasco, who took the occasional boot last season.
But freshmen Mark Dziemranowicz and Raiam Santos, both of the 172-pound-and-under sprint team, are participating in the spring practice sessions, and both plan to try out in the fall.
No lounging around. If there's one thing the coaching staff doesn't want, it's for spring practice to be seen as unserious.
True, there is no upcoming game, and the competitions for playing time are not yet in full swing.
"But this is a crucial year," Woods said "We've tried to really instill that sense of urgency.
"It's not a 4-6 year coming off a 7-3 year, it's a 4-6 year coming off a 5-5 year," he added.
"This is ground we're not used to being on."
