NEW HAVEN, Conn. - It wasn't until the postgame press conference after Saturday's 9-7 win at Yale that Al Bagnoli finally showed the effects of being the longest-tenured coach in Quakers history.
"I think I'm gonna go on the bus and fall asleep," he said, chuckling. "We've had way too many of these."
While I can't vouch for Bagnoli's energy level on the Greyhound, one thing has been abundantly clear as Penn nears the halfway point in Ancient Eight play: The Quakers' headphoned honcho has been vintage Al in '08, pushing all the right buttons and looking every bit like the ringleader of six Ivy titles from 1993 to 2003.
To be sure, Penn's return to prominence has been about as aesthetically-pleasing as the architectural design of DRL. And the lion's share of the credit goes to a gritty front seven that made a thoroughbred of a back like Yale's Mike McLeod look more like Handsome Dan, the Bulldogs' canine mascot who wobbles up and down the home sideline to rally the Yale Bowl's hammered tailgate crowd.
But consider the makeshift operation over which Bagnoli's presiding on offense: inconsistency at quarterback, no clear starter in the backfield, no go-to receiver. Somehow, though, with smoke and mirrors, Bagnoli has directed his squad to its first 3-0 start in three years.
Midway through Saturday's game, Bagnoli turned to starting punter and backup quarterback Kyle Olson - with 21 career pass attempts and no touchdowns to his name - to replace seemingly-established starter Robert Irvin and come from behind against one of the league's premier defenses. Bagnoli called it "one of those gut feelings."
Olson was far from spectacular, completing fewer than half of his passes and never connecting on a big play downfield. But he avoided turnovers, stretched the defense a bit with his mobility and, most importantly, led Penn into scoring position with protracted, methodical drives of quick routes and power running.
When the offense stalled inside Bulldogs territory but outside of kicker Andrew Samson's range, Bagnoli twice called for his southpaw signal-caller to line up in the shotgun in a show of Madden-esque fourth-down machismo, only to have his versatile gunslinger knock a short, bounding punt over the top of the drawn-in defense.
This ploy, in the Quakers' arsenal all year as Bagnoli's Greatest Faux on Turf, successfully pinned the Bulldogs at their own three-yard line early in the second quarter.
Even the vaunted defense - whose prowess through six games cannot be overstated - received a boost from Bagnoli's creative juices on Saturday afternoon. Of course, sending aggressive blitzes to fluster an inexperienced quarterback like Yale's Brook Hart is a lynchpin of most any coach's defensive scheme.
But calling on quarterback-turned-Hail Mary preventionist Brendan McNally to seal the victory with an interception on the game's final play? That would qualify as a pinch of black magic for the Red and Blue.
Indeed, with Bagnoli's deep playbook as their guide, the Quakers have made football relevant again on 33rd and South.
This Saturday's homecoming matchup with fellow conference undefeated Brown will arguably mark the most significant game in the collegiate careers of every single player on Penn's roster. It may well decide this season's league champion.
So Al-bracadabra, folks! We've got ourselves a contender.
Matt Flegenheimer is a sophomore in the College from New York. His e-mail address is mfleg@dailypennsylvanian.com
