Tomorrow is all about a second chance.
When the Penn football team lost to Brown, 34-27, on Homecoming two Saturdays ago, the Quakers needed some help if they wanted to win an Ivy League title.
But with Brown's 13-3 loss to Yale on Saturday and Penn's 14-9 victory over Princeton on Friday, the Quakers (5-3, 4-1 Ivy) find themselves tied with the Bears atop the league standings.
Also at the top is Harvard (7-1, 4-1), who enter Franklin Field tomorrow in what will effectively be an elimination game between the Quakers and the Crimson.
"We're certainly using the Brown game as motivation," junior cornerback Chris Wynn said. "We're trying to prove that was a fluke."
Besides the obvious title implications, this game has almost too many story lines to name.
Penn coach Al Bagnoli will be gunning for career win No. 200. If he gets the "W," he'll become just the fifth coach to reach that plateau in Football Championship Subdivision history.
The game also will pit the defending Ivy League champ (Harvard) against the last team to win back-to-back Ivy League titles (Penn).
"Every Ivy game is big," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "But toward the end of the season, the pressure gets magnified."
And on the gridiron, Franklin Field will showcase the best attack in the Ancient Eight teeing off against the top defensive unit. The Quakers have surrendered just 250 yards per game, fourth in the FCS, while the Crimson are 21st with 412 offensive yards per game.
That aerial attack won't alter the Quakers' path to victory.
"I think the formula is the same: We can't give up big plays, we can't turn it over and we must win the field position game," Bagnoli said.
"When you make mistakes, other guys can capitalize on them. And Harvard's certainly a team that will capitalize on our mistakes."
One mistake the team won't make is thinking about the Ivy title.
"We can't control what Brown does," Bagnoli said. "All we can control is what Penn does."
Along these lines, the Quakers will keep using sophomore quarterback Keiffer Garton just as they have been, letting him run the ball almost as much as passing it.
But with Harvard's high-flying attack led by fifth-year senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti - who is eighth in the FCS with 278 passing yards a game - potentially turning this game into a shootout, Garton said he's prepared to throw the ball if need be.
"We're ready for both [passing and running]," he said. "Things will change, but we'll do what we have to."
Fortunately for Garton, who has only 30 career attempts, he might get some help tomorrow. Senior quarterback Robert Irvin, who has been hampered by shoulder and groin injuries, started practicing again this week.
In fact, several banged-up Quakers suited up this week, including center Luis Ruffolo (knee), defensive lineman Joe Rost (knee), wide receiver David Wurst (ankle) and senior defensive back Tyson Maugle (finger).
"We're going to claw our way to Saturday," Bagnoli said.
The recoveries can partially be explained by Penn's schedule.
Playing on Friday last week gave the Quakers an extra day of rest; they had Saturday off, followed by only a light workout on Sunday night.
"It was basically 72 hours off," Bagnoli said. "That's unheard of during the season."
In the end, the Quakers certainly will be grateful for that respite - and the team's regained health - as Bagnoli admitted there's no room for error tomorrow.
"We've got to play our best game of the year," he said.
