Against Franklin Pierce, quarterback Keith Braccia tossed a 73-yard touchdown to Whit Shaw with just nine seconds left on the clock to give the Quakers their first win of the year, a 24-20 stunner.
Credit: Zoe GanIn 2012, Penn sprint football went through a roller coaster season filled with frantic finishes. Here’s the top three moments from last year’s 3-4 season.
3. Penn and Cornell duke it out for six (six!) overtimes.
In a sign of things to come, the Quakers opened up their 2012 campaign with an epic duel against the Big Red in Ithaca, trading punch after punch before ultimately falling, 42-34, after six overtimes and a two-hour lightning delay. Then-sophomore Mike Beamish got his season off to a good start, rushing for 139 yards on 24 carries, while the now-graduated Whit Shaw hauled in three touchdown passes.
After a Brendan Miller quarterback sneak and ensuing two-point conversion pass to Spenser Greunenfelder gave Cornell the lead in the sixth overtime, quarterback Keith Braccia couldn’t complete a fourth-and-1 pass from the Big Red 16-yard line to bring a game that featured four interceptions and five missed field goals to a close.
2. Whit Shaw goes out with a bang.
Playing in his final game, wide receiver/defensive back/kick returner Whit Shaw did everything he could to ensure that the Quakers staved off a surprisingly game Princeton squad on a cold November night. The senior contributed 177 all-purpose yards, scored three touchdowns and intercepted two passes of his own to give the Red and Blue a 36-21 over the perennial CSFL doormats. Shaw got some defensive help from freshman sensation Mack Pierson, who notched 2.5 sacks on the night.
“All of us, we really stepped up for the [seniors],” said Pierson after the win. “We really played, and we won this game for them. The defense really dug deep, pulled together and held our ground.”
1. Last-second heroics against Franklin Pierce
Playing in their first game since their heartbreaking marathon against Cornell, the Red and Blue found themselves on the right side of a thrilling finish. After a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Matthews to D.J. McDonald with 30 seconds left gave Franklin Pierce a 20-17 lead with just 30 seconds left to play, the situation seemed grim for the Quakers. To make matters worse, Penn received the ball for its final drive at its own 27-yard line.
But all of those problems were quickly rendered moot by (who else?) Whit Shaw. The jack-of-all-trades hauled in a 73-yard touchdown pass from Braccia with just nine seconds left to play, snatching a 24-20 victory out of the jaws of defeat.
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