A blog dedicated to Columbia football -- yes, the same Columbia football team that is currently on a 12-game losing streak -- just wrote a post about Al Bagnoli and the quick turnaround of the Penn football team he masterminded in the early 1990s.
But as Quakers fans know, the last four years have brought zero Ivy League titles and three straight losing Ivy campaigns. Why the decline? Well, according to the post, maybe Penn President Amy Gutmann is to blame.
But 2003 was the last time Penn won the football title. And that's also when current Penn president Amy Gutmann came on the scene.
Could the two incidents be related? When I asked Bagnoli last year if he felt he was getting enough support from the administration, he mostly shrugged. I get the feeling he had more to say ... but couldn't.
And then later:
For all I know, Gutmann is supporting athletics more than anyone at Penn, but the time parallels here are pretty clear. This is not only the longest championship drought for Bagnoli, his Quaker teams have had three straight losing Ivy seasons! And basketball fell off a cliff in 2007-08 for the first time in... forever.
Oh, and quarterback Robert Irvin is also to blame, says the blog, despite the fact that he was injured for all but 1.5 games last year and performed well in his sophomore season when he earned honorable mention All-Ivy honors.
Although this post is more than a little suspect -- Gutmann surely can't be blamed for Penn's football woes -- the blog, Roar Lions Roar, actually does have some legitimate information. Some links of note for Penn fans:
Will Lions WR Austin Knowlin have a big game on Saturday?
Is there a rivalry between Penn and Columbia?
Scouting Penn
Penn Athletics just announced that The Line will be making its appearance Oct. 17-18, which is the first weekend back from Fall Break. First off, this is a little later than last year's Line.
Second, with the decreased significance of The Line, Penn Athletics is pulling out all the marketing strategies it can to get people to sleepover in the Palestra.
There's the standard promises of food (cheap hot dogs and free Qdoba tacos), of course, and Penn items, including "foam noodles, mini-hoop sets, megaphone, fan banner, and foam Quaker hat." Also, the yearly Red & Blue Crew t-shirt will be distributed.
But in addition to these things, Penn is taking it up another level. The Red and Blue Crew students will also get a chance to win several "items and experiences such as: team gear, autographed items, lunch with Coach Miller and the team, free tickets to away games including Princeton, sitting behind the team bench, watching closed team practices, playing a pick-up game at The Palestra, as well as a few surprise perks."
Will the potential to win such prizes encourage you to go to The Line? Let me know in the comments. Even you alums, feel free to post your thoughts on this new marketing strategy.
In other, random Penn marketing news, there's a Penn football poster in 30th Street Station. I guess Nelligan Sports Marketing wants to get the rush hour crowd to Penn games.
Similar to Storming the Floor's ranking of each state by overall winning percentage, CollegeHoops.net has a state by state ranking of each D-I men's basketball program. The rankings are based mostly on the last five years' results, not on upcoming predictions.
In Pennsylvania's ranking, Penn came in a respectable fifth. The top four were Pittsburgh then Big 5 members Villanova, St. Joseph's and Temple, in that order. Besides those last three schools, the Quakers will play four other teams from Pennsylvania: No. 7 Drexel, No. 8 Penn State, No. 12 La Salle and No. 13 Lafayette.
The only top-ranked school Penn will play this year is UNC, who edged out Duke for tops in North Carolina.
After the jump, the rankings of the other Ivy League teams
Looking at these rankings, the Ivy League doesn't exactly appear to be America's strongest conference. Half the league was either dead last or second to last. And only two schools placed in the top 50% of their respective states.
Don't know how this one fell through the cracks, but director Kevin Rafferty submitted a film about the infamous 1968 football game between Harvard and Yale that ended in a 29-29 tie to the Toronto International Film Festival last month. Here's a review of the film.
Final Score: Penn 27 Georgetown7
Chris Wynn took the opening kickoff back 88 yards for the score and the Quakers never looked back. Even after Mike DiMaggio went down, freshman Matt Hamscher filled in admirably, going for over 100 yards on the day. They stopped Georgetown quarterback Keerome Lawrence on the ground, and put together a few nice drives, resulting in 2 Samson field goals and a pair of short rushing touchdowns. Only a late fumble and fourth-down conversion prevented Penn from getting the shutout. The Quakers move back to .500 and end their non-conference slate with a win here in the nation's capital.
Penn 27 Georgetown 7 End of Regulation
Lawrence runs it, but is rocked by Glen Cressman. He drops the ball and the Quakers recover at the Georgetown 18. Junior fullback Thurston Hamlette comes in and takes a few carries to run out the clock.
Penn 27 Georgetown 7 2:42 Fourth Quarter
A short, high kickoff gives Penn good field position, at their own 36. Hamscher spins and dodges defenders to gain 9 yards when it looked like there was nothing. He fumbles at the end of the play, but the Quakers get it back. On second down, the refs give Hamscher the first down, but it didn't look like he got it from up here. Hamscher runs to the outside for 2 yards, and is now over 100 yards on the day in relief of Mike DiMaggio. An Olson incompletion and a five-yard screen to Hamscher means Olson stays on the field, only this time it's to punt. His kick is downed at the 9.
Penn 27 Georgetown 7 6:03 Fourth Quarter
Lawrence picks up a first down on the ground. But a few Quakers tackles bring up a 4th and 4 for the Hoyas. A Lawrence pass is caught at the 3, good for the first down but no touchdown. And the training staff is tending to Georgetown lineman Kelvin Moses, who is helped off the field by a pair of teammates. Upon resuming play, Wade gets to the 1 and Lawrence completes a second down bootleg pass to a diving Collin Meador. The shutout suffers, but not much else. That is Lawrence's first passing touchdown of the season. Comically, the team gets whistled for having 12 men on the field during the extra point, but Georgetown drills it anyway.
Penn 27 Georgetown 0 9:34 Fourth Quarter
Second stringers come in for Penn. That means Olson comes in, but the running back position remains the same, as Hamscher is still in the backfield. Two Hamscher runs sandwiching a DeLuca carry give Penn a first down. A second down pass complete to Koontz, but he fumbles it and the Hoyas recover at the Penn 28.
Penn 27 Georgetown 0 11:28 Fourth Quarter
Larence completes a pass for a first down to Kenny Mitchell, who remains on the ground after the play. Trainers attend to him and he trots off the field without help. Lawrence scrambles on the next play and picks up 28 yards on the broken play. He rushes for 10 yards and another first down on the next play. He tries it on the next third down, but the Quakers swarm him short of the line, and the Hoyas will go for fourth down. A blitzing Ertman gets to Lawrence in the backfield, and Guillermo Ruffolo brings him up short of the first.
Penn 27 Georgetown 0 End of Third Quarter
A Wade run for about a yard, brings us to the end of the third quarter. This one's a blowout, folks.
Penn 27 Georgetown 0 0:34 Third Quarter
After a pass goes for a loss, Lawrence throws away an option toss on second down, but the ball goes out of bounds. Lawrence's third down pass lands right in the hands of Tony Moses for his first career interception. He returns it to the Georgetown 14. On second down, Hamscher takes it to the 2 for a first down. A Georgetown substitution penalty brings Penn to the 1, and Irvin hands it to Luck DeLuca for the touchdown plunge, a career-first for DeLuca. Samson kicks it through, and Penn is up comfortably, 27-0
Penn 20 Georgetown 0 2:51 Third Quarter
Goergeown starts at their own 34. Lawrence tries to scramble on third down and fumbles the ball, but the Hoyas recover and punt it away. Short punt caught by Marcus Lawrence on the Penn 46, so the Quakers take over with good field position. Koontz drops it on first down, and a Georgetown linebacker drops a ball right to his hands on the second. Appenfelder gets the ball on third down and comes up just short of the first down, though the spot was very questionable. Olson in to punt it away. It goes into the endzone for a touchback.
Penn 20 Georgetown 0 5:23 Third Quarter
Kyle Olson sees his first time at quarterback. He hands it off to Hamscher a couple times for a first down. Olson completes it to Koontz, who five catches a re a career high. Hamscher takes the handoff, dodging and hurdling defenders for 14 yards. Another completion to Koontz, who levels a defender en route to a first down. Georgetown sniffs out a screen to Hamscher, and he loses 4, while a Patrick O'Donnell sack knocks Penn back 12 more. A Hamscher run brings them to the 20-yard line, and Samson drills a 37-yard field goal right down the middle and with plenty of distance.
Penn 17 Georgetown 0 11:00 Third Quarter
After Penn stops the Hoyas on 2 runs, Lawrence completes his second pass of the day, an dit's good for a first down. He drops back to pass again, but is chased out of the pocket and throws it away. The pocket collapses on him on his next attempt, but he tucks it and runs for a first down. The Hoyas go for fourth down, and the pass is complete to Philip Oladeji, but he is rocked by linebacker Glen Cressman well short of the first down. Penn takes over.
Halftime Stats
The 3rd shutout half for the Quakers. They also shut out Villanova and Lafayette in the second half.
Matt Hamscher, 11 rushes for 40 yards and a TD in relief for Mike DiMaggio, who was sidelined with what is rumored to be a separated shoulder. His return is doubtful
Irvin: 9-16 for 132 yards, outgaining the Georgetown offense by 19 yards
Koontz: 4 receptions for 43 yards (matching his career high for receptions and totaling a new career yardage total)
Colabella leads the Quakers with 6 tackles
For Georgetown:
Lawrence: 10 rushes for 39 yards and a crucial fumble for a loss
Wade: 6 rushes for 35 yards
Lawrence and Brady passing: 2-8 for 17 yards
And around the Ivy League:
Harvard 38, Cornell 17
Yale 34, Dartmouth 7
Penn 17 Georgetown 0 Halftime
A couple of Hamscher runs result in a first down. Derham drops a screen pass, Irvin is sacked, and Hamscher rushes for only a few. Georgetown calls timeout to get the ball back. Kyle Olson's punt and a slight return gives the Hoyas the ball on their own 45 with under a minute to go. Georgetown's passing quarterback James Brady comes in, and his attempt at a dumpoff is incomplete as Wade drops the ball and is met with a big hit from Penn safety Britton Ertman. A completion and an incompletion later, and Penn gets the ball back on their own 21. Irvin takes a knee and we're into halftime, with the Quakers up 17-0. I'll get you halftime stats when I can.
Penn 17 Georgetown 0 2:22 Second Quarter
Wade runs all the way to his right, and cuts back all the way across the field to his left, but the first down play results in 7 yards. The Quakers stop a few Georgetown rushes, and that brings up fourth and long for the Hoyas. Lawrence calls for a fair catch at the 10-yard line, and the Quakers will have 2:22 and 90 yards to work with.
Penn 17 Georgetown 0 5:28 Second Quarter
Irvin moves the chains with a pass to Koontz. A Hamscher hold pushes the Quakers back 10 yards, and a Georgetown offsides moves them up 5. A pass to Derham is broken up, and the Quakers will punt it away. Subpar punt and a decent return, so Georgetown will take over on their own 48-yard line.
Penn 17 Georgetown 0 8:30 Second Quarter
Poor tackling by Penn, as Georgetown kick returner Kenny Mitchell takes the kickoff all the way to their own 42. But the defense makes up for it, stopping the Hoyas on three straight plays to force a punt. But Georgetown tries some trickeration, as the punt is snapped directly to running back Dean Duchak, who runs for 30 yards. Lawrence follows that up with the Hoyas's first completion of the day. Wade rushes for a first down. Lawrence fumbles the shotgun snap on the next play, and Penn linebacker Jack Lewko recovers.
Penn 17 Georgetown 0 12:28 Second Quarter
Irvin completes the pass to Matt Appenfelder, who turns up the sideline and powers it to the 4 yard line. Georgetown stops Hamscher a few times up the gut, before he takes a pitch to the left, and waltzes into the endzone for his first career touchdown. Samson nails the extra point. That's an impressive 16 play, 84-yard, 2 running back drive for the Quakers.
Penn 10 Georgetown 0 End of First Quarter
Hamscher takes over for DiMaggio (Bradford Blackmon is in uniform, but not playing), and starts off strong, powering through for a first down after two rushes. Timeout taken on the field, and this looks like a godo time to point out the incredible Penn contingency here. Penn fans are spilling out of the modest bleachers set up for them, and sitting on the ground. Another Hamscher run gets the Quakers a first down on Georgetown's 24 as the first quarter winds down.
Penn 10 Georgetown 0 2:45 First Quarter
21-yard run by freshman running back Matt Hamscher on his first career carry is called back for a holding call downfield. Irvin follows that up by completing a pass to Marcus Lawrence for his first reception of the year, and it goes for a first down. Irvin rockets the ball to Josh Koontz for a first down over the middle; he fumbles but the Quakers retain possession. DiMaggio hit awkwardly on a run, and he remains on the ground while trainers attend to him. He walks off the field on his own volition.
Penn 10 Georgetown 0 6:22 First Quarter
Chancellor Logan is stopped in the backfield, and then Keerome Lawrence tries to make something out of nothing, running all the way across teh field, only to be tackled for a loss. Georgetown tries a shovel pass on third down, and it almost intercepted by Kevin Gray before dropping to the turf. Georgetown punt out of bounds at the 16, and Penn will take over on downs.
Penn 10 Georgetown 0 7:02 First Quarter
Georgetown quarterback Keerome Lawrence gets a first down on a couple of runs. And they move the chains again after a pair of inside handoffs. Georgetown guard Rich Hussey is shaken up after Keion Wade rushes for a first down. He is helped off the field.
Penn 10 Georgetown 0 9:01 First Quarter
After a few DiMaggio runs, Rob Irvin hits Kyle Derham on a 46-yard pass. One penalty and a few incompletions later, Andrew Samson nails a 36-yarder. He crushed that ball, hitting it over the net and into the neighboring construction sight. That's a 9 play, 57-yard drive that ends in a field goal.
Neil Fanaroff here, live blogging from Washington DC. Sorry for the delay, but we had some wireless troubles. Penn got off to a quick 7-0 start thanks to a touchdown return on the opening kickoff by Chris Wynn. We'll try and keep you updated from here on out.
Scout.com says that Carson Sullivan, a shooting guard from Charlotte, N.C., just gave Penn a verbal committment. His other choices were Liberty, Elon, Appalachin St. and Charlotte. Here's his ESPN.com profile.
Update: Here's what the Charlotte Observer had to say about Sullivan: "Teammate Carson Sullivan, MVP of last season's Bojangle's Shootout at Marvin Ridge High, committed to the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school. Sullivan injured his knee in July and is recovering from surgery"
Penn beats Dartmouth 23-10
Penn beat Dartmouth 23-10 at Franklin Field on Saturday.
Thomas Jansen/DP
With the first official basketball practices just a few weeks away, here are some Penn basketball notes.
1) Here's the Sporting News' preview of the Ivy League. It's not that different from Athlon's or Lindy's, as Penn is selected second behind Cornell.
(HT The Cornell Basketball Blog)
2) ESPN analyst Andy Katz writes about ESPN's college hoops marathon on Nov. 18, including the Penn-Drexel game at 10 a.m (The relevant paragraph is about one quarter of the way down.)
3) Storming The Floor ran an interesting series that ranks the 36 states with at least three D-I basketball programs by combined winning percentage of the teams in that state. Pennsylvania comes in 17th with a .524 winning percentage. Each state's page also has other categories, and Penn earned the best venue (no surprise there) and recognition as STF's Favorite Program from Pennsylvania.
In honor of the 800th Penn football game a at Franklin Field -- which was a 23-10 Penn win over Dartmouth -- ESPN.com republished a story on Franklin Field that had run before. But I thought I'd link to it, since it has a few updates and I don't think it has previously appeared on The Buzz.
It's a beautiful day at Franklin Field, as the Penn Quakers look to get in the win column today in their Ivy League opener as they host the Dartmouth Big Green. There are approximately 14 students here; I guess the 12 pm start was tough to make. Stay tuned to the Buzz for live updates throughout the afternoon.
Final, Penn 23, Dartmouth 10
Despite a very ugly first half offensively, Penn looked very sharp in the second half, and the defense played very well throughout the game. Impressive performances from Lewko and Wynn on defense, and from DiMaggio, Irvin, and Derham on offense. Overall, a solid win for the Quakers, who move to 1-0 in Ivy League play.
1:15 to go in the 4th, Penn 23, Dartmouth 10
Jenny was put back in under center for this drive and moved Dartmouth to inside Penn's 10 yard-line, but Eric Paul tripped in the endzone on fourth and goal and couldn't come up with the catch. Penn will coast from here.
3:53 to go in the 4th, Penn 23, Dartmouth 10
Mike DiMaggio is doing a great job running the ball, despite a fumble that Wurst recovered. He moved the ball down the field very well on several runs for the Quakers, consistently breaking through the line and bouncing outside to the right sideline for large gains. Penn couldn't put it in the endzone, but Samson knocked through another field goal, his third on the game, to put Penn up by 13.
8:16 to go in the 4th, Penn 20, Dartmouth 10
A late-hit by Drew Goldsmith after a McManus scramble moved Dartmouth up to Penn's 34, but the Penn defense responded. First Goniprow broke through with a sack, and then the defense chased McManus out of the pocket and forced him to dump it off for no gain to set up a 3rd and 14. Jordan Manning finished off the solid defense with a great open-field tackle on a Milan Williams screen pass, forcing Dartmouth to punt. Penn will take over at their 20 on the touchback -- Britton Ertman got a piece of the punt on a block attempt, so the running-into-the-kicker flag was picked up.
11:10 to go in the 4th, Penn 20, Dartmouth 10
Tim McManus is now in at quarterback for Dartmouth, relieving a struggling Alex Jenny.
11:24 to go in the 4th, Penn 20, Dartmouth 10
On 1st down, Irvin dumped the ball off to DiMaggio, who made a few nice moves and broke it out for a 20-yard pickup. DiMaggio is really stepping it up in Blackmon's absence. Penn couldn't do much else, and Samson came on and knocked through a 33-yard field goal.
A sidenote: the attendance has just been announced. Apparently there are 12,000 people here. I guess we're counting double, these days?
14:15 to go in the 4th, Penn 17, Dartmouth 10
Another three-and-out for Dartmouth's anemic offense -- Dartmouth tried a fake punt of its own, but the completion came up well short of the first down. Penn takes over at Dartmouth's 44. Not sure why you need the fake punt there down seven with a whole quarter to play?
14:43 to go in the 4th, Penn 17, Dartmouth 10
Irvin put too much mustard on a third down toss, throwing it out of the endzone. Andrew Samson booted a 27 yard-field goal to give Penn a seven-point advantage.
0:00 to go in the 3rd, Penn 14, Dartmouth 10
A huge play got Penn deep into Dartmouth's territory -- Irvin launched a bomb downfield to Kyle Derham, who made a great catch while backpeddling. He followed up with another catch on first down to move Penn up to Dartmouth's 10. On the deep ball, Irvin racked up 3,000 yards passing for his career, becoming the tenth quarterback in Penn history to do so. Penn will have 2nd and goal from the 10 to start the fourth quarter.
2:08 to go in the 3rd, Penn 14, Dartmouth 10
A three-and-out for Dartmouth -- the ball was nearly picked off as Britton Ertman and Jonathan Saelinger converged on the ball but knocked into each other, and no one came away with it. Penn takes over at its own 12 after another punt.
3:11 to go in the 3rd, Penn 14, Dartmouth 10
Penn couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. Irvin did a beautiful job of selling a play-action fake to give himself plenty of time to throw, but he hit Dartmouth's Shawn Abuhoff right in the numbers. Dartmouth will take over on the interception at its own 45.
4:22 to go in the 3rd, Penn 14, Dartmouth 10
A little trickery on fourth down -- it looked like it would be another three-and-out. Kyle Olsen lined up to punt but rolled left and hit Tyson Maugle for a nice first-down completion on the fake punt, giving the Quakers new life.
5:50 to go in the 3rd, Penn 14, Dartmouth 10
A nice kickoff return gave Dartmouth good field position at close to midfield to start the drive. After a holding penalty, a good stop by Jake Lewko on Milan Williams forced Dartmouth into a 3rd-and-22 situation, and Lewko finished it off on the next play with a sack on Jenny for a 10-yard loss. Lewko has been playing a great game for Penn today. Scullin punted it away to Wynn, and the Quakers will take over on their own 35. Worth noting is that Bradford Blackmon hasn't been out on the field this half -- he must be injured.
8:00 to go in the 3rd, Penn 14, Dartmouth 10
An 18-yard completion from Irvin to Derham moved Penn up to midfield, and then Michael DiMaggio made a great cutback on a run up the middle and bounced out towards the right sideline for a 33-yard pickup. On the next play, Irvin tried to find Marcus Lawrence in the endzone but threw the ball beyond his reach -- however, a late hit by Ian Wilson on Lawrence gave Penn an automatic first down at Big Green's 10 yard-line. The Quakers took a step back on the next play -- a Derham end-around -- as tight end Ryan Murray was flagged for a hold, bringing up 1st and goal from the 20. A great shoe-string catch by Tyler Fisher moved Penn up to the 9, setting up a third and goal. Finally, Fisher capped it off on the next play, receiving a strike in the back of the endzone from Irvin for an important touchdown to put the Quakers back on top.
11:45 to go in the 3rd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 10
Dartmouth had a good opportunity on 2nd and 10 from around midfield, but Eric Paul dropped an easy pass for what would have been a first down. But then on the next play, Jenny heaved up a desperation toss that was up for grabs between Jordan Manning and Tim McManus, the backup quarterback and a receiver for Dartmouth. McManus made a fantastic catch, wrestling it away from Manning, to put Dartmouth at Penn's 6. Dartmouth couldn't put it in the endzone, though, and Chris Wynn made a nice hit on McManus on 3rd and goal to break up what could have been a touchdown pass. Foley Schmidt's chip shot was good, giving Dartmouth the three-point edge.
Halftime Stats
6 punts for Dartmouth, 6 punts for Penn
Irvin: 13-23, 143 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
DiMaggio and Blackmon: 6 carries for 10 yards
Jenny: 8-16, 46 yards
Milan Williams: 9 carries for 28 yards
Dartmouth has only 61 yards of total offense, compared to 144 for Penn
0:00 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 7
Irvin bought some extra time and rolled right but couldn't hit anyone in a blue uniform. Instead, Peter Pidermann picked off the pass, and Dartmouth kneeled down to end the half. And what an ugly half it was. I'll be back in a few with the halftime stats.
0:21 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 7
On fourth and few chain links, Irvin kept the drive alive with a QB keeper, inching up to Penn's 47. Then on 3rd and 2, Amoo-Achompong picked up the first down on a run up the middle. Penn now calls a timeout with 21 seconds to go -- the Quakers have the ball on Dartmouth's 37 on 3rd and 5 with two timeouts remaining.
2:14 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 7
Boring. Another punt. Penn takes over at its own 22. Irvin's back in.
5:58 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 7
Olson has a rough series under center -- he nearly threw a pick on third down, and now has to punt away his own three-and-out. He is a good punter, for what it's worth, pinning Dartmouth back to its own 11.
6:49 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 7
Kyle Olson is under center for this drive.
7:41 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 7
Dartmouth capitalized on the opportunity, as Hudson Smythe took it in for an easy two-yard score. A bad break for Penn on that call -- it really looked as though Blackmon's progress had been stopped.
11:03 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 0
On the first play, Blackmon was stopped at the line, and even though it appeared that his forward progress had been stopped, the ball was stripped at the end of the play and Dartmouth recovered, taking the ball back to Penn's two yard-line. A livid Al Bagnoli pleaded his case, and he sure had a good one, but the call was not overturned.
8:25 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 0
A nice run from Milan Williams gave Dartmouth a first down, but Dartmouth couldn't move the ball after that, punting it away yet again. Poor Brian Scullin -- his leg might fall off before the half is over. Penn takes over at its own 15-yard-line.
11:03 to go in the 2nd, Penn 7, Dartmouth 0
On the first play after the fumble, Irvin rolled right on a play-action fake, selling it beautifully, and found a wide-open DiMaggio streaking down the opposite sideline for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Finally, two drives in a row without a punt, and the Quakers strike first.
One sidenote: it looks like Bradford Blackmon is getting some attention on the trainer's table down on the sidelines. We'll keep you posted.
11:11 to go in the 2nd, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
Dartmouth finally managed to get a first down on a 2nd-and-3 completion. They would have been better off sticking to the three-and-outs. Alex Jenny followed it up by fumbling the snap and lost 15 yards, putting Dartmouth three yards back behind where it started the drive. On the ensuing play, Britton Ertman pounced on a fumble, and Penn will take over at Dartmouth's 18.
12:40 to go in the 2nd, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
The pattern continues. Another three-and-out, and another good punt from Olsen. Penn had a third-and-one, but the call was an off-tackle pitch to Blackmon, who was stopped for a loss. I would have given it to DiMaggio to pound it through the middle on a short yardage situation like that, but I'm not the one calling the plays. Dartmouth will take over at its 17.
0:00 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
I bet you can guess what just happened. Another three-and-out. The clock ran out on the quarter just before the Big Green was ready to boot the eighth punt of the quarter. Dartmouth still doesn't have a first down. That honestly might have been the most boring and poorly-played offensive quarter in the history of football.
1:44 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
Robert Irvin got the Quakers going on 2nd and 15, delivering a strike to Matt Reinert over the middle for a first down. But again, Penn couldn't keep the momentum going and was forced to punt -- Olson pinned Dartmouth back to its own six. In case you're keeping track, I believe that's the seventh punt of the quarter. But I've lost count.
4:27 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
Three pass attempts by Jenny, three incompletions, and another three-and-out. Can't you feel the excitement right now? Scullin got off another good punt, and Chris Wynn fumbled the ball on the return, but Penn covered it up and will take over at its own 45.
5:02 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
A deep pass from Irvin to tight end Josh Koontz got Penn into Dartmouth's territory, but the Quakers couldn't do anything after that. Another punt from Olsen -- this time pinning Dartmouth back to its own 11.
8:20 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
Another three-and-out forced by the Quakers. Two runs were stuffed at the line, and then Jenny's pass was incomplete on third down. A great punt from Brian Scullin gave the Quakers the ball back at their own 30.
9:35 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
Irvin is trying to get the rapport with Marcus Lawrence back, but he would have been better off looking for Tyler Fisher on 3rd and 3 from Dartmouth's 43 instead of trying to sneak one into Lawrence. Fisher was wide open over the middle, but Irvin tried to hit Lawrence instead and threw a pass well out of his reach. Kyle Olson then came on and tried to pin Dartmouth deep, but his punt rolled into the endzone for a touchback.
11:47 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
Penn's defense looks sharp early on, forcing a three-and-out. Jake Lewko knocked down Dartmouth quarterback Alex Jenny on 3rd down, forcing him to get rid of the ball early and throw it away. Penn will come away with decent field position, taking the ball over on its own 41.
12:50 to go in the 1st, Penn 0, Dartmouth 0
On the first play from scrimmage, Robert Irvin rolled right and hit Kyle Derham for a 12-yard first down. The Quakers couldn't get much going after that. Number one receiver Marcus Lawrence is back on the field for the Quakers after missing the first two weeks with an injury, but he dropped a pass on third down that would have been short of the first down marker anyway, and Kyle Olson punted it away. Dartmouth will take over at its own 29.
Even though I'm posting these links as they come instead of every Wednesday, I actually have some today.
1) The first concerns the College of New Jersey Princeton. In a fascinating coincidence, two of the most accomplished Princeton athletes of all-time -- basketball legend Bill Bradley and football star Dick Kazmaier -- both wore number 42 on their jersey. Although 42 has been unofficially retired from the football and basketball teams, the number will be uniformly (no pun intended) retired for all Princeton athletics teams in a ceremony on Oct. 24.
Bradley, a former U.S. senator and Presidential candidate, took the Tigers to the 1965 Final Four and earned National Player of the Year recognition that same season. Kazmaier, meanwhile, won the 1951 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award as a member of the Tigers.
2) With the Major League Baseball playoffs starting today, here's a trivia question: Who is the only active MLB player who is a former all-Ivy League quarterback? If you answered former Penn student Mark DeRosa of the Cubs, you'd be correct. In fact, DeRosa is the only current Major Leaguer who graduated from Wharton. Here's a profile The New York Times did on the 1996 Penn grad who played both baseball and football for the Quakers.
UDPATE: The Inquirer also did a piece on DeRosa. (HT Jonathan Tannewald, of Soft Pretzel Logic.)
3) The biggest news story recently has been the financial crisis. Not too surprisingly, three people critical to our economy's recovery have Ivy connections. But what you might not have known is that one of the three -- Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson -- was a Dartmouth offensive lineman. ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel dedicated part of his I-Formation column today to Paulson's past football exploits. (It's the fifth item on the right side.)
The Triangle -- Drexel's student newspaper -- ran a column last Friday about the Penn-Drexel men's basketball game that will be televised on ESPN at 10 a.m. Nov.18 and will take place at Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center. (See here for my original reaction.)
However instead of celebrating this game -- it'll be the first-ever time Penn plays at the DAC -- the columnist comes across as whining that this isn't good enough. He wants Penn to play at Drexel every other year. While I agree it is a little unfair that Penn has never played the Dragons north of Market Street, I don't think it's simply because Penn wants to maintain home court advantage.
While that plays a part, at the same time, the DAC is not that impressive of a facility. It holds only 2,300 people (roughly a quarter of the Palestra), and is the smallest of any City Six venue. Frankly, any game in the Palestra will have a better atmosphere, as well as allow more fans (of both teams) to attend. Why should the two teams sacrifice that?
If it's the money factor, then why not let Drexel call it a "home game" every other year and let them keep some of the proceeds?
Also, It's not like the rivalry has been that one-sided in recent years. Penn's only 5-3 in the last eight years against the Dragons.
What do you think about the DAC hosting Penn every other year? Would this significantly decrease your chances of attending (ignoring the 10 a.m. start this year)?
Despite all the hubbub over the failed bailout plan, the Wall Street Journal did a small profile piece on Sprint Football. Although the article focuses on Mansfield University--which is the first school in over 50 years to start a sprint team-- Penn is mentioned in passing (once as a member of the league, another time as one of three opponents Mansfield will play this season). Still, it's an interesting read about an oft-neglected sport. Oh and by the way, Penn's team just won 43-0 at Princeton.
(Note: you might need a subscription for the WSJ. If you so, you can access it through Penn's library here.)
And if you need something to distract you from Penn's loss in Easton yesterday, look in today's and Tuesday's DP for analysis of Penn wrestling coach Zeke Jones's resignation.
Wait -- less than two months before the season, the coach of one of Penn's better programs leaves town?
Surprised?
So was I.
It's easy for Penn fans to see the boxscore and quick recap from last night's game and start to worry. But just because the Quakers are 0-2 again doesn't mean that it's time to write off the season.
After last night's post-game press conference in Easton, Lafayette coach Frank Tavani, a true class act, told Matt Flegenheimer and me the following: "You guys got a good football team. They're gonna be alright. It's two tough games, I know, but believe me."
And I still believe him.
The Quakers were nothing short of miserable in the first half, but their comeback was astonishing. Why? Because it was a comeback against a Lafayette defense that might well be the best defense Penn faces all season. Because it was a comeback against a Lafayette offense that put 24 points on the board in the first half. Because it was a comeback on the road against a very good, underrated Lafayette team that completely demoralized Penn in the first half.
Penn's other loss so far came in overtime to a Villanova team that knocked off top-ranked Richmond last night. Harvard and Yale both lost Ivy League games yesterday, leaving the league wide open for anyone to take. Penn was fortunate to have non-conference tune-ups against two of the better teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (read: D I-AA). The Quakers are still undefeated in Ivy League play. There's no need to get nervous, at least not yet.
The Harvard men's basketball team might have been cleared of any wrongdoing in recruitment, but coach Tommy Amaker is back in hot water. According to a New York Times article, Amaker recently cut five players, including all three of the team's sophomores. Most importantly, all of the five were recruited by his predecessor, Frank Sullivan.
Now, in any Division-I conference except the Ivy League, this wouldn't be that big of a deal (or so says the Times). But besides going against the spirit of the Ivy League, Amaker did this in one of the worst ways possible. Instead of making the cuts either in the spring or summer, which would have given the players a chance to transfer to another school, he waited until they had registered for fall classes. Furthermore, he didn't even give them a chance to compete for their spots this year. In fact, the three sophomores who were kicked off all started at least one game last year, yet they were shown the door -- presumably just to make room for Amaker's own recruits.
This forced exodus isn't breaking any rules. But for the second time in the past year, Amaker's management of the team has clearly been questioned.
Hey, this is Matt Flegenheimer reporting live from Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa., where the Quakers will take on Lafayette. We've got some rain in the forecast, but so far the weather has held up. Check in throughout the game for live updates.
FINAL Penn 17, Lafayette 24
Irvin's moving the chains quickly, hitting Derham for 11 yards and, after an incompletion, again for 10 more.
A 24-yard first-down pass to Fisher brings the Quakers into Leopards territory. But after getting to their 46, Penn could advance no further. Three straight incompletes set up a must-convert fourth down. Irvin opts for a slant over the middle to Wurst. The defender gets there at the same time, and the ball was tipped -- and, ultimately, not caught.
The turnover on downs with 50 seconds left seals the game; Lafayette can just take a knee to run out the clock.
1:35 Q4 Penn 17, Lafayette 24
Penn's front seven stifles the Leopards, forcing a quick three-and-out and getting the offense the ball back with a chance to tie. Great punt for Lafayette puts the ball at the Penn 9.
3:26 Q4 Penn 17, Lafayette 24
Placekicker Dave Kuncio skies a kick in hopes that a teammate could get under it in time, but the Leopards recover at their own 38.
3:27 Q4 Penn 17, Lafayette 24
Great misdirection play to DiMaggio for six yards--and six points--through the left side of the line. This comes after a sharp set of passes from Irvin, including one spectacular leaping catch by Kyle Derham to get the Quakers into the red zone. Expect an onside kick from Penn here, with only one timeout left.
4:54 Q4 Penn 10, Lafayette 24
Looking to put the game out of reach, the Leopards go for it on fourth and inches, but Curley fumbles the snap. Penn takes over from its own 45.
6:37 Q4 Penn 10, Lafayette 24
After a Lafayette punt, Tyler Fisher gets loose for a first-down on a screen pass, but the drive stalls thereafter, with Irvin under heavy pressure throughout the next set of downs. The Leopards take over inside their own 10 after a stellar Olson punt, but a couple of first downs have drained the clock. Penn just called timeout to stop the clock and get the defense off the field for a quick breather.
13:35 Q4 Penn 10, Lafayette 24
Comeback on hold. The Quakers punt after a short completion to Josh Koontz comes up shy of the marker on third down.
End Q3 Penn 10, Lafayette 24
Drew Goldsmith sacks Curley to help force a three-and-out, and Chris Wynn takes the return out to the 41. DiMaggio picks up four on first down, and the Quakers head to the fourth trailing by 14.
4:46 Q3 Penn 10, Lafayette 24
Bizarre moments in the red zone. On 3rd and goal from the 5, Irvin connects with Matt Tuten in the back left corner of the end zone, but Tuten fails to drag his feet in time, and the pass is ruled incomplete. Andrew Samson knocks the field goal through, but the score is wiped away on a flag. Bagnoli storms the field to confront the zebras, getting close to the hash marks as he pleads his case, and the flag is picked up. Field goal good, and the Quakers trail by two scores.
One more note: Blackmon looks phenomenal today. He's rushed 11 times for 60 yards--not to mention the TD scamper off the screen pass--and he's really showed some explosiveness out of the backfield. Most important of all: no fumbles, after two last week.
8:15 Q3 Penn 7, Lafayette 24
After sitting out Lafayette's last drive with an apparent hand injury, Curley throws a pick to Josh Powers on his first pass of the half. Another shot for the Quakers to get back in the game, this time from their own 48.
9:12 Q3 Penn 7, Lafayette 24
The defense gets it back to Irvin by forcing a Leopards three-and-out, but the Quakers go backwards on their ensuing drive. Olson's punt goes out of bounds at the Leopards' 35.
12:33 Q3 Penn 7, Lafayette 24
Signs of life from the Red and Blue offense! Blackmon takes a screen pass up the right sideline, then cuts across the field to outrun the Lafayette secondary to paydirt, a 42-yard pickup in all. Before that, Blackmon had run for a couple nice gains to get the drive going, before Irvin hit fullback Kelms Amoo-Achampong out of the backfield for 23. We'll see if the defense can give Irvin and Co. a real chance to get back in the game now.
Halftime Penn 0, Lafayette 24
Talk about confidence. After forcing a Quakers punt to their own 15, Lafayette kneels out the clock with a minute and a half left and one timeout. Certainly a surprising move considering how well the offense has been moving the ball.
Halftime stats for Lafayette:
Curley: 9-16, 143 yards, three touchdowns
White: 7 rushes, 38 yards
Adair: 3 catches, 67 yards, two touchdowns
On Penn's end:
Irvin: 7-18, 56 yards, no touchdowns, one interception (Olson 0-1, interception)
Blackmon: 5 rushes, 18 yards (DiMaggio: 3 for 9)
Tyler Fisher: 3 catches, 31 yards.
4:15 Q2 Penn 0, Lafayette 24
Things just went from ugly to hideous. After a would-be 43-yard completion to Reinert was called back on a holding penalty against Drew Luongo, Irvin throws a pick on 3rd and 20, which Leopards' corner Marvin Clecidor--who inadvertently touched the punt earlier--returns to the Quakers 23.
Then on the first play of the drive, Curley hits Adair again for a six-point strike. Gotta love a good seven-second scoring drive.
6:47 Q2 Penn 0, Lafayette 17
After finally getting a big play from the defense in the form of a third down sack from Britton Ertman near midfield, the Quakers are backed up inside their own 5 on the Lafayette punt. Blackmon goes nowhere on first, Irvin's pass falls incomplete, and on 3rd and 9, Olson makes his first appearance of the day behind center...and throws the pass right into the hands of Leopards linebacker Neil Goldsmith. Olson had tried to roll out and hit a receiver on the left sideline, but he missed his mark by a good six yards.
The Quakers' defense performed admirably thereafter, holding Lafayette to a 22-yard field goal after the Leopards had taken over from Penn's 5 yard-line.
12:29 Q2 Penn 0, Lafayette 14
Ugly showing from the Quakers on this drive. An Irvin incompletion, a holding penalty, a short DiMaggio run, and a failed screen that lost three. In total, Irvin has completed one of his eight passes for one yard.
14:52 Q2 Penn 0, Lafayette 14
Curley goes over the top of the seconary to wideout Shaun Adair for a 37-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Lafayette had just moved the chains on 3rd and 7 on a screen to third-down back Tyler Coon. That came after a bullet 26-yarder from Curley to Conte to get into Quakers' territory.
Curley's numbers so far: 6-10, 105 yards, 2 touchdowns.
3:44 Q1 Penn 0, Lafayette 7
The Quakers' D stiffens, forcing the Leopards into a three-and-out. On the opening play of the ensuing drive, Irvin floats a beautiful pass to Reinert's back shoulder down the left sideline, but the receiver again fails to pull it in. After a two-yard run from Bradford Blackmon and a rabid pass rush on third and long that forces Irvin into an incompletion, the Quakers are forced to punt.
6:00 Q1 Penn 0, Lafayette 7
Wow, talk about momentum swings. The Quakers' first drive stalls in four plays after , but Kyle Olson's punt--a wobbler towards the right sideline--touches Leopards' special teamer Marvin Clecidor and Penn recovers inside the Lafayette 20. Michael DiMaggio uncorks a powerful seven-yard run on first down, but is stoned in the backfield for a loss of four thereafter. On 3rd and 7, Robert Irvin's pass is dropped by Matt Reinert.
Then, on the chip shot field goal attempt, Leopards lineman Andrew Poulson gets a hand in for the block, and the Leopards retain possession.
10:01 Q1 Penn 0, Lafayette 7
Impressive drive from the Leopards. They go 68 yards on 10 plays, employing a nice balance of air and ground. On 3rd down from the Quaker 10, QB Rob Curley capped it off by eluding an aggressive rush from Joe Goniprow and lofting the ball to a wide open Michael Conte. Running back Maurice White was the workhorse on the drive, carrying four times for 27 yards. A couple of missed tackles in the Red and Blue secondary didn't help matters any.
15:00 Q1 Penn 0, Lafayette 0
The Quakers will kick off first. One quick note: Wideout Marcus Lawrence will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. Looks like Kyle Derham and David Wurst will have to pick up the slack at receiver again.
(Just a programming note: My editors want me to post my "Random Ivy Notes" whenever they come up, instead of every Wednesday. So here's the first one).
This fall Americans will have a chance to vote in a critical race that will determine which man stands alone above the rest. No, not the Presidential campaign, but the NCAA Football Coach of the Year award.
Liberty Mutual is sponsoring a website that will let you vote for the top coach in FBS, Division II, Division III and, of course, FCS up until December 6. And in response to this, Penn Athletics wants you to know that you can vote for Penn coach Al Bagnoli as FCS Coach of the Year. You can even write in why you think he deserves it.
Interestingly, Penn's justification is based not on current accomplishments, but on past ones. It's more like why Bagnoli should win Best Active Coach in FCS rather than why he should win the 2008 COY award. (Truth be told, he is one of the most accomplished coaches currently in FCS.)
In the past few weeks, I've had a lot of seemingly random posts, ranging from connections of the Ivy League to the NFL, to Cornell's basketball team as the best ever to Ivy League hoops previews that are two months early.
But starting today, I'm going to try something a little different. From now on, I'll collect these randomly related Ivy League and/or Penn links that aren't time sensitive and post them each Wednesday. And any story with a more direct news link, such as Cornell's Adam Gore tearing his ACL or analysis of the just-released men's basketball schedule, will get posted ASAP.
So without further ado, here's the first couple of links:
1) In honor of Yankee Stadium closing Sunday night, Jim Caple, of ESPN.com's Page 2, ranked "America's 100 most important sports venues." The title is pretty important, because Caple specifically states it's neither the best venues nor his favorites, and it's not just stadiums (ESPN's headquarters comes in at No. 10).
Penn gets on the list twice. The Palestra comes in at No. 34, while Franklin Field makes the cut at No. 71. (The Palestra actually gets one of the few photos.) ESPN praising Penn athletic facilities isn't anything new, but it's still nice to see our stadiums mentioned on the most-read sports website. The only other Ivy venue is the Yale bowl, and Penn is one of just two universities to have both on-campus football and basketball venues listed (Tennessee is the other).
2) This might be a month old, but if you're sad that the Penn football team just lost its fifth overtime game in its last 16 contests, just remember, at least you don't root for Columbia.
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