It's not often that a crowd at a football game collectively laughs. It's even more rare for that to happen because of something an official said. And it's almost preposterous to see that happen when it's a penalty on the home team.
But that's what happened late in Saturday's 22-13 Penn win against Harvard. The call, courtesy of referee Jack Winter:
"Prior to the snap, false start, entire offensive line, five yard penalty, replay the down."
I'm surprised the crowd even caught on, but they quickly whooped it up after hearing a gem like that.
Considering that Winter had previously called a delay of game on "The University of Pennsylvania," not just the football team's offense, I guess anything was possible on Saturday. Including an unexpected Quakers win.
FINAL: Syracuse 78, Penn 60
It's all over at the Carrier Dome. Looks like it's back to the drawing board for the Quakers, who will face St. Francis (N.Y.) tomorrow afternoon to try and avoid losing the first three games of Glen Miller's Penn career.
2:03: Syracuse 76, Penn 54
Glen Miller is admitting defeat, as the Penn lineup looks like this: Votel, Scheiber, Reilly, Cohen, Egee. At least this will give the young guys some valuable experience against a good team, especially after the way they all looked last night. Meanwhile, Terrence Roberts has just made a fool of himself for the Cuse, clapping after his own made free throw. We know the guy is atrocious at the line, but was that really necessary? By the way, he missed the second one.
4:10: Syracuse 72, Penn 51
The fans are beginning to file to the exits, as it looks to be just about over for the Quakers. The Syracuse student section is hanging around, though, chanting, "We want tacos." Apparently, a ticket stub will get you a free taco at Taco Bell if the Orange score over 75 points. 75 points? A team like this should be able to get that in its sleep; these fans don't know how good they have it. Take notice, Abner's.
5:26: Syracuse 67, Penn 49
This one's still not getting any closer, but Boeheim is upset with his team nonetheless after giving up an Ibby Jaaber steal and inside layup. He has called a full timeout to address the issue.
6:16: Syracuse 64, Penn 47
This one may be getting ugly, with two Mark Zoller free throws narrowing the margin to a still-daunting 17.
7:48: Syracuse 58, Penn 43
The Orange have pushed their lead to a comfortable margin, but the Quakers will get the chance to cut into it when they come back from a media timeout. Ibby Jaaber rejected freshman Paul Harris inside to get the break going for Penn, and Grandieri dished to McMahon, who drew the foul. He'll shoot two in a few.
9:52: Syracuse 56, Penn 43
Turnovers on two straight offensive possessions are haunting the Quakers, as Syracuse has gotten a Paul Harris short-range jumper and a Matt Gorman free throw.
11:50: Syracuse 53, Penn 43
Eric Devendorf has again hit a long-range shot for the Orange, and Zoller missed one of his free throws. Result: the lead is back to 10, but Penn is still very much in this one.
13:04: Syracuse 53, Penn 43
One of the most positive few minutes of the season so far for the Quakers has narrowed the Syracuse lead to just eight. Ibby is up to his old tricks, with a steal and runout for an easy layup, while Cohen has redeemed his ugly last-second shot from last night with a three-pointer. On another Penn possession, the Quakers manage to secure two offensive boards before Zoller gets to the line for two. Still, they've got to start stopping the Orange on defense if the hope to pull any closer
15:32: Syracuse 45, Penn 33
Everytime the Quakers get something good on the offensive end, the Orange seem to have an answer. After an unorthodox Grandieri-to-Jaaber alley-oop for Penn, Matt Gorman comes down on the other end, picks up an offensive rebound, and gets the hoop and the harm to send the Syracuse lead back to 12, free thow pending.
Apparently, Syracuse is also answering Penn's negative plays, as two badly missed Jaaber free throws were countered immediately by two misses for Josh Wright on his end. Go figure.
18:24: Syracuse 40, Penn 28
As per Carrier Dome tradtition, the fans have only now sat back down after standing and clapping until the Orange scored their first points of the half. Unfortunately for Penn, it was on an and-1 for Eric Devendorf, getting three back for Syracuse after Penn had scored the half's first two baskets.
HALFTIME: Syracuse 37, Penn 24
The Quakers close out the half in unimpressive fashion, giving up a three on the defensive end and getting nothing out of the final possession. Grandieri apparently had no idea that the clock was winding down, and by the time he realized, it was too late to look up at the rim and get a quality shot. It will be up to Miller to get that focus back in the locker room, or it may be a long second half for Penn with the Dome rocking and the Orange getting easy buckets.
First half thoughts: Zoller has been a complete non-factor, sitting on the bench for most of the half with two fouls. But even before he sat, he had the chance to go 0-for-3 from the floor, including two misses from long range. Add to that the fact that he hasn't registered a single positive stat besides two steals, and you know things aren't going well for the Quakers.
Ibby is back to his junior-year form, leading all scorers with 12 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from long range. God knows where the Quakers would be without him in this one.
Penn shot just 38.1 percent from the field in the first half, compared to Syracuse's 51.9. In addition, the Quakers coughed up the ball 12 times, still worse than their total of 14 in the first half last night against UTEP. Penn had better get some defense out on the floor and find a way to crack the Syracuse 2-3 zone, or they could have a rough go of things in the second stanza.
And by the way, Sweet, I have no idea why pennathletics.com is not streaming this game. You can get live video of all the BCA Invitational games, though, at suathletics.com. Don't know if that's really worth it, though, as it's $10 for all six games, and you've already missed 3 1/2 of them. Looks like you'll have to stick with The Buzz.
1:55: Syracuse 34, Penn 22
With the Orange beginning to pull away, Miller has called a 30-second timeout to bring things back under control. A few fruitless possessions for Penn, including a silly turnover and a Demetris Nichols rejection on Zoller inside, have given Syracuse the opportunity to extend the lead. A Matt Gorman three and another Terrence Roberts dunk have done just that.
3:36: Syracuse 28, Penn 21
Another media timeout, and Grandieri will be at the line for two after somewhat of a ticky-tack foul on Harris. McMahon has hit his second three of the game to help Penn's cause, but it was answered immediately on the other end with an Orange trifecta.
4:59: Syracuse 24, Penn 18
The Orange has gotten some breathing room with Ibby on the bench taking a blow. The Quakers don't have a clue on offense without him, and an and-1 for Syracuse has extended their lead. Ibby is back on the floor now, as Miller isn't willing to watch this one slip away just yet.
7:23: Syracuse 18, Penn 17
The home team has retaken the lead and the Dome crowd is back in it after a steal leads to a rim-rocking Terrence Roberts jam in transition. Penn is sticking with the bigger and more athletic Orange, though, largely thanks to Ibby still being on the court, unlike last night. The after a long Demetris Nichols two, Jaaber took it coast-to-coast for a quick response. Still, Miller's not happy after the turnover and easy Syracuse score.
9:15: Penn 15, Syracuse 12
Obviously, Jimmy B doesn't like what he's seeing, because he's got his guys in a full-court press and has reverted back to the 2-3 zone. It doesn't seem to matter, though, as an Andreas Schreiber three gives the Quakers their first lead of the night and the freshman his first points in college hoops.
11:44: Syracuse 12, Penn 9
We're at the second media timeout, and the Cuse holds a three-point lead. On one end, Syracuse's Terrence Roberts comes up with an offensive board and stuffs it home to extend the Orange lead. On the other, Votel takes an ill-advised three early in the shot clock. He redeems himself, though, getting on the other end of a long Syracuse pass upcourt and gaining possession for Penn.
13:23: Syracuse 10, Penn 7
Zoller just picked up his second foul after getting a steal on the defensive end and trying to do too much with it in transition. The senior will have to sit, with Brennan Votel in there for now.
14:54: Syracuse 8, Penn 7
McMahon hits two at the line after wisely drawing the second foul on Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf. The Penn sophomore got Devendorf in the air with a pump fake and had the presence of mind to get off a shot to go to the line.
17:26 left: Syracuse 5, Penn 5
Surprisingly, the Orange decided not to come out in its 2-3 zone. After turnovers on each team's first possession, both sides have traded three-point baskets and layups inside to knot the score.
Penn's starting lineup was just announced, and it looks like Ibby has ditched the tee-shirt. Been waiting for that.
Ilario Huober here, live from the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. After some technical difficulties last night for the UTEP game, we'll be coming at you all game long this time around. Starting lineups in 30 seconds. Stay tuned for more.
For Penn, pride is on the line today at Franklin Field. For Harvard, an Ivy title is at stake. Refresh this page for continual updates.
FINAL: Penn 22, Harvard 13
O' Hagan managed a couple of first downs on his final drive. With 11 seconds left, though, O' Hagan scrambled until time ran out.
What a performance by Penn. Harvard was invincible just weeks ago, and the Quakers were as low as they could possibly get. Amazing how fast things change.
2:38: Penn 22, Harvard 13
Lepisto and Cisler each had long receptions to take Penn into Crimson territory, and Bagnoli decides to punt after some sloppy play dooms the chances for a score.
Somebody should take Anthony Melillo, Penn's punter, out for a steak dinner tonight. He just helped pin Harvard inside their own 5 for the third drive in a row. Where was this special-teams play all year?
Harvard needs to score in a hurry, or this game is over.
6:38: Penn 22, Harvard 13
Penn made nothing of its next drive, but punted and again managed to pin Harvard inside its own 5. O' Hagan drops back, stumbles... SAFETY! Penn takes a two-possession lead. Wow.
11:38: Penn 20, Harvard 13
Lepisto lined up to attempt a 35-yarder. One problem: Penn had 12 men on the field, and Al Bagnoli trotted out the punting squad after the penalty. The ball was downed on the 1, but a made FG would have given Penn a 10-point lead.
End Third quarter: Penn 20, Harvard 13
Penn dodged some bullets as the third frame drew to a close. Linebacker Ryna Tully nearly picked off Irvin for an easy six with 1:49 to go. After Penn punted, All-Ivy wideout Corey Mazza -- who Penn has kept thoroughly under wraps -- nearly brought down a jump ball inside the 5.
Priority No. 1 for Penn in the fourth: no mistakes.
3:15, Third quarter: Penn 20, Harvard 13
Harvard went nowhere fast on its last two drives, with Penn stuffing Dawson in the backfield three times. The Quakers looked like they might get some field position for the first time all day when Harvard punted from its endzone, but special teamer Chris Wynn muffed the catch.
Penn recovered and will start on the 29. Someone has to get some offense going here.
8:03, Third quarter: Penn 20, Harvard 13
Irvin just threw his first interception of the day, a terrible pass thrown behind Carre. Harvard has the ball on its own 24, so it could be worse.
11:01, Third quarter: Penn 20, Harvard 13
Harvard just missed a field goal attempt from inside the 20, but it's still a one-possession game. Both offenses have been quiet this quarter.
Halftime: Penn 20, Harvard 13
Penn has a 7-point cushion as it heads into the locker room. Harvard looked poised to take the lead after Dawson broke off a 20-yard run and then caught a short screen to bail out O' Hagan. O' Hagan then threw a tremendously bad pass in the red zone, and strong safety Jordan Manning bolted across the field to pick it off.
But Penn turned it over on downs on a bobbled snap, and the Crimson showed a lot of guts in driving back up the field. Luft beat the Penn secondary over the top for a long completion, and he got out of bounds with eight seconds. Matt Schindel nailed the 32-yarder to make it a one-possession game.
Dawson has had the quietest 100-yard half I've ever seen. Unless he gets a little louder, Harvard will see its Ivy hopes slip away. Right now, the game is still up for grabs.
5:11, Second quarter: Penn 20, Harvard 10
The Quakers did an admirable job of holding Harvard to 57 yards on its drive and giving up just a field goal. Crimson freshman wideout Matt Luft has been all over the place, taking advantage of soft coverage to haul in two double-digit passes. Dawson also plowed through enough defenders to get into the red zone, but the Quakers made a stand.
DB and kick returner Greg Ambrogi was helped off the field a short while ago, nursing an ankle. We'll see if he comes back. In the meantime, backup Joey Brown is picking up his minutes.
8:16, Second quarter: Penn 20, Harvard 7
Lepisto puts another tester through the uprights. I did not see this coming.
9:18, Second quarter: Penn 17, Harvard 7
Penn is all over Harvard at this point. Cornerback Tyson Maugle tipped a pass that was intercepted by safety Patrick Kimener, and Penn brought the ball up to midfield. The Quakers punted, but no matter. Dawson coughed up the ball on the next play, and safety Scotty Williams recovered.
If Penn can make something of this great field position, they can break the game wide open.
13:30, Second quarter: Penn 17, Harvard 7
Braden Lepisto finished the drive with a 38-yard field goal. Sign this kid up!
End First quarter: Penn 14, Harvard 7
Forget everything I just said. Irvin helped put Penn up a touchdown working through the air on the next drive. After missing a bomb to Braden Lepisto, Matt Carre hauled in a long pass. The Harvard defense then lost track of fullback Nick Cisler, and Irvin found him for a 10-yard gain to put Penn in the red zone. A few plays later, Sandberg ran around the Harvard secondary for an 11-yard touchdown run.
To top it all off, Harvard freshman Cheng Ho fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Quakers will enter the second quarter with a surplus of momentum.
Fellow blogger Zachary Levine's casual comment: "This is the best I've seen this team play in a long time."
4:46, First quarter: Harvard 7, Penn 7
Penn just tied things up when a solid drive ended with a Joe Sandberg run into the corner of the endzone. Backup TE Josh Koont also had a 19-yard reception on that drive.
As an aside, why in the world is the big "Allstate" banner behind the goal posts never raised in time for an extra point? What else are the flag-raisers doing with their time?
Other than that, the interesting story line so far is Penn's offensive attack. The Crimson has the top run defense in the nation, and most of the Quakers' gains are coming on the ground or after the catch. It's still an open question whether they can continue to rely on plays like that.
8:26, First quarter: Harvard 7, Penn 0
Clifton Dawson just broke the Ivy League career rushing record on his second carry of the game today, shedding no fewer than three tackles down the sidelines for a 55-yard gain. What a run.
Quarterback Liam O' Hagan then put the Crimson up by six with a short TD toss.
The one Dawson run has been the only play of note so far, with each team running into a wall on its other possessions.
FINAL: UTEP 69, Penn 66: UTEP's Clark hits one of two, but Darren Smith's attempted buzzerbeater hits the side of the rim. Game over. Question of the day: Why did it take Miller so long to tell his guys to foul?
8.7 left, 68-66 UTEP: Aron Cohen takes an ill-advised three, and Penn takes a good 20 seconds to foul after UTEP gets the rebound. After UTEP's offensive rebound putback makes it a 4-point game, Zoller's layin on the other end cuts it back to two.
53.7 left, 65-64 UTEP: Danley hits one of two from the line, then gets on the floor for a loose ball and gets the timeout. Penn ball with less than a minute to go.
1:35 left, 65-63 UTEP: Best 40 seconds of defense today for Penn. Shot clock violation on UTEP.
2:15 left, 65-63 UTEP: Phew.
2:15 left, 65-61 UTEP: Danley at the line for two, and the Quakers need them here. Tommy McMahon missed two free throws on the previous possession with a chance to make it a one-possession game.
3:46 left, 60-60: With three seconds left on the shot clock, the ref bails out UTEP with a foul call. It's on Ibby - that's his fifth. A frustrated Glen Miller takes off his jacket in disgust.
The first game of the year is up for grabs, but Penn will have to get it without its best player.
5:50 left, 58-58: Zoller spins around his man and lays in the tying basket. UTEP coach Tony Barbee calls for time.
7:50 left, 56-55 UTEP: A Tommy McMahon three, an emphatic Danley dunk, a couple of offensive fouls on UTEP, and suddenly the Quakers are back in it.
9:45 left, 56-50 UTEP: With 4 fouls, Ibrahim Jaaber takes a seat.
12:34 left, 53-45 UTEP: The Miners put some distance between themselves and Penn with a 15-4 run to open the half. Despite the efforts of Steve Danley inside, UTEP has seized control of the game.
With 20 minutes of basketball gone in Syracuse, N.Y., Penn clings to a 39-38 lead over UTEP. Penn rode an 11-0 run to an early 20-9 lead, but the Miners closed the gap and eventually took the lead. A Brian Grandieri three-pointer and a Mark Zoller layup with under a minute to go brought the Quakers back from a four-point deficit.
Zoller leads the Quakers with 13 points, while Grandieri has 11. UTEP's Darren Clarke leads the Miners with 12. Ibrahim Jaaber had a quiet half, playing only 13 minutes after picking up two fouls early on. He has yet to be credited for a steal, but he has one of Penn's two three-pointers.
The Quakers are 2-10 overall from behind the arc.
Play has been sloppy, as Penn also has 14 turnovers to UTEP's 12. Look to The Buzz and dailypennsylvanian.com during and after the game for more news and analysis.
It's a busy weekend for Penn sports, with football season winding down and basketball season starting up, among other things. So this will be fun, stick with me.
We'll start with the gridders, who will hope to avoid overtime against Harvard tomorrow in their home finale. The Crimson look like this on the road. This uniform falls into the same category as Brown as far as adding random colors that are not the school's official colors of crimson, black and white. In this case, it's the gold pants that don't match, and from what I can tell, gold is not in any other Harvard team's unis. Maybe the Crimson just wants to look like the 49ers.
One unique thing I do like about the Crimson is their school shield on the shoulders. They're a little big, but it's a nice touch.
On to basketball, where Penn will be getting new uniforms again, this time Nikes after a long stretch of And 1 years. I've detailed in the past (in fact that's where the name of this blog comes from) about Penn's constant uniform changes, but this one comes with new coach Glen Miller, who I was told actually made the change, although how much autonomy he had in the decision is unclear; I'll try to find out in the future.
There are no pictures yet of the new outfits, although I was graciously given a sneak peak at Penn's new shorts by one of the equipment managers. Essentially, they look like this, although obviously with Penn colors. The striping is red/blue/red in the home jerseys and red/white/red on the road blues. Unfortunately, there are no red jerseys this year, for the first time in a while.
Based on the shorts, it would follow that the jerseys look like this. I was told that the jerseys again say "Penn" across the chest with the number underneath, and that one cool feature is the split P on the back of the neck.
We'll also be seeing new warmups, and I saw the Nike shooting shirt template hanging in the equipment room.
Overall, the uniforms certainly could be worse, especially with other things Nike has done, but I liked the old And 1 jerseys and I'm sad to see them go. But we'll reserve final judgment until the new outfits are seen in action -- which will start tonight against Texas-El Paso.
The Miners' home jerseys look like this and the road jerseys look like this. There may or may not also be orange uniforms. UTEP has tweaked its look a couple of times recently, so I think these are the current threads, but we'll see for sure. I like the offset (not centered) number on the front, but the collar thingy on the back of the neck looks a little weird.
Of course, Syracuse also has the same colors as UTEP, and looks like this at home and this on the road. Syracuse went to this look the year after winning the national title in 2002-03, which is interesting. I like it, except the side striping is a little too busy.
Finally, we have Saint Francis (N.Y.), which has the same colors as Penn. The Terriers look like this at home and this on the road. Those short stripes are really weird, and there's not much else I can say about it.they go around the side of the shorts like a loop instead of just going down the side panel like most normal teams. Hopefully it won't be too distracting.
Congratulations if you made it this far, and enjoy the weekend.
The countdown is on for the men's basketball opener tonight in Syracuse. Here are a few notes to get you ready and to accompany this morning's basketball supplement.
Here's the complete formula from the book The Wages of Wins that we used in the supplement.Win score = points + rebounds + steals + 0.5*assists + 0.5*blocks - field goal attempts - 0.5*free throw attempts - turnovers - 0.5*fouls.
Look out for the formula in the DP throughout this season as a player ranking method.
The sports gambling Web site Pinnaclesports.com has the Quakers listed as five-point favorites over the Miners.In addition to true freshman Malik Alvin (Simon Gratz HS), who is profiled in today's issue, the Miners boast three other players from the area. Freshman Maurice Thomas and Stefon Jackson, a sophomore (misleading because he was born the same day as yours truly, a senior) attended Lutheran Christian Academy. Marvin Kilgore attended the same basketball factory and has since spent a year at East Carolina and a year at Panola College in Carthage, Texas.Penn isn't the only Ivy team opening tonight. Princeton opens at 5:30 p.m. against Loyola-Chicago (-5.5) in the Columbus, Ohio, BCA Invitational. Cornell tips off in its opener at Northwestern (-9.5) at 9:30 p.m. Brown, the only team with games under its belt is off to an 0-2 start with losses to Michigan State and Central Michigan.Bears coach Craig Robinson's Princeton ties are kicking in already. The ex-Tiger's team has averaged 46 points in the two losses.
Ivy League fans got their first look at the conference's preseason media poll today. Here's the order with first-place votes in parentheses.
1. Penn, 127 (15)
2. Princeton, 105 (1)
3. Cornell, 85
4. Yale, 77
5. Columbia, 65
6. Brown, 50
7. Harvard, 36
8. Dartmouth, 31
Here are a few reactions, and I welcome yours in the comments section below.
The Quakers are in their rightful place. Way too much all-league talent to be hurt by a coaching change or the loss of Eric Osmundson and David Whitehurst.Third place strikes me as way too high for Cornell. Adam Gore led the league in three-pointers, but I'd like to see how many open looks he gets without former all-Ivy guard Lenny Collins around.Columbia is too low at fifth. John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu will continue to be a force underneath, and this is the year that the junior-heavy squad will come together in preparation for their title run next season.Princeton got a first-place nod? Didn't realize Joe Scott got a vote. I have the Tigers fourth behind Penn, Columbia and Yale and ahead of Cornell, Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth.
When it comes to Penn traditions, there are two different types. There are the ones that went by too fast, that you can't wait to do next year or tell your kids about. Spring Fling, throwing toast at football games, Hey Day (if there still is such a thing). Then there are those that you dread, the ones where you count the minutes until they're over. For the last two years, The Line had been the second for me. I lost my entire weekend, couldn't sleep and woke up sore in every muscle in my body.
But I decided to give it a third try. The experience was a little from Column A, a little from Column B and more than enough to fill this diary.
Friday, 5:30 p.m. Watching Borat on opening day, going to Friday night services and dinner at Hillel, cleaning my bathroom. There are a lot of things I'd rather be doing than going down to sleep at the Palestra tonight. But I take my 122 bracelet number and head down there to meet Jen, the second member of Group 64. Fellow blogger Josh Hirsch is Group 64 by absentee as he's in St. Louis for the weekend, presumably sleeping in a bed.
5:35 p.m. Assigned to the Harlem region of the Palestra to drop my stuff. The seven regions are named after the seven sites of Ivy League road trips with Hanover first and Columbia's Manhattan locale second. Couldn't really figure out what order they're in, just that it's obviously not in order of the best road trips. Head into the gym to see that the volleyball team is already warming up. I thought the match wasn't until 7 p.m.
5:54 p.m. Seriously, aren't they going to get tired? The match isn't for another hour.
6:47 p.m. Now Brown's trying to run an entire practice before the match as well. They're playing some kind of 4-on-4 king of the court game. My legs are getting tired just watching them.
6:55 p.m. First line check with Group Leader Charlie. No better way to bring back memories of third grade summer camp than random line checks. I hope we break out the buddy system on our trip to Princeton tomorrow.
7:02 p.m. OK, volleyball practice is over. Go ice yourselves down and get some rest, you all worked really hard out there. Or go play a five-game match. Either way.
7:07 p.m. I take it all back. The Quakers look good in the early going. I give their performance a 6, but their performance a 9.5. Seriously, this is something that has to rank up there in the worst rules in sports along with injury time in soccer and the Ivy League football playoff ban.
In NCAA football, if a guy does a backflip across the goal line, it's a disgrace to the game and a 15-yard penalty. And this is a game when a team will score two or three touchdowns a week (a touchdown every two or three weeks in Columbia's case). In volleyball, a sport in which it takes at least 30 points to win a game and three games to win a match, players are allowed to meet in the middle, turn around, shake their spandex, put their right foot in, put their right foot out, rap some 50 Cent, set off fireworks, bring sexy back, rinse and repeat. No penalty. Congratulations on the other team missing a serve. Now go win 89 more points.
7:08 p.m. Sorry Coach Wilson. Didn't mean to throw in the Columbia remark. Please don't eat me.
7:24 p.m. I played volleyball for four years in high school and still don't really enjoy watching it. So I head outside for some sprint football. I must admit I've never been to sprint football, but I enjoy it as a concept. It's football with one extra rule; you can't play if you're over 172 pounds. I actually take a great deal of pride in the fact that somewhere there's somebody who weighs as much as I do playing offensive line.
7:26 p.m. As I walk over to Franklin Field, I'm coming up with my vision for how the sport got started. Think back to the 1930's and picture some grandfatherly types from the elite universities sitting around discussing ideas for a new sport, to give opportunities to those who otherwise wouldn't get a chance. (Unless you happen to be any sort of minority. Then picture a bunch of people who look nothing like your grandfather.)
Penn President: OK, here are our choices. Lightweight football, short basketball, sober rugby, left-handed field hockey, fat track and field, Gentile tennis and poor golf.
Harvard President: You guys and Princeton and Cornell can do what you want. This is stupid. Even Columbia's laughing at you.
7:27 p.m. Really, Coach Wilson. That one slipped out. I do respect your program and think your defense is "damn good."
7:38 p.m. It doesn't take long to realize why Princeton hasn't won a conference game since 1999. This team is terrible. The Li'l Quakers are running and throwing all over them. Meanwhile, Peter Stine has knocked in all three of his extra points. I couldn't believe he was playing the night before re-debuting for the varsity, but I guess it's his senior day, so more power to him.
Besides, it's not like kickers can get injured.
8:12 p.m. Back at the Palestra to choose my seats. The last couple of years, I've had bracelet numbers in the 20s, not the 120s and got third or fourth row chairbacks, so I'm expecting to do much worse. A chairback seat if I'm lucky.
8:13 p.m. Or a first-row chairback. I don't believe this. Every year, the chairbacks have been more expensive than the bleachers but have still been the first to go. At 122, our group still had three seats waiting for us in the front row of the best section. It's beginning to feel like my night. I wish I could go out and buy a lottery ticket. But I fear Uncle Charlie's line check.
8:49 p.m. After winning the first two games, it's slipping away from the Lady Quakes. Brown took Game 3, and Penn just turned in one of the worst plays of all time. An ugly low pass forced an awkward second ball, which if my high school coach were here, he'd say she had to 'set from her junk." Then, if this was our practice and I made that pass, he'd throw a ball in the direction of my junk and try to make me set it. Sorry. Nostalgia over.
9:00 p.m. Penn on the verge of major chokery. The Quakes lose Game 4, making the basketball teams wait a little longer for their much anticipated unveiling. Meanwhile, they're doing a pretty good job holding back their I-can't-believe-we-have-to-watch-another-game-we're-never-going-to-get-to-go-out-drinking faces.
9:18 p.m. There will be no collapse tonight. The Quakers win eight of the last 11 points to grab a five-game victory. Nice to see the crowd on its feet for the last couple of points. My guess for tomorrow's attendance: a very quiet 50.
9:25 p.m. As we all sit in the bleachers preparing to meet the team, we get the statement of the night from marketing staffer Brian Head, who seems to be running the show. After tomorrow's game at Princeton, "the bus will be leaving 30 minutes after the game ends regardless of the score." Is that so? Regardless of the score? That's funny, because if I ran things, I'd make it 30 minutes if there were an odd number of points scored and 15 if it's even. Or maybe one minute per point minus two per defensive touchdown.
9:27 p.m. Red and Blue Crew head man Jason Ginsberg announces with enthusiasm the men's and women's basketball teams. And I announce with sarcasm the part about enthusiasm. But give him credit. He got 10 of the 16 pronunciations right for the women's team. Hey, .625 is pretty good for baseball. I even think the Penn men's team would take it for free throw percentage.
Ginsberg is upstaged two minutes later by women's coach Pat Knapp shaking his rear end to the crowd's Let's Go Quakers chant. Awkward.
9:35 p.m. I'm going to pretend to be Glen Miller for a second. I'm in a new city, new team, trying to win over new fans. I have a good idea. Why don't I not show up to my introduction. Luckily Adam Franklin saves his absent coach by taking the microphone. "I hope to see you at the games," Franklin says. Thanks, Adam, and I hope to see you in the games.
9:39 p.m. Have I really only covered six hours? Let's fast-forward for a bit. Clear the court. Order Greek Lady. Dodgeball tournament. Why not a basketball tournament? Sit this one out. Can barely walk. Ran 24 miles this morning. Decide to coach DP sports department team. Win. Win. Lose. Dammit. Really tired. Sleep. Wake up at 5. Air mattress deflated. Ghosts of the Palestra apparently playing hockey overhead. Wake up at 6. Wake up at 7. Wake up at 7:30. Air mattress deflated again. Now what's wrong with my back? Go home. Sleep some more. Read The Buzz to find out where Coach Miller was. Off to Princeton.
Saturday, 12:32 p.m. Arrive at beautiful Princeton Stadium. Seriously, there was nothing sarcastic about that. It's everything you could want in a football stadium. Gorgeous architecturally, the right size, no track lets you sit really close. My friend and former Buzz blogger Jeff Shafer meets me in the concourse and shows me a copy of the New York Post, where I read the following headline: DITZY IVY PREXY'S H'WEEN BALL BOMBS. Don't you miss her, Princeton?
1:28 p.m. With Princeton up 7-0 it's time to restart the Peter Stine era. The Quaker mascot (which really, really needs a name) seems ready, down on his knees praying. Must have chosen the wrong divine being. Stine goes postal off the right upright. Guess you can't teach an old new kicker new tricks. Or is it a new old kicker. Something like that.
1:29 p.m. Zoch watch: Starting kicker is in street clothes, so as not to take a spot on the limited road roster. After Stine's kick, Zoch comes over to the stands and says something to a few fans. Presumably "I would have gone for the left post."
1:45 p.m. This didn't really just happen. You must not have heard me, Peter. I said kickers don't get hurt. Stine takes a rough fall after converting an extra point and getting run into. He hits the back of his head and walks over and sits on the sideline for a while chatting with personnel before getting taken off on a stretcher. I'm 99 percent sure it was precautionary, but thoughts and prayers are with him. Now it's up to wide receiver Braden Lepisto again. At this point, nobody's sure what to think other than: go for two.
1:46 p.m. Zoch watch: Now he appears to be sending or receiving a text message. Probably to Bagnoli. Don't u wish u started me now.
2:51 p.m. This one from the cheerleaders: "B-L-U-E, Let's go big blue." Big blue? Where did that come from? Since when was Penn the New York Giants?
3:14 p.m. Key third-and-less-than-a-foot-from deep in our own territory. And the snap and, oh, no. He didn't just call the toss did he? It's third and the length of a fingernail, and you're going to make Sandberg go four yards to get it? Naturally he doesn't, and it's three-and-out. Really glad Hirsch isn't here. He might have gone down there and strangled whoever called that one.
4:03 p.m. Now Penn needs a miracle. We're talking Donovan to Fred-ex type miracle. It's 4th-and-24 with Penn down seven and a minute to play. Irvin off his back foot. CAUGHT. Billy May! First down. Three plays later it's a touchdown. The Penn fans go wild, this will be one they're talking about for a long time.
4:10 p.m. They're going to overtime again. Three straight weeks? That has to be a record. But if it is, it's not as impressive as...
4:19 p.m. --the record Penn just set for most ways to screw up a field goal in a season. This time it was when Lepisto's personal holder (minds out of the gutter, please) can't handle the snap. But every Penn fan knows that it was when the Quakers didn't go for it on 4th-and-a-very-short-2 from the Princeton 3. But Princeton's kicker boots one straight into the Penn line, and we're going to a second OT.
4:25 p.m. The PA announcer confirms it. It is the NCAA record for consecutive OT games by one team. Pretty impressive record, but not as impressive as...
4:30 p.m. -- the record for best play I've seen in an Ivy League game. Roger Hughes shows some guts and goes for it on 4th-and-goal from the 1 and is rewarded as Rob Teresco goes nowhere on the run up the middle but flips it back to Terrell, who scrambles in for the touchdown. Princeton fans jumping and screaming with excitement. Bagnoli jumping and screaming for a stop of forward progress ruling.
4:32 p.m. That didn't take long. Matt Carre ties it up with a 25-yard catch from Robert Irvin on the first play. Unbelivable. We're going to a third overt-oh, no!
Epilogue: It's 6:30, and we're back at the Palestra to pick up our tickets, still not sure what to think after Ted Rosenbaum bounced the snap back to Matt Reinert (no relation), who couldn't handle it and scrambled to no avail. But it was perhaps summed up best by someone, not Yogi Berra, who said, "how can you not do that when that's what you do." Somehow that made sense to me at the time.
When it comes to Penn traditions, there are two different types. There are the ones that went by too fast, that you can't wait to do next year or tell your kids about. Then there are those that you dread, the ones where you count the minutes until they're over. And when I left at 6:30 that night, I was incredibly thankful it was over. But for the first time, it's one that I can't wait to do next year. Unfortunately, I'm a senior, and for the first of many times this year, I'll say it. It went by too fast.
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Penn football made history here today, but not the kind that anyone wanted. The Quakes are officially out of the Ivy title race after a wild 31-30 loss to Princeton.
Here's the rundown:
Tigers QB Jeff Terrell threw a pair of TD passes in the first half, and Princeton tacked on a field goal to take a 17-7 lead at intermission. The Quakers' lone score came on a 1-yard run by fullback Nick Cisler. Peter Stine, the kicker called up from the sprint team less than a week ago, missed from 23 yards.
After that touchdown, Stine was smoked on his PAT and had to leave the game. Wideout Braden Lepisto relieved him and gave Penn three points in the second, the only scoring in that quarter.
Princeton went up by 14 on another short pass, but Penn's Robert Irvin led dramatic drives of 68 and 69 yards to send Penn to its third straight overtime game, the first time that has happened in NCAA history.
And if you thought the Quakers' kicking woes would decide this one too, you were almost right.
Penn got the ball first and worked it down to the 3. With Lepisto in again, a low snap ended the drive before it started, and you could hear the collective groans way back in Philadelphia.
Here's where it got interesting: the Tigers tried a 34-yarder, and Penn blocked the ball by a good two feet. Princeton got the ball back, Terrell completed a 32-yard pass to Brian Brigham, and all of a sudden the Quakers were down a TD.
They got the six points they needed on a 25-yard pass to Matt Carre, but lightning struck twice on the seventh. Another low snap, another heartbreaker. The Quakers now also hold the dubious distinction of being the only team ever to lose three straight overtime games.
And not only did Penn miss a huge opportunity to put itself back in the mix in front of a large contingent of students, it wasted heroic efforts by Sandberg, Carre, and Irvin.
Sandberg was magnificent all day, torching the Tigers secondary for 173 yards and catching two passes for another 48 even though he was shaken up on a play and missed several series. Carre hauled in five balls for 114 yards, including a huge 22-yarder on a fourth-and-18 late in the game that otherwise would have iced it for Princeton. Irvin matched Terrell tit-for-tat, recovering from some early wildness to keep his team in the game until the very end.
But despite the festivities of The Line and the men's soccer team's big win, the bad outweighed the good for Penn today.
Because for this football team, the bad is quickly becoming the inevitable.
As of 7 o''clock this morning, I'm giving this year's Line my stamp of approval, and not just because of the sports department's run to the semifinals of last night's dodgeball tournament.
The one event that categorically disappointed, though, was the men's basketball rally. Seniors Ibrahim Jaaber and Steve Danley -- as well as new head coach Glen Miller -- were conspicuously absent. All apparently had legitimate excuses: I'm told that Danley and Jaaber were reading poetry at the Excelano project, while Miller was celebrating his wife's birthday.
After senior Mark Zoller's opening remarks, nobody seemed to want to take the microphone. The embarrassing sequence ended with an impromptu wave organized by new assistant coach Mike Martin.
I realize the circumstances that led to the absences were unavoidable. But isn't a basketball pep rally without the coach and team leader a bit like going to the Republican National Convention and not hearing from the presidential nominee?
I suppose that it doesn't make that much of a difference, since everyone who was at the rally is going to the games anyway. But it was a little surprising to see the men's team and its much larger fan base upstaged by women's coach Patrick Knapp shaking his tailfeather to the rhythm of the "Let's Go Quakers" chant.
This post comes live from a darkened hall in the Palestra, where The Line has severely blurred the line between fan and journalist.
But as I suppress my rah-rah enthusiasm for basketball season, I can't help but be impressed at how one of Penn's weaker programs put its game face on for the big night.
Yes, the volleyball team beat Brown in a dramatic five-game match. The surprise was how forthright the team was in asking fans -- 99% of whom were attending their first Quakers match ever -- to move closer to the Palestra floor.
Not only did the visiting Bears get heckled the way few Ivy teams ever would, but -- more importantly -- the Quakers themselves were on center stage.
Normally, this wouldn't matter. But the team's sychronized cheering and spirited fanfare became more and more infectious as the game went on, and I have to give the team credit for being entertainers as well as athletes.
Coming from a team that has a highly questionable history, that's even more important.
Events like The Line are all about the fans. Tonight, I'm glad they got to see that even in as unstable a place as Penn volleyball, plenty of good things can still happen.
Penn needs a win tomorrow to have any chance at an Ivy League championship, and will take on archrival Princeton.
The Tigers' home unis look like this, and I think they're actually pretty nice. I've always been a fan of orange as an accent color, and I definitely dig the orange stripes on the sleeves.
I don't like the black pants and the black jerseys, I think the Tigers should go to white pants at home. And like fellow Nike team (we'll get to more of this later) Michigan (home, road), the Tigers' home unis don't have as much Swooshization as their road jerseys. So that's good for tomorrow.
As for the famous Princeton helmet, it was the inspiration for Michigan's famous design, as explained on this Web site.
The Tigers will look pretty good tomorrow then, as Penn looks to get back on track.
I didn't go out for Halloween last night. Instead, I sat home and analyzed two hours of film in preparation for the basketball team's opener against the UTEP Miners.
Here's what I learned:
The Miners possess an all-black starting five and a coach who wants to get them to play "white basketball." They wear their shorts really short, and the players are partial to Smokey Robinson.
OK, so I didn't watch the most up-to-date game film. I watched the movie Glory Road about the 1966 NCAA Championship team at the school then known as Texas Western. That squad revolutionized the college game when coach Don Haskins sent out an all-black starting lineup against Adolph Rupp's all-white Kentucky team in the final game.
Even though Kentucky now has an African-American coach in Tubby Smith and eight black players on a 12 man roster, the movie isn't completely out of date.
One of the film's themes is not only how out of place the black players were on the basketball courts in the South, but also how out of place they were as students on their own campus.
That's where the similarity comes in today.
Today's UTEP campus, according to their Web site is 72.4 percent Hispanic with a great majority of them Mexican or Mexican-American.
However, the athletic program and the basketball team, specifically, don't reflect that. The basketball team contains the Brazilian Victor Ramalho and players named Alvin, Clarke, Henderson, Jackson, Jones, Kilgore, Sampson, Smith, Speight, Thomas and Vanwright.
And coach Tony Barbee is part of the 13-person list of head coaches with softball co-coaches James and Kathleen Rodriguez (nee Aguilar). The rest are named Adams, Ereng, Price, Todd, Pelletier, Brenzovich, Cross, Campbell, Kitchens and Murphy
In an era, when one of the most prominent Hispanics in the country is New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, saying any one of the other coaches or players is non-Hispanic would be speculation.
However, it is safe to say that much like 1966, the basketball team is in no way reflective of the student body.
Much more to come on the 2006-07 version of the Miners in next week's issues of the DP.
This isn't the NFL -- I can't go to free agency and pick [a kicker] off the waiver wire. So we'll have to keep working with the people we have, and hopefully they'll get better.
That was Al Bagnoli after the Quakers lost a second straight game on a missed field goal in overtime.
So what does Bagnoli do later in the week? He goes on the waiver wire and picks up a kicker.
Sort of. At least, he does the college equivalent.
As reported in today's DP, Bagnoli made a move that only five programs in the nation have the luxury of making. He picked up the kicker from the sprint football team.
Stine was part of the four-man varsity kicking circus in 2004, joining Evan Nolan, Bryan Arguello and Zoch. His career highlight came in a sprint uniform when he booted a 46-yarder against Cornell last year.
The existence of the sprint football team makes for an interesting opportunity for the Quakers. In particular the kickers, because something tells me they wouldn't have pulled a new linebacker from the 172-pound-and-under team.
But it gives a spot for a backup kicker to get reps with defenses coming at him at game speed and try to get over a case of the yips.
When I spoke recently with Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli and La Salle head John Giannini, I was suprised at how firm -- and frank -- they were in their conviction that Penn and Villanova are now a cut above the rest of the Big 5.
This was a Penn team, remember, that had let leads slip away in crucial games with both the Hawks and Temple, both of them at the Palestra.
But this is also not the typical year for Philadelphia hoops. Just look at how its members are viewed in their own conferences.
In 2004, St. Joe's was the favorite to win the Atlantic-10 East -- and that was in the post-Jameer Nelson era, when the Hawks had one four straight A-10 East titles. They went 14-2 in the league. Not bad.
But expectations have gone down on Hawk Hill since. Martelli's squad was picked an anemic sixth in the now-14-member A-10 the next year, and it barely managed a .500 conference record at 9-7. Now, A-10 coaches think eight is a good number.
Temple has also been on a downward swing lately, epitomized by the sad fact that Mardy Collins never made an NCAA Tournament despite talents that gave him a ticket to the NBA. With Collins now gone and two key contributors out for now as well, things won't get easier. Temple was picked to finish second in its division in 2004, to garner third place in the conference last year (it finished eighth), and to occupy the nine-hole this time around.
La Salle will likely be a nonfactor this year as it tries to find the pieces for a comeback later on.
If you're a former Brown coach trying to get some bragging rights -- and recruiting presence -- in the Philadelphia area, you've got to like those numbers.
For some even better talking points, check out a Big 5 preview in the Daily Pennsylvanian basketball supplement on Nov. 10.
Also, a correction for today's story about sought-after forward Josh Owens.
It was brought to my attention that Stanford has missed the NCAA Tournament only once in the past four years, while today's story said that the Cardinal had missed the Big Dance three times in that stretch.
Stanford does now have a relatively green coach in Trent Johnson, who enters his third year. Mike Montgomery, the previous coach, left for bigger and better things with the Golden State Warriors. (Penn's coach left, but the next step up was the A-10, not the NBA.)
But that does mean that Penn shares another thing with the Cardinal -- in addition to a roster spot for Owens, an academic reputation, and a recent propensity to lose to teams it should beat.
For the Brown Bears, Saturday played out like a movie. The gritty underdog with just one conference win came in, fell behind early and rallied to win on an overtime field goal.
For Penn, it was a Hollywood ending as well. Except it wasn't a story of triumph like Remember the Titans or Invincible.
The movie was Groundhog Day.
The last two weeks have unfolded just like the 1993 movie in which Bill Murray's character can't escape reliving a nightmare of a day over and over again.
For the second straight week, Saturday's game went into overtime thanks to missed opportunities, partially in the kicking game. For the second straight week, Penn got the ball first, stalled, and missed a field goal. And for the second straight week, its opponent got the ball second, stalled and did not miss.
Derek Zoch had to relive every kicker's nightmare, that lonely feeling that follows watching a big kick sail wide (or off the post in the case of the Yale game.)
Now, the seasons have begun to turn into Groundhog Day for the Quakers, who lost their last four last season and dating back to last year have now lost six of eight Ivy games for the first time since the movie was being shot in 1991 and 1992.
The task gets no easier against Princeton, Harvard and a Cornell team that upset the Tigers on Saturday. And plenty of questions linger with a talented quarterback who has been burned by rookie mistakes, a young secondary that's last in the league in pass defense and a kicking game that's running out of places to turn.
But perhaps the biggest question is whether the team can do what it failed to do last year and rebound from a couple of consecutive losses. Or will that dark, billowing cloud of losing continue to grow?
After a second straight loss Saturday, the cloud grew some more. It grew a little darker over a team that seems to have forgotten how to win and a campus that is losing interest.
And when the campus woke up Sunday morning, braved its collective hangover and walked outside, that cloud was still overhead.
Just like Groundhog Day, nobody saw his shadow.
Translation: 11 more days until baskeball season.
Can't make Franklin Field for the homecoming game today? Refresh this page for updates after every quarter.
FINAL: Penn 27, Brown 30
With the wind swirling, Morgan missed his 35-yard attempt, but Penn picked the worst possible time to commit an offsides penalty. Brown got a first down, ran the ball up the middle twice, and trotted out Morgan again. He didn't make the same mistake twice, splitting the uprights with his 25-yarder on third down and sending Penn to its second conference loss.
With Princeton and Harvard still on the docket, this was not a game Penn could afford to lose.
Check back for complete coverage in Monday's DP.
Overtime: Penn 27, Brown 27
Penn lost the toss and needed to score. After Mizell hauled in a 10-yard reception, the Quakers faced a third-and-eight and a pass to Billy May was broken up by star linebacker Zak DeOssie. Zoch came out to attempt the 27-yard field goal and missed again, this one wide right.
Penn is in a really tough spot now. A field goal will win it for Brown.
Fourth quarter: Penn 27, Brown 27
Brown's last drive ended when Williams intercepted a pass, but he fumbled to Greg Ambrogi, who lateralled to Britton Ertman. Ertman ran out of bounds just as time expired, and we're headed to overtime for the second game in a row.
The press also just received word that Princeton has been upset by Cornell's last stand on defense, yielding the Big Red a 14-7 win in Ithaca, N.Y. With Yale's win over Columbia, Penn can move back into second place if it can pull out this win in overtime.
1:16, Fourth quarter: Penn 27, Brown 27
Wynn brought the ball out to the 34, and tight end Josh Koontz got the Quakers a first down at the Brown 45 with a short reception. After a false start, Irvin heaved a bomb over the middle to Chris Mizell, who had the ball knocked loose as he came back to earth. Lepisto came up with the big catch Penn needed, but the fresh set of downs go to waste after two incompletions and a stuff of Sandberg in the backfield. Brown now has its chance and will start on the 20.
3:52, Fourth quarter: Penn 27, Brown 27
Penn made a last stand on defense, but it wasn't enough to keep the charging Bears from tying the game. DiGiacomo threw a perfect bullet from inside the 10 to wideout Lonnie Hill, threading a frozen rope in between two defenders. It's up to Penn right now, with a pair of time-outs left.
8:13, Fourth quarter: Penn 27, Brown 20
The Bears managed a field goal to open the scoring here in the fourth. But on their next drive, the Bears decide to go for a fourth-and inches on their own 24 and botch the toss play. Penn takes over with just over nine minutes to go.
That would have been huge, except Irvin throws a thoroughly silly rainbow into the endzone on the next play. It was intercepted, and we're back where we started.
Third quarter: Penn 27, Brown 17
Penn converts a huge fourth-and-eight in the red zone when the Brown secondary leaves sophomore Matt Reinert wide open done the sidelines, and Sandberg rumbles through for a touchdown afterwards. Derek Zoch returns and nails the extra point. It is now a two-possession game, and the crowd -- which has grown steadily even as the sky has clouded over -- finally makes some noise after special teamer Chris Wynn makes a great tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
The Quakers quickly give up their advantage when Raymond ran right over cornerback Greg Ambrogi for a 44-yard touchdown score. Penn's coverage has looked awful today.
But just when you think the action is over, Wynn ran right up the middle and broke a tackle down the sidelines for an electrifying 98-yard kick return. My DP colleague Josh Hirsch informs me that it is the longest kickoff return since 1955 for Penn (and that was against Notre Dame, no less). The Bears can't help but be demoralized after seeing their comeback effort dashed so quickly. But a lot can still happen.
Halftime: Penn 13, Brown 10
Akin Oyalomo punched in a touchdown on a draw play to put Brown up 10-0 on the first play of the quarter. Not so hot.
But it looks like Penn's passing game is catching on, too. Tight end Chris Mizell and receiver Matt Carre have big plays under their belts already, and Penn got on the board when Robert Irvin found wideout Billy May on a short slant route for a touchdown. The special-teams woes continued for now, though, as Brown blocked the point-after attempt and brought down Mike Marinelli after the defensive end recovered the ball and tried to run it in. That could come back to bite Penn.
DiGiacomo is getting a bit more pressure in the second half, and Penn got great field position midway through the quarter after he was sacked twice in the same possession. The Quakers were forced to punt, but after Brown got the ball back DiGiacomo faked a handoff and tried to sneak ahead, only to have the ball knocked loose by lineman Brian Fairbanks and returned for a touchdown by captain Scotty Williams. Braden Lepisto converts the PAT and it's Penn, 13-10.
Williams continues to end up in the middle of everything, as the ball is tipped into his hands by LB Kory Gedin on the next drive, and he returns this interception to the Brown 14. But Irvin almost threw a pick of his own on the subsequent series, and after a Penn timeout and a highlight-reel catch by Sandberg, Braden Lepisto was trotted out for a field goal and pulled the chip shot wide left.
The burning question for Penn going into the second half: will Al Bagnoli even give the running game a chance, or is he committed to winning the game completely through the air?
First quarter: Penn 0, Brown 3
Penn is having trouble picking up on the Bears' penchant for spreading the offense out wide. Brown has already converted four of five third-down chances, and QB Joe DiGiacomo looks poised in the pocket. He has 104 yards in the air already.
DiGiacomo rebounded from a huge sack by Penn DB Tyson Maugle to find wideout Paul Raymond near the sidelines and bring the Bears back into field-goal range. Kicker Steve Morgan converted teh 36-yarder to put Brown up by a trio.
If nothing else, Brown is milking the clock and keeping the Penn offense off the field, the only highlight being a 26-yard completion to tailback Joe Sandberg (with 27 of those yards coming after the catch). The Quakers punted to end their only possession of the quarter. Brown will start on the Penn 9 to open the second frame.
Now this could have been good. Brown has a great logo to use on its helmet, but alas it doesn't, instead going with the whole word "Brown" instead of this awesome look it used between 2001-2003. The helmet now has way too much going on.
Although, on a side note, it's nice to see the DP using the old helmet in its print edition (click on the link on the right of the page).
As for the rest of the uniform, again I think there's too much going on. The road uniform, which looks like this, has an absurd five stripes on the pants and sleeves, and has too much red and silver, which are the alternate colors of the school. And besides, can you think of any team that looks good in, or even wears brown, red, and silver together?
Have a happy Homecoming, and enjoy the game.
Get those tents ready. Duke's Krzyzewskivilles, if only for one day, are coming to Penn.
The athletic department announced that for the Saturday, Jan. 27 basketball game against St. Joseph's, student tickets are general admission. Students will have their run of sections 120 and 220 (lower and upper level behind the basket closer to Penn's bench) on a first-come, first-row basis.
At Duke, students set up tents early in the season and never really leave, sleeping in K-Ville for days at a time. And while I can't say I expect anybody to start waiting out at the Palestra on Christmas Eve, I hope that showing up two hours early won't get anybody a front-row seat.
The St. Joe's game, while not the biggest rivalry, is the best fan experience with students from each side taking a whole end of the Palestra and shouting at each other from across the court. So I'll be out of Friday night dinner at Hillel around 8 p.m. the night before. Hope to see a lot of you outside the Palestra that night.
The decision to implement this policy for a day was described as experimental. If it works, we could see the end of The Line as we know it and the establishment of a far-superior method of ticket distribution.
Last year, and in every year previous, the bottom of the student section was empty at tip-off inspiring plenty of "you have no fans" chants from the punctual folks from Hawk Hill and others.
Students only had to show some initiative on one night of the year to guarantee themselves a good seat for 15.
Under the new procedure, fans would be forced to show up on time or sit in the rafters. The team would be introduced to the cheers of five or 10 people from the student section. Also, it would give the more dedicated fans the better seats.
So here's hoping that the experiment is a success and future Red and Blue Crews are forced to show more dedication than just taking a taxi to the Line location.
Finally, a clarification regarding Ibrahim Jaaber's "new" tattoo. David Bernstein, who interviewed Jaaber for a feature in the upcoming DP basketball supplement, told me that the tattoo isn't new at all.
He's had it since his sophomore year, but for the first time in my memory, Jaaber went without his trademark tee-shirt in Wednesday's scrimmage.
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