BUILDING BLOCKS, LINEBACKERS: Linebackers lead the way
Big hitters pace Penn 'D' Due to the elimination of freshman football across the Ivy League, the Penn football team has even more new faces this season than it did last year. The majority of the team has never played for second-year head coach Al Bagnoli before, which will put even more pressure on the returning upperclassmen. Defensively, the coaches have turned to the linebacker corps led by all-Ivy selections senior Andy Berlin and junior Pat Goodwillie. The tandem of Berlin and Goodwillie in the middle last season helped solidify a defense that gave up an average of only 14.4 points per game – which ranked the Quakers fifth in all of Division I-AA. "We definitely [need to be leaders]," Berlin said. "The coaches have been stressing that with us. We just play hard. We don't really talk that much." "Patrick and Andrew are back this season and we expect them to play at the next level, a higher level," defensive coordinator Michael Toop said. "They've got to be dominant for us to be successful on defense." Luckily for the Quakers, this inside linebacker tandem was dominating more often than not last season. Berlin stepped up last season and replaced all-American Joe Kopcha who graduated in 1992. Berlin was constantly in the middle of the play, which may explain why he was able to accumulate 72 tackles while also racking up two sacks. "Basically, [the goal of the Penn five-two defense] is to give us the best balanced method of defense," Bagnoli said. "Our defense is designed to free up the two inside linebackers, so Berlin and Goodwillie should be number one and two on our tackling chart." In addition to Berlin, Goodwillie more than held his own last year in his first season on the varsity squad. After having an MVP year for the 1991 freshman football team, he went on to lead Penn in tackles last season with 127, which earned him second-team all-Ivy honors and the 1992 Ivy League Sophomore of the Year award. He also had two sacks and two interceptions, making him the complete player the Quakers' defense needs in the middle. In the Quaker defensive scheme, the other two linebackers play on the defensive line. However, in the five-two alignment that Penn runs, on every play one of the two other linebackers drops back into coverage while the other rushes. This setup gives Toop many options to keep the opposing quarterback on his toes. "We like to be aggressive up front," Toop said. "We don't like to sit. We like to try and dictate the tempo of the game. We don't like to be reactionary." While the middle linebacker starting positions are filled by Berlin and Goodwillie, the starting outside linebackers have not yet been announced. The most probable starter is junior Kevin DeLuca, who missed most of last season with a broken ankle. In his one game last year, DeLuca assisted on two tackles. However, Bagnoli says that DeLuca shows "lots of promise." "Right now, Berlin and Goodwillie are starting," Toop said. "They were both all-Ivy performers. They've been able to maintain that level of play. By the same token, Kevin DeLuca has also picked it up." Beyond DeLuca, the final linebacker spot should be shared by sophomores Matthew Fredericks and Keith Soltis. Although Fredericks is currently injured, both of these classmates can expect to see plenty of playing time. As the last graduates of a Penn freshman team, Fredericks and Soltis are in basically the same position as this year's freshmen because they must deal with learning a new system. The Class of '97, who are the first freshmen in Ivy history to play varsity football, will be used mostly to spell the outside linebackers and on special teams. "You hope you don't have to start them," said Bagnoli of freshmen in general. "But I think there's a chance for the freshmen to get on the field in some capacity." So obviously, the Quaker linebacking corps will put its future on the shoulders of Berlin and Goodwillie. The veterans not only must stop the opposition's offense, but they also have to help the two new incoming classes learn Bagnoli and Toop's defensive scheme. Penn's defense will only go as far as this all-Ivy tandem can carry it.