Football is a game of quick decisions. Punt or go for it? Kick the point after or go for two? Keep it or pitch it? Few split-second calls, however, will have as lasting an impact as the one Villanova coach Andy Talley made Saturday evening, when he replaced struggling quarterback Antwon Young with sophomore backup Chris Whitney in the fourth quarter.

According to junior Anne Magnuson, defense is the key to success for Penn volleyball. "When our defense is on, we're on" she said. Fortunately for the Quakers, their defense was on this weekend, as the team earned three wins in four attempts, improving their record to 4-5.

Baltimore Avenue is scheduled for a makeover, but not all residents find the prospect pretty. For the next five years, University City District will receive annual grants of $75,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to improve the facades of businesses along Baltimore between 45th and 50th streets.

From Blackberries to iPods to cell-phones, today's driver has plenty of distractions. Unfortunately, such multitasking can be deadly. And three Philadelphia City Council members have decided to do something about it. City Councilmen Frank Rizzo, Bill Green and William Greenlee proposed legislation last week that would ban handheld cell-phone use while driving or biking.

Three weeks ago I got a phone call nobody wants under any circumstances: A friend of mine had suddenly passed away. Jeremy and I were good friends in high school, often sharing some of the same classes, crazy teachers and a lot of great conversations. After graduation in 2005, we occasionally stayed in touch, but it wasn't enough.

Behind the Quad, in an area many students never explore, some of the nation's best research is being conducted. Penn's Nursing School, consistently ranked among the top in its field, is home to five of the National Institute of Nursing Research's 10 "Landmark Nursing Research Studies.

It just keeps going and going and going. Drew Healy extended his shutout streak to a Penn-record 590 minutes as the Quakers (4-0-2) tied an inspired Buffalo 0-0 on Friday night and routed hapless Mercer 6-0 yesterday afternoon, claiming the Penn Soccer Classic title - their third tournament victory in as many attempts.

When the Quakers blocked an extra point in the first overtime on Friday, they sensed that a victory over Villanova - one that had eluded them since 1911 - might finally be within their grasp. But moments later, Bradford Blackmon's grip wasn't strong enough.

Both on and off campus, Penn's Internet2 network is about to see an expansion. Internet2 is a faster network than regular Internet. It is specifically geared toward research and education, and Penn's access point went live in February 2007. Internet2 allows for nearly instantaneous data transfer, making it useful for international data sharing.

With the quiet grace of a conductor leading an orchestra of talented musicians, Dean Gary Hack has presided over the School of Design for the last 12 years. And like any humble conductor, he's quick to praise the talents of his staff before his own. "I've been the beneficiary of a lot of people who have done very well," said Hack, who steps down next week.

Alicia Puglionesi is a College senior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

I spent my August as an incoming Wharton MBA student in pre-term mode, taking preparatory courses on my new campus in advance of the first semester. Like many classmates, I studied sampling distributions, logarithmic functions, demand curve and other foundation concepts.

In the eyes of Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, this election is more than just a presidential race - it's a generational transition. Last Friday, The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down to discuss the role of young voters in the 2008 election with Dean and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

Looks like the Penn women's soccer team has finally gotten opposing defenses to - ahem - "open up." The Quakers' drive back from the nation's capital may have been accompanied by thoughts of their failure to bring home a win. But head Coach Darren Ambrose and his players certainly have made some offensive breakthroughs this weekend - right through some of the toughest defenses

They were looking for a blank slate, a new beginning. Instead, the players on the Penn field hockey team produced a another slow start in their 3-1 loss to Cornell on Saturday in both teams' Ivy League opener. "We were looking at [the conference season] like a new season," said freshman Abigail Egan, wProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0

Robert Irvin - he's in the game. That game would be EA Sports' NCAA 09. And, perhaps in a testament to its realism, Irvin takes his shoulder troubles into the digital world. In a PS2 simulation of the 2008 season, the Quakers finished 7-3 (5-2 Ivy), tied with Harvard atop the Ivy League for their first title since 2003.

Drew Healy rewrote the Penn record books on Friday night with his fifth consecutive shutout, but the Quakers had to settle for a scoreless, double-overtime draw with visiting Buffalo. In their first game of the Penn Soccer Classic, the Quakers (3-0-2) came out firing on all cylinders, but a 30-minute injury delay robbed them of their momentum, after Buffalo defensive back Eric Johnson went down with post-concussion symptoms.