Penn’s inexplicable defensive collapse against Columbia’s last-ranked Ivy offense was alarming. The Lions moved the ball at will in the second half and racked up 475 total offensive yards in the game, almost 200 over its season average.

Trailing by three with 2:26 remaining on the game clock, Penn quarterback Billy Ragone led his team down the field, going 5-for-7 for 53 yards and finding senior running back Lyle Marsh in the end zone to give the Quakers a 24-20 win.

The threat of the pass is just what the doctor ordered against Columbia, since the Lions rank seventh in the Ancient Eight in pass defense efficiency.

Let’s just say this up front: The first four games of the Penn football schedule were rough.But here’s the good news: Columbia and Yale are up next.

After losing several key seniors following last season, defensive coordinator Ray Priore knew that some of his underclassmen would need to step in to fill their shoes. And just when duty called, Dan Wilk and Dan Davis emerged as stars of the Quakers’ young defense.

Freshmen Cameron Countryman and Dylan Muscat were fierce adversaries before they were teammates, playing on opposite sides of a heated rivalry between two public high schools in California. Muscat, a defensive back, often found himself matched up against Countryman, a receiver.

A huge part of a week’s preparation, and a part opaque to many a casual fan, is film study. Both with coaches and individually, players watch recorded games featuring their opponent to glean whatever they can heading into the weekend’s matchup.

Before Alan Schwarz exposed the severity of concussions among football players of all ages as a Pulitzer Prize-nominated reporter for the New York Times or hosted ESPN’s Baseball Today, he helped save the toast toss at Penn.

What the Penn football team needs is to start a game strong, finish a game strong and keep up the momentum in between.

Sure, Penn’s offense finished Saturday’s game strong and almost pulled off the dramatic comeback victory. But if it had put itself in better position, Penn likely would’ve won the game.

Fumbles in the second quarter ultimately determined the game for the Penn, which fell to William & Mary, 34-28, on Saturday at Franklin Field.

As the Quakers take on William & Mary on Saturday at Franklin Field, they find themselves in an eerily similar position to a year ago: sitting at 1-2 and coming off a close win at Dartmouth.

Last week, Brandon Copeland called a meeting with his defensive line, which had failed to record a sack through the first two games of the season. Saturday against Dartmouth, the Quakers had two sacks on the first drive of the game.

Connor Loftus, a kicker for the Penn football team, followed in his father’s and uncle’s footsteps by playing football at an Ivy League school.

With the student body increasingly apathetic towards Penn Athletics, those in charge made the foolish decision over the summer to stop providing toast at football games. Fortunately for Penn fans, they quickly changed their mind.

It was poor play by the Quakers’ secondary that kept the Big Green within striking distance until the end of Saturday’s 28-21 Penn victory.

The 2012 Red and Blue is a power football team that operates best with a run-first mentality. The question still remains as to who will emerge as the go-to-guy in Bagnoli’s running back rotation.