This past weekend marked the first time in 2015 that each of the Red and Blue's fall sports teams were in action.

As a first year coach, there is reason to be nervous about a lot of things. But delivering a successful snap to the quarterback isn't necessarily one of them.

Nigel Blackwood and Gavin Barger were granted the special opportunity of training together at the highest level of junior soccer before ever donning the Red and Blue.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — They are what we thought they were. Coming into its first game of the season, no one thought Penn football would be flawless.

The box score reflected the reality: On Sunday night, the Quakers never had a shot.

The game was over, and although he stood watching on the sidelines for the last 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, Max Jones was still registering the results of first collegiate game.

Maybe this season won't be about change after all.

While Mike Beamish may have graced the gridiron at Franklin Field last Saturday, Penn sprint football will have to adjust to life without its former star and captain this season. Beamish participated for the fifth time in the program's annual Alumni Game last weekend, but not as a member of the Quakers' current team.

What is one of, if not the fastest-growing intercollegiate varsity sport in the United States? If you guessed sprint football, you’re correct!

When you think of Bethlehem, your first thought probably isn’t football. When Penn football travels to Bethlehem on Saturday, they won’t need to fly and their trip won’t be one of any religious importance.

Up in Rindge, N.H., lies Franklin Pierce. Perhaps it’s not an institution that Penn students hear about frequently in the world of Penn athletics, but for the 49 players on the Quakers’ sprint football roster, it’s a household name nonetheless. This weekend, Penn sprint football will officially begin its season against its New England counterpart, under the sun at Franklin Field on Saturday.

The play of Penn football’s defense in 2014 was, well, indefensible. The Quakers struggled mightily to stop opposing offenses a year ago, surrendering an average of 31.9 points per game.

Change is inevitable. Nothing continues forever... except for time and, maybe, space, but that’s not the point.

Anyone who says numbers never lie didn’t watch Penn’s offense last season. A year ago, then-sophomore quarterback Alek Torgerson was near the top of not only the Ivy League, but the entire Football Championship Subdivision in multiple passing categories.

Penn football operates under a microscope. With that said, it seems curious that the biggest guys on Franklin Field are consistently the most overlooked.

Alek Torgersen has something to prove. This year it’s not about proving he’s capable of locking down the top spot at quarterback.

Penn football’s first game may come a full two weeks after most teams begin their seasons, but a high level of competition has been brewing for weeks in Quakers' practices at Penn Park. As the Red and Blue approach their opener against Lehigh, position battles have been on the minds of many coaches and players.