Why did Penn look so flat-footed and ill-prepared at the defensive end in the first half? Did it come down to strategy or motivation, head or heart? If you ask Fran Dougherty, it’s the latter.

After just a few minutes of play, it was clear that the Quakers were indeed “Not Penn State.” But on Saturday, that wasn’t something that made Penn fans proud.

A 38-0 Harvard lead in the third quarter was enough of a cushion for the Crimson to withstand a furious Penn comeback, sealing Penn’s mathematical elimination from a shot at even a share of the Ivy crown.

The Penn cross country team picked a really good day to have its best race of the season.

The Penn men (0-1, 0-0) and women (1-0, 0-0), will both take on rival Columbia, in an early season Ivy League matchup. Unlike last weeks meet at UConn, the Penn team will be split up, with the women competing in Sheerr Pool and the men hitting the road to New York City.

Despite Penn’s slim title chances, a win Saturday would be huge for the Red and Blue. With a victory over the Crimson, the Quakers would salvage a chunk of pride and rest assured knowing they can put up more than just a fight against the Ivy elite.

If the Quakers want to beat Penn State at home on Saturday and get a winning streak going, they’ll have to be on guard … in more ways than one.

On paper, Penn Athletics’ presence on campus Saturday couldn’t be any better. And in reality, it was awesome.

After a strong showing two weeks ago at Heptagonal Championships, the Red and Blue are looking to improve upon their pre-meet rankings of ninth for the men and eighth for the women. Both teams are chasing top six finishes in the region.

In last season’s finale, Penn and Harvard squared off on Rhodes Field to determine which team wouldn’t get last place in the conference. But on Saturday, the two will play in Boston with an Ivy League title on the line.

The Ivy League title may be out of reach for Penn volleyball, but there is still the chance to end the season on a long winning streak and with a victory against every team in the Ivy League.

Penn’s stars will get theres, but if the Quakers hope to succeed this season, they’ll need their bench to contribute too.

In his freshman year, Tyler Kinn received tough news, but has since rebounded to start in goal for Penn soccer.

Which first-year contributor do we expect to make the biggest impact this season for the Quakers?

While the Quakers surely didn’t win the game because of execution, it wasn’t because of luck either. It was thanks to effort.

Al Bagnoli has become one the most important people in Penn sports and will leave behind a remarkable legacy when he eventually steps away from the game.

The Quakers were headed for another middle of the pack finish as they entered the final game of the first half of the Ivy season against Dartmouth. Penn was 2-4, sitting in a last-place tie with Dartmouth, Cornell and Princeton.