Tydings | Penn football can't dwell on Villanova loss

I t was obvious on Saturday at Franklin Field that Penn football shouldn’t be playing Villanova. That much is clear.

Based on Penn’s preliminary schedules for the next few years, it appears that the rivalry will come to its logical conclusion after next season’s matchup, with Villanova coming off the schedule and Central Connecticut State joining the ranks of opponents in 2016.

But instead of asking what should be done about Penn’s rivalry with Villanova after Saturday’s result, it is more appropriate to focus on the rest of 2014 and what the 41-7 drubbing at the hands of the Wildcats means for the Red and Blue moving forward.

For a young team, confidence can be everything — and confidence may be tough to come by after two straight losses, one by 34 points. It won’t help that the Quakers have to make a seven-hour bus trip to Dartmouth before facing a team that basically missed out on an Ivy title last season because of a missed field goal or two.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that senior captain and linebacker Dan Davis is questionable at best for the game against the Big Green since he suffered a concussion against Villanova.

So is all hope lost for the Red and Blue? If you look at history, certainly not. It was just two years ago that Penn started out 0-2 and looked hapless against John Robertson and Villanova before a light clicked on in the team’s collective head when it traveled up to Dartmouth.

No, this 2014 squad isn’t that same 2012 team. To paraphrase former Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino, Billy Ragone is not walking through that door. Brandon Copeland is not walking through that door. Nor are any number of the countless players who played big roles in that championship turnaround.

But in all the turnover between two years ago and now, there is still one true constant: coach Al Bagnoli.

Bagnoli isn’t a cure-all. He can’t go out and replace Davis. He can’t cover Dartmouth’s big-play receivers or personally contain Big Green quarterback Dalyn Williams. But if there is any coach in the Ancient Eight who can take a group from the brink of disaster to the promised land, it is Bagnoli.

After the loss to No. 6 Villanova, the longtime Penn coach spoke about just forgetting about the game. And as hard is might be, it is best that the fans, media and players do the same.

It’s not like Dartmouth won’t have a similar goal in mind: Coach Buddy Teevens’ squad also faced a nationally ranked opponent on Sept. 27 and fought through a similarly forgettable 33-point loss at the hands of No. 4 New Hampshire.

So when you look at the big picture, Saturday’s loss to Villanova isn’t the end of the world, but it sure should be the end of a one-sided rivalry that has frustrated Penn for the last 15-plus years.

But the 41-7 loss isn’t the end for the Red and Blue. Bagnoli and his crew will regroup. He and his staff will work with each player to identify and correct the mistakes of the last two weeks. Ultimately, the team should be better for it.

If the Quakers can just remember what gave the team confidence going into the season — before the losses and before the numerous Villanova touchdowns — they can compete with anyone in the Ancient Eight.

At the end of the day, if Penn can avoid dwelling on a bad loss, it might just find itself in the win column next week when the games start counting.

And as the past has shown, one win can mean the world. One loss to Villanova sure can’t.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.