Penn football falls in Bagnoli's final home game

It was going to be the perfect sendoff for Penn football coach Al Bagnoli.

Leading by seven near the end of the third quarter, the Quakers were driving in Harvard territory and had a chance to put the Crimson further on the ropes. On fourth and seven from the 20, junior kicker Jimmy Gammill lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt, one that could have pushed the Red and Blue’s lead to double digits.

Bad snap. Boot on the laces. No good.

Although a full quarter remained in Bagnoli’s final contest at Franklin Field, Gammill’s second miss of the day turned out to be the beginning of the end for Penn. Harvard managed to score on its three subsequent possessions to clinch the win, 34-24, and a share of its second consecutive Ivy League title.

“We knew we were in for a 60-minute game and that we would have to play well for all 60 minutes,” Bagnoli said. “We played well for a high percentage of the game, but we made a couple too many mistakes and we left some points on the field.”

Saturday’s contest looked like it wouldn’t go the Red and Blue’s way from the very beginning. Following a blocked punt, Harvard junior running back Paul Stanton Jr. took the handoff on his team’s first play and raced 42 yards untouched to the endzone to put the Crimson (9-0, 6-0 Ivy) up less than three minutes into the game.

It was the beginning of quite the day for Stanton. The Kenner, L.A., native scored three times on Saturday, adding additional touchdown scampers of 75 and 14 yards, respectively.

After Gammill connected on a 24-yard field goal to get Penn on the board, the Red and Blue’s defense began to match Harvard’s intensity. After a pass by Harvard junior quarterback Scott Hosch was tipped at the line of scrimmage, junior Jack Madden nabbed his second interception of the season.

Seven plays later, the Quakers (1-8, 1-5) faced fourth and goal from the one. Having been stuffed on his previous two rushing attempts, sophomore Adam Strouss faked the draw and instead threw a jump pass to senior tight end Ryan O’Malley in the back of the endzone for the former’s first career touchdown pass. Penn’s 10-7 lead marked the first time Harvard had trailed since its second game of the season.

“To say that Penn gave us all we could handle is an understatement,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “They played like an outstanding football team today and a team that expected to win.”

After senior Ian Dobbins picked off Hosch and set the Red and Blue up in Crimson territory, the common theme of Saturday’s game — mistakes on special teams — reared its head again.

Gammill’s miss to the right was followed up by Stanton’s second score of the day, and an Andrew Flesher field goal with two minutes remaining before the half sent Harvard into the break leading, 17-10.

But the Red and Blue’s defense set the tone for the second half, forcing three consecutive Harvard three-and-outs following halftime.

As Hosch and Stanton struggled, quarterback Alek Torgersen began to pick apart the Crimson’s defense. After the sophomore found senior tight end Mitch King for a 12-yard touchdown with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter, Torgersen added a four-yard touchdown run on a 55-second scoring drive to help Penn seize the lead once again, 24-17.

“We knew coming in that we were going to have to play our best game if we were going to beat them,” King said. “For the first three quarters, the team was really hyped up because of how we were playing.”

But missed opportunities came back to haunt the Quakers. After Gammill’s second miss, Flesher added a 38-yard field goal before the Crimson hammered the final nail into Penn’s coffin.

Following a Red and Blue punt, Hosch found a senior tight end of his own — Tyler Hamblin — for a 28-yard touchdown with a little over 10 minutes remaining. Eight plays later, Stanton managed to find his way into the endzone for the 14-yard score that put the game out of Penn’s reach.

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