Nowlan | Football must lead Penn Athletics' return to dominance

Wait till next year.

Over the last couple of seasons, that has been an all-too-common refrain amongst Penn’s teams. In seemingly every sport, Quaker fans are quick to argue that their squad is right on the verge of success: Men’s basketball is waiting for its young talent to fully flourish; baseball just needs to win the big game at the end of the season; field hockey just needs some luck to go its way.

But in no sport is this next-year-will-be-better mantra more widely heard than with the football team. Last season, the Quakers were, by anyone’s definition of the word, disappointing. Though quarterback Alek Torgersen’s short passing game experienced some solid success, virtually every other facet of the team’s attack came up short: the running game, decimated by injuries and ineffectiveness, was essentially nonexistent for much of the year. The defense, hailed as a strength of the team, ended up surrendering over 30 points per game.

Many Quaker faithful are quick to present their case for why last season was merely an aberration; Penn football, they argue has always been a winning squad, and they’re allowed a mulligan every now and again, right? Besides, defensive-minded incoming head coach Ray Priore represents a timely reset button after over two decades of Al Bagnoli. Torgersen will be unstoppable with a year under his belt, and a talented freshman class will infuse some youth. Just wait for next year!

Such positive thinking is certainly allowable. After all, the Quakers have won six Ivy League titles since 2000. If any team is allowed to have an off year, the football team is.

But the troubles of the football team are harder to swallow when considering the general pall that has surrounded Penn athletics over the last year. Since M. Grace Calhoun began her tenure as Penn’s Athletic Director almost exactly 12 months ago, nearly every team has been in a funk, with football and men’s basketball being the two most conspicuous examples. Some teams have been decent — such as baseball or perennially-dominant women’s lacrosse — but, during the 2014-15 season, Penn’s trophy case was sparse to say the least.

Which brings me back to football. While the gridiron gang’s glum 2014 season was reflective of Penn Athletics’ year as a whole, why can’t 2015 be the year it leads the program back to dominance? Al Bagnoli’s teams set the standard of excellence in University City for decades, winning nine Ivy championships. Why can’t Priore — who, by the way, was part of all of those titles as an assistant — be the one to lead the resurgence?

If Penn Athletics is to rebound this year, football will need to lead that turnaround. And with any luck, 'wait till next year' will become 'wait till this year.'

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