Quarterback Torgersen ready to lead retooled offense in 2015

With dual-threat quarterback Alek Torgersen back for more in 2015, along with a healthy and reloaded supporting cast, Penn football’s offense could once again be among the Ivy League’s best.

After finishing sixth in the Ancient Eight in points per game in 2014, Torgersen and the Penn offense will enter their first season under the direction of Offensive Coordinator John Reagan, who spent the last four years in the same role at Kansas (2014) and Rice (2011-2013).

Reagan, a former three-year starter on the offensive line at Syracuse who has coached the college game since 1994, is seeking a quick turnaround for an offense that was young last season but enters 2015 with experience and poise.

Reagan and Torgersen did not wait long to get to work, spending time together throughout the spring and part of the summer. Reagan says the passer is “ready to go” for his upcoming junior season, which will be his second full season as Penn’s starting quarterback.

Despite an injury-plagued season for the offense last year — especially for the running back corps — Torgersen believes the unit is healthy now and will stay that way for the entire season. A threatening running game will free up the passing game, he said, as last year defenses began to key in on the pass.

Due to the injuries, Torgersen actually ended up finishing as the Quakers’ leading rusher, with 405 yards gained on the ground and four touchdowns, with most of the yardage coming via scrambling.

“He limits his to times when it’s absolutely necessary, or certain situations where we find it advantageous for him to be carrying the football,” Reagan said.

With another year working with the same offensive line, the Huntington Beach, Calif. native expects his rushing total to go down naturally, as he believes he will not need to escape the pocket as often.

However, one can expect the rushing totals for the team to increase, as conventional wisdom suggests Torgersen’s 2014 average of 42.1 attempts per game is unsustainable. With most of the pass attempts coming with the Quakers trailing their opponents, more success earlier in games will lead to less of a burden on Torgersen in the second half.

While Reagan has not yet determined how much emphasis to shift to the running game, he is quick to stress its importance.

“In order to be a championship-level team, you have to be able to run the football. There’s times in a game, whether they be a short-yardage situation, just a key down-and-distance or at the end of a game when you’re trying to hold onto the ball. Championship teams have to be able to run the football.”

Reagan says the Quakers will stay flexible and see what works at first, and potentially tailor the offense to each week’s opponent.

“To tell you that I know how it’s going to play out, I just don’t know that,” the first-year offensive coordinator said. “I’d be the first one to tell you that if we’re going to complete passes at 75 percent or better, then we’ll probably throw the ball a lot more than we run it.”

Also to be seen is who will be catching the ball from the second-year starter. The quarterback said the team is “reloading” at wide receiver after losing his top two targets from 2014 in Spencer Kulcsar and Conner Scott, who combined for 133 catches a year ago.

Rising sophomore Justin Watson, who had 42 catches for 497 yards in his first year, is expected to become the No.1 receiver, and Torgersen cited rising seniors Cam Countryman and Eric Fiore, and rising junior Danny Ferens as other potential playmakers. Fiore, who played mostly as a running back in 2014, will work out of the slot in 2015 in a role similar to that of Scott, who finished his career at Penn fourth all-time in school history in receptions.

“You just never know exactly how things will fit together,” Reagan said.

The role of starting quarterback often comes with the expectation of leadership, and Torgersen is aiming to fulfill that archetype.

“I’m hoping that I can lead by example and just come out there, and practice my hardest and give everything my all,” he said. “Come out, perform the best every day. I may not be the most vocal guy out there, but I’m hoping I can be the hardest-working.”

With first-year head coach Ray Priore ensuring the defense takes a step forward this season, Torgersen is confident that the Quakers can be a winning team if they simply score enough points.

“We need to execute every play, work very well as a unit,” Torgersen said. “If we put up points, I have a lot of faith in our defense. I think if we put up a fair amount of points, they’ll hold teams to pretty low numbers.

“All we need to do as an offense is score.”

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