FOOTBALL VS. FORDHAM SIDE: Sloppy play almosts costs Quakers the victory

After impressive scoring drives by both Penn and Fordham early in the first quarter on Saturday, it seemed as if Franklin Field was going to be the sight of a clean, well-executed, action-packed contest. But if you looked closer at the Quakers' first drive you could tell that it would be a sloppy day on the field. After Penn scored its first touchdown, it was whistled for three consecutive illegal procedure penalties, turning a harmless extra point into a 35-yard "field goal" that only counted for one point. Yes, senior kicker Marc Horowitz did make the point after, but the penalties were a sign that rough times were ahead for Penn on Saturday. The remainder of the game was marred by numerous turnovers, penalties, and missed opportunities. "[Turnovers are] always big," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Anytime you lose possession of [the ball], it becomes a big play, a momentum play. "It becomes something that has the potential to turn the tide. They're always big plays." The Quakers lost three fumbles in the first half and the Rams responded with scores following each turnover. Following an interception by junior cornerback Jamie Daniels late in the first quarter, Penn attempted to break the 7-7 tie. On first down Penn was penalized for holding. On the next play, the Quakers were flagged for illegal procedure. On its third first-down attempt, junior running back Terrance Stokes's fumble was recovered by Fordham. The Rams capitalized as freshman kicker Marc Ruoff converted on a 38-yard field goal. In the second quarter, with the Rams ahead 10-7 and seemingly marching to another score, Moorhead was again intercepted by Daniels, but this time Daniels fumbled and the ball was recovered by the Rams. Fordham cashed in on another Penn mistake as Moorhead found Randy McKee in the end zone on the next play, making the score 17-7 Fordham. The troubles did not stop there for Penn as on the ensuing Quaker possession Penn sophomore running back Joey Allen was hit in the backfield, causing the ball to fly high in the air. Fordham senior linebacker Ryan Reinert was right there, as he picked off the loose ball and ran untouched for a 38-yard touchdown. "We had to quit shooting ourselves in the foot," Bagnoli said. "We had opportunities. We missed four field goals, we had a touchdown called back, great field position, we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot and we didn't make plays." To top off Penn's half of misfortune, the Quakers missed a field goal on their next offensive possession, the first of four failures on the afternoon, including a 42-yard miss by senior kicker Andy Glockner at the end of the first half. The Quakers were penalized six times for 46 yards in the half, getting flagged 10 times for 91 yards in the game, continuing the Quakers' rash of run-ins with the yellow flag. "What killed us today is when we had stupid penalties," Penn senior quarterback Jim McGeehan said. "When we go offside, illegal procedure – stuff like that really hurts us. The coach has a specific game plan and you got to follow it. When you have penalties you get off track." Off track was what the kicking game was as well on Saturday. Glockner missed his only two tries. Senior kicker Marc Horowitz was called in to remedy the situation, but he was 0 for 2 as well, having one attempt blocked. "Our kicking game has to shape up," Bagnoli said. "Our guys have too much talent to be missing from 20 or 30 yards out." And the Quakers had too much talent to lose on this day. That talent resurfaced on the first play of the fourth quarter, as Penn turned the tables on the Rams. Daniels captured his third interception, and Penn came up big on the offensive end. Stokes received the handoff and slashed his way to a 30-yard touchdown run. This seemed to change the game's momentum as now Fordham became the team which was mistake-prone. When the Rams took over with 11:26 to go in the game, they seemed out of gas. Moorhead started off with an incomplete pass and then was sacked for a 10-yard loss. Fordham took a time out to prepare for the key third-down attempt. While dropping back to pass, Moorhead tripped and the Rams were forced to punt. After a Penn touchdown late in the fourth quarter that gave the Quakers the lead for good at 34-30, Moorhead threw his fourth interception. Sophomore free safety Sheldon Philip-Guide had the honors this time, making an incredible diving grab of a long pass. Fordham eventually got the ball back, but couldn't hold on to the ball for long. Penn senior linebacker Andy Berlin hit junior running back Chris Ross and caused a key fumble which was recovered by Betten. Fordham was given a last attempt after a Penn punt, but Moorhead's last four passes fell incomplete. In the first half, Penn was weighed down by sloppy execution and an abundance of turnovers. The Quakers were able to rebound from a halftime deficit and prevail because instead of turning the ball over late in the game, they were the ones to cause the turnovers and limit their penalties. And they were the ones to get the win.

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