Harvard Hex in way of Ivy Title

Quaker win in Cambridge would end 20-year drought Last week, it was widely assumed that the matchup with Princeton would be the Penn football team's stiffest test of the season. This week, though, the Quakers (5-0 Ivy League, 8-0 overall) may be facing an even tougher foe – a 20-year losing streak at Harvard (1-4, 3-5). What's more is that the Quakers will be looking to sweep all-time powers Harvard and Yale on the road for the first time since 1958. But if Penn rids itself of the Harvard Hex the prize is a big one – a guarantee of at least a share of the Ivy League title. "We played about as well as we can play on both sides of the ball [against Princeton]," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "That was the good news. The unfortunate part is, we still have two more games to play. The question mark becomes, you play such a big game and it's built up so much and then you do win the game – what kind of energy do you have left? Because that game actually didn't decide anything. Now we have the problem of going to a place that historically has been very hard for us to play at. That's the next challenge." For some Quakers, though, the same streak that may seem intimidating to outsiders may have psychological benefits in preparing for the game. "We try to use it that way," Penn senior defensive end Dave Betten said. "People may have it in their heads that we're a better team than they are so we have to use [the streak] as a little bit of motivation that we've been better in the past and still lost. You're always looking for something in the other team that makes them better than you are that you can focus on." Other than home-field advantage, though, Betten is sure to be hard-pressed to find other areas in which the Crimson have the edge on the Quakers. Penn is standing alone atop the Ancient Eight, while last week Harvard fell to lowly Brown. On both sides of the ball, meanwhile, the Quakers remain the class of the Ivy League. Penn has scored the most points in the league while allowing the fewest. And if the aerial heroics of senior quarterback Jimmy McGeehan, senior wide receiver Chris Brassell and sophomore sensation Miles Macik weren't enough for Quaker fans, junior running back Terrance Stokes added another intimidating Penn statistic with his monster 272-yard effort against Princeton. Stokes's performance was good enough for him to be named co-Eastern College Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The Crimson, on the other hand, have been inconsistent at best. Although they played well in losses to Princeton and Dartmouth, their only Ivy victory came against ever-unimpressive Columbia. One factor on Harvard's side, though, is versatile senior quarterback Mike Giardi. A second-team all-Ivy selection last year, Giardi has since become the Crimson's second-leading passer of all time. "Any time you have a great player at quarterback you have the potential for an upset," Bagnoli said. "Mike Giardi is just an unbelievable athlete. He can make some plays that I watch films and just shake my head at." Aside from his personal athleticism, Giardi guides a Crimson attack that has put up some impressive numbers at times this season, especially on the ground. In fact, Harvard ranks second only to Princeton in rushing among Ancient Eight teams. If there was any area in which Princeton succeeded against the Quaker defense last Saturday, it was in running the option. Thus, Harvard's offensive flexibility is a major concern for Penn. "Harvard's been running all over everybody this year," Betten said, "and last year they ran the option well against us. We've been trying to focus on the option responsibilities as well as the rest of the offense. They run so many different formations and plays that it's hard to keep the rushing numbers down." At the same time, off-the-field factors may give the Crimson an emotional edge. Coach Joe Restic, after 23 years at the Harvard helm, is coaching his final game at Harvard Stadium. Restic, who announced his impending retirement in May, has won more games than any other coach in team history while amassing a career record of 117-95-6. In honor of Restic, all of the Crimson captains from throughout his tenure will be in attendance. With the combination of a fired-up Harvard team, a 20-year Harvard Stadium jinx and the emotional leftovers of two weeks of pre- and post-Princeton hype, Penn must be wary of a letdown. McGeehan, for one, does not see that as a possibility. "Coaches talk about that, but as players we're not going to let down," McGeehan said. "There's no way we can let down. We realize that, and that's what's important. If you realize it, then you're not going to let down. We don't think we're too good [for Harvard]. People print up in these papers that we're unstoppable – that's b.s. We know that we can be beaten on any given day. During games sometimes, we've had lulls, and any team can hang with us and beat us." Barring the aforementioned letdown, though, that hardly seems likely.

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