ON THE SIDELINES: Freshman QB shows veteran poise

Brian Russell went 10-16 in his first varsity game. The Penn partisans thinking that the quarterback situation was settled for next year with junior Tom MacLeod replacing senior Steve Teodecki in midseason are mistaken. In fact, freshman Brian Russell's performance in Saturday's game may have vaulted Russell into the early lead in next year's quarterback derby. He was first inserted after MacLeod was crushed by a monster sack from Harvard's Tim Fleizer. Two plays later, Russell -- on his first pass in his collegiate career -- hit senior wide receiver Aman Abye on a third-and-four bootleg to senior wide receiver Aman Abye, who darted into the endzone. The 13-yard touchdown pass gave the Quakers the early 7-0 advantage, a lead the Quakers would not relinquish. "I didn't throw the best ball," Russell admitted after the game, "but he caught it anyway, and got in the end zone." Penn coach Al Bagnoli put MacLeod back into the game, and, overall, the junior did not throw the ball poorly. MacLeod, in limited action went 7-for-12 for 63 yards. But MacLeod was relieved of his duties when, after throwing an interception, he tried to tackle Crimson linebacker Joe Weidle, who caught his errant pass. It was gutsy, but also costly for Macleod as he sprained his shoulder and had to sit the rest of the game. So now, in front of one of the largest crowds for Penn this season -- 21, 509 due to Parents' Weekend -- a freshman from West Covina, Cal., would be responsible for guiding the Quakers to victory in the seniors' last home game at Franklin Field. "The coaches did a great job in getting me ready, but I was real nervous in the beginning," Russell said. "I knew how much [the game] meant." But despite his inexperience and nerves, Russell showed veteran poise throughout the game. For instance, he continued a second-quarter drive by scrambling for eight yards for a first down in a third-and-two situation. Overall, Russell went 10-for-16 for 112 yards and a touchdown. On the downside, he made two interceptions. But his efforts were good enough to earn him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors. "He did a nice job," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Brian is accurate, he is athletic and he came in and showed a lot of poise. We put him under duress and I thought he handled himself quite well." Russell was promoted to the No. 2 quarterback before the Brown contest in a somewhat surprising move by Bagnoli as he dropped senior Steve Teodecki to the No. 3 spot, and gave the freshmen the backup's role. When asked about the quarterback situation next year, the freshman showed he already mastered the art of diplomacy. "We have five really good quarterbacks. I think it's going to be a war come spring," Russell said. "I hope it's me, but it's going to be a battle."

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