Shy 'D-Mac' is no friend of Ivy foes

Riverdale High School '94 New York, N.Y. One would think at 6'1", 220 pounds, MacDonald should have no problem conquering the simple task of a 10-minute interview, but MacDonald turned out to actually be quite shy. Before every answer he took his time thinking about the question, and then cautiously stated his reply. At first, it appeared "D-Mac" -- as MacDonald is referred to by his teammates and friends -- was actually intimidated by the appearance of a reporter and a microphone. Then about halfway through the interview, it suddenly became apparent: MacDonald did not fear the media, he was actually carefully strategizing how he wanted to answer each question. Sure, his coaches and teammates might laugh at this, but it is true. The moment MacDonald found a response he was confident in, he spoke up. Only a few minutes into the interview, the junior went from being soft-spoken to very articulate. It is fair to say that anyone who has seen MacDonald play football knows he is anything but reserved when he takes to the gridiron Saturday afternoons. Since enrolling at Penn, he has been making big plays. Fans in attendance two seasons ago remember the hit the then-rookie linebacker put on ex-Cornell running back (and present Oakland Raider) Chad Levitt. "It was late in the fourth quarter and Cornell was threatening to score," MacDonald said. "I came into the game with the goal-line defense. On the next play, Chad Levitt had a pretty good hole but I quickly plugged it and hit him pretty hard. The ball came flying loose, and [former Penn defensive lineman] Tom McGarity picked it up and ran about 80 yards down the sidelines." It was this particular play -- referred to by his teammates as "a kill-shot" -- that made the entire Quakers squad stand up and take notice, but it was not the first time 1996 captain Tim Gage was aware of MacDonald's presence. From the moment Gage began working side by side with MacDonald three years ago, the fifth-year senior knew he would have to push himself twice as hard to keep up with his freshman partner's natural ability. During one of the early practices in 1995, there was a certain play that Gage will never forget. The events that took place signaled to the wily veteran that MacDonald was going to be one heck of a football player. "When he came in, I was a junior and was looking to start," Gage said. "But the day I saw him take out [280-lb. offensive lineman] Bill Glascot on a play and literally throw him to the ground, I was like, 'Wow this kid is a freshman.' And then I was like, 'Damn, I am looking behind my back right now.' " Most of the opposing players MacDonald tackles are not only looking behind their backs, but searching high and low to see if their heads are still attached to their bodies. From the day he stepped onto Franklin Field, the linebacker has feasted on receivers and running backs who come across the middle and leave themselves vulnerable for the big hit. This year especially, it seemed nearly every game MacDonald was flooring a naive opponent who clearly had not watched enough film on the junior. As was the case on October 25 this past season, when Brown's green running back, Mike Powell, ran head first into a flying Mac truck. The result was that the freshman fumbled on the goal line and Penn was able to recover the ball and prevent the Bears from scoring. "You have to have instinct," Penn defensive coordinator Mike Toop said. "Because when you are coaching the linebacker position and you have to spend a lot of time coaching the kid, then he is probably not real instinctive. This has not been the case with Darren, because he has a good feel for the game, especially the run game. The play he made on the goal line is probably as good as you will see. He timed the play perfectly." Toop went on to say that there have never been any doubts when it comes to MacDonald's ability. His impressive play as a rookie was not a surprise to the coaching staff. But where Toop says he would like to see the second team All-Ivy player improve is playing consistent football week in-and week out, and avoiding the "ticky-tac injuries" that have at times slowed MacDonald this year. The junior's answer to what he needs to accomplish in order to achieve first team All-Ivy status, and play more consistent football is quite simple. "Practice, practice, practice," a kidding MacDonald said. Then he took a more serious approach and stated that he believes there is room for improvement in every phase of his game. Penn head coach Al Bagnoli agrees with MacDonald's assessment of his game, but at the same time he is just happy to have a talented player on his defense who hails from below the Mason-Dixon Line. Bagnoli and Toop both commented on how it is always difficult to attract Southern athletes to come play up North. Whether it is the long distance from home or the change in climate, Bagnoli said, "some kids never even give us a chance." "Listen, I would like to say we wrapped up MacDonald one-two-three but it wasn't like that," Bagnoli said. "It came down to the wire between us and Air Force and we lucked out and got a special athlete." Slowly beginning to assume the role as a veteran leader on the Penn football team, MacDonald had a strong statistical year, especially compared to injury-plagued 1996. As the interview drew to a conclusion, MacDonald again showed signs of angst and asked politely that this specific article not divulge his tendency to be psyched out when a microphone is stuck in his face. But, honestly, is it possible that opposing players find themselves looking up at MacDonald after he has pummeled them and think, "Man, this guy is really timid"? Is it realistic to believe when opposing offenses line up against MacDonald and see him staring them down, they are thinking, "I bet this guy was homesick when he was a freshman"? Not likely on all accounts. Most often, opposing players make the mistake of attempting to challenge MacDonald only to wind up gazing into the eyes of the team physician as he shouts, "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?" While the season ended up on a positive note for the sophomore linebacker, the same can't be said for the Penn football team. The Quakers did win five of their last six games to finish the 1997 season 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League, but two months later in accordance with the NCAA, Penn forfeited five of its wins in which defenseman Mitch Marrow had played. The fifth year senior had been academic ineligibility during these contests and cost Penn dearly as the Quakers finished 1-9 overall and dead last in the conference. Hoping to rebound in 1998, the Red and Blue return quarterback Matt Rader, running back Jim Finn and linebacker Larry Rascoe.

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