Bison bring herd to Franklin Field

The Penn football team hopes to rebound with a win over visiting Bucknell. It might look like just another practice tomorrow when the Quakers host the Bucknell Bison at Franklin Field. Both teams run such similar formations on both offense and defense that they will know what to expect when they line up on opposing sides of the ball. "We're both basically running a lot of the same offensive stuff in terms of multiple formations to run limited plays and it's all designed to confuse people and camouflage some of the running plays," Penn head coach Al Bagnoli said. "They kind of run the same defensive package that we do so they always have seven guys in the box, people are angling and moving. We should have a little bit better recognition because we run the same defense and our offensive line has seen it." Like the Quakers, Bucknell features a solid defensive front. Anchored by senior defensive back Shawn Redd, the Bison (3-1, 1-1 Patriot League), have surrendered only 362 total rushing yards and piled up 18 sacks in four games. "They are very athletic and slant a lot," Penn senior tackle Jason Lebron said. "There's a lot of movement up front but I don't think it will alter our game plan. We have to run to be able to pass so it's very important to mix both of them well." On the other hand, the Bison secondary has been exposed by opposing offenses and has surrendered 1,028 yards in the air. Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman is looking to rebound from a subpar game against Villanova last weekend as he makes his third start for the Quakers. "The problem isn't so much with Gavin," Bagnoli said. "The problem is getting the receivers on the same page as him. We have some young kids who are trying to learn as we go. They just haven't quite done all the things that they are going to have to do." For the third straight week, the Quakers (1-1, 1-0 Ivy League) come into the game without a go-to runner. Despite the impressive back-to-back performances of sophomore Kris Ryan, Bagnoli will continue to rotate three running backs into the game depending on the situation. "We're happy with the progress of all three guys," Bagnoli said. "Obviously, they all have strengths and weaknesses. We're trying to get each of them in the situations where we can utilize those strengths and avoid the things they struggle with." While hindering the backs from finding a rhythm, the frequent substitutions have not precluded them from amassing significant yardage. Overall, the Quakers have averaged 116.5 yards per game, while Ryan averages 6.7 yards per carry and leads the team with 180 yards on 27 carries. "It definitely allows us to be more rested and come into a game fresh and be able to make a difference," Ryan said. "It's sometimes hard to get into a rhythm that way but we're all capable of making an impact when we're in the game." In addition to the similar defensive formations and strengths, Penn and Bucknell also utilize the same offensive formations. Furthermore, Bucknell's offense also features a running back-by-committee game plan. However, unlike Penn, the Bison's three running backs have contributed relatively equally. No single rusher averages more than 41 yards per game. However, as a team, Bucknell has amassed nearly 140 yards on the ground. Junior LaMario Bradwell has rushed 47 times for 156 yards, junior Jason Marrow has 149 yards on 48 carries and senior Dan Palko leads the team with 168 yards on only 23 carries, averaging nearly 7.3 yards per carry. "If you are Bucknell or Penn, you are asking these running backs to do more than carry that ball," Bagnoli said. "They also have to be able to pick up blitzes and catch the ball. It's hard to find all that in one package. That's why we have so many backs." Bucknell's offense is as balanced as it is good. Senior quarterback Don McDowell has passed for six touchdowns and 627 yards and has a number of legitimate targets who have emerged as scoring threats this season. Among them are sophomore running back Mark Wyland, who has been on the receiving end of three of McDowell's touchdown passes, and senior tight end Corey Hurley, who has 149 yards and 11 receptions. "The team that can stay on its schedule is the team that's going to experience some success," Bagnoli said. "When Bucknell does that, they are a very good offensive team. If they get three, four or five yards on first down, they have a really nice scheme and can cause problems. It's the same thing with us. If our offense doesn't stay on schedule, their defense can also cause a lot of problems." In its first four games so far this season, the Bison have outscored their opponents 69-27 in the first half. If the Quakers can survive an early attack, they good news is that Bucknell has been outscored 54-47 in the second half of their games. "Based on the past five years, we've had with them, each game has been competitive for a full 60-minutes," Bagnoli said. "There have been very few games that have been decided anywhere near halftime. There's been a last-second field goal, overtime, a four-point loss and a lot of real tight contests." The scheduling similarities between this season and last season also favor the Quakers. Last year, Bucknell came to Franklin Field in Penn's third game of the season. After losing the week before to a tough Atlantic 10 team, Richmond, the Quakers defeated the Bison, 20-10, to go to 2-1 on the year en route to an Ivy championship. Similarly, after absorbing a loss to another A-10 team, Villanova, last week, the Quakers hope to use Bucknell as a springboard for the rest of the season. "We still had question marks at this point last year and we have question marks this year," Bagnoli said. "Last year, we did a nice job of getting better every week. I'm hoping for the same thing. We're playing with young kids at different spots who are going to have to grow up in a hurry." After the Bucknell game, the Quakers host Fordham next weekend in their final non-league contest of the season. The Quakers resume the Ivy League schedule at Columbia on October 16. "I think that the most important thing we can do is make a statement to ourselves," Lebron said. "We lost a game like the one we lost to Villanova, who are now ranked 11th in the country. We definitely have to and plan to come out and show that we come to play football. It's going to be a good matchup, a good test for us, and I think we're going to play well."

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