Penn wallops Holy Cross

Penn running back Kris Ryan ran for a robust 169 yards with two touchdowns and quarterback Gavin Hoffman passed for 222 yards and one touchdown as the Penn football team dismantled Holy Cross 43-7 Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field. The win elevates the Quakers to 3-0 on the season, while it drops the Crusaders to 2-2. Spurred by the memory of a humiliating 34-17 loss to Holy Cross last season in Worcester, Ma., Penn wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard. Hoffman connected with Penn wideout Colin Smith in the endzone with less than five minutes gone in the game to give the Quakers the early 7-0 lead, capping a nine play, 57 yard drive. It was a lead that Penn would never relinquish. Less than five minutes later, Penn kicker Bryan Arguello nailed a 25 yard field goal to give the Quakers ten points, which was ultimately all they would need. Holy Cross, meanwhile, was anemic on offense, as they did not amass a single yard in the entire first quarter. The Crusaders finished the game with a measly 151 yards of offense. The Quakers' offense was as explosive as the Crusaders' was impotent. Hoffman, who looked a bit shaky in the beginning of the game, ran one yard for a touchdown with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter to give Penn a 17-0 lead. On their only quality drive of the game, the Crusaders displayed flashes of the team that handled the Quakers easily last year. Holy Cross drove 75 yards - including a 16 yard run by Holy Cross quarterback Brian Hall - for the touchdown, cutting the Penn lead to 10 with just over six minutes left in the half. Just before the half, however, Ryan punched the ball into the end zone on a one yard run of his own, topping off a lightning quick Penn drive that took only one minute and spanned four plays and 30 yards. In the second half, Penn gave the ball to Ryan. Holy Cross defenders bounced off the powerhouse back, who looked unstoppable at times. With a seemingly ever-increasing lead and Ryan chewing up clock and yardage, the Crusaders were done. With a little over six minutes left in the third quarter, defensive end Chris Pennington took down Hall in the endzone for a safety, giving the Quakers a 26-7 lead, and Ryan notched his second touchdown of the day five minutes later for a 33-7 lead. With key starters removed in the fourth quarter, Penn continued to pour it on. Running Back Jake Perskie tallied six for Penn off of backup quarterback Jack Phillips' pitch, and kicker Peter Veldman put an exclamation point on a positive day for the Quakers by splitting the uprights with a 29 yard field goal with only 35 seconds left in the game.

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