Football `D' sharp in scrimmage

It was sloppy, but then again, it was a scrimmage.

Despite stumbling at times offensively, Penn football defeated Division III Widener 20-0 in a three- quarter scrimmage at Franklin Field Friday.

The defense carried the day for the Quakers. The shutout included three sacks for senior defensive end Andrew Altman and an interception and a fumble recovery for junior safety Kevin Stefanski.

Despite the fairly dominant defensive performance, which left Widener with negative rushing yards most of the game, the Penn offense performed sporadically.

The Quakers committed five turnovers including two interceptions for senior staring quarterback Mike Mitchell and two fumbles for senior starting tailback Stephen Faulk. Faulk is starting on offense having spent the past three seasons on defense.

"Five turnovers in three quarters is a huge concern," Penn head coach Al Bagnoli said. "It was a first time start for the QB and the tailback, and first-time kids will make some mistakes. But we can't have five."

Despite the turnovers, Penn's offense looked strong at times, particularly during a mock two- minute drill against Widener's defense during halftime. Stephen Faulk broke a 23 yard run to begin the drive, and Mitchell hit senior wide reciever Rob Milanese and junior wideout Johnathan Robinson for gains of 12 and six yards.

Sophomore receiver Daniel Castles then caught passes of 17 and 12 yards, the latter for a touchdown. Castles also caught a scoring strike of 39 yards in the first quarter in an overall impressive debut.

Although they struggled throughout the day, the quarterback and his receivers looked comfortable in the hurry up.

Although it was only a glimpse of unity, the coaching staff was nonetheless encouraged.

"That was the highlight of the first half for us," Bagnoli said. "We ran it smoothly with good use of the clock. It was the most precise we were."

The Penn defensive's impressive performance gave the somewhat erratic offense plenty of breathing room.

The defensive effort was particularly impressive given the loss of seven starters. The secondary was particularly depleted in Friday's game due to Faulk's conversion and junior Rudy Brown's concussion.

"That's a real young group out there without those two guys," Bagnoli said. "We've got Stefanski back [from knee injury] and [senior Vince] Alexander in the middle. But they're young kids and new to this environment. They're talented but they'll have a learning curve like anyone else."

Despite the inconsistent offense and Division III opponent, there were more positves than negatives for Penn which is looking to integrate 16 new starters from a season ago.

The coaching staff was not expecting to come out as strong as in past seasons due to the enormous gaps in the lineup.

"We need a lot of work," Bagnoli said. "The more game situations we can get these kids in the better."

The myriad of new starters aren't the only ones that must learn to adjust. The coaching staff, which has been blessed with veteran heavy (and highly successful) teams in the last two seasons, must learn how to adapt to this new squad.

"We're used to coaching seasoned kids," Bagnoli said. "We as coaches have to regroup to three years ago."

The Quakers kick off their season in less than two weeks, against Lafayette on Sept. 21.

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