Football kicks off with Lafayette

It's not a league game.

And the only way that this could pass for a rivalry lies in the fact that they play each other on a nearly annual basis. But these meetings are generally one-sided in Penn's favor, as it demonstrated in last year's season opener by winning 37-0.

Yet, the Quakers might be more enthused heading into this weekend to battle Lafayette than they will be for any other contest this season.

Preseason camp has lasted so long for Penn and its Ivy League competitors that some are nearly delirious with anticipation now that the end is near.

"Everybody's sick and tired of hitting their own people," Penn senior captain and linebacker Travis Belden said. "It seems like this has been the longest camp in the history of camps.

"It's going to feel really good to hit somebody with a different color jersey. We're looking forward to it."

Even Penn coach Al Bagnoli said that it has felt like an eternity to arrive at the season's first game.

"Let's put it in perspective," Bagnoli said. "Wisconsin's going into week five, and we haven't opened up yet.

"I think we've finally figured out that the game is upon us, so we're a little more upbeat, excited, and a little bit more anxious. I don't think we thought it would ever come."

A source of the frustration has been watching most other teams in the country already playing on Saturday afternoons.

The fact that Franklin Field played host to a Temple-Miami game last week made the team even edgier.

Lafayette has already been active as well, having played and won two games.

New Penn starting quarterback Mike Mitchell, a senior from Orlando, seemed to be handling the wait rather well, though.

After all, he's had to be patient in serving as a backup for three years before finally receiving a starting position this season.

"It's tough, but we have a 10 game season just like everyone else," Mitchell said. "Lafayette has a leg up since they already have two games under their belt but we, on the other hand, have been preparing for them for a week and a half."

Mitchell faces the unenviable duty of taking over an offense led by quarterback Gavin Hoffman. And not only does he replace one of Penn's greatest signal callers, but he will also not have Kris Ryan at his disposal.

Still, Mitchell is confident in his abilities. And he feels that he's picked up some things over the years as a Hoffman understudy.

"What I learned from Gavin was how to play the smart quarterback," Mitchell said. "He knew what the defense was going to do when he got the ball in his hands.

"I just learned to pick up the different ways defenders move and what they're going to try to do and just go toward their weakness."

Bagnoli also has faith in his revamped offense, led by Mitchell. Though it is quite unlikely that it could approach last year's dominance, the coach said that the presence of so many new players will not force him to "go vanilla" in his game plans.

"I think Mike is going to be a very good player," Bagnoli said. "I think the question with Mike is that he hasn't been in a game situation for over a year now, and how quickly can we get him up to game speed and have him feel comfortable. He's got the physical tools, though."

The defense must cope with similar challenges, having also lost many of its top performers to graduation.

Belden, one of the few veterans of the unit, says that the importance of the first game should not be understated.

"We're really going to establish our identity as a defense on Saturday," he said. "The first series is going to set the tone for the whole season. We have to go out and really shut them down."

The Quakers did precisely that last year, not surrendering a point in Easton.

But Penn is a vastly different team and the Leopards can be expected to come in with an unusual level of confidence after defeating Monmouth and Towson.

"They're a year older, better, and more mature, but as much as that, there's a psychological difference," Bagnoli said of Lafayette. "Right now, they're feeling like they can beat people."

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