For the first four games of the 2002 season, the Penn football team had some major miscues on special teams.
A blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Lehigh, another by Dartmouth and missed chances to block Villanova's Adam James' punts were among the mistakes made in the first four contests.
On Saturday, however, the Quakers' special teams and an overall domination in field position partly due to the play on special teams cemented the 44-10 victory over Columbia.
"They had the snafu on the kickoff," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "And at that point momentum started and put us in decent shape."
Obviously, the biggest play on special teams was a miscue by the Lions, and had little to do with Penn.
Early in the third quarter, Columbia returnman Kenny Wood caught the ball seemingly right on the goal line, then tried to kneel the ball in the end zone -- but the referees said that he was actually on the one yard line, and the Lions had the ball just inches from their own end zone.
"They blew it down on the one," Columbia coach Ray Teller said. "Which means he put his knee down on the one -- which I did not see. I thought he put his hand down, not his knee."
The ensuing play, Vince Alexander intercepted a Steve Hunsberger pass and returned it three yards to the two, and Kevin DeSmedt scored three plays later.
A few plays later, Wood returned to the Columbia 17, but Matt Makovsky forced a fumble and Luke Hadden recovered.
"I would definitely say [momentum changed] after they fumbled the kickoff return," Penn safety Vince Alexander said. "That was a big momentum shift. It was actually a decent return and then the ball came out. That takes a lot out of you."
Count that up, and the Quakers started two consecutive possessions on the Columbia 2 and Columbia 17. In the second half, the two teams combined for 16 possessions, and 12 of them began in Columbia territory.
Three of Penn's third quarter drives started in Columbia territory, as the Quakers began on the Lions' 46, 2, 17. And even when Penn started in its own half of the field in the third quarter, the Red and Blue still benefited from excellent field position -- beginning on its own 41 and 42.
Field position "is obviously huge," Penn quarterback Mike Mitchell said. "It makes our job so much easier."
Penn had an average starting field position of its own 45-yard line, including an average start position of the Columbia 46 in the second half.
Punter Josh Appell pinned the Lions inside their own 20 two of the three times he punted. After Appell's first punt to the Columbia 14, the Lions lost eight yards on the next drive, and Penn got the ball on the 38 after a short punt by Columbia's Nick Rudd. It took Penn all of three plays and one minute to make it 7-0.
Appell didn't come into the game again until the fourth quarter, but he was able to drop it to the Columbia 11 and also recover a fumbled snap in time to punt the ball away on his two fourth-quarter punts.
The kicking game was equally successful. Peter Veldman nailed all three of his field goals, including a 34 and a 36 yarder. Despite the question marks surrounding the Penn kicking game coming into the season, Veldman is 6 for 7 on field goals and 19 for 19 on extra points, leading the team in scoring.
On Saturday, Penn's special teams held up and helped the Quakers produce a win. Now they hope they'll be just as strong the rest of the season.
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