Undefeated Navy up next for Sprint Football

This year, the Penn sprint football team has taken a liking to challenging the finest the United States Military has to offer.

After a tough loss to Army two weeks ago, the Quakers (3-1, 1-1 CSFL) now march to the field of another military academy -- Navy.

This will be the Quaker's first game since their 22-0 shutout of division rival Cornell.

"We were a little down after the Army loss," Penn senior running back Mark Gannon said. "But the Cornell game was a good win, especially to see the defense bounce back. They struggled a little against Army, so to come back and pitch a shutout like that gave us a lot of confidence."

Navy, however, will be a much tougher opponent than the Big Red.

"They are the team to beat," said junior linebacker Daniel Weber. "We're working really hard, the coaches are working really hard... we have to adjust to everything."

While Navy just barely squeezed out a 9-6 win at Franklin Field last year, every Midshipmen game this year had been nothing short of a massacre.

Recent scores for the Midshipmen (5-0, 2-0 CSFL) include a 59-8 defeat of Princeton and a 45-7 demolition of Cornell, both CSFL rivals. The closest game of Navy's season was a 22-9 victory over Army in their annual Pride Bowl, a non-league game.

Leading the Midshipmen into the game is junior quarterback Chris Ashinhurst, who was named CSFL Offensive Player of the Week in both the past two weeks. The reigning CSFL MVP, Ashinhurst threw three touchdown passes in both the Princeton and Cornell games.

"Their quarterback is definitely their biggest threat," Gannon said. "He's the centerpiece of their offense. He's a lot like Jimmer [Donapel], in that he can both run and throw the ball really well."

Navy Head coach Maj. Jerome Rizzo has two decent running backs behind Ashinhurst -- juniors James Brobyn and Randall Leslie. These two are the catalysts for a running game that has scored 14 touchdowns so far this year.

"He's surrounded by good backs and receivers, but the offense definitely runs through him," Gannon said. "Their offense is the primary concern for us."

The Navy defense cannot be taken lightly either. The Midshipmen have given up a meager four touchdowns in five games, versus the 26 the offense has scored in that same span.

While both Navy backs average around five yards per carry, neither has the ability to dominate a game like Gannon. He forces defenses to adjust their game plans, yet he still rushed for over 100 yards in the first game against Cornell, and he scored twice in the second game.

Navy will most likely take a similar approach to shutting down Gannon, which could open the floodgates for junior firearm Donapel and his receivers, who include senior Jeff Bagnoli, sophomore Patrick Monaghan and freshman David Derr.

Meanwhile, the Penn defense, which held Cornell to 55 total yards last week (14 fewer than Gannon's rushing total that game), is prepared to take the air out of Navy's attack.

"We're not going to give them any looks over the top," Gannon said. "Our front seven is really strong, so that should hold their running game and allow our secondary to shut down the passing game."

The team is well aware of this importance of this match-up.

"Everyone is really hyped out," Weber said. "This is another championship week for us. This is our biggest game of the year."

"If we don't win, there is no chance of winning the division," Gannon said. "They are a strong team, but we have a good history against them. I am confident that we can get the job done."

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