Thompson leads tough Penn defense

It is said of many sports that you can't tell the players without a program. This is especially true of college football, and Penn in particular. The Quakers' 107-man roster makes it difficult to know just who's on the field every play.

Some players stand out, of course -- quarterback Pat McDermott, running back Sam Mathews and wide receiver Dan Castles will surely have their names called many times this season by the public address announcer at Franklin Field. But what about the defense?

Perhaps the name most worth remembering when Penn's opponents have the ball is senior defensive back Duvol Thompson. The Calumet City, Ill., native -- he wears jersey number 27, in case you were wondering -- figures to be in the middle of the action quite a bit this season.

Thompson has played in every game each of the last two seasons. In 2002, he recorded 34 tackles and one interception; last year, he improved upon that mark with 42 tackles and one interception.

"We break out of the huddle, the receivers break out and it's my time to do what I'm supposed to do in our defensive scheme," Thompson said. "Just that moment when the quarterback snaps the ball and you're in that moment, I just love it."

Thompson describes his position as "a reactive position," and relishes the "challenge on every single play."

"I have to react to what they are doing -- I don't know exactly what they're doing," he said. "I may have an idea from studying film, but every single play is a question."

Thompson is also one of the Quakers' two main kick returners, along with classmate and wide receiver Jonathan Robinson. Last season, Thompson returned five kicks for an average of 31.4 yards, for a total of 157 yards. His longest return was 43 yards, against Bucknell.

Thompson said that "special teams are great, I love playing special teams."

But he admitted that his heart is elsewhere on the field.

"That defensive unit, that's something special every time there's a snap," he said. "It's just fun to be out there with those guys."

Thompson prides himself on hard work and a desire to put the team first, an ethic which resulted in his selection to the All-Ivy first team last season.

"I want to do what I've been practicing, what my job is in the defensive scheme whatever it may be," he said. "If it's man-to-man on a certain play, then I'm going to get in the receiver's face, try to press him on the line. Or if it's in a zone, whatever my job is at the time."

Like many Quakers fans and players, he knows full well the expectations for the team this season, and he intends to do his part to fulfill them.

"We want to achieve the highest level that we can achieve during the season, and that's basically being the Ivy League champions," he said. "And last year we went undefeated, so we're not going to look to lose any games. We're going to try to put forth our best effort every single game."

Thompson is also aware of Penn's four-year undefeated record at Franklin Field, and the special acclaim which has come with it. But he doesn't take it as seriously as some might.

"The streak is just something that is there," he said. "We're going to play hard every game, it doesn't matter who comes into the field, whether it's Villanova or Dartmouth or any of the Ivy League teams."

Above all, Thompson remains focused on the here and now -- not the highly anticipated home opener with Villanova, the potential title-deciding game against Harvard or the NFL scouts that have had their eyes on him for some time.

"I want to perform well against San Diego and I want to win that game," he said. "You can't fly 3,000 miles and lose. You've got to play hard every single down."

His goals may seem modest on paper, but if they are fulfilled, there will be plenty of reasons to remember Duvol Thompson's name this season.

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