Penn's first real Ivy test

There were few blemishes for Penn football in last year's undefeated season.

But if there is one that stands out, it is the Quakers' fourth-quarter performance against a strong Yale offense -- an attack shepherded by Ivy League Player of the Year candidate Alvin Cowan.

After mounting a seemingly comfortable 31-10 lead during the first three quarters of the game, things fell apart for the Red and Blue -- abruptly.

Cowan completed 17 of 25 passes for 157 yards on three drives in the last 11 minutes and 20 seconds -- all culminating in touchdown passes.

It took a blocked field goal for Penn to narrowly squeak out the victory in overtime.

With Cowan in his final year and speedy tailback Robert Carr in the backfield, expectations were high in New Haven, Conn., entering the 2004 season.

But by all accounts, the Elis' reviews in the first five games of the season have been mixed.

After a win over Dayton, Yale fell to Cornell -- the league's worst team last season -- 19-7.

The Elis responded with an impressive 31-28 victory over No. 18 Colgate and a 24-14 road win over Dartmouth.

Last week, the Elis nearly knocked off No. 16 Lehigh, eventually falling, 30-24, after leading for much of the game.

Penn coach Al Bagnoli expressed concern over Yale's athleticism and experience.

"They have lots of talented athletes," he said. "A lot of quality experience at the skills positions. They've got people in place to be very explosive. They've been a little bit less consistent than they have in the past."

Bagnoli attributed some of Yale's inconsistency to its injury-plagued offensive line, but noted that the Elis' early-season woes may be behind them.

"They're certainly going in the right direction," Bagnoli said. "We're probably not playing them at the greatest time. We would have liked to play them three or four weeks ago."

And Cowan appears to be going in the right direction as well. The senior completed 23 of 34 passes for 287 yards last weekend against Lehigh and scorched a tough Colgate defense for four touchdowns and 211 yards on 19-31 passing three weeks ago.

The Austin, Texas, native has thrown 10 touchdown passes with just four interceptions and is averaging 205.2 yards per game through the air.

"We have to make sure he stays out of his comfort zone and doesn't have that kind of rhythm," Bagnoli said.

But according to Bagnoli, shutting down Cowan's aerial onslaught is just one key to a Penn victory.

The No. 22 Quakers will also have to focus on Carr, Yale's seasoned tailback. The senior currently stands in second place on the Ivy League's rushing list with an average of 127 yards per contest. What's more, the shifty back is averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per carry.

"He's been a fixture there for a long time," Bagnoli said. "One of the problems you have is: they've got a quarterback who can run and throw, good wide receivers, and they've got a tailback. That kind of stretches you. It's the foundation of the big three."

But the Penn coach stressed that the Quakers will not have the luxury of focusing on Carr because of the Elis' other offensive weapons.

"We're obviously going to have to try to contain him because he's really talented," Bagnoli said. "But we can't devote nine guys just to him and let the quarterback run around, let [ Yale wide receiver Ralph Plumb] run around, let some of those other guys fly all over the place."

Yale's receiving core also boasts equally impressive numbers. Plumb and Chandler Henley are averaging a combined 154.5 receiving yards per game and have caught seven touchdown passes between them.

Bagnoli emphasized that a "balanced" Penn defense will be crucial to limiting a prolific Yale offense that can pass and run with equal efficiency, also comparing Yale's "big three" to Penn's offensive trio of Pat McDermott, Sam Mathews and Dan Castles.

Mathews called tomorrow's game "a huge test" and said that "cutting out the mistakes" of the past couple of weeks will be critical.

But the overall consensus seems to be that the Quakers will have to raise their level of play to beat a dangerous Yale team in New Haven, Conn.

"We'll have to play well on offense," Bagnoli said. "We'll certainly have to play better than we did against Columbia."

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