All roar, no score

On a day dominated by defense on both sides, senior running back Joe Sandberg broke free for an 18-yard score and caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to lead the Quakers to a 16-0 victory over Columbia.

Penn (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) completely shut down the Lions (3-2, 0-2) on the ground, allowing a mere 28 yards on 23 attempts and forcing Columbia's offense to play a one-dimensional game.

And even though Columbia quarterback Craig Hormann threw for 246 yards, the Lions only reached the red zone twice and were unable to convert on either occasion.

"Their quarterback is real accurate," senior defensive tackle Brian Fairbanks said. "We focused all week on trying to get pressure on him."

In the end, the Quakers won the game on two key plays - one on defense and another on special teams.

With five minutes gone in the second quarter and leading 3-0, Penn punted from its own 39-yard line after a 3-and-out.

But on the Lions' very first play on the ensuing drive, running back Jordan Davis fumbled and Fairbanks recovered, giving the Quakers a first down on Columbia's 19.

Quarterback Robert Irvin completed passes to Braden Lepisto and Sandberg for a five-play scoring drive that (after a muff on the extra point) gave Penn a 9-0 advantage.

On the first drive after the touchdown, Penn coach Al Bagnoli switched to junior Bryan Walker at quarterback. Walker completed one pass and had runs of 23 and eight yards before exiting for Irvin.

But the sophomore, who finished the day with 185 yards on 18-for-32 passing, could not keep the drive going, and the Quakers went into the locker room with a single-digit lead.

The Quakers offense came out flat in the third quarter, losing yards on its first two drives.

These types of drives led Bagnoli to call the Quakers' offense "a little bit too inconsistent for my liking." But the coach gave credit to the Columbia defense as well. "They move all over the place and come at you from all different angles," he said.

In particular, Penn's receivers had to battle all day with Columbia safety Tad Crawford, who turned in a 15-tackle performance.

On Penn's third drive of the third quarter, Irvin threw a pick to Andy Shalbrack, who returned the ball 22 yards to the Penn 31. This gave Columbia a chance to get back in the game.

But after Columbia got into the red zone, Penn's defense clamped down, forcing Columbia to attempt a 32-yard field goal.

J.J. Stanton blocked the attempt, keeping the Lions off the board and saving Irvin's mistake from costing the team.

"We try to look at some protection and try to overload in certain areas and that one was more in the middle trying to get some penetration," Bagnoli said "It was a big lift after the turnover that we were able to come out and shut them down"

That play was exactly what the Quakers needed - they scored their second touchdown barely one minute later to put the game away. Sandberg's run completed a four-play, 78-yard drive which included a 49-yard toss to senior Matt Carre - who for the first time surpassed the century mark in receiving yards.

With a comfortable lead going into fourth quarter, Sandberg went to work eating up the clock. The senior had seven carries for 45 yards during the drive, giving him his third 100-plus yard game of the season.

"We made some adjustments and were able to catch them in a few defenses that were favorable," Sandberg said.

To cap the possession, Zoch missed wide right on a 28-yard field goal try, but the Quakers were successful in using up 7:30 during their 15-play drive.

Columbia made one last effort to get on the board, reaching the Penn red zone courtesy of a 43-yard pass to Austin Knowlin on fourth down, one play after an apparent interception by Penn sophomore Britton Ertman was called incomplete. But the Penn defense continued doing what it had been doing all day and forced a turnover on downs at the Penn 3, saving the team's first shutout in two years.

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