Two wideouts running Quakers' receiving show

Last year, quarterback Pat McDermott and the Penn football team passed for 1,993 yards in ten games. Given that the graduating receivers were responsible for just 375 of those yards, the Quakers looked to their receiving corps as an area of potential strength in 2006.

And while there were many possible candidates to pick up the slack in 2006, 84 percent of the production from the wide receivers has come from two players. Braden Lepisto and Matt Carre have raked in 459 and 452 yards, respectively, while the next highest total from a wideout is Dan Coleman's 85, and that has not gone up since Week 1 due to an injury.

Despite the production from the two starters, uncertainty surrounded Penn's wide receivers entering the current season.

Dan McDonald, last year's leading receiver with 29 catches for 504 yards, is not on the team this year for reasons coaches would not discuss. That left eight players who caught a pass last year, including 5-foot-9, 165-pound Carre.

"Last year, as far as the receivers go, the receiving corps didn't have a lot of production," Carre said. "We heard a lot of people . talking about how our group wasn't performing well. We took that personally going into the offseason, going into camp. We wanted to turn it around and make some plays for this football team."

With the loss of McDonald and seniors like Nick Okoro and Ryan Pisarri, many other receivers were given an opportunity. "It gave the younger guys a chance to show what they could do," Lepisto said.

Right from the beginning, two receivers in particular, Lepisto and junior Coleman, seized the opportunity. Coleman caught five passes for 85 yards in the Quakers' first game against Lafayette. Lepisto is now leading the team with 35 catches for his 459 yards.

Wide receivers coach Rick Ulrich described Lepisto as "our most pleasant surprise" and noted, "Coleman came out the first game and showed that he could [succeed] as a varsity player."

But Coleman got hurt in the second week against Villanova and has largely sat since his injury. He may see some playing time in the last three weeks of the season, especially in three- and four-receiver sets. "It depends just a little bit on how we intend on attacking them," Ulrich said.

Neither Carre nor Lepisto are physically imposing receivers, a departure from previous route runners such as Dan Castles. However, they have benefited from the reliable hands of their running backs and tight ends. For example, senior tight end Chris Mizell has accumulated 206 yards through the air this season. "It keeps the defense honest," Carre said. "It's a lot of guys for a defense to worry about."

For sophomore quarterback Robert Irvin, he never worried about who his receivers would be. "Whoever was out there, just try to get them the ball." He added, "[There are] a lot of guys with speed, a lot of guys who can stretch the field."

With the Quakers on pace for over 2,100 yards passing this year, they hope that their young wideouts will allow them to enter this offseason with less uncertainty.

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