Football: Quakers discover their new pieces are a good fit

NEW YORK, Oct. 13 - When Joe Sandberg received his 22nd and final handoff last Saturday against Columbia, he finished off one of the best performances of his career. It was fourth down and he needed only one yard. He got 13, enough for his fourth score of the game.

The tailback ended the day with 197 yards, an average of just under nine per carry. The Lions, meanwhile, had eight rushing yards for the entire game.

Penn was able to ride its offensive and defensive lines, along with Sandberg's carries, to an easy 59-28 victory over Columbia.

It was the most points Penn had ever scored against the Lions.

"Overall, we've gotten better, and that's what I wanted to do," Quakers coach Al Bagnoli said. "We're playing a little closer to where I think we should be, and I think we've taken another step."

Penn came out strong, putting together a 45-7 lead at the half.

But there was still a time when the outcome was up in the air. Late in the first quarter, the Lions lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt down just 10-7.

From there, Jon Rocholl's thigh-high kick never made it past the line of scrimmage. Safety Jordan Manning picked up the loose ball and returned it 62-yards into the endzone. The rest of the game was a decidedly one-sided affair.

Bagnoli gave credit to his linebackers, who were able to consistently get to Columbia quarterback Craig Hormann, sacking him three times, forcing three fumbles and making him uncomfortable.

Columbia coach Norries Wilson was not happy with his playcaller's performance.

"You have to play confident all the time at quarterback," Wilson said. "You saw some of that confidence in the second half when we were down 45-7 and it looked like we could move the ball down the field like we were actually coached. I didn't see that confidence when it was 7-7."

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