Nowhere To Go But Up

Braden Lepisto is sick and tired of losing.

"I don't even remember what it feels like to win," the senior wide receiver said.

With Penn dropping seven of its last eight contests dating back to last year, the team's frustration is palpable heading into tomorrow's game against a just-as-winless Georgetown squad.

"There's definitely a sense of urgency, especially for us," Lepisto said. "We're just going out here feeling like we need to win this game, I guess just like we did last week."

Georgetown's most recent loss came at the hands of Cornell, which jumped to a 21-0lead before halftime and ended the contest with a sound defeat of the Hoyas at their homecoming game, 45-7.

Despite the result of that game, Penn coach Al Bagnoli still feels the Quakers have plenty to be concerned with when it comes to Georgetown's triple option offense led by senior quarterback Matt Bassuener.

"It's a whole separate preparation just for that offense," Bagnoli said. "You can't simulate the efficiency and speed in practice and then you get in the game and boy, it's a heck of a lot faster than what the kids are used to seeing."

But if the first three games are any indication, Penn's defense should be the least of Bagnoli's worries.

With junior quarterback Robert Irvin still nursing his surgically-repaired throwing shoulder that was re-injured in the Quakers' game against Villanova, senior Bryan Walker is slated to start and play the entire game.

Senior running back Joe Sandberg still has a sizeable bruise after taking a helmet to the back against Dartmouth last weekend, but is expected to play, although Bagnoli said he will limit Sandberg's carries.

Georgetown's Cover 3 defense could make running the ball difficult with Sandberg at less than full capacity, putting extra pressure on Walker's still-developing passing game.

Penn's offense as a whole showed promise against the Big Green, racking up 406 yards of offense with Walker starting under center. This came as a relief after the Quakers notched just a total of 293 yards against Villanova and 224 against Lafayette in the first two games of the season.

"We're finally starting to click a little bit and statistically we had a quantum jump from Villanova to Dartmouth," Bagnoli said. "Obviously we have to get a lot better in the red zone and we have to eliminate some of these foolish illegal procedure penalties and some of these foolish dropped balls."

Penn will need all the help it can get on both sides of the ball to give itself a chance to win. Another game riddled with miscues likely won't do the trick against an equally desperate and winless Georgetown squad.

"There's a lot of preparation that goes into a season and when you're not winning games it gets frustrating," Hoyas coach Kevin Kelly said. "Both teams are very, very hungry to get that first 'W.'"

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.