Football Countdown | Five questions on offense

It's tough to pinpoint how exactly Penn's 2007 campaign was derailed.

Sure, starting quarterback Robert Irvin suffered a torn labrum in Week 2, and fifth-year rusher Joe Sandberg was always banged up.

An intentional safety in the season opener - which badly backfired - and an ineligible receiver in the third overtime against Yale didn't help.

But something just didn't click. The Quakers had wins in which they scored 42, 45 and 59 points - but managed just 78 combined in their six losses.

This year, Irvin is still battling shoulder pain, but the other story lines are different; Sandberg graduated, as did 23 other seniors - the first class in the Al Bagnoli era to leave without an Ivy title.

So here are five questions that will determine the success of Penn's offense.

1. If Irvin is named starter, will his arm hold up?

For the past two seasons, Irvin has fought shoulder issues harder than he has had to fight for a starting job. The senior has been Penn's most talented pure passer since he was a sophomore, but his arm trouble has necessitated two serious shoulder surgeries, leaving Penn to fall back on the older Bryan Walker.

Now, Walker is out of the picture and junior transfer Kyle Olson is in. But if Irvin beats out the junior, will his labrum be an issue?

Irvin missed practice two weeks ago with routine soreness, but Bagnoli didn't seem concerned. Nonetheless, Irvin's shoulder seemed fine at last year's onset, but his season ended after a five-interception debacle against Villanova in Week 2.

And if that right arm remains at all compromised, the Penn offense will at least be out of a backup signal-caller.

2. Will the winner of the QB competition have anyone to throw to?

Graduated is Braden Lepisto, the team's top receiver and a solid team leader. With him went Dan Coleman and another solid pair of hands. So who's still around?

Junior Marcus Lawrence showed flashes of promise last year as the team's second-leading receiver (edging Coleman by a yard) and as a special teamer, and his classmates Kyle Derham and Tyler Fisher found their way into the rotation last year as well.

That threesome saw significant action in last year's matchup against Villanova, with Derham hauling in a 17-yard score and Lawrence putting up 55 yards receiving.

There's little doubt that Bagnoli is hoping that performance was indicative of things to come.

3. Who's it gonna be at running back, DiMaggio or Blackmon?

Sophomore running back Michael DiMaggio seems to be the perfect guy for Bagnoli - a tough, squat back who's quicker than he looks. In other words, a Sandberg clone. But don't count out the other horse in this race.

Fellow sophomore Bradford Blackmon is lightning to DiMaggio's thunder, a quick and shifty back who can catch the ball out of the backfield.

At this point, the smart money is on a tandem scheme that keeps opponents guessing. But Blackmon, who's had a strong training camp, might very well find himself getting more touches than DiMaggio.

Whoever gets the nod, it's safe to say Bagnoli will expect results from his young backfield.

4. Can Penn convert?

The Quakers were dead last in the Ancient Eight in third-down conversions last year, at just 32.7 percent.

That's not good for the conference's second-worst kicking and punting team.

The result was an inordinate amount of fourth down play calling - with Bagnoli going for it 25 times, most in the Ivy League, and succeeding on just 10 of them.

DiMaggio, the powerful tailback, will be in the mix on third-and-short, as might Kelms Amoo-Achampong, once the heir apparent to Sandberg and now a fullback.

But the pressure will lie with Irvin -- or whoever's under center -to make smart decisions under pressure.

5. Who's going to fill the holes on the O-Line?

With three of last year's starting offensive linemen having graduated, the Quakers offense may have to look elsewhere for veteran leadership.

But with returning starters Chris Kovalcik and Matt Schaefer still holding down their spots at guard and tackle, respectively, the big uglies up front still look more than respectable.

An army of linemen will compete to fill the vacant spots, with Joseph D'Orazio vying for the job at center, Jared Mollenbeck and Hughes Tipton competing at tackle, and Tyler Anthony in the mix as well.

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