All eyes were on Robert Irvin on Saturday during the first quarter of Penn's matchup against Villanova, and it's not hard to imagine why.
Behind the strength of his arm, the senior was named the starter as a sophomore, but injuries and more injuries prevented him from entrenching himself as the man under center.
So when Irvin stepped onto the gridiron for the Quakers' opening drive after winning a preseason competition with junior transfer Kyle Olson, the Franklin Field faithful were left with bated breath. Did No. 9 have anything left to give? Would his shoulder hold up?
Consider those questions answered. After a completion on the first drive, Irvin came out slinging. A short completion. Then another and another.
Finally, Irvin found junior wideout Kyle Derham in the end zone for a 29-yard score, and the 14,758 fans in attendance likely had the same thing on their minds.
He's back.
"[My arm] felt good. I mean, first pass play it seemed like it was about two years ago when I was back at full strength," Irvin said. "Every throw I kept getting more confidence, and by the end of the game I was feeling real good."
After his 5-for-5 start, Irvin kept the completions coming. In the first half, he went 9-for-14 for 124 yards and helped Penn control possession for a whopping 10:07 in the second quarter.
Irvin showed that he can still air the ball out, tossing a couple of 40-plus-yard bombs that fell incomplete, but on Saturday he relied on sharp timing in Penn's methodical offensive approach.
Coach Al Bagnoli & Co. called for short passes to move the chains, and Irvin responded well. Using the entire field, he seemed to be completely in sync with his receiving corps before halftime.
While Irvin struggled a bit in Penn's scoreless second half, throwing an ugly interception, his overall statline (15-for-24 for 179 yards) was rock solid. And given that Irvin threw five picks in last season's game against Villanova, Wildcats coach Andy Talley was especially impressed with his performance.
"He was playing to vindicate himself from last year," Talley said. "I just really felt like he came and said 'I'm gonna show you guys I can play.' I thought he did a really terrific job, especially in the first half, he was right on. He's a really good player."
Olson, who was in competition for the starting spot until a few days before the opener and who is the team's punter, did see action at quarterback for one series, completing two of three passes.
But it seems as if Penn has found its signal-caller for 2008, and Irvin's performance was that much more satisfying given the wait that preceded it.
"For two years now he hasn't been healthy. So when he said it seemed like two years, it has been," Bagnoli said. "It's good to have him healthy."
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