Only strong defense survives

As Saturday’s Penn-Yale struggle dragged on, one thought was at the forefront of Penn football followers’ minds:

This looks familiar.

The Quakers’ 9-0 victory over the Bulldogs Saturday was indeed eerily similar to the 9-7 battle that took place almost exactly a year earlier. The statistics don’t lie.

Again, Yale’s running game was shut down to the tune of 0.8 yards per rush, compared to 0.5 in last year’s game, and the Quakers found even more success on the ground (177 yards this year, 97 in 2008). Pass completions were hard to come by in both games, with the teams combining for just a 50-percent success rate through the air over the two games.

The teams even came into this year’s game with the same overall records (3-2) that they had going into last year’s matchup.

But the past two Quakers-Bulldogs clashes have been defined by one feature: great defense. And because of the teams’ history on the defensive side of the ball, both players and coaches alike knew what to expect when they stepped onto the Franklin Field turf.

“We knew points were going to be a premium,” Penn coach Al Bagnoli reiterated after the game.

“Yale’s defense has always been great,” Quakers quarterback Kyle Olson added. “Last year they were great, [and] this year they’re great again.”

The same can be said about the Red and Blue defense, which has ranked second to Yale in the Ivy League in points allowed the last two seasons. In fact, Penn has not finished outside of the top three in the Ivy League in scoring defense since 2002.

Obviously, the yearly roster changes often at any college football program. Bagnoli acknowledged that the Bulldogs had a different offensive “M.O.” this season than they did in 2008.

But a program can build a philosophy, its own “M.O.,” to use Bagnoli’s term. And over the last decade, Penn has been able to count on building a solid defense each and every season.

Bagnoli knows the importance of a consistently dominant defense cannot be understated. Defense will forever be the equalizer in football, keeping teams competitive every year, every game, no matter how poorly the offense plays.

Add in a potent run game, which the Quakers have also enjoyed under Bagnoli, and Penn has developed a recipe for success in playing simple, hard-nosed football.

With veterans Jake Lewko, Joe Goniprow and Chris Wynn joined by up-and-coming underclassmen Erik Rask, Jared Sholly and Brandon Copeland — who all showcased their skills Saturday — the Quakers’ defense is set for this year and years to come.

Its first shutout in nearly two years, Saturday will only boost the ever-important confidence factor that propels a defense to greatness.

“Our defense came up big,” Bagnoli said after the win. The league’s fourth all-time winningest coach has had that sound bite on repeat for the last eighteen years.

Changes don’t seem likely.

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