Football Preview | Rushing game won't get stuck in the mud

For most culturally literate young adults, Smash Mouth is a dubiously cool rock band with hits like “All Star” and “I’m a Believer.”

But for Penn running backs coach Steven Downs and the Quakers' rushing attack, 'Smash Mouth’ has a decidedly different connotation.

It refers to a style of football dominated by a hard-fought, between-the-tackles running game popularized and espoused by coaches like Joe Paterno of Penn State and Herm Edwards, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The style is simple but demands precise execution and a very complete understanding of one’s assignments on a given play.

It’s not about trickery. It’s about lining up and driving the ball so hard that you knock the defensive lineman’s teeth down his throat — hence the term "smash mouth."

For a Penn team unsure of its passing game, this style of play is a terrific security blanket.

Add in a talented offensive line highlighted by preseason FCS All-American Joe D'Orazio, and it’s one that Downs and sophomore halfback Lyle Marsh definitely endorse.

“We’re really, really confident running behind [the returning offensive line],” Marsh said.

With senior quarterback Keiffer Garton trying to get back into the swing of things after an injury-plagued 2009 campaign and sophomore Billy Ragone having only four snaps of experience, the running game will be essential for prolonging drives and picking up consistent chunks of yards.

“If we have to rush the ball 45 [or] 50 times a game, we’re up to the challenge,” Downs said.

Yet the reliability of the running game is not guaranteed and requires consistent and effective training.

This is why Downs has the backfield on a strict agility regimen to make sure they don’t lose a step.

“We do a lot of ‘foot fire’ type of drills and ladder-ropes,” Downs said. “That first step when you come out of a cut, it’s ‘boom,' gotta be in and out.”

Aside from agility and foot speed, Marsh — the team's leading rusher from last season with 546 yards — has been spending a considerable amount of time working on guarding the ball.

The native of Bethel Park, Pa., who will likely figure prominently into the Quakers attack again this season, struggled with ball control last year, leading to unsure hand-offs and costly fumbles.

“I did have some ball security problems,” he acknowledged. “That’s one thing that I wanted to focus on.”

But the best training method, Downs contends, isn’t anything a coach can draw up or a player can do on his own.

“The one thing I think that’s consistent is competition,” Downs said. “And these kids know you gotta earn your right to get on the field.”

With the team's top three rushers from last season including seniors Matt Hamscher and Bradford Blackmon all competing for carries, there is no shortage of incentive to make a good impression on the coaching staff.

Downs is confident that his “stable” of backs will feed off of each other and be able to smash a few mouths when the time comes.

And expect Marsh to be one of the biggest mouth-smashers out there.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to pound people,” Marsh said in reference to the Red and Blue running game.

“We’re looking to have that be the strong part of the offense."

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