If this were a normal Penn football season, this column would be about the Quakers’ still-staunch defense, the revolving door in the backfield or the seniors finally recording a victory over Lafayette.
But this season is not just about the action on the field — it’s about paying tribute to two fallen leaders that left the Red and Blue during a tumultuous offseason — Dan Staffieri a.k.a. ‘Coach Lake’ and captain Owen Thomas.
The players took a step forward in their recovery before the game Saturday night, when players, coaches and fans observed 40 seconds of silence for No. 40 — the number on Thomas’ jersey. Now, they are back to playing football, the perfect way to honor their teammate.
“We came out and really we just wanted to play for Owen,” senior defensive back Jon Saelinger said. “We came out with a mission tonight, and overall, I think we responded pretty well given the circumstances.”
Judging from the press conference, it is clear that Penn coach Al Bagnoli has instilled in his players the ability to transfer the emotions from the offseason toward winning football games — something he likely learned to do five seasons ago after the suicide of running back Kyle Ambrogi. Bagnoli acknowledged that it was a “huge relief” for his players to get back on the field, but mainly, he discussed the game in the usual way he speaks on Saturdays.
When asked how important the actual outcome of the game was considering his team’s situation, Bagnoli said, “Obviously, it’s important.
“We were on the verge of the 800-win milestone. It was a game we were trying to pay tribute to Coach Lake and Owen. It’s your opener, you’re at home and there are a lot of tangible things you want to play for. And we knew it was going to be hard. … That’s how this series has gone the last 3-4 years.”
That seems to be the veteran coach’s formula for coping with tragedy — bring everything back to football. Lafayette coach, and friend of Bagnoli, Frank Tavani did the same.
“I don’t think [the pregame emotion] had any effect on the game,” Tavani said.
Leopards quarterback Marc Quilling, one of three Lafayette players who were Thomas’ teammates at Allentown’s Parkland High School, agreed.
“When you get between the lines, you’re thinking strictly football,” he said. “It was definitely just another football game, and they won the defensive battle.”
But while the players and coaches may not have admitted it, a cloud hung over Franklin Field last night. When a game is preceded by a moment of silence and jerseys are decorated with commemorations of a friend who passed, what takes place on the field is secondary.
Sports aren’t the same after being combined with a cruel dose of reality.
Yet sports also have the power to heal and inspire, and that’s the process the Quakers began Saturday. It’s a process that will continue not just for one game, but for the entire season.
“It’s always going to be different without Owen this season,” Saelinger said before even speaking a word about his three interceptions. “But we’ve really used that as a purpose, a rally cry. We haven’t really hung our heads at all about it.
“We miss him every day, but we decided the best way to pay tribute to him was to dedicate this season to him.”
BRIAN KOTLOFF is a junior communications major from Elkins Park, Pa. He can be contacted at dpsports@thedp.com
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