Penn football wins season opener, 800th game

In Penn’s win over Lafayette Saturday at Franklin Field, the name of the game was turnovers.

Despite three fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt, the Quakers still prevailed, 19-14, in an emotional season opener.

It was a momentous game for both sides, as Penn (1-0) sought to gain its 800th program win, while Lafayette (0-2) was looking for its first victory of the year.

“It’s your opener, you’re at home and there are a lot of tangible things you want to play for,” said Penn coach Al Bagnoli.

With so much on the line, the Quakers needed the first half to shake out their first-game jitters.

The Leopards took advantage of Penn’s inconsistent play early on and scored directly off of Lafayette senior Mike Phillips’ second-quarter interception and a blocked punt that was recovered in the endzone.

Sloppy errors dictated the scoring in the first half as both offenses struggled to mount effective drives against sturdy defenses. By halftime, the Leopards had secured just one first down, and they would finish the game with just 168 yards of total offense and only 19 on the ground.

Meanwhile, Penn’s only scoring came courtesy of two field-goals from Andrew Samson, and the Quakers entered the locker room down 14-6.

When the Red and Blue came out for the second half, they were determined to turn things around.

Bagnoli switched out starting quarterback Ryan Becker for Billy Ragone after just one series, and the sophomore led the Quakers on a 61-yard charge that brought Penn back into the game.

The drive was capped by a fade-away pass into the back of the endzone, where Ragone connected with senior receiver Matt Tuten to bring the game to 14-13.

And that’s when the Red and Blue really found their groove.

While the offense initially struggled to gain momentum, the defense — who ended last season as the best in the nation — remained a solid force for the Quakers. After Penn’s first touchdown, cornerback Jon Saelinger grabbed his second interception of the game.

And in the fourth quarter, a third Saelinger pick put the ball in Ragone’s hands, and the Quakers marched down the field in a 75-yard, 7:27 scoring drive. Sophomore running back Lyle Marsh stumbled into the endzone to give the Quakers the lead — a controversial touchdown call by the referees, since television replays showed Marsh down inches before the goal line.

Up by five, Bagnoli went for two but Penn failed to convert.

With just over a minute remaining in the game, Josh Powers grabbed an interception that should have sealed the win for the Quakers. But after a fumbled snap, the Leopards regained possession just 54 yards from stealing back the lead.

As in years past against Lafayette, the game came down to the final seconds.

With four seconds remaining on the clock and the ball on Penn’s 38-yard line, the Leopards concocted a last-ditch hook and ladder. But after gaining 23 yards, Penn finally took down Lafayette running back Alan Elder at the 15-yard line as time expired.

“I’m not surprised at how hard it was,” Bagnoli said. “We knew we were in for 60 minutes, and it literally went 60 minutes.”

Penn post-game press conference (part 1):

Penn post-game press conference (part 2):

Lafayette post-game press conference:

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