Senior wide receiver Ty Taylor had four catches and two touchdowns in his final game with the Red and Blue, but Taylor and the rest of the senior class came up just short of a victory against Cornell.
Credit: Joshua NgOne by one, Penn’s senior class came to midfield, joined their respective families and were honored in front of the Penn crowd for Senior Day.
Except the crowd wasn’t really there. And for much of the game, neither were the Quakers themselves.
A paltry crowd of fewer than 200 fans on Penn’s sideline saw Ryan Becker and company go out to get honored before the game. And when three-time Ivy champion Billy Ragone threw the final pass of his storied time with the Red and Blue, there weren’t many more on Penn’s side.
So when Connor Loftus’ game-tying extra point was blocked to finish off the game, it should be no surprise that fans were nowhere to be seen as the small crowd filed out after the toast toss, not waiting to see the finale of a fantastic senior class.
“It was a disappointing ending to a fabulous run,” coach Al Bagnoli said. “I’m disappointed for them and disappointed in myself and our coaching staff and the way we played and everything else because it would be fitting to go out with a ‘W’ based on all the success they’ve had here.”
There is no other way to put it: That was a completely inexcusable showing from the Penn community, as just 7,057 fans came to the game, most of them being fans of the winning Cornell squad.
Sure, Penn had nothing to play for but pride. Ivy title hopes were nonexistent and Penn was simply playing to get to .500.
But there was no reason that students couldn’t have gotten out of bed at noon and found their way to Franklin Field to respect their classmates who have made Penn proud for the last four years.
Yet it wasn’t just the fans as it was also a disappointing effort by the team itself.
Picked to finish first in the conference to begin the year, the Red and Blue season ended not with a bang but with a whimper, as the blocked extra point gave the Quakers a bitter one-point defeat and a stamp on a four-game, season-ending losing streak.
“The defense as a whole unit, we had so much talent and potential and I feel like we underachieved this year,” fifth-year senior Sam Chwarzynski said. “They are going to be great next year but it really hasn’t fully hit me yet that it’s over. It’s going to be difficult to adjust to.”
For much of the game, the Quakers simply looked stagnant as the offense went eight possessions with no points, letting the Big Red score 35-unanswered points while building a 21-point lead late in the second half.
And after Penn made its way back thanks to freshman quarterback Alek Torgersen taking over the offense and a fantastic interception by Chwarzynski, the team came up just short thanks to a special teams miscue on the extra point.
“It would be a lot more important if we won,” Chwarzynski said of his interception. “I’d happily trade any of the individual stats for a win.”
In the end, after two outright titles (three for the fifth-year seniors) and a plethora of exciting victories, this wasn’t the fitting ending that the Quakers expected.
Because instead of a solid crowd, a strong performance and an easy win to finish each player’s respective careers, there were few fans, a weak team effort and a heartbreaking loss.
“I just felt that we wanted to send the seniors and the fifth-year guys out on a correct note,” Bagnoli said. “And unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that.
Quite simply, that wasn’t the ending that Ragone, Chwarzynski, Becker and the other seniors deserved.
STEVEN TYDINGS is a Wharton sophomore from Hopewell, N.J., and is senior sports editor-elect of The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be reached at tydings@thedp.com.
SEE ALSO
Blocked extra point sends Penn to bitter season-ending defeat against Cornell
Penn football still left with plenty of pride to play for
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.