There’s a certain mantra that’s been circulating around Penn football this week. It’s been uttered at every practice and pasted on every sheet of paper at every meeting.
It goes something along the lines of: “To get strong, you’ve got to lift heavy.”
The Quakers will have to lift heavy — and then some — if they want to pull off the upset on No. 6 Villanova in their home opener.
Saturday, Penn (0-1) will host the Wildcats (2-1) in the 19th meeting of a rivalry that dates back to 1905, but has been very one-sided as of late: ’Nova has won 13 straight matchups with the Red and Blue.
Last year, the Wildcats throttled the Quakers from the very first possession, holding Penn to 20 rushing yards on 30 carries in a 35-6 romp.
Things have only gotten better for the Wildcats in 2014. Their only defeat came in their season opener, a one-point loss to FBS Syracuse in which Villanova missed a chip shot field goal to win in regulation and a two-point conversion to win in double overtime. They promptly followed that up with a 50-6 throttling of then-No.11 Fordham and a 49-31 triumph over James Madison.
The primary catalyst behind Villanova’s rise in the rankings has been dual-threat quarterback John Robertson . The redshirt junior was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season when he completed 22 of 27 passes for 337 yards against James Madison. Robertson has also averaged 65 rushing yards per game through three contests.
But the Quakers’ defense is not intimidated as it heads into its third matchup with one of the nation’s premier players.
“We’re doing some stuff on defense where you have to account for [Robertson] and you need to make sure he isn’t out of the pocket,” senior linebacker Dan Davis said. “They also do a lot of read-option, QB draws, which we’ve been stressing this week.
“There’s only so much you can do, it’s just part of the scheme.”
Penn’s best counterattack to Robertson’s abilities may be some offensive fireworks of its own. Sophomore quarterback Alek Torgersen acquitted himself well last week against Jacksonville in his first career start, completing 14 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. Though the Quakers surrendered 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter en route to a 34-31 defeat, the potential for an explosive offense is clearly there.
“I thought [Torgersen] did a really nice job of making decisive plays with his feet, making decisive plays with his arm,” coach Al Bagnoli said. “I think he’s got a huge upside, and I think he’s gotta continue to build on it just as we have to do as a football team.”
Though last year’s matchup between Penn and Villanova wasn’t close, the Quakers have given the Wildcats more trouble than perhaps the CAA program would like to admit: four games between the two schools in the past decade have gone down to the last possession.
And as a result, Bagnoli and his staff have made sure that there will be no intimidation factor come Saturday.
“We’re trying to tell our kids: ‘Hey, this is a great opportunity for you to stack up against one of the elite programs in the country, and you’re gonna have to give it your best effort,’” he said.
And all of the heavy lifting that such a message entails has translated over to the players.
“I like the matchup, just because I feel like [the Wildcats] underestimate us a little bit,” Davis said. “Especially myself, I take it kind of personally.
“And I think it makes everyone play a little bit harder.”
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.