Penn football experiencing "freshmania"

It’s no secret that Penn football is a team loaded with veteran talent.

On the offensive side of the ball alone, the Quakers feature two senior tight ends and a pair of prominent senior running backs, in addition to a plethora of experienced receivers on the outside.

Yet even with the large number of veterans guiding the Red and Blue’s new spread offense, Penn’s first game against Jacksonville made one thing clear: The Quakers have two additional contributors who give the squad more dynamic weapons.

Despite Penn’s heartbreaking defeat, freshman wide receiver Justin Watson and freshman running back Tre Solomon were two of the brightest spots to emerge from the trip to Florida.

Starting alongside two senior wideouts, Watson thrived in the Quakers’ up-tempo system. Though the rookie dropped the first pass targeted for him, Watson came back strong, nabbing three passes for 21 yards while providing Torgersen with a safety blanket underneath the second level of the defense.

And when senior running back Lyle Marsh went down with a forearm injury — while Kyle Wilcox also dealt with a thigh problem — Solomon found himself unexpectedly thrown into the fire. The feature back for the majority of the third quarter, the Brooklyn native tallied nine carries for 39 yards, showing off some impressive moves in space.

“They both played well,” coach Al Bagnoli said. “Justin dropped the first ball and then caught everything else that was thrown at him which I thought was great. And Tre had more carries than we anticipated, but I think he responded really well to the challenge.”

While the duo may have surprised Red and Blue fans with their effectiveness, it’s simply the next step in the development of two future stars.

A Bridgeville, Pa., native, Watson has impressed coaches and teammates with his skill set since arriving on campus for preseason camp and practice. In the span of a few short months, the rookie has gone from constantly needing to prove himself to attempting to meet loftier expectations.

“There was a lot of learning in the beginning so I tried to come out and pick things up as quickly as I could,” Watson said. “I tried to work as hard as I could on every play because I knew it would make myself better.

“I think in the beginning, the coaches were impressed if I made a big play, but now we’ve transitioned to a point where it’s a little more expected. And I like that.”

Although Watson has wowed his peers with his physical gifts, Bagnoli and the rest of the team’s coaches have been thrilled with another aspect of the freshman’s game.

“Justin has all of those physical attributes with the height, speed, body control, hands, concentration and the toughness,” Bagnoli said. “But I think what has impressed us more is the mental aspect of it all.

“He’s had such few mental busts that — for a freshman — it’s been incredible.”

Like Watson, Solomon has taken coaches and players alike by storm.

“We were trying to ease him in, but his role has had to change,” Bagnoli said. “In trying to figure out who would be our third-string running back, I thought Tre did a terrific job in the preseason and forced us to get him on the field.”

With Marsh out for this weekend’s game against Villanova, Solomon will continue to get chances to demonstrate the value of what he brings to the Quakers’ offense.

“He has some shake, some size, some balance, some speed, and he has amazing instincts,” Bagnoli said.

Though he may not be around when Solomon and Watson are veterans themselves, Bagnoli realizes the duo’s importance, even in the short term.

“They both have a really bright future, they’re good kids, they’re grounded and fit in really well with the team,” Bagnoli said. “They’re really unassuming, modest, down-to-earth kids, and we couldn’t be happier to have them making plays for this football team.”

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