Fresh off a lopsided 56-14 defeat at the hands of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats last weekend, the Big Green will hope for a better result against conference competition.
Penn started out the season with a convincing 21-11 win over Lafayette, but stumbled under the lonely lights of Franklin Field last Saturday night, losing to the previously winless Villanova Wildcats 27-20. The defeat at the hands of Villanova was disappointing for a team that was projected to finish second in the Ivy League with 99 points, just behind the Harvard University Crimson (116 points) and just in front of the defending Ivy League champion Brown University Bears (93 points).
Head coach Al Bagnoli, who is 11-3 all-time against the Big Green, leads the Quakers. Bagnoli became a century man, earning his 100th career win with the Quakers in the team's opening week victory over Lafayette. Bagnoli is now 24 wins behind the legendary George Woodruff for first all-time at Penn. He is also the second most successful active coach in Division I-AA -- his .719 winning percentage second only to Dayton's Mike Kelly (.830 winning percentage).
The Dartmouth-Penn series dates back to 1896, with the Quakers flooring the Big Green 16-0. Dartmouth's last victory over Penn was a 23-15 smothering in 1997, which, coincidentally, was also the Big Green's last winning season. In the last two meetings between the teams, Penn has outscored the Big Green 61-9. The Quakers also hold the all-time series lead 27-16-1 over the Big Green, and have won the last eight meetings between the two Ivy League foes.
Penn is led by senior co-captains and 2005 Honorable Mention All-Ivy selections Sean Estrada, an offensive lineman, and Scotty Williams, a defensive back. Laying down the thud to Quakers' opponents is junior linebacker Joe Anastasio, who leads the Ivy League with 20 total tackles, including 11 in last weekend's loss to Villanova.
Sophomore cornerback Tyson Maugle will also be a force to be reckoned with. Playing in only his second career game, Maugle mauled his Wildcat opponents, wrapping up a career-high 13 tackles, forcing a fumble and recovering another. He also broke up two passes on the evening. Leading the charge for the Quakers in the backfield is senior Joe Sandberg, who, one week after being named Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Lafayette, ran for a 74-yard touchdown and threw a surprise 26-yard strike into the arms of wide receiver Kelms Amoo-Achampong in the second quarter.
The Big Green men will counter the Quakers with several offensive stars of their own, including Ryan Fuselier '06, the fifth-year senior who continues his climb up the ladder of all-time Big Green receivers. Fuselier has caught 16 passes for 220 yards so far this season, with a yard-per-catch average of 13.8 and two touchdown grabs. "Foose" as he is known amongst teammates and friends, is not intimidated by Penn's top-notch defense.
"UPenn always has a good defense, it's a tradition. Every year they've got a big and physical defense," he said. "Their corners are young, so that's an advantage for our receiving team. That's when my experience comes in, having started three times as many games as this corner has, it really opens up a lot of holes."
Defensively, the Big Green will look to senior co-captain Mike Rabil '06 to lead the way.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WFRD and WDCR, and online via web cast. It will also be streamed live online for a small fee.
With the fans involved, this would be the perfect week for the Big Green to step up and further silence the fans at Franklin Field.
