Penn Opens Ivy League Play Saturday At Dartmouth

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- The Penn Quakers will head to New England this weekend as they open Ivy League play on the road against Dartmouth.

It has been a rough start to the season for the Quakers. A heartbreaking loss at Jacksonville was followed up last week by a 41-7 loss to a very talented Villanova squad at Franklin Field.

"They're obviously an outstanding football team and they're clicking on all cylinders," Penn head coach Al Bagnoli tells KYW Newsradio. "We knew we had to try to get off to a fast start and unfortunately their first possession they scored. Then we turned around and drove it all the way down and threw an interception, that was on the one-yard line. So we kind of lost any momentum that we had generated. Then they turned around and went 99 yards the other way and before you know it the momentum change had really hit us and we were down 21-0. Really, they got on a roll and we generally had no answers at that point."

The Quakers lone touchdown in the loss came courtesy of a 66-yard run by senior running back Kyle Wilcox.

Dartmouth is 1-1 this season. They opened the season with a 35-25 win over Central Connecticut State and then last week they lost at New Hampshire, 52-19. Bagnoli breaks down their offensive attack.

"A lot like Villanova's," Bagnoli says. "The quarterback is a dual threat.  Dayln Williams is his name, and he's a kid who can beat you both throwing and running. It's an option-style attack, a spread type of attack. So playing against Villanova will help us because we just went through those sets. But it causes you some problems."

As for the other side of the football.

"Defensively, they are pretty stout up front," Bagnoli says. "And they've got some good experience on the second level."

Last season these two teams played a classic, four-overtime game with Penn outlasting the Big Green 37-31. Quakers have actually won six straight in this series.

Saturday's game will kickoff at 1:30pm.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.

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