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Relive some of the memorable moments in Quakers' football history.


"FIVE INSIDE THE 10": Penn 7, Princeton 0 (October 17, 1936)
In his book, Fight On, Pennsylvania!, Dan Rottenberg called this game "the Stalingrad of Penn football." Lew Elverson returned a punt 57 yards for the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter to give the Quakers the lead. Then, Penn played defense. Five times, Princeton came across the Penn 10-yard line, and five times, the Quakers turned the enemy away unsatisfied. The previously unbeaten Tigers got as close as the two-yard line but never entered the end zone as the Quakers bounced back from their only defeat of the season, a week earlier at Yale.  After the very stressful victory, Penn coach Harvey Harman could only say, "We won on guts." Penn's defense in 1936 was so good that it allowed more than seven points on just one occasion -- a 19-12 win over Penn State on November 14.  Click VIDEO to watch Penn stop Princeton inside the ten in the second quarter.

"A VALIANT LOSS": Notre Dame 28, Penn 20 (November 7, 1953)
In 1953, Penn stood at a crossroads. The Quakers were severely restricted by the rules of the newly formed Ivy League. But with football schedules being made several years in advance, the Ivy restrictions took effect three years before the league's round-robin schedule would begin, and the Red and Blue faced a schedule laden with some of the nation's top teams. This "suicide schedule" included Vanderbilt, Penn State, Ohio State, Navy and Michigan. The toughest opponent, though, was national No.1 Notre Dame. When the Irish opened up a 21-7 halftime lead, George Munger's troops appeared doomed. But Penn stormed back, outscoring the Irish 13-7 in the third to cut the deficit to eight. Penn, led by QB Ed Gramigna, stormed down the field early in the fourth quarter, desperately trying to get back into the game. When they got down to the goal line, however, Notre Dame's Johnny Lattner, then one of the best players in the country, intercepted a Gramigna pass and the Quakers were denied. The Irish might not have escaped victorious without Lattner. In addition to his key interception, the All-American rushed 12 times for 60 yards and returned one kickoff 56 yards to the Penn 26 and another 92 yards for a first-quarter touchdown.  Click VIDEO to watch highlights of Penn's valiant comeback effort.

FRANK RIEPL'S RECORD 108-YARD KICKOFF RETURN: Notre Dame 46, Penn 14 (November 5, 1955)
No. 6 Notre Dame walked into Franklin Field fully expecting an easy victory over Penn, who had not won a game all season and was facing a 16-game losing streak. After the coin toss, it was determined that Notre Dame would kick off to the Quakers. Fighting Irish kicker Paul Hornung prepared to start the game.  For the Red and Blue, sophomore Frank Riepl -- who was appearing in his first game ever for the Quakers -- stood ready to return the kick. The whistle blew, the ball was kicked and it flew eight yards deep into the Penn end zone. Riepl stunned everyone as he caught the ball and began moving up the field. With the biggest crowd of the season (45,226) in Franklin Field stunned, Riepl ran straight at the oncoming Fighting Irish.  The Quaker ran straight up the middle to the Penn 35-yard line, with the help of a number of phenomenal blocks.  The sophomore then cut to the right sideline.  That cut opened up the field, and no player was able to catch the young halfback as he tore down the remaining 65-yards of Franklin Field straight to the end zone.  Riepl had returned the opening kickoff from deep in Penn’s own end zone 108 yards to give the Quakers a very quick 7-0 lead. The Fighting Irish stood stunned as the Quakers rejoiced in the end zone. Penn’s surprise start shook up the Fighting Irish so much that they fumbled four times and threw two interceptions before regrouping. Nevertheless, the Quaker lead was short-lived, as Notre Dame replied with a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.  The Red and Blue weren't giving up without a fight, however. The Quakers took advantage of the shaken up Notre Dame team, recovering a fumble in the second quarter that led to a scoring drive and a 14-7 lead.  After Bob Barber recovered the fumble on the Notre Dame 13-yard line, Riepl threw a pass to Barber in the end zone on the first play. Riepl, an all-around player, kicked the extra point, as he had previously in the game, to bring the Quaker total to 14. Going into the second half of the game, Penn held the Fighting Irish to a 14-14 stalemate.  But Notre Dame came back in the end with authority, winning the game, 46-14. Click VIDEO to watch Frank Riepl's record 108-yard kickoff return.

"THE COIN TOSS DECISION GAME": Penn 7, Harvard 2 (November 2, 1963)
Even Harvard is vulnerable to the Sports Illustrated jinx. Two days after being featured on the magazine's cover, the Crimson carried the nation's longest unbeaten streak to Philadelphia along with Ivy title hopes.  Penn won the coin toss before the second half opened -- as was then the practice -- and elected to kickoff to the Crimson, hoping to force Harvard into a mistake.  That mistake came when Wally Grant fumbled the kick. The blunder set up the only touchdown of the game for either team.  Harvard's only points of the game came when Penn tried to run out the clock. Quakers tailback Bruce Molloy ran back and forth in his own end zone until he was tackled by the Crimson for a safety.  Molloy, who doubled as a punter, helped the Red and Blue immensely by pinning Harvard inside its own 10 on multiple occasions.  The win was last-place Penn's only Ivy triumph that season.  Click VIDEO to watch Wally Grant's fumble on the kickoff return.

"BEEP BEEP": Penn 28, Cornell 28 (October 12, 1974)
Penn and Cornell each gained over 400 yards total offense in their 28-28 battle. Running back Don Fanelli led the Big Red's attack with 154 yards on 33 carries and two touchdowns. Penn's Adolph "Beep-Beep" Belizeare took game honors, racking up a total of 174 yards and two touchdowns. Trailing 21-14 late in the first half, Bellizeare, the leading punt returner in the nation, fielded a Cornell punt on the dead run at his own 43-yard line and raced through the Big Red coverage team for a game-tying 57-yard touchdown. Jack Wixted also ripped through Cornell's defense for 103 yards and a touchdown.  Penn had two chances to pull it out late in the game. With less than two minutes to go, Belizeare was stacked up on the Cornell four, short of a first down after an interception had given the Quakers the ball. A desperation field goal from 40 yards out fell short in the final seconds. Click VIDEO to watch Adolph Bellizeare's lightning quick 57-yard punt return.

"NOTICE HAS BEEN SERVED": Harvard 39, Penn 0 (November 2, 1974)
Notice has been served in Cambridge: the Crimson of Harvard want the Ivy League football championship. The official statement was released, as the Crimson annihilated the previously undefeated Penn Quakers, 39-0.  Harvard's astounding destruction of the Pennsylvanians was more than just a rout. For the Quakers, it was a brutal realization that they were not going to win the title they had dreamed of for many years. Harvard entered the contest with a 3-0 Ivy record. Penn was 2-0-1. It was early in the season, but Harvard's game-day program said it all.  "This is Penn's final road game of the season, and a victory today would possibly put the Quakers in the Ivy driver's seat."  The Quakers were primed for the encounter, undefeated in their last seven contests. By all accounts, Penn had the most devastating offense in the league.  They were led by Adolph "Beep Beep" Bellizeare, the leading punt returner in the nation, and Harvard's worst nightmare. He had returned four kicks for touchdowns in two years.  The Quakers also had the likes of Marty Vaughn, the best Ivy league quarterback, and a running back, Jack Wixted, who had an astounding three games (over 100 yards per contest) before the Harvard game. But the afternoon went the way of the Crimson.  See you later, Ivy League title hopes. The Quakers found themselves in the passenger seat, ending the year 4-2-1, as Harvard clinched the championship. The play of the game was a 30-yard strike from  Harvard quarterback Milt Holt to All-American end Pat McInally for a score.  Click VIDEO to watch some of the action, including footage of Adolph "Beep Beep" Bellizeare.

"VURA TO HALL": Penn 29, Cornell 22 (September 19, 1981)
Penn had won a total of one game since October 7, 1978, coming into Jerry Berndt's coaching debut with the Quakers.  In the third quarter at Franklin Field, it seemed as though the Red and Blue would walk off the field with yet another defeat, as the Big Red held a 22-7 lead.  Penn's comeback was, quite simply, an air show. After years under Harry Gamble's wishbone offense, the Quakers took to the sky. Gary Vura threw touchdown passes to Karl Hall for 84 and 93 yards which, respectively, represent the fifth longest and the longest touchdown pass plays in Penn history.  Cornell had one last chance after a pass interference call late in the game against the Quakers brought the Big Red to the Penn one-yard line with three seconds to play.  Chris Metz, the Cornell quarterback, ran a bootleg play but was met -- and stopped -- six inches from glory by defensive back John Waterfield, who had committed the interference to bring Cornell down the field.  Click AUDIO to listen to the Vura-to-Hall record 93-yard touchdown pass, followed by the game-winner.

Penn 27, Yale 14 (October 23, 1982)
Pundits had dismissed the Penn football team's 3-0 start in the Ivy League as an aberration.  On homecoming weekend, the Quakers proved them wrong with a 27-14 victory over Yale.  It was the Quakers' first win over the Elis in 10 years -- in front of the largest crowd (32,175) to see a Penn football game at Franklin Field in nine years.  Down, 7-3, at halftime, the Quakers rallied in the second half.  Dave Shulman hit the longest field goal of his career, a 46-yarder, to cut the deficit to one, and Penn took the lead when Steve Rubin scored from five yards out.  Rubin scored again -- this time on a seven yard touchdown run -- early in the fourth quarter, and Penn iced it when Steve Flacco took a pitch from quarterback Gary Vura and ran 83 yards for the score late in the fourth.  Click VIDEO to watch Steve Flacco's 83-yard touchdown run.

"MIRACLE ON 33RD STREET": Penn 23, Harvard 21 (November 13, 1982)
The Quakers faced Harvard in the season's penultimate game with the Ivy League championship up for grabs for the winner.  Penn raced out to a 20-0 lead, but Harvard scored three touchdowns in seven minutes in the fourth quarter to take a 21-20 lead.  With three seconds remaining, Penn's Dave Shulman lined up for a 38-yard field goal. The kick sailed wide left, and time expired, with Harvard apparently emerging with the championship.  But there was a flag on the field. Harvard had been penalized for running into the kicker -- and Shulman would get another chance. The second time around, he split the uprights to clinch Penn's first Ancient Eight championship since 1959.  The next day's main editorial in the DP read "Harvard 21, Pennsylvania 20" with a big "X" through it, and then "Pennsylvania 23, Harvard 21. What else is there to say?"  Click VIDEO to watch the final drive, including "The Kick That Almost Wasn't", along with the post-game celebration.

Penn 24, Brown 24 (October 8, 1983)
Brown took advantage of Penn mistakes to force a 24-24 tie, before 14, 576 fans at Franklin Field.  Brown's 17 points in the first half -- including one touchdown with just seven seconds to play before intermission -- all were scored after taking advantage of a Penn mistake, and its fourth quarter touchdown came after a Quaker field goal attempt was blocked.  The Red and Blue offense did put impressive numbers in the records, rushing for 143 yards and passing for 280 for 423 yards in total offense.  The game featured five lead changes before Dave Shulman's 37-yard field goal tied the game on Penn's next-to-last possession of the game.  Following Shulman's kick, Brown marched 62 yards to get within range for a 24-yard field goal attempt which was wide right with just 11 seconds to play in the game.  Click VIDEO to watch highlights of Penn's game-tying drive and field goal.

"PENN SURVIVES PRINCETON": Penn 28, Princeton 27 (October 29, 1983)
There are 60 minutes of playing time, and Jerry Berndt's teams seem to make sure all 3600 seconds are played to the hilt.  But this game did not come down to the last second.  There were still a whole 31 seconds left when the game's "big play" was made. The "big play" came on a Princeton two-point conversion attempt, after the Tigers had driven 76 yards in 12 plays, using 3:40 and scoring on a Doug Butler 21-yard fourth down pass to Derek Graham. Princeton went for two points and the victory, but Penn defensive end David (Bubba) Smith sacked Butler, setting off sideline and field celebrations.  When Princeton's onside kick attempt failed to go the necessary 10 yards, the Quakers wisely let the ball roll out of bounds and the game was over with 31 seconds to play. Trailing 21-14, Penn moved to within a point early in the final quarter when Steve Ortman went 44 yards around his left end for the score. A two-point conversion attempt was stopped and the Tigers still led, 21-20. After Princeton was stopped, Penn defensive back Tim Chambers returned a punt 25 yards to the Princeton 39, and three plays later the Quakers scored the go-ahead touchdown on Chuck Nolan's 12-yard run. John McGeehan then passed to Jim O'Toole for two points and a 28-21 lead, before Princeton took over on its 24 for its final drive with 4:11 to play. Click VIDEO to watch the dramatic finish.

"BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONSHIPS": Penn 38, Dartmouth 14 (November 19, 1983)
The Quakers' offense sputtered on its first two drives. And then, in a six-minute span of the second quarter, everything came together. Penn went 88 yards in 13 plays for a 7-0 lead.  On the first play of the Big Green's next series, Dartmouth's Mattey Lopes fumbled after catching a pass from quarterback Frank Polsinello. Five plays later, Steve Ortman took a pitch to his left for one yard and Penn's second touchdown.  On Dartmouth's next series a Polsinello pass was intercepted by nose guard Joe Lorenc on the second play, after being tipped by defensive tackle Tom Gilmore.  The offense took over on the Big Green 31. Again Penn needed just five plays to score and it was 21-0 at the end of the half.  At the end of the third quarter, it was 31-0.  A 79-yard touchdown pass from Polsinello to Mike Viccora came when the score was 38-0.  And when Dartmouth scored its second touchdown, on the last play of the game, the goal post in the west end zone had already been torn down.  Click VIDEO to watch Chuck Nolan's second touchdown give Penn a 21-0 first half lead.

Penn 34, Yale 21 (October 27, 1984)
On Penn's first play from scrimmage, quarterback John McGeehan dropped back and found wide receiver Jim O'Toole slanting over the middle, one step ahead of Yale cornerback Tim Kotkiewicz. McGeehan threw the ball 40 yards in the air, hit O'Toole in stride, and the result was a 72-yard touchdown reception. Although the next Quakers possession ended with a fumble, Penn regained possession with 6:49 remaining in the first quarter and embarked on a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, making the score 14-0.  The Quakers held a tenuous six-point lead, 27-21, with only 3:44 remaining. But with the game on the line, the Penn defense came up big and picked off a Yale pass at the Elis' 48. A 20-yard touchdown screen pass from McGeehan to Steve Ortman iced the victory for the Quakers.  Click VIDEO to watch John McGeehan's 72-yard TD pass on Penn's first offensive play.

Penn 38, Harvard 7 (November 10, 1984)
At this point, it seemed this was a yearly occurrence, and it basically was. For the third straight year, the Puritans in football pads remained the sole obstacle in front of the Quakers' Ivy League title. The results were more like two years before. The temperature was much warmer, and so was the Penn offense. Mother Nature gave 64 degrees to work with at Franklin Field, and the Quakers produced 38 points on 404 total yards. The Crimson could only muster 199 total yards, losing 38-7.  The result: the Quakers captured their third straight title after a Harvard game. No real excitement in this one. Just Quakers domination. The first half, which ended with a 10-7 Penn lead, was tightly played but filled with penalties. But the mood changed dramatically when Steve Ortman returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, lifting the Quaker lead to 17-7. In the third quarter, Penn drove 55 yards, mostly on the ground, with fullback Mike O'Neil scoring from the one. In the fourth, McGeehan threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to the wide receiver Pat Buehler and the score was 31-7. Steve Olekszyk's 7-yard touchdown run gave Penn its biggest victory margin ever against Harvard. Click VIDEO to watch Steve Ortman return the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown.

"PENN SURVIVES PRINCETON" (PART II): Penn 31, Princeton 21 (November 2, 1985)
This game will be remembered more for one incredible play than for the overall game -- which was pretty incredible in itself.  The Quakers trailed, 21-0, midway through the second quarter,.but Penn closed to within 21-14 on the strength of two long touchdown drives flanking halftime.  Then the Quaker defense stiffened, stopping Princeton on its initial possession of the second half and forcing the Tigers' Rob DiGiacamo to punt from the Penn 38-yard line.  The punt was short and high, and Chris Flynn -- the Quakers' returner -- signaled for a fair catch, allowing the ball to hit at the 14-yard line. Princeton's Eduordo Waite went to down the ball as it took a Penn bounce. Waite hit the ball up in the air. Once he touched the ball, Flynn knew he could pick it up and run with it.  That's exactly what Flynn did, and 79 yards later, Penn had tied the game, 21-21.  The game-winning points came on a 29-yard Ray Saunders field goal at 2:33 of the final quarter. The Quakers never let Princeton out of its own territory after that, and a 20-yard Jim Crocicchia pass to Brian Moyer put the game out of reach.  Click VIDEO to watch Chris Flynn's 79-yard punt return and the ensuing controversy.

Harvard 17, Penn 6 (November 16, 1985)
The unfortunate part of this game is that it didn't have any bearing on the title hopes of the Quakers. But it did pose arguably the two best teams in the Ivy League against one another for the fourth consecutive year.  The story: Penn was 5-0, Harvard 4-1. Harvard and Penn were the only teams still in the hunt. With a weak Dartmouth on the schedule for the last week, the Red and Blue were almost assured a piece of the crown. But they didn't want an undefeated season fall by the wayside.  Three quarters of utter domination by the Crimson could not be overcome by what some consider Penn's best athlete of all time, running back and lacrosse star Chris Flynn. Harvard posted a 17-point advantage through three quarters, and Penn was cooked. Harvard won, 17-6.  Penn held the title alone, after a Harvard loss to Yale, but the Quakers had let the perfect season get away.  Click VIDEO to watch Chris Flynn's fourth quarter touchdown.

"FOUR IN A ROW": Penn 19, Dartmouth 14 (November 23, 1985)
In a fitting conclusion to the 1985 football season, Penn defeated Dartmouth, 19-14 at Franklin Field, ending the year in the same manner they began 10 weeks earlier -- as undisputed Ivy League champions.  The Quakers kept the championship trophy in Philadelphia for the entire year to come, after Harvard -- which entered Saturday's play tied with Penn for first place -- lost at Yale, 17-6.  Thanks to clutch performances by a host of players not accustomed to the spotlight and the stellar play of a defense that allowed only 61 total yards in the second half, the 1985 Quakers ensured their place in the school's record books by wrapping up an unprecedented fourth consecutive Ivy title.  The Schuylkill is getting crowded now -- for the fourth straight year, the east end zone's goalposts were ceremoniously deposited into the river for a burial at sea.  Four years ago, who ever would have thunk it.  Click VIDEO to watch Jeff Fortna's safety, which broke a 7-7 tie and gave Penn a lead it would never relinquish.

Penn 30, Navy 26 (October 18, 1986)
Penn quarterback Jim Crocicchia, on a day he tied the school record with four touchdown passes, threw three of them in the final 11 minutes to rally the Quakers from a 20-10 deficit to their first win over a current Division I-A team since they edged Rutgers, 7-6, in 1963.  Crocicchia's final touchdown pass, a 29-yard strike to running back Jim Bruni with just 1:59 left, pushed the Quakers to a 30-20 advantage and made meaningless for Navy a late touchdown by tailback Chuck Smith.  Ironically, the clinching touchdown came after Penn tight end Brent Novoselsky, who caught two fourth quarter touchdown passes and three in the game, was penalized for moving before the snap.  Click VIDEO to watch Jim Crocicchia's go-ahead touchdown pass to Brent Novoselsky with 2:33 to go.

"PERFECTION IS FINALLY REALIZED": Penn 31, Cornell 21 (November 22, 1986)
Both teams had 6-0 Ivy League records going in. The Quakers were gunning for a fifth straight Ivy title and a perfect 10-0 record. When the final gun sounded, the scoreboard showed a score that was all too familiar to the Quakers and their fans. The one that had the Quakers ahead of the other team. It read simply "Cornell 21, Visitors 31."  For Ed Zubrow -- a man who took on the responsibility of keeping alive an incredible tradition, a man who performed the impossible task of taking a great team and making it better, a man who had taken his season day by day and never looked ahead to being undefeated -- it was time to reflect on some achievements.  "To tell you the truth," Zubrow said, "I didn't think about winning the championship until the final whistle blew. But now, the emotion is so deep it hasn't even hit me yet. It is just great to be everything we had wanted to be. It's going to be a fun trip home."  A fun trip indeed.  No matter how you look at it you'll see that the Quakers had a perfect season. They did just about everything possible. Except lose.  Click VIDEO to watch Chris Flynn's 31-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

"RESPECT": Penn 31, Lafayette 17 (November 5, 1988)
All Penn wanted was respect -- the Quakers not only got that, but a 31-17 victory as well.  Penn and Lafayette, ranked one-two in the Lambert Cup voting which rates the East's top Division I-AA football teams, were headed in opposite directions entering the showdown.  The Leopards possessed the most potent offense in the country and had been ranked as high as seventh in the Associated Press poll. Three weeks ago, they stood at 5-0; but a recent loss to Army and a tie with Cornell dropped them to 17th.  The Quakers, on the other hand, had been engaged in a season-long quest for respect. They stood undefeated, but still unranked nationally -- indicating that the voters considered Penn's relatively lenient schedule to be more significant than its perfect record.  Immediately after Lafayette tied the score, 17-17, with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter, Penn marched upfield, using a 29-yard kickoff return from Steve Hooper, a key third-down completion from quarterback Malcolm Glover and an explosive 30-yard touchdown run from backup tailback Mike Waller to put the Quakers ahead to stay.  Click VIDEO to watch Mike Waller's game-winning touchdown run.

"THE LONESOME END PLAY": Princeton 20, Penn 14 (November 7, 1992)
The Quakers reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out the old "Lonesome End Play".  Senior running back Fitz McKinnon supposedly left the game for a substitute, but never actually left the field. Instead, he hung out by his own sideline, took a quick pass from Quaker quarterback Jim McGeehan and turned upfield for 36 yards.  The Quakers still lost at Princeton, which would go on to win the Ivy League title, 20-14.  The frustration was symbolized by quarterback Jimmy McGeehan throwing the ball out of Palmer Stadium after being sacked by Michael Lerch at the Princeton 30-yard line as time expired.  It would be the Quakers' last setback until their 24-14 defeat at Columbia in 1995. In between the losses, Penn dominated its opposition, winning 24 consecutive games and claiming two straight undisputed Ivy League championships.  Click VIDEO to watch "The Lonesome End Play".

"NO FRESHMEN ALLOWED": Penn 10, Dartmouth 6 (September 18, 1993)
Penn disposed of three-time defending Ivy League champion Dartmouth in regal fashion – and the Quakers did it without 40 players.  That's right, the 40-something freshmen who had been practicing with the team since day one were ineligible to play against the Big Green because it was orientation week at Dartmouth.  Jim McGeehan's 166-yard passing effort moved him into 10th on the Quakers' all-time passing list with 1,923 total yards.  Miles Macik had seven catches and some big third-down receptions.  On the defensive side of the ball, unlikely candidate sophomore defensive back Kevin Allen turned in a Rookie of the Week performance with one interception and four passes defensed.  As expected of any first-time starter, Allen had to defend against not only Jay Fiedler's potent arm, but also his own case of butterflies.  Outside of all the stellar individual performances and the final score, the game against Dartmouth was far from perfect. The Quakers were flagged for an astounding 11 penalties for a total of 100 yards.  Click VIDEO to watch Penn stop Dartmouth's final drive.

"QUAKERS PULL GREAT ESCAPE": Penn 34, Fordham 30 (October 2, 1993)
The fans filing into Franklin Field on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon anticipated a blowout. For much of the first half they got one.  What the 10,529 stunned witnesses did not expect to see was underdog Fordham (0-4) score 24 unanswered points to grab a 24-7 second-quarter advantage.  The Penn football team's first-half free fall, however, turned into a bungee jump, as the Quakers snapped back just before it was too late. When the manic marathon ended, Penn was ahead 34-30 and still unbeaten. Quarterback Jim McGeehan's 11-yard touchdown strike to wideout Miles Macik with 4:56 left to play provided the final margin of victory. Even Houdini would have envied the Quakers' narrow escaping of defeat. The game-winning march commenced at the Fordham 40, but the Quakers were quickly retreating. A holding penalty and a sack forced Penn into a second down and 33. Running back Terrance Stokes carried for eight yards to make it third and 25. Then McGeehan found Macik for 20 yards. On fourth down and five, McGeehan spotted Matt Tonelli over the middle for seven yards, the tight end's only catch of the day. Six plays later the Quakers had their first lead since it was 7-0.  Click VIDEO to watch Miles Macik's game-winning touchdown reception.

"GAME OF THE CENTURY" A/K/A "THE KEITH ELIAS GAME": Penn 30, Princeton 14 (November 6, 1993)
This one really should be called "The Terrance Stokes Game."  In the week leading up to the meeting between the undefeated Quakers and the undefeated Tigers, Elias spoke insultingly about the Penn team and its intelligence, all the while flaunting his mohawk and 183.7 yards per game rushing mark. On game day, though, Stokes' actions spoke much louder than Elias' words. The tailback ran for a Penn record 272 yards on 42 carries, seven of which went for 10 or more yards. Elias, meanwhile, was held to just 59 yards on 15 carries by a strong Red and Blue defense. After the game, he still couldn't stop talking, blasting his teammates and coaches over the performance. Six months later, at the Penn-Princeton basketball game at Jadwin Gym, Elias was still sore about the loss and his failure to put his money where his mouth was. As he walked onto the floor at halftime, Penn fans in the upper balcony started chanting "Elias Sucks!", "59 yards!" and "Terrance Stokes!"  Elias charged towards the upper balcony and had to be restrained by the arena guards. Click VIDEO to watch Terrance Stokes' second quarter touchdown run.

"THE HEX IS BROKEN": Penn 27, Harvard 20 (November 13, 1993)
Harvard had a hex -- Penn's 20-year history of losses on the road to the Crimson -- and hype on its side which carried it for half the game until the Quakers eventually prevailed in a 27-20 win. The Crimson were up 20-10 at halftime. Penn's turnaround came in dramatic fashion just 6:11 into the third quarter as Harvard running back David Sprinkle met with defensive end Michael Turner four yards from a Crimson touchdown. Turner caused a fumble which linebacker Andy Berlin scooped up.  After one incomplete pass, Jimmy McGeehan found running back Terrance Stokes wide open along the Harvard sideline. After catching the ball, Stokes beat the Harvard secondary in an 80-yard mad dash to the end zone.  On the Crimson's next drive, quarterback Mike Giardi was intercepted on the Penn 46-yard line by cornerback Jerel Hopkins. Three plays and just over a minute elapsed before McGeehan found Miles Macik in the front corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 24-20 Penn lead. Horowitz later added a 38-yard field goal to give the Quakers their final margin of victory.  The Quakers had scored 17 points in just over five minutes of play and their defense wasn't about to let go of the 27-20 lead. After the game it was Penn's turn to rush the field but this time it was in celebration of clinching a tie for the Ivy title. Click VIDEO to watch highlights of Penn's come-from-behind victory.

"THE 100TH MEETING": Penn 17, Cornell 14 (November 20, 1993)
In the centennial clash between Penn and Cornell, the Quakers turned the ball over four times in the first half en route to a 14-0 deficit, and the Schuylkill appeared safe from a second date with the goalposts. Penn didn't lead until Marc Horowitz booted a 30 yard field goal through the goalposts with 5:44 remaining. The kick left the game in the hands of the Penn defense, exactly where Cornell quarterback Bill Lazor had been all afternoon. The Quakers sacked Lazor nine times wit defensive ends Dave Betten and Michael "Pup" Turner the ringleaders. Cornell started its final possession from its own 24, facing a long field and long odds.  The Big Red moved from its own 24 to the Penn 21, where they. faced a fourth down and two. Betten and defensive end Kelly Tolton stopped Cornell running back Chad Levitt with 59 seconds remaining, preserving Penn's 17-14 victory that culminated its perfect season. Click VIDEO to watch Kelly Tolton stop Chad Levitt on a 4th-and-two in the final minute.

Penn 33, Princeton 19 (November 5, 1994)
Penn traveled to Princeton's Palmer Stadium in the midst of a dogfight with Cornell for the Ivy crown. After trading punches for over 20 minutes, Quakers cornerback Kevin Allen scooped up a blocked Princeton extra point attempt halfway through the second quarter and raced 84 yards for two points. The runback energized the Penn fans in the stands. The Quakers went on to reel off 24 unanswered points, winning the contest 33-19 and clinching a share of the Ivy crown. Click VIDEO to watch Kevin Allen's blocked extra point return.

"PENN SURVIVES BUCKNELL": Penn 20, Bucknell 19 (September 30, 1995)
The Bucknell players started the victory celebration exactly 73 seconds too early, and that one innocent party foul may have cost the Bison an upset of monumental proportions.  A double unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration gave Penn an enormous field position advantage, setting up Jeremiah Greathouse's game-winning 41-yard field goal, and narrowly preserving Penn's 24-game win streak with an improbable 20-19 victory.  After Bucknell wide receiver John Sakowski tiptoed just inside the end line for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:13 remaining, dozens of Bison ripped off their helmets and piled onto the Franklin Field turf.  The penalties, assessed on the ensuing kickoff, backed the Bucknell special teams up to their own 10-yard line and changed the complexion of the game.  "When I knew we had to kick off from the 10, I wanted to give our kids a chance to win," Bison coach Tom Gadd said, explaining his decision to go for a two-point conversion with a 19-17 lead.  But Bucknell squandered the conversion opportunity when quarterback Jim Fox tripped taking the snap from center, and rolled out the red and blue carpet for a Penn comeback.  To their credit, the Quakers wasted no time capitalizing on their good fortune. Mark Fabish took the ensuing kickoff and sprinted 25 yards to the Bison 45-yard line.  Quarterback Mark DeRosa connected immediately with Miles Macik on a quick slant for 14 yards. Two plays later, running back Aman Abye scampered another eight yards before stepping out of bounds with 27 ticks remaining on the clock.  That brought out Greathouse, who split the uprights with a full five yards to spare. Click VIDEO to watch Jeremiah Greathouse's game-winning 41-yard field goal.

"THE END OF THE STREAK": Columbia 24, Penn 14 (October 7, 1995)
The Quakers entered New York with a 24-game winning streak, the longest winning streak in the nation and a Division I-AA record.  Quarterback Mark DeRosa completed 22 of 39 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns.  However, it was his two interceptions and a fumble that lost the game for the Quakers.  One of the interceptions was on a third and goal from the Columbia two yard line.  The rushing game also came out strong as Aman Abye rushed for 115 yards on 25 carries.  Yet the Quakers could not stop Columbia quarterback Mike Cavanaugh, who completed ten passes for 147 yards and scrambled for another 92.  It was the Quakers' first loss since November of 1992.  Click VIDEO to watch Mark DeRosa's 40-yard touchdown pass to Mark Fabish, which gave Penn a 14-10 lead.

COLUMBIA FINALLY WINS IN PHILLY: Columbia 20, Penn 19 (OT) (October 12, 1996)
With the score tied at 13, the two squads headed into overtime.  The Quakers put together a solid offensive series, in which tailback Jasen Scott plunged in for a touchdown that put the Red and Blue ahead.  But the most crucial moment came when the Quakers attempted the extra point -- which they missed.  Columbia then gained possession of the ball and, following two incompletions, quarterback Paris Childress hit flanker Dennis Lee over the middle at the Penn 10-yard line.  Lee avoided Penn defender Joe Piela and ran untouched into the end zone.  When the Lions converted the extra point, they earned their first win over the Red and Blue at Franklin Field since 1976.  Until that final play, Piela had been one of the defensive stars of the game. The sophomore nickel back had two interceptions and returned one 93 yards for Penn's only regulation touchdown. Click VIDEO to watch Joe Piela's 93-yard interception return.

Penn 17, Harvard 12 (November 16, 1996)
Penn freshman signal caller Brian Russell's first pass in a varsity uniform was also his first career touchdown pass, a 13-yarder to Aman Abye, with 5 minutes, 29 seconds left in the first quarter.  On the last play of the first quarter, Penn's Tom MacLeod threw a flat pass straight to Harvard linebacker Joe Weidle, who rumbled 50 yards down the sideline to the Penn 18. Two players later, Colby Skelton took a reverse 19 yards for a touchdown. The kick failed and Penn held a 7-6 halftime edge. The Quakers coasted through most of the second half, completely shutting down Harvard tailback Eion Hu.  Penn had established a 17-6 lead on a Jasen Scott one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a Greathouse 24-yard field goal with seven minutes to play.  Moments later, a double reverse pass by wide receiver Jared Chupaila to Skelton went for 70 yards and put the Crimson on the one yard line. On the next play, Hu scored to make it a 17-12 game.  Following a failed attempt to run time off the clock, Penn punter Jeff Salvino squibbed a 26-yarder, allowing Harvard to have the ball with 5:13 left on the Quaker's 35-yard line. The result was Penn's defense smothering Crimson quarterback Rich Linden and forcing Harvard to punt for the tenth time. With one last chance the Crimson took over on offense at the 1:42 mark, but a James Finn interception sealed the victory for Penn.  Click VIDEO to watch Brian Russell's first career touchdown pass.

"PENN BLOCKS PRINCETON COMEBACK": Penn 20, Princeton 17 (November 8, 1997)
As the sun set and the mist descended on Franklin Field, Penn's John Bishop felt the roar of the remaining Homecoming crowd as his left elbow deflected Alex Sierk's 46-yard, go-ahead field goal attempt with 2:38 left in the game. Nineteen yards downfield, on the Princeton 47-yard line, Bishop picked up the loose ball, giving the Quakers one more chance to break the 17-17 tie in regulation. From there, Quakers running back Jim Finn and the offensive line took over. With five straight rushes for 29 yards, Finn muscled Penn down to the Tigers' 17-yard line, setting up a 34-yard field goal with four seconds remaining. After converting only seven of his previous 15 field goal attempts on the season, Penn's Jeremiah Greathouse redeemed himself in front of the 15,841 fans, giving Penn a 20-17 win over the Tigers.  The game was a nail-biter that never should have been. Down 17-3 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, Princeton's second-string quarterback John Burnham, who came in due to an injury to starter Harry Nakielny, led the Tigers on three straight scoring drives. For the Quakers' offense, its silent fourth quarter came after consistent play in the first three periods, especially from Finn. The newly converted running back capped another big day with 146 yards on 33 attempts and a touchdown.  Click VIDEO to watch highlights or click VIDEO to watch Jeremiah Greathouse's game-winning field goal.

"THE WILD ONE": Brown 58, Penn 51 (October 24, 1998)
Jim Finn broke a Penn record in Providence by running for six touchdowns against the Bears, but the fourth quarter was a game all by itself.  Brown outscored the Quakers 30-28 in the final period, scoring the winning touchdown with four seconds remaining, 40 seconds after Finn's five-yard touchdown run tied it up.  Finn ran for 259 yards on the day, so easily cutting through the Bears defense that the DP wrote "on one touchdown run in the fourth quarter, he would have scored even if it had been a game of two-hand touch."  Finn's four touchdowns in the fourth quarter were the entirety of the Penn scoring. Just about the only thing that the '98 Bushnell Cup winner did wrong all day was a missed two-point conversion in the third quarter.  The Bears, meanwhile, went through the air to win the game. James Perry threw for 470 yards and six touchdowns, four of which came in the final period.  Click VIDEO to watch highlights of this wild game.

"KUNLE WILLIAMS TAKES IT HOME TWICE": Penn 41, Princeton 13 (November 6, 1999)
For the first 2½ quarters, Penn was locked in a defensive struggle with the Princeton Tigers, 6-6.  But the Quakers changed that in a span of 5:14 in the third period.  First, Gavin Hoffman hit wide receiver Rob Milanese across the middle for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 13-6 Penn with 8:41 left in the third.  Princeton's next possession was highlighted by back-to-back sacks by Penn's Jim Hisgen and Jason Maehr, before the Tigers shanked a six-yard punt.  Four plays later, Quakers running back Kris Ryan ran in from five yards out to make it 20-6 with 4:35 left in the third.  As a result of porous pass protection on the ensuing drive, Princeton starting quarterback Tommy Crenshaw was knocked out of the game on the drive's second play.  Seconds later, Tigers backup Jon Blevins handed Quakers strong safety Kunle Williams a wobbling pass at the Princeton 41-yard line, which the sophomore returned up the right sideline for a touchdown, making it 27-6 with 3:27 left in the third.  That brought the crowd to its feet and broke the Tigers' backs.  In the final minute, with the game already well in hand, Williams again picked off a Blevins pass and ran a record-setting 100 yards to paydirt.that put a big exclamation point on the Quakers' defensive effort.  Click VIDEO to watch Kunle Williams' record-setting 100-yard interception return.

"HAIL-MARY": Penn 21, Harvard 17 (November 13, 1999)
Move over, Doug Flutie. Facing a do-or-die fourth-and-10 from midfield with 1:17 left, Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman was flushed from the pocket and forced to throw a scrambling desperation heave toward the end zone.  As if guided by Flutie himself -- one of Boston's favorite sons -- the pass settled into the leaping arms of Quakers receiver Brandon Carson 50 yards away for the winning score in Penn's improbable 21-17 victory.  Hoffman completed 29 passes for 348 yards in the Quakers' last-second-win -- including seven for 105 yards to Carson -- but none could even hold a candle to this final heave.  Just minutes earlier, the Quakers had been left for dead. Hoffman was picked off by Crimson linebacker Jeff Svicarovich and Harvard took the ball, and a 17-14 lead, to the Penn 31 with two minutes left.  But fate works in mysterious ways.  On a third-and-two, Crimson quarterback Brad Wilford collided with sixth-string tailback Brent Chalmers -- the lone available Harvard back -- on a handoff and the ball hit the ground.  Penn safety Hasani White recovered the fumble, and seven plays later, Penn's prayers were answered.  Click VIDEO to watch Brandon Carson haul in the 50-yard touchdown to seal Penn's comeback win over Harvard.

"THE COMEBACK": Penn 41, Brown 38 (October 28, 2000)
Gavin Hoffman's seven-yard touchdown pass to Rob Milanese with 28 ticks left on the clock gave the Quakers a stunning 41-38 come-from-behind victory over visiting Brown.  Penn trailed, 38-20, with 7:28 remaining in the fourth quarter when Hoffman led the Quakers on the first of the three scoring drives late in the game. He nailed Milanese with a 48-yard pass and then hit Jason Battung for an eight-yard score with 4:37 remaining.  After the Quaker defense forced a three-and-out, Penn's Joe Phillips returned a Sean Jensen punt 32 yards to the 50-yard line.  Hoffman came out on the first play of the drive and hit Doug O'Neill with a 49-yard strike and then rushed the ball into the end zone himself on the next play to draw the Quakers within five points, 38-33, with 2:49 left in regulation. After forcing the Bears to punt, again, the Quakers started their game-winning drive on their own 38-yard line, with 1:41 left in the contest.  Hoffman opened up with an 18-yard strike to Colin Smith. Hoffman's next two attempts were incomplete before he found Smith again for a 19-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Hoffman came back to Smith one more time, hitting the third-year wideout with a 13-yard pass at the Brown 12-yard line.  Hoffman then laced a perfect pass to Doug O'Neill for a 10-yard gain. After an incomplete pass and a five-yard penalty against the Quakers, Hoffman found Milanese for the game-winning score. When the smoke cleared, Hoffman had taken the Quakers down the field on drives of three plays-for-61 yards, two plays-for-50 yards and eight plays-for-62 yards, respectively, in 4:11.  Click VIDEO to watch highlights of Penn's improbable comeback.

"THE COMEBACK" (PART II): Penn 40, Princeton 24 (November 4, 2000)
The Princeton Tigers knew it would come.  They had to have known that the Penn football team and its high-octane offense couldn't be held to the measly six points it scored in the first 29 minutes and 54 seconds of the game, but there was no way the Tigers could have known what they were in for. For the second straight week, the Quakers overcame an 18-point deficit and won. Princeton's Taylor Northrop hit a field goal to give the Tigers a 24-6 lead on their last possession of the first half, and it looked as though the Quakers would spend the second half digging their way out of another 18-point hole. The Quakers got the ball at their own 40 with 43 seconds left in the half. They used 37 of those seconds to move the ball just 18 yards, to the Princeton 42. But then, serendipity hit. With just six ticks on the clock, Hoffman heaved a throw toward the end zone. Princeton linebacker Chris Roser-Jones leaped at the six yard line and batted the ball backwards and down into the waiting arms of Penn wideout Doug O'Neill, who ran nearly the width of the field evading Princeton defenders and managed to stick the ball just over the goal line with his outstretched left arm. The Quakers came out in the second half on fire, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions after the break, and with about seven minutes to go in the third quarter found themselves ahead 34-24. The Red and Blue left Old Nassau with a very convincing 40-24 win. Click VIDEO to watch Doug O'Neill's improbable hail-mary touchdown reception.

"PENN ENDS LEHIGH'S 26-GAME WINNING STREAK": Penn 24, Lehigh 21 (September 28, 2002)
The Red and Blue upended #4 Lehigh, 24-21, at Franklin Field,  halting the Mountain Hawks' 26-game regular-season winning streak. As Matt Douglas' 29-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide with 1:17 remaining in the contest, so did Lehigh's hopes of a come-from-behind victory. Penn's Mike Mitchell threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, while Stephen Faulk scored a pair of touchdowns to help give Penn what appeared to be a dominating 17-point lead heading into the game's final 15 minutes. However, Lehigh rallied in the game's waning moments to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns and set up the game-tying 29-yard field-goal attempt.  Leading 10-7,  the Red and Blue got the ball back on their own 26-yard line with just 24 seconds remaining in the half. Mitchell started the drive off by hitting Faulk with a 16-yard pass, and then followed that up with a 24-yard connection with Milanese. After an incomplete pass on the Lehigh 34, Mitchell completed a 12-yard pass to Joe Phillips, who then pitched the ball back to Faulk on the Lehigh 22. Faulk had only one man to beat, when Milanese threw the block that sprung Faulk into the end zone with no time remaining in the opening half, as Penn went into halftime leading 17-7. Faulk added one more touchdown for the cause, as he leapt over a pile of bodies from the one-yard line, while Peter Veldman's third extra-point of the contest gave the Quakers a 24-7 lead with 19:26 left in the game. Click VIDEO to watch highlights, including Stephen Faulk's "hook-and-lateral" touchdown .

"PENN UPSETS #19 LEHIGH": Penn 31, Lehigh 24 (September 27, 2003)
Sagar Patel's first career reception could not have come at a better time as the second-year receiver hauled in an 18-yard touchdown to cap off a 21-0 Red and Blue run in the fourth quarter as No. 21 Penn overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 19 Lehigh, 34-21, at Goodman Stadium. And while it was the Quakers' offense which scored 21 second-half points, including two fourth-quarter touchdowns, to turn the contest around on the scoreboard, it was the Penn defense which shut the door on Lehigh, holding the Mountain Hawks to just 46 yards of offense in the second half and four first downs. The Red and Blue defense also came up with the game's biggest stop with 1:41 remaining in the fourth as Lehigh attempted to convert a fourth-and-12 situation on the Penn 31. Although it was Patel's touchdown (as he was sliding out of the end zone) that gave the Red and Blue the go-ahead score, it was the Mike Mitchell-Dan Castles show on offense in the second half that made the first reception of Patel's career that much more memorable.  Mitchell threw four touchdown passes, hitting Castles twice in the end zone in the second half to knot the score at 24, 1:33 into the final quarter. The contest included a 66-minute delay due to lightning with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter. Click VIDEO to watch Sagar Patel's first career reception, as he was sliding out of the end zone.

"PENN SURVIVES BUCKNELL" (Part II): Penn 14, Bucknell 13 (October 11, 2003)
Ryan Korn's 39-yard field-goal attempt with 14 seconds remaining in regulation fell short as No. 15 Penn held on to defeat Bucknell, 14-13, at Franklin Field. It was a day for runners as Penn and Bucknell combined for 444 rushing yards with Sam Mathews leading the Red and Blue with 105 yards on the ground.  Perhaps the most important statistic for Mathews was his two touchdowns, which was all Penn needed for victory. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native rushed in a 3-yard score in the first quarter to give the Red and Blue a 7-3 lead, 10:56 into the game. His second touchdown was off a 20-yard pass from Pat McDermott and put the Quakers up for good at 14-10 with 2:11 remaining in the first half. Bucknell pulled within one point 6:13 into the final quarter when Korn connected on a 28-yard field goal to cap off a 16-play, 69-yard drive.  Click VIDEO to watch the dramatic finish.

Penn 34, Yale 31 (OT) (October 25, 2003)
Peter Veldman's 23-yard field goal in overtime gave No. 13 Penn a 34-31 victory over visiting Yale at Franklin Field. Quakers' Casey Edgar blocked John Troost's 22-yard field-goal attempt on Yale's overtime possession to help set up Veldman's game-winning kick.  Penn had built a 17-3 halftime lead. That lead was extended to 21 as Sam Mathews carried in an 18-yard score to give the Quakers a 24-3 lead with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter.  Dan Castles' 22-yard fourth-quarter touchdown reception appeared to put the game out of reach as Penn took a 21-point lead, 31-10, with 11:29 remaining in the contest. However, Yale had other plans as the Elis rallied to score 21 points over the next 7:32 on three touchdown passes by Alvin Cowan to deadlock the contest at 31-31 with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. The Red and Blue did have an opportunity to win the game in regulation as Veldman attempted a career-long 45-yard field goal with no time remaining. The kick fell just short and sent the contest into the extra session. Click VIDEO to watch highlights of this thrilling overtime game.

IVY CHAMPS: Penn 32, Harvard 24 (November 15, 2003)
No. 8 Penn defeated Harvard, 32-24, at Harvard Stadium to clinch the outright Ivy League title.  Penn jumped out to a quick 22-0 lead on Mike Mitchell touchdown strikes to Brian Adams (11 yards), Dan Castles (44 yards) and Kevin Desmedt (7 yards) 16:26 into the contest. Early in the game, it appeared as if everything would go the Quakers way especially when Gabe Marabella was able to recover a bad snap on Peter Veldman's point-after attempt on DeSmedt's touchdown and scramble to find Matt Boyer in the end zone for the successful two-point conversion.  That lead was extended to 29-7 to start the second half when Michael Recchuiti scored on a 2-yard run. Veldman then converted a 35-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter in heavy cross winds to give Penn a 32-16 advantage with less than eight minutes to play. However, Penn still needed some late-game heroics from senior captain Steve Lhotak, as the linebacker pulled down Harvard's Matt Frotto on the Quakers' six-yard line as time expired to seal the win. Click VIDEO to watch Steve Lhotak's game-saving tackle.

"PENN SURVIVES BUCKNELL" (PART III): Penn 32, Bucknell 25 (2 OT) (October 9, 2004)

Pat McDermott threw for a career-high 384 yards, but it was his one-yard touchdown run that was the deciding factor in the Red and Blue’s victory.  Prior to the overtime, the game hinged on a literal change of fortunes in the fourth quarter.  A holding call negated a 23-yard touchdown run by Bucknell's Darius Wilson.  The penalty pushed the ball back to the Penn 27-yard line and a two-yard loss forced the Bison to punt 30 yards from the opposing goal line.  Penn moved the ball well on the ensuing possession but lost a fumble in Bucknell territory on a Sam Mathews carry only to have Chris Mizell recover a Bison fumble on the same play at the Bucknell 49-yard line.  Two plays later, Penn tied the score at 22 when McDermott hit Gabe Marabella from 12 yards out with under six minutes remaining in regulation; a score that would send the game into overtime.  Ryan Korn of Bucknell made a 47-yard field goal to open the extra frame, a career-high.  On Penn’s possession, the drive was stalled on the Bucknell 25-yard line, forcing the Quakers to attempt a 42-yard field goal of their own.  Evan Nolan, on his 22nd birthday, nailed the attempt to force the second and decisive overtime session.  Click VIDEO to watch highlights of this thrilling overtime game.


"THE DRIVE": Penn 20, Brown 16 (October 30, 2004)
There were three minutes remaining and it looked as if the Quakers' 18-game Ivy winning streak was going to come crashing to an end.  In the course of two minutes, 10 seconds and 88 yards, the Penn offense, which to that point had done nothing, found an unstoppable rhythm.  First it was a 13-yard pass from Pat McDermott to Chris Mizell, then McDermott found Kevin DeSmedt, then Matt Carre -- four times.  With the ball already at the Bears' 24, a McDermott run and a pass interference penalty set up Sam Matthews' 2-yard touchdown run.  And keeping in mind that none of this would have been possible without Brown's Nick Hartigan fumbling on Penn's goal line in the third quarter, this was a game to remember.  Click VIDEO to watch the game-winning touchdown drive.

"WIDE RIGHT": Penn 16, Princeton 15 (November 6, 2004)

One, two or even three offensive drives can be the difference in a game and possibly a season.  Penn needed those three drives and a key defensive stop with under a minute remaining to defeat Princeton, 16-15, at Princeton Stadium.  The Quakers, down 15-13 with eight and a half minutes left in regulation, pulled off yet another spectacular scoring drive.  Penn raced 59 yards in 12 plays to set up freshman Derek Zoch for a 22-yard field goal, the first attempt of his career.  A false start call on the Red and Blue moved the rookie back an additional five yards but his leg and aim held true, booting his first-career field goal to give Penn the decisive edge, 16-15.  Penn was not out of the woods yet -- there were still nearly three minutes remaining. Princeton drove to the Quakers’ 19-yard line.  Luke Hadden, who led Penn with 11 tackles, pulled down Brandon Benson for a five-yard loss.  An incomplete pass from Matt Verbit put the weight of a 41-yard field goal attempt on Derek Javarone, who had hit three field goals during the game from distances of 27, 32 and 33 yards, respectively.  Javarone would not make a fourth as the kick sailed wide right.  Click VIDEO to watch the dramatic finish.


KYLE AMBROGI'S LAST GAME: Penn 53, Bucknell 7 (October 8, 2005)
It was a day made more for ducks than football. A driving wind, a pouring rain (that only got worse as the game went on) and a slippery turf guaranteed that things would not be easy for Penn and Bucknell at Franklin Field. So what did the Quakers do? They played solid defense. Real solid defense. They held the Bison -- who entered the contest 16th in the nation in rushing offense -- to 74 yards on 46 attempts, a 1.4 average per carry. They jumped on a Bucknell fumble in the end zone for a score. They intercepted a pass and took it in for another score. And then they recovered another fumble deep in Bison territory, which set up a one-play drive that went all of eight yards. In other words, they made things easy in a 53-7 victory. Click VIDEO to watch a short tribute to Kyle Ambrogi.

Yale 17, Penn 14 (OT) (October 21, 2006)
Yale's Alan Kimball hit a 35-yard field goal in overtime to win the game for the Elis, 17-14, at the Yale Bowl. Derek Zoch’s attempt from 36 yards on Penn’s overtime possession clanked off the right upright. The game ultimately came down to missed opportunities on both sides of the ball, but the Quakers in particular were hurt by two missed field goals, including the critical attempt in the extra frame. On Yale’s first possession, Matt Polhemus connected 10 yards to Chandler Henley to put the Bulldogs up a touchdown with less than three minutes gone in the game. Robert Irvin went long and hit Matt Carre for a 57-yard completion to put Penn at the five. Two plays later, from six yards out, Chris Mizell snared a one-handed catch on the goal line to tie the game at seven. Penn began the second quarter with the ball inside the Yale 10 after taking over at midfield. After a three-yard run by Blakely Thorton, Joe Sandberg tight-roped the line and leapt for the pylon to put the Quakers up 14-7 with his six-yard run. Late in the half, Mike McLeod knotted the game on a four-yard run after Polhemus completed a series of passes to move the Elis 80 yards downfield. The game remained tied up into the overtime, with both defenses shutting things down. Click VIDEO to watch the highlights.

"DEJA VU": Brown 30, Penn 27 (OT) (October 28, 2006)
For the second week in a row, Penn went to overtime and for the second week in a row, the Quakers failed to score in the extra frame as Brown came back to beat Penn, 30-27, at a blustery Franklin Field. Derek Zoch missed a 26-yard field goal wide right in the first overtime period, and Brown's Steve Morgan was good from 25 yards to win the game. Morgan had initially missed a 35-yard attempt, but an offside penalty on Penn gave Brown a fresh set of downs and a second chance. The overtime came after Penn watched a 27-17 lead fall away with 10 unanswered Brown points in the fourth quarter. Scotty Williams was a defensive standout for Penn, nabbing two interceptions and returning a fumble for a touchdown. Freshman Chris Wynn provided the special teams highlight, returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Wynn took the kickoff at his own two-yard line and hit the hole running, breaking free and dancing along the Penn sideline to go 98 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the third quarter. The play, which was Penn’s longest kickoff return since Frank Riepl went 108 yards against Notre Dame in 1955, electrified the Homecoming crowd as toast rained down between the quarters. Click VIDEO to watch the highlights, including Chris Wynn's electrifying 98-yard kickoff return.

"DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN": Princeton 31, Penn 30 (2 OT) (November 4, 2006)
Somehow, the ending didn't seem all that strange. Sure, there were two overtime periods that included two botched kicks, a blocked field goal and an impromptu running back-to-quarterback pitch, but Penn's fate recently seemed to suggest that the Quakers couldn't have won even with a perfect performance. The Quakers dropped a 31-30 double-overtime heartbreaker at Princeton, their third extra-frame loss in a row, setting the NCAA Division I record for consecutive overtime games and eliminating themselves from the Ivy League title race. Aside from a career-long 38-yard field goal by wideout-turned-kicker Braden Lepisto, Penn's kicking game held true to form; the Quakers had problems every step of the way, from the snap to the hold to the actual kick. Sprint football call-up Peter Stine missed a gimme from 23 yards out before leaving the game, and Penn's special teams unit made a mess of two overtime kicks. The first, a field goal from 20 yards out in the first possession of the first overtime, was doomed by holder Matt Reinert's inability to get the ball down. The second was an extra point following a 25-yard touchdown strike to Matt Carre from quarterback Robert Irvin, and may have been the most heartbreaking play that Penn had seen in these three unfortunate weeks. A converted kick would have sent the game into a third overtime, but a low snap from Ted Rosenbaum led to a mad scramble by Reinert to the end zone. And just like most things had gone recently, Penn was just a couple yards short, sealing its fate in the Ivy League. However, Penn might not have even been in this position had an unorthodox play not bailed Princeton out of a failed fourth-down conversion. Penn put forth an admirable goal-line stand on the Tigers' second overtime possession, stuffing Terrell and running back Rob Toresco on three straight plays. But the kicking unit stayed on the sidelines on fourth down, and Princeton once again went to Toresco. Stopped in his tracks before the goal line, Toresco had nowhere to go. Terrell, however, did. Toresco pitched it straight back to his quarterback, and Terrell scampered into the end zone untouched. But perhaps Toresco's goal-line pitch never should have happened as the Quakers appeared to have stopped the sophomore's forward motion, and perhaps he should have been called down. Click VIDEO to watch the highlights.

"WHO NEEDS OVERTIME?": Penn 22, Harvard 13 (November 11, 2006)
With a chance to go up by a pair of touchdowns, the Penn offense ran into a wall. So out strode Penn's leading wide receiver, Braden Lepisto, to try a 38-yard field goal. He left no doubt. When the ball sailed through the uprights to make the score 17-7, Lepisto had delivered a clear message to visiting Harvard: This would not resemble Penn's last three games. There would be no points left on the field. The Quakers went on to defeat the No. 17 Crimson, 22-13, snapping an NCAA-record three-game overtime losing streak. Harvard tailback Clifton Dawson broke the Ivy League record for career rushing yards on a 55-yard run, just his second carry of the game. But the Quakers ruined his big day in the end. That was hardly a foregone conclusion, even though Penn only trailed for the opening 10 minutes. Harvard drove 44 yards in three plays to set up a field goal as time expired in the first half, making the score 20-13. But that was the last time the Crimson would threaten. Punter Anthony Melillo pinned Harvard inside its own three-yard line on three straight possessions in the second half, and regaining the field-position battle proved to be too much even for Dawson and quarterback Liam O'Hagan. Neither team could add anything offensively to the scoreboard in the second half. The lone points came for Penn in the fourth quarter when O'Hagan tripped two yards deep in his own end zone for a safety, making the game a two-possession battle with 6:38 remaining. Click VIDEO to watch the highlights.

Cornell 28, Penn 27 (November 18, 2006)
Different opponent, same story. For the fourth time in five games, the Quakers suffered a close loss resulting from special teams mistakes. So it was an appropriate season finale at Cornell when the Red and Blue lost, 28-27, after failing on a trick play for a two-point conversion with under two minutes to go. Nobody watching the first three quarters could have predicted the wild fourth quarter and bizarre finish. By halftime, Penn quarterback Robert Irvin had only completed one of eight passes for a total of 11 yards. Quakers running back Joe Sandberg, who figured to be a factor against a relatively weak Cornell rush defense, couldn't get much running room. The senior scored four touchdowns in the game, but all of those scores came from inside the 10, and he had just 58 yards on 19 carries. Things didn't look good for the Big Red going into the fourth quarter as Penn led 14-7. With starting quarterback Nathan Ford out, Cornell was forced to rely upon freshman quarterback Stephen Liuzza, who had been inconsistent both throwing and running the ball. But Liuzza wouldn't relent to the pressure as he led his team to a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback. After Penn was forced to punt from deep in its own territory, the Big Red made a quick score to knot it at 14. Soon after, a 74-yard pass to receiver Anthony Jackson set up a draw play, and Liuzza ran it in to make it 21-14. With momentum shifting in Cornell's favor, Irvin found his groove and receivers Matt Carre and Braden Lepisto for big gains, leading to another Sandberg touchdown run. But the Big Red was unfazed, and it hit back immediately. Bryan Walters returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a score and had the home crowd, band and bench on their feet. Irvin again led Penn on a 70-yard touchdown drive. But Bagnoli opted to run a fake PAT that had holder Scotty Williams pitch the ball over his shoulder to kicker/wide receiver Lepisto, who was supposed to run it into the corner of the end zone. However, the play broke down after a bad snap, and Cornell snuffed out the last chance for the Quakers to win back the Trustees' Cup, the trophy that has gone to the winner of the Penn-Cornell game since 1894. Click VIDEO to watch some of the highlights.

Yale 26, Penn 20 (3 OT) (October 20, 2007)
Not again. Penn lost a football game. In overtime. Check that -- in triple overtime. And once again, this loss was not without its controversy. Controversy No. 1 -- did Yale running back Mike McLeod get into the end zone on third down during Yale's possession in the third overtime? It appeared that he bounced off the ground about a half-yard shy of the end zone, but his momentum (and reach) put the ball over the line. However it appeared, the refs were quick to signal touchdown. Controversy No. 2 -- facing fourth-and-goal from inside the 1, and needing a touchdown to tie the game, Penn rolled a halfback pitch to the left. Joe Sandberg caught the pitch and quickly realized he had nowhere to go -- Yale had sniffed the play out. Sandberg turned back, came to the right side, and with several more Yale defenders bearing down on him had the wherewithal to throw a pass to fullback Nick Cisler in the end zone. Touchdown! Hold on. Flag. The penalty? Ineligible man downfield. Bring it back five yards and re-play fourth down. This time, quarterback Bryan Walker tried Braden Lepisto on a slant route, but the ball sailed a bit and slid through the leaping Lepisto's outstretched hands. Final score: Yale 26, Penn 20. The final sequence capped off a wild affair at Franklin Field, one that provided several riveting moments for the Homecoming crowd of 15,668 and a national television audience on the YES Network. Click VIDEO to watch some of the highlights.