Penn drops opener to Lehigh

In its NCAA all-divisions-record 1,363 games, it seems unlikely that Penn ever threw what should have been three touchdown passes on its first possession. Only one of them counted in game No. 1,364 after two were dropped, but it definitely hinted at the points that would pile up in the opener for the Quakers against Lehigh on Saturday at Franklin Field.

The teams had 10 first-half possessions. Eight went for touchdowns. One ended in a missed field goal, the other in an interception. There were 593 yards of offense, 33 first downs, 76 plays, and no punts.

The question was: Would anybody ever stop anybody? The answer came when Lehigh took the second-half kickoff, blew down the field for another quick touchdown, forced five consecutive Penn punts, and kept scoring themselves, once on a 97-yard drive, eventually winning, 49-28, as senior quarterback Nick Shafnisky accounted for six TDs - three passing, three rushing.

"Coming in, those first games are always quirky," Penn coach Ray Priore said. "It's their third, our first. . . . There is a certain conditioning. You can never simulate that type of energy that [gets you] exhausted when you are playing in practice.

"Obviously, we came out in the second half and didn't have that extra little pop that we were looking for."

In the first half, fourth downs were an annoyance. So was the clock at the end of the half, when Lehigh (1-2) went for a touchdown twice in the final seconds and got it to tie the score, 28-28.

Penn's terrific senior quarterback, Alek Torgersen from Huntington Beach, Calif., accounted for all his team's first-half touchdowns - two rushing, two passing to star junior receiver Justin Watson from suburban Pittsburgh. Shafnisky was just as good as Torgersen, rushing for three TDs and throwing for another before the half.

Penn got the ball first and scored first, and the teams alternated touchdowns over 30 wild minutes.

In its final seven games last year, Penn scored 45, 42, 34, 48, 26, 35, and 34 points, winning the last six. With so much of that offense back, Penn figured to have no trouble scoring. The Quakers (0-1) scored at will early, but then they could not even start a drive, looking very much like a team playing its first game against a team playing its third.

"In my opinion, the game is all about the ball," Priore said. "You hold the ball, you win the game."

Lehigh had 34 first downs, gained 548 yards on 86 plays, and dominated the second-half time of possession, 21 minutes to nine.