Posted on Sun, Nov. 23, 2008
ITHACA, N.Y. - Penn's season ended with a 23-6 victory over Cornell, which means the the Quakers finished 6-4 - their first winning season since 2004.
But with the wind swirling and the temperature at 10 degrees, Penn shivered in its postgame celebration and there was no joyous ride home with the Ivy League championship trophy.
The win was coach Al Bagnoli's 200th. He is the fifth Football Championship Subdivision coach to reach that mark. But this year's seniors, like last year's, will graduate without Ivy League title rings. During his decade and a half with Penn, they are the only two classes with that distinction. Bagnoli said recently that retirement was not on his radar. After yesterday's game, he took pride in what he could - resilience.
"Our kids have shown tremendous resolve," Bagnoli said, after "expending so much emotional energy" during last week's heartbreaking 24-21 loss to Harvard, which left the Quakers needing a miracle to bring home the league crown. Harvard beat Yale, 10-0, yesterday, eliminating that slim chance.
Penn has lost two starting quarterbacks. Kyle Olson tore an ACL several weeks ago, forcing sophomore Keiffer Garton to step into the No. 1 spot, and in the first quarter yesterday, Garton went down, too.
Junior Brendan McNally, who started the year at safety, took the remaining snaps for Penn, helping the offense pile up 304 yards - 282 on the ground. Sophomore tailback Mike DiMaggio's 37-yard touchdown run was the highlight.
The run gave Penn a 17-3 second-quarter lead, which it stretched to 20-3 before halftime. With the Big Red needing a comeback, Cornell wideout Shane Kilcoyne bobbled a pass that landed in the arms of Penn defensive back Kevin Gray with 4 minutes, 31 seconds left in the game.
The Big Red had six penalties for 47 yards. Quarterback Nathan Ford threw three interceptions.
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