Penn, Brown in battle of Ivy unbeatens

At this time last year, freshman Bill Ragone was on the injured list with a broken collarbone, and he could only watch as the Penn football team went 7-0 to take the Ivy League championship on its way an 8-2 finish overall.

On Saturday at Franklin Field, Ragone will play a significant role in a significant outing. He will start at quarterback for the Quakers as they take on Brown with first place in the Ancient Eight on the line.

Penn, which is ranked No. 21 in the Football Championship Subdivision, is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the league. Brown is 4-2 and 3-0.

"Coach has told us that this game is to decide our destiny," the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Ragone said. "It's definitely a huge game for us. I think we're prepared to go out and play Penn football."

Ragone, who will make his fifth start of the season, is 41 for 69 passing this fall for 461 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Last week, in a 27-20 win at previously undefeated Yale, Ragone went 8 for 16 for 102 yards, with no TD passes or interceptions.

Ragone and freshman Ryan Becker have been splitting the snaps with senior Keiffer Garton limited due to off-season knee surgery.

"We just have to limit our turnovers and win the turnover battle," Ragone said about facing Brown. "I just want to take care of the ball and get the ball in the hands of our playmakers."

The last time Ragone was in as meaningful a game as this one against Brown was when his high school team, in Cheshire, Conn., played for the state championship. His squad lost that day, but the experience will be useful against Brown.

"Every week is pretty much a championship game here," he said. "Every week is like a championship week. If you want to win the Ivy League championship, you have to win every week."

Notes. Along with handing Yale its first loss of the season, Penn also put Dartmouth and Columbia in the loss column for the first time. . . . Penn senior Andrew Samson is four kicks away from the school record for extra-point kicks. The all-time record of 95 is held by Jason Feinberg (1998-2000). . . . Penn has scored in 126 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in Ivy League history. Brown holds the record with 144 in a row.

Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Franklin Field.

Radio: WNTP-AM (990).

Records: Brown, 4-2, 3-0 Ivy League; Penn, 5-1, 3-0.

Coaches: Brown, Phil Estes (13th season, 76-49); Penn, Al Bagnoli (19th season, 127-57).

Series: Penn leads series, 55-21-2.

Brown outlook: The Bears, who last won the Ivy League championship in 2008, have defeated Penn in four of the last five meetings between the teams. Included are victories at Franklin Field in Brown's last two visits. Last year, the Quakers won at Brown on their way to the league championship. Under Estes, the Bears also won the crown in 1999 and 2005.

Penn outlook: The Quakers are going for their 12th straight win in the Ivy League, dating back to 2008. On homecoming at Penn, the university will have the dedication of its new George A. Weiss Pavilion, which houses a varsity weight room, recreational fitness center, new men's lacrosse locker room, new women's lacrosse locker room, and new athletic training center. As part of the ceremonies, the Heisman Trophy Trust will present Penn with a replica of the Heisman Trophy in honor of John Heisman's career with the Quakers. He graduated in 1892. The trophy will eventually be displayed in the atrium of the Weiss Pavilion.

- Kevin Tatum

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