Good friends do battle for final time

ANDY TALLEY has been the face of Villanova football since the program was restored at the FCS level in 1985 after a 4-year hiatus. The Wildcats won 15 of his first 16 games, made it to the playoffs in 1989 and won a national title in 2009.

Al Bagnoli took over at Penn in 1992. He inherited a program coming off three losing seasons and immediately got the Quakers back to where Jerry Berndt and then Ed Zubrow had them in the 1980s. Then he kept them there. His nine Ivy Leagues titles, all outright, are one off the record of Yale's Carm Cozza (1965-96), who shared six.

Talley and Bagnoli, who call each other friend, are both worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

Bagnoli is retiring at the end of the season. Longtime assistant Ray Priore, the defensive coordinator and associate head coach, will succeed him.

Talley might never leave, even though one of his guys, Mark Ferrante, is the logical heir apparent.

Tomorrow afternoon at Franklin Field their teams will meet for the 13th time. Villanova has won all of them, although one went into overtime and three others were decided by three, four and seven points. It's about the only thing Bagnoli hasn't done, other than coach in the postseason. But that's an Ivy issue.

The Wildcats (2-1) are ranked fifth, having scored 99 points in their last two games. If they make a 25-yard field goal at the end of regulation they win their opener at Syracuse instead of going down in double overtime.

Penn, like the rest of the Ivies, finally opened last week but couldn't hold a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead at Jacksonville (2-1).

Now this, once again.

"I certainly enjoy the relationship, but not the rivalry as much because we haven't won any," Bagnoli said. "It's a program you want to be connected with, but it's difficult for a non-scholarship school. But that's the reality of what we're doing. We recognize that. So you just try to do the best you can with it.

"You try to embrace it. For us, you try to use it to show you where you're at. It's almost a barometer. But it has the potential to get ugly. A lot depends on your health status, the maturity of your team and [Villanova's] current condition. Are they a Top 5 team or a Top 25 team? There's a big difference."

The Wildcats won last year at home, 35-6. The reality is that in the recent past, Villanova has also won by 12, 16 and 20. Still, Talley knows better.

"They've always been a very, very difficult team for us to play, a very physical team," Talley stressed. "I know it's Al's last [chance], because [everyone's] been asking me about it. I'll miss the opportunity to go up against him. We'll still have many opportunities to go have lunch and eat some Italian food.

"We've been fortunate to win some of those games. You know coming out of the game you're definitely going to be black and blue. And we'll be scratching our heads, because he gives you every look in the book. I told our players, 'Let's get something straight. We won this game twice on the last play.'

"I'd rather play somebody that you're probably two or three touchdowns better than. Traditionally, they've been the best team in their league. The CAA's a war zone. So this is not the [non-conference] game I'd want. I do love the fact that we don't have to travel, and that we're playing in Franklin Field. As a kid growing up in the area, it's historic for me. I watched my first game there. Notre Dame played Penn. So for me, that part of it's great. It's who you're playing against."

Bagnoli has suggested that Walter Payton Award candidate John Roberton and his broken non-throwing hand take the week off. Since that's not going to happen, maybe Talley can give him a nice going-away present before kickoff.

"I'll take 10 points," Bagnoli pleaded.

Next offseason, they can discuss that and anything else over a plate of pasta at their favorite restaurant. Until then . . .

"I look at it differently than the public," Bagnoli said. "For me it's, 'Wow, what a challenge.' I get that we're 15 miles apart, and it's attractive for Philly. If I'm Andy, for him it makes a lot of sense. I would never want Penn to come off the schedule.

"But I've been dealing with this for God knows how long. I'm sick of it. This is the reason I'm retiring. The son of a gun is forcing me out."

We're pretty confident he was mostly joking.