Penn out to defend Ivy title

PENN'S FOOTBALL team is chasing history. Never a bad place to be.

The Ivy League was formed in 1956. Since then, no team has won four outright titles in a 5-year span. Dartmouth won five consecutive championships from 1969-73, but two were shared. And Penn did the same from 1982-86, but again a pair of them were not solos (the Quakers also were co-champs in 1988).

So how many times do you get a chance to accomplish something nobody's ever managed before?

"I think coach [Al Bagnoli] brought it up once," said senior defensive back Dan Wilk, one of the team leaders. "It's there, and we want to make it happen, but we don't really get into that much. I'm sure everyone else will make more of it than we do. It's something we can think about when it's time."

In other words, check back in 2 months. Not that the Quakers are shying away from the obvious reality. The defending champs - who have most everyone back from a team that somehow managed to win its last five a year ago after starting 1-4 - not surprisingly have been picked to finish first, just ahead of usual suspect Harvard. But the last 4 years, the team that was picked second has taken home the trophy.

"I don't know if you call it pressure," Bagnoli said. "There's always expectations. Hopefully our kids don't spend too much time worrying about that. I understand why we were put No. 1 . . . Now you have to deal with all the issues of not being complacent, continuing to work hard and stay hungry, pay attention to detail and give ourselves a chance."

Bagnoli has won nine rings in 21 years in West Philly, none of them shared. He has gone back-to-back three times. So this is familiar territory. Last year's team found a way. Sometimes you don't really know until you hit the field. The Quakers finally get started on Saturday at Franklin Field against Lafayette. The Ivy opener is Oct. 5, also at home, with Dartmouth. They go to Harvard in November, 2 weeks after playing at Brown, which was the third pick and the other team to get a first-place vote. When you toss in nonleague dates with Villanova and fellow CAA member William & Mary, it's hard to view anything as a given.

"The biggest factor for us, the challenge, is to get our guys to really stay hungry," said Wilk, who had a team-high 43 solo tackles in 2012. "When you start getting a big head, or starting thinking you're great and you're just going to win by going out there, it's hard to go back and convince people that you still have to make this happen.

"We know better than anyone how anything is possible in our league. We showed that last year. We were fortunate to win the championship. Now we have to prove ourselves all over again. Nobody cares what happened last year. To be honest, I kind of like being the guy under the radar.

"We've been in both situations. If you're not picked to win, internally you're trying to show everyone they were wrong. Now we're trying to prove everyone was right. So that's different. But it's still about winning games."

We'll find out soon enough. Last year the Quakers won most of their games late. At some point it's hard to keep that up. Or maybe they won't have to. For the time being the only thing that seems to make sense is that they are the ones to beat until proven otherwise.

"It's one of those things where you kind of go, 'Don't mess this up,' " Wilk said. "We want another ring. Let's get as many as possible. Around here, at least, how you're remembered as a senior class is on whether you won or not. I talked to the guys who were seniors 2 years ago. No matter how good that team was, or how many made All-Ivy, they didn't win their last year. So there's sort of an asterisk that goes with that. We want to go out the way we came in, on top."

Nothing wrong with chasing after something to call your very own.

Coach: Al Bagnoli (228-85 in 31 seasons, 142-66 in 21 years at school)

Last year: 6-4, 6-1 in Ivy League (won title outright)

On the web: PennAthletics.com

Ticket info: 215-898-6151

Worth watching: Dual-threat quarterback Billy Ragone, who is back for a fifth season, is a two-time all-leaguer and a three-time champion. He has orchestrated a bunch of late comebacks. Running back Brandon Colavita, another 5-year guy, returns after missing most of last season with an injury. Linebacker Dan Davis made first-team All-Ivy in 2012 as a sophomore. And cornerback Dan Wilk led the team in solo tackles (43).

Great unknowns: There can't be too many on a team that only has to replace a handful of starters. But they did lose some good ones along the defensive line, notably rock-like Brandon Copeland. And there will be a new punter now that 4-year starter Scott Lopano, who was a bona fide weapon, is gone.

It all comes down to: Can the Quakers do what no other Ivy preseason pick has done in five seasons, which is actually hoist the trophy? The second-favorite has finished first the last 4 years. This year that would be Harvard. Other than that it would appear to be mostly a matter of staying healthy, which is the one factor nobody can control, especially with two games against CAA opponents.

Circle the dates: Well, as usual, you can start with Harvard on Nov. 16. And this time the game's up there. The Quakers also have to go to Brown, the third choice in the preseason poll, on Nov. 2. Those trips to Villanova (Sept. 28) and William & Mary (Oct. 12), sandwiched around the Ivy opener against Dartmouth, are also treacherous.

Numbers crunching: The Quakers, who rallied in the fourth quarter in four of their last five wins, are trying to become the first Ivy team to win four outright titles in 5 years. As story lines go, who could ask for much more?

Prognosis: Eventually, it almost always is about beating Harvard. Of course they have to get to that point first. This team figures to have enough pieces in place. But when you've got that target on your back things rarely come easy. Last year's team probably overachieved. This year it's out to fulfill some historic expecations.