Penn football 2016 scouting report

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After splitting a piece of the Ivy League title with Harvard and Dartmouth last year, Penn heads into the 2016 campaign gunning for the whole thing (see story). Can the Quakers accomplish their goals and win the outright league championship? Or maybe even go a perfect 10-0 overall?

Leading into their season opener vs. Lehigh on Saturday, here’s a breakdown of what we can expect from Penn:

Offense
Few teams in the FCS can match the quarterback-receiver tandem the Quakers have with Alek Torgersen and Justin Watson.

Watson had a breakout sophomore season, catching 74 passes for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the Ivies in all three categories. And Torgersen, who worked out with Watson every day of the summer, led the league — and was ranked fourth in the country — with a 69.1 percent pass completion.

Some teams will likely pay extra attention to Watson, but Torgersen, in his third year as a starter, is confident he can adjust if necessary and target other talented receivers, including rising star Christian Pearson, fifth-year senior Cam Countryman and the the versatile Adam Strouss. 

Penn has holes to fill at tight end and on the offensive line, although senior captain Nick Demes is an important anchor to the line and one of the team’s most vocal leaders. And the running game has a lot of experience with senior Brian Schoenauer and junior Tre Solomon combining for more than 1,000 yards on the ground last year.

Defense
The Quakers lost some key players to graduation, including reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Drake. But they do have a big-time star returning in senior linebacker Donald Panciello, a playmaker who had 61 tackles, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick last year.

Panciello will be joined at linebacker by junior Colton Moskal, a Syracuse transfer who had 44 tackles last year and is likely poised for bigger things in 2016. 

The defensive line will be anchored by Corey Power and Taylor Hendrickson, while returning starters Sam Philippi, Mason Williams and Jyron Walker lead a secondary that will look to improve after ranking seventh in the Ivies in pass defense last year.

Coaching
Ray Priore stepped into a tough spot last year. After serving as a Penn assistant for nearly three decades, he was tasked with replacing his good friend Al Bagnoli as head coach and spearheading a turnaround after an ugly 2-8 season.

Somehow, he proceeded to pull it all off in epic fashion, winning his first game where his predecessor never could (Villanova) before earning himself a shiny new Ivy League championship ring. 

Just the seventh person to win an Ivy football title in his first season, Priore was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the STATS FCS Coach of the Year. 
Whether or not he can find more magic this year remains to be seen. But he’s confident that with another year under the new schemes that he and second-year coordinators John Reagan (offense) and Bob Benson (defense) implemented last year, the Quakers can become a better team in 2016.

Player to watch
Let’s put two here since Penn has explosive players on both sides of the ball.

On offense, Watson is a force to be reckoned with — a tall, fast, hard-working receiver with a nose for the game and a desire to be the best (see story). And he still has two seasons left.

On defense, Panciello is nicknamed “Donnie Football” because he has a knack for making huge plays at the right time. Keep your eyes on him at all times, on both defense and special teams. 

Game to watch
Harvard has earned at least a share of three straight Ivy League championships and was picked in the preseason to win another one this year. Penn was picked second.

On Nov. 11, the two favorites will collide at Franklin Field in the second-to-last game of the season with the Ivy title likely hanging in the balance. 

Adding to its appeal, the Penn-Harvard game will be played on a Friday night under the lights and will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network. 

Prediction
Considering how good Penn looked in the second half of the 2015 season, it would be foolish to think the Quakers won’t repeat as champs.

But Harvard is a tough foe and Penn does have some questions on defense, so winning the title outright or going undefeated overall for the first time since 2003 may be too much to ask.

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