Just three seconds remained. Billy Ragone, Penn’s quarterback, went back to pass. Penn trailed Dartmouth 20-15 and Penn needed to make a play in order to keep their Ivy League unbeaten streak alive. Ragone connected with wide receiver Ryan Calvert on a three yard touchdown play to put Penn up, and with a successful PAT Penn won the game, 22-20.
“It showed a lot about our offense and the team as a whole,” Ragone said. “That we will fight until the clock hits zero.”
With the victory two Saturdays ago against Dartmouth, Penn has strung together 16 straight Ivy League wins. Last year they outscored their opponents 290-145 which helped them earn their second Ivy League championship in the last two years. They are not expecting this year to be any different.
“I think that my class especially wants to continue the Ivy League winning streak as we haven’t lost an Ivy League contest,” Ragone said. “We want to keep the streak alive.”
Ragone has been a key part of Penn’s success. As Penn’s second leading rusher in the 2011 season with 49.2 yards per game, Ragone is a dual threat that keeps defenses on their feet.
Even with some early-season struggles, throwing four interceptions in the first two games, Ragone found his rhythm in order to lead Penn to victory against Dartmouth and Fordham.
“Billy’s a good player,” Columbia head coach Norries Wilson said. “He threw a couple high balls at the beginning of the season, but he’s coming on pretty good. He’s a real good player.”
Ragone has attributed their success offensively this season to running back Brandon Colavita and the entire offense, as they have been able to score points for the Quakers.
“Brandon and wide receivers Ryan Calvert and Ryan Mitchell help us have good balance and move the ball efficiently down the field,” Ragone said. “Our whole offense believes as a unit that we can make plays. And it helps us throw early to keep defenses on their heels.”
With games like Dartmouth and Fordham where Penn has had to come from behind to secure a victory, the tenacity of the offense shows. Having put up 384.5 yards per game in the 2011 season, the Penn offense is a force to be reckoned with.
“We can’t get down on ourselves. We just need to stay resilient, believing that we can put up a lot of points. The attitude of the team is great, and we have to keep rolling down the field and executing plays,” Ragone said.
Already with 907 all-purpose yards in 2011 over four games, Ragone looks to match his 2010 first-team All-Ivy League performance, where he had 1382 all-purpose yards with 13 all-purpose touchdowns.
“Billy has been terrific for us,” Penn head coach Al Bagnoli said. “He’s a dynamic player. He can make plays with his arm and with his feet. He has done a nice job with his feet and with his arm, making broken plays into positive plays.”
Ragone hopes that by continuing this, Penn can repeat their Ivy League championships over the past two seasons and bring a third consecutive championship to Philadelphia.
“The ultimate goal is to win the Ivy League,” the quarterback said.
Ragone looks to ensure that Penn football stays strong and that both he and the team grow.
“I would like to continue to play football after Penn, but it’s about working to get better week by week, year by year,” Ragone said.
Even with 16 consecutive Ivy League wins behind them, Penn is taking nothing for granted against Columbia this Saturday.
“We know they’ll be fired up,” Bagnoli said. “It’s their homecoming, it’s on national TV and it’s a great atmosphere to play in. They always get a great crowd. They are really hungry. Our kids will be greatly challenged. We’ll have to go in there with great energy, great emotion. We’ll have to play well. They are a pretty good football team. It’s a little misleading with their win-loss record.”
“Every game is a must win,” Ragone said.
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