After that terrible loss at Brown on Saturday, Penn is playing Princeton this week, a team it hasn't beaten in its last two tries. I wouldn't mind a 15-yard penalty after Penn scores its first touchdown. Any excuse to celebrate these days.

You probably heard that Penn has lost its third Ivy League game, and is out of title contention. Or that the Quakers lost their third game of this season to Dartmouth, something they hadn’t done in 10 years. Or that quarterback Robert Irvin’s third year on the team would turn out so bad – throwing seven interceptions, one touchdown and getting medically redshirted because of a re-injured shoulder.

But you may not have recognized how bad the Quakers have been on third down this year. Overall they are 40 for 114, or 35 percent, but that’s even worse than it looks. If you take out blowouts over cake teams in Georgetown and Columbia (a combined 2-14 this year), the Quakers are 25 for 86 on third down for a grand total of 29 percent. In this weekend’s loss they went a dreadful 3 for 15 on third down.

Even more shocking is Penn’s job in the third quarter this year – it has been outscored 37-3. Kicker Andrew Samson ended the 78-plus-minute drought in the third quarter this season with a 43-yard field goal against Yale. The Quakers have scored 0.02857 points per minute in the third quarter this year, as opposed to 0.6952 p/m in the opening quarter.

I guess Al Bagnoli had better pass those halftime speeches on to Ray Priore…

I had thought maybe the change was made as a superstitious thing after a few losses, but for the whole season, the Quakers have worn this on the road, while donning these new ones at home.

“We'll order new away jerseys next year,” Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. “We just went with the home set this year which we needed more, that was the last to be replaced.

“We looked at what we needed, and what we wanted to spend, and instead of getting 300 jerseys, we only got 150, and next year we'll get the other 150 and they'll match.”

The fifth-year senior is the center of every gameplan, and will be again this week coming up against Brown. Bears coach Phil Estes gave Sandberg a lot of love, even more than the usual coach.

“Sandberg is as good as [Yale’s Mike] McLeod,” Estes said. “He has some skills in catching the football, but once the ball’s in his hands, he’s elusive, fast, he can cut on a dime and he can make people look silly. He’s a hell of a football player.”

It has become almost commonplace to consider McLeod the far-and-away number one back and Sandberg the clear second-best. Next to McLeod’s numbers – 1,142 yards and 18 touchdowns in six games – Sandberg’s 589 yards, seven touchdowns in five games don’t exactly stand out.

Clearly McLeod's amazing durability is a virtue, but Sandberg doesn't come close to the Elis' number of carries. With 204 carries, Sanbderg would be on pace for 1,133 yards and 13.5 touchdowns. And he hasn't even been healthy this season. I'd still say McLeod is the better running back, but it's closer than it seems.

And even if he is the second banana, Sandberg still puts fear in the hearts of anyone on the Penn schedule.

Long snapper Ted Rosenbaum left the game with a separated shoulder, coach Al Bagnoli said afterwards. Linebacker Jake Lewko, the backup, did well on the white-knucklers late in the game, but I believe he was the one who missed holder Braden Lepisto on that 42-yard attempt in the second quarter.

Matt Belasco took the first punt of the game, but then regular Anthony Melillo did the honors the rest of the way. Not sure exactly what happened there, but since it seemed a trivial matter and didn't come up at the press conference we won't know until practice is open tomorrow.

Freshman Mike DiMaggio continued to show talent out of the tailback spot, rushing seven times for nearly five yards a carry. Granted, he didn't get the ball 34 times like Sandberg, but that's still a nice little boost.

Two of Yale's starters on defense -- junior linebacker Jay Pilkerton and junior safety Steven Santoro -- got knocked out of the game by injuries, according to the Bulldogs' sports info office.

Yale 26, Penn 20 FINAL
That had to have been one of the craziest games I've seen at Franklin Field. Penn got it to the three, but was stuffed at the goal line three times. On fourth down, Sandberg took a reverse and, seeing nothing but white in front of him, had to pass. He found Nick Cisler in the endzone, but the play was called back -- ineligible receiver. Walker's endzone bullet on the next play skipped out of Lepisto's hands; game over. What a heartbreaking loss.

Check back with us for much more on the game later on dailypennsylvanian.com.

Good afternoon from The Buzz.

Third overtime, Yale 26, Penn 20
Yale finally kicked it up on offense, completing a short screen pass to get Yale close. McLeod took care of business from there, using two punishing running plays to get the touchdown.

Yale had to go for two because it's the third overtime, and they didn't even come close. Polhemus was sacked behind the line of scrimmage, so if Penn can score a touchdown, a conversion will win the game.

Second overtime, Penn 20, Yale 20
Once again, the game was over, and then it wasn't. Penn stopped Yale at the 4, but Yale's unit came incredibly close to botching the kick. The snap bounced twice before reaching the holder, and Kimball did a great job of letting his man get the ball down. Yet another OT coming up.

Second overtime, Penn 20, Yale 17
It's all in the hands of the defense now. Penn did a good job to get the ball down to the 4 on a pass to Cisler, and Samson banged the kick through.

A big break for Penn before the second OT even starts -- an illegal procedure penalty on Yale that pushed them back to the 30. So many flags!

First overtime, Penn 17, Yale 17
Amazing! The game was over, then it wasn't. Walker's pass to Braden Lepisto fell incomplete on fourth down. But a questionable pass interference call gave them a first down, and after Walker rushed down to the 4 to shake off a holding call, Marcus Lawrence pulled down an amazing running catch for the touchdown. Off to double OT.

First overtime, Yale 17, Penn 10
Terrible sequence. Polhemus found Chris Denny-Brown on the first play from scrimmage, bringing Yale down to the 4. The teams traded dumb penalties -- a false start and pass interference in the endzone -- before McLeod rumbled in for the score. Kimball nailed the PAT. Slipping away.

End of Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Amazing. Penn cornerback Tyson Maugle went up and picked off a jump-ball thrown down to the 15 on second down. Walker came out and took a knee with 11 seconds left. Off to overtime we go. What a game.

One note: Long snapper Ted Rosenbaum is out of the game for some reason, forcing backup Jake Lewko to step in. If that's a factor in overtime, the special-teams gods definitely have it in for Penn.

0:20, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Polhemus unloaded a great, scrambling pass to get Yale a first down at the 50, and they called timeout. Polhemus spiked the ball on the next play.

1:06, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Walker handed off to Sandberg on that play, and he only got about five yards. Penn punted to the Yale 38, but now the Bulldogs have plenty of time -- and a timeout -- to get within field-goal range. Otherwise, we're going to overtime.

1:21, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
No, no, no! At this spot in the game, HOW can you call Nick Cisler for a deadball foul on a marginal push after the play? Obviously I wasn't on the field, but it looked like he was just blocking his man and wasn't sure if the play was over. Let the kids decide the game.

In any case, Penn now faces third-and-11, which we'll see as soon as injured Penn lineman Jesse Rigler is helped off the field.

1:53, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Looks like Penn is going to have a chance to run a two-minute drill. Penn stopped McLeod -- yet again -- on a crucial thrd-and-2, forcing Yale to punt. Penn has just under two minutes to get into field-goal range. What a game.

7:44, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Again, a great stand by the Penn defense. Yale actually drove to within field-goal range, but a holding penalty and a one-yard tackle for loss by Naheem Harris pushed them back past the 40. Yale punted down to the Penn 1, but it could have been much worse.

10:16, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Walker's play is seriously hurting the Quakers. Another overthrown pass leads to another interception -- this one by Yale's Matt Coombs -- and Yale now has the ball just outside midfield.

13:02, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 10
Kimball connected from short range to tie things up. Good job by the Quakers to limit the damage there. Both of Yale's scoring drives have come off of Penn turnovers; that tells you a lot about how much its offense is underperforming.

And McLeod is not his usual self. He carried five times in the third quarter for a net of 10 yards.

14:41, Fourth quarter, Penn 10, Yale 7
Oh boy. Things were looking like a stalemate, but Walker fumbled after he had been flushed out of the pocket. Yale will get the ball just outside the red zone. That's a killer.

2:39, Third quarter, Penn 10, Yale 7
Neither team has gone anywhere recently, but Melillo just opened up the door a bit by shanking a punt, giving the Bulldogs the ball just inside their own half of the field.

8:55, Third quarter, Penn 10, Yale 7
I have to wonder where Jack Siedlecki's confidence in McLeod is after he just punted on fourth-and-1 from just outside midfield. You have one of the best running backs in the FCS and your defense just stuffed Penn outside the red zone. In any case, Penn starts its drive on its own 23.

11:07, Third quarter, Penn 10, Yale 7
Sandberg went nowhere on a couple of running plays, but Andrew Samson kicked a 43-yarder to give Penn the lead. Momentum still on Penn's side, even though that drive last drive could have been a lot better.

14:00 Third quarter, Yale 7, Penn 7
Penn just got a huge break; Matt Polhemus overthrew his receiver but found Penn cornerback Chris Wynn, who now has four interceptions on the year. The Quakers will start a drive on the Yale 33.

I have to call out the officials on that last play. Wynn was dealt a hard hit clearly out of bounds. Why there was no late hit call is absolutely beyond me.

Halftime, Yale 7, Penn 7
We've got some halftime stats. Mike McLeod has 115 rushing yards and a TD, while Yale's Matt Polhemus is only 3-of-8 for 21 yards. Bryan Walker has two picks and 53 yards passing on 14 attempts; Joe Sandberg has 39 yards on the ground plus his passing TD.

Yale's Brady Hart leads all defenders with 7 tackles.

Not good execution on that final two-minute drill. A false start and a couple of hastily-called plays force Penn to punt. It was downed at the 7, where Yale took a knee. Game is tied at the half, and I'll have stats for you shortly.

1:41, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 7
Once again, Yale failed to advance the ball in its own territory. Penn will get the ball at the Yale 46. McLeod looked to be in some pain and was getting some kind of treatment on the sidelines.

2:02, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 7
An illegal block from behind pushes Yale back to its own 8 on the next kickoff. Kudos to kicker Dave Kuncio for delivering the first hit on that play.

2:13, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 7
Walker connected with Sandberg a short slant route for the first down, then on first-and-goal Penn ran a trick play -- Sandberg took the handoff and passed to peeling tight end Josh Koontz for an easy touchdown. Finally, some imagination. More importantly, the game is tied.

2:25, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Facing third-and-8 at the 17, Bagnoli took a timeout to regroup. Big play coming up when we come back.

3:03, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Another break for Penn, an easy pass interference call that brought them to the 19.

3:15, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Walker threw an incomplete pass and Sandberg was dropped for a loss on the first two plays. Lepisto caught a pass on third down to set up a fourth-and-one. Sandberg took the handoff, ran for a yard, and after a close measurement, the verdict is in -- first down. Huge call for Penn, and the drive continues.

5:00, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Great job on defense by Penn on that drive. Yale went three and out and punted from the endzone, where Marcus Lawrence caught it at the 44. The Quakers are really starting to lay some good hits on McLeod, but it needs to score and will have a good chance to do so on this next drive.

6:32, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Freshman running back Mike DiMaggio continues to impress. He took the second of two handoffs down the sidelines for a double-digit gain, helping bring Penn do the Yale 41. But he was dropped in the backfield on the next series, and facing fourth-and-2 from the 40, Penn coach Al Bagnoli elected to punt. This time, Anthony Melillo did the honors. What the heck? Regardless, another good job on special teams, as Greg Ambrogi downs the ball at the Yale one.

9:15, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Defense much improved on that last drive, and it managed to wrap McLeod up in the backfield twice. A fine punt by Yale gives the Quakers the ball at the 24.

11:33, Second quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Ugh. The Quakers nearly just gave the game away. After Walker threw an incomplete pass on third down, Penn's field goal unit came out for a long attempt, but the snap went behind holder Braden Lepisto. Worse, Lepisto unwisely tried to pitch the ball forward, but threw it right into a Yale D-lineman. If he hadn't dropped it, he would have had a wide-open 60 yards to the endzone. Yale will now try to make it a two-possession game, again with good field position.

13:53, Second quarter Yale 7, Penn 0
Walker converted a big third-and-3 to get Penn to the Yale 28. The student section is chanting "Bry-an-Wal-ker," and Penn is at least in field goal range.

End of first quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Sandberg broke off a shifty run to the outside to get Penn past its own 40, where it will start when play resumes.

1:22, First quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
Yale ate up just about all of the quarter after McLeod converted a big third down in Quakers territory, but Kimball pushed a 39-yard field goal attempt just wide right.

Yale has only thrown a handful of passes so far. When McLeod doesn't get the ball, it's generally been a running play for quarterback Matt Polhemus. But Penn's pass defense has showed signs of life -- Mike Marinelli, a defensive end, chased down McLeod and forced a fumble (it went out of bounds). Let's see if the offense can finally give that unit a breather.

7:25, First quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
You're not going to believe this. Penn turned the ball over again before it could even get a first down.

Can't come down too hard on Walker for this one, though. He threw pretty much a perfect pass to Marcus Lawrence, but one Yale defender miraculously tipped it to another as they both tumbled to the ground. Terrible stroke of luck for Penn; the Bulldogs have the ball again with good field position.

8:17, First quarter, Yale 7, Penn 0
That was fast. As soon as Penn got the ball back, Bryan Walker threw a terrible pass into Yale's Paul Rice. On the next play Mike McLeod went up the middle for 46 yards untouched. Alan Kimball tacked on the PAT.

12:05, First quarter, Penn 0, Yale 0
Penn only got about 15 yards on its first drive after a short return. Penn gets the punt inside the 10. I can't tell you why Matt Belasco, who is listed on the roster as a RB?WR, punted, rather than Anthony Melillo. Yale starts its first drive in a moment.

Yes, it was Yale’s first game of the year, but the 5-0 powerhouse was in a one-score game with minutes to go against the hapless (now 0-7) Hoyas. Georgetown running back Kyle Van Fleet, whose team lost 42-13 to Penn, actually told The Hoya “this week we were the better team.”

But a few missed opportunities – including letting the first-half clock run out while at the Yale one-yard-line – sealed the deal.

McLeod rushed for 157 yards and four touchdowns, but they really didn’t do a bad job stopping him – on the season he averages 199 yards, three touchdowns and 5.9 yards per rush.. Two of McLeod’s scores were one-yarders, and the prolific back averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

Perhaps more importantly, the defense (one that is allowing 38.8 points per game) did a fantastic job containing McLeod. The Yale back had no runs longer than 14 yards against Georgetown, but none of the last four team’s McLeod’s faced has been able to hold him to a long of less than 35.

Also, Yale has had more than double the amount of rushing first downs as passing ones (71-35). But against Georgetown, quarterback Matt Polhemus moved the chains 11 times, while McLeod and the running game did it only 10 times.

The Quakers have a good run defense, but they’ll need all the linebackers set back that they can get. I’d send a Tyson Maugle or a Pat Kimener a few times, but this is not a good game to bring the house, especially in the form of a run blitz.

Rant of the week: These college football stats that count sack yards as negative rushing yards are absurd. Anyone that boasts that Penn held Columbia to eight yards rushing is crazy - the Lions' running backs had 13 carries for 33 yards. A solid effort, but not eight yards.

A sack is a passing play, and it should be counted as negative passing yards for the quarterback.

Well, almost.

I wasn't at Baker Field, but DP football reporter Andrew Todres was, and here's how he described the post-game chat to me:

No real memorable quotes, but he [Wilson] did bring his infant into the press conference, presumably to keep reporters from asking any provocative questions. Midway [through], Trinity (the name of the baby), broke down crying after one reporter asked a question. For the next 30 seconds, Norries tried to console the baby, but she was crying uncontrollably. Finally, the Columbia SID or someone came to the table and had to take the baby out of Norries' hands and bring it to his wife. Norries was literally talking baby-talk to the baby to try to get it to stop crying.

In other Columbia news, you can see Patriots owner Robert Kraft talk about his $5 million gift to Columbia football here (scoll down on the video list). The Spec chimes in as well.

From the Inquirer comes news of D.J. Rivera's upcoming hiatus and Frank Fitzpatrick's series (Parts One and Two) on alumni giving in college athletics.