I just got back from Alpha Chi Omega’s BMOC (Big Man On Campus) philanthropy event at The Trocadero downtown. It’s somewhat of a pageant, in which a number of campus big-shots (in both junior and senior divisions) get to show off some talent in the hopes of winning the title of BMOC. But the biggest news of the night? Tyler Bernardini - competing for the title of Junior BMOC - came out to perform his act with a noticeable limp (I wasn’t quite sure what the performance was, but it involved him rapping and being angry, I think). And then during the dance portion for the juniors, Bernardini was on crutches.

He suffered an apparent foot injury against Villanova Monday and coach Glen Miller said he was to receive an MRI Tuesday. So seeing him on crutches does not bode well for the Quakers moving forward.

Neil Fanaroff here at The Pavillion in Villanova, Pa. I’ll be bringing you live updates on Penn’s contest against No. 5 Villanova. Penn hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent in nearly 11 years, to this should be a tall task for the Quakers. Follow along with me here:

Penn @ Villanova

Welcome everyone to the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. Neil Fanaroff here, and I’ll be filling you in on all the action here on Penn State’s campus. Follow along with me here:

Penn at Penn State M. Hoops

I wouldn’t be telling you anything new if I told you the Penn defense was good. But what’s shocking is just how great the unit has been this season.

Arguably, the Penn defense has been the best in the Football Championship Subdivision. They have allowed only 11 points per game, the fewest in the nation. On top of that, the Quakers are giving up the fewest rushing yards per game in the FCS, with 60.88. In all of Division I football, only BCS No. 3 Texas is giving up fewer yards per game on the ground. I know it’s silly to compare FCS teams with FBS teams, but that’s an impressive stat no matter how you look at it. Penn last led the FCS (then Division I-AA) in these two metrics in 2002.

The Quakers are also second in total defense (227 yards per game), sixth in opponents’ quarterback rating (99.58), and tenth in sacks (three per game). Penn leads the Ivy League in every major defensive category according to the NCAA website.

As far as this weekend’s matchup against Harvard goes, fans shouldn’t expect either team to have too much success on the ground. While Penn has the best rush defense in the nation, Harvard’s is third-best. There’s a good chance the contest could be decided through the air, with Penn’s 88th ranked passing offense against Harvard’s 88th ranked pass defense and Harvard’s 60th-ranked throwing attack against Penn’s 21st-ranked pass ‘D’.

Neil Fanaroff here at Franklin Field for today’s Homecoming showdown against archrival Princeton. Penn comes into the game 4-0 in the Ivy League, controlling its own fate. They look to continue the season’s success against the Tigers, who haven’t had the best season. But there’s no telling what can happen when these two rivals clash, so stay tuned. I’ll be liveblogging for anyone who couldn’t make it to the field for this year’s Homecoming game. Follow along with me here:

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Among the many great things the Quakers can take away from Saturday’s 14-7 overtime victory over Brown, the performance of senior wide receiver Kyle Derham may be among the most crucial.

It’s no secret that the Penn passing game had been nearly non-existent this season, ranking in at 107th out of the 118 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision going into Saturday’s contest. Of course, a lot of that had to do with injuries to nearly every quarterback on the roster and the focus on the impressive running game, but it hasn’t been helped by the inability of any wide receiver to step up. That changed Saturday, as Derham caught 8 passes for 95 yards (both season highs for the Quakers). Two of those came in overtime, including the game-winning score, his first since last year’s opener against Villanova.

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With the NCAA basketball season just weeks away, everyone’s been releasing their preseason polls. The conference polls have been trickling in over the last week, and the national polls came out today.

The Ivy League released its preseason rankings yesterday, with Penn coming in at third behind Cornell and Princeton. Cornell is, as expected, the unanimous favorite, returning all five starters from last year’s Ivy championship. You’d be hard-pressed to argue against the conference being Cornell’s to lose.

Princeton, Penn, and Harvard are essentially in a dead heat for second place, with only 10 points separating the three schools. Yale, Columbia, Brown, and Dartmouth round out the bottom half of the League in that order.

Keep reading after the jump for a rundown of Penn’s opponents in the national polls and to see how the other Big 5 schools are projected to finish in their own conferences.

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The men’s lacrosse team released its schedule today for the Quakers’ first season under new head coach Mike Murphy. And he doesn’t look to be taking any time to ease into the new role, as this year’s schedule looks to be tough as ever.

The Quakers open on Feb. 27, traveling to Durham, N.C., to take on Duke. The Blue Devils fell in the NCAA Semifinals last year, losing to eventual champion Syracuse, and look to again be in the mix for the national championship. They end the regular season with another ACC title contender in Maryland, traveling to College Park, MD on May 4. From what I’ve read, those two are the widespread favorites for the crown this year.

This season will also feature the inaugural Ivy League Tournament. As I wrote in an article last year, the top 4 teams in the Ivy League will play in a two-round tournament and the victor will receive the League’s automatic bid to the NCAAs

All in all, the Quakers will take on 6 of the 16 teams that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament (including 3 Ivies), and 7 that ranked in the top-20. Read below the jump for the full schedule and my comments.

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I’m live from the Palestra, and will be bringing you coverage of the Men’s Hoops Red and Blue Scrimmage, the first open practice for the 2009-10 Quakers. Follow along with me live:

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Those who know me personally know that I place a premium on not sleeping, as I hate to miss anything.

As it turns out, going to bed around 1:30 am at The Line Saturday made me miss something that would have further driven home the point I made in my column today. Reader/Red & Blue Crew member Alexa Luzecky let me know that later in the night, sophomores Zack Rosen and Mike Howlett returned to the Palestra along with teammate Rob Belcore. They hung out for a while, watching Superbad and talking to some fans. Howlett and Belcore eventually left, but Rosen stayed the night, getting up with the participants at 7:45.

If I failed to drive home the point in my column, then this certainly did. Glen Miller and the hoops team went way above and beyond in their displays of appreciation for the fans, and I applaud them personally for truly forming that personal connection to the fans.