Fitzpatrick’s counterpart, Pat McDermott, may not even get the chance to run on the field with his team. The Philadelphia Daily News reported that the Penn signal caller injured his non-throwing shoulder in the Quaker’s victory over Princeton last weekend and is questionable for tomorrow.

Without McDermott, Penn’s title hopes would rest on the young and unproven arm of freshman Bryan Walker. Walker, who has yet to throw a collegiate pass, would be charged with leading the Quakers into their most important game after having done nothing but hold a clipboard on the sideline for the entire season.

If that’s the case, running back Sam Mathews, who transferred from Navy prior to last season, will get the bulk of the work on offense. While Mathews is a solid back, his 653 rushing yards this season are a sharp drop from the 1,266 yards he amassed in his debut campaign last year.

“To the degree we’re going to be able to get the ball in his hands,” Bagnoli said of Mathews, “we’re going to be a better offensive football team.”

But for Harvard, seeing McDermott on the sideline tomorrow would be a welcome sign for a defense that allowed 51 total rushing yards last week against Columbia.

No matter which players actually take the field, the result of the game will mean the same thing. The winner secures at least a share of the Ivy title, while the loser will see another championship run slipping away.

After all, it’s Harvard-Penn. You couldn’t expect anything less.

—Staff writer David H. Stearns can be reached at stearns@fas.harvard.edu.