Oct. 14, 2006

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Joe Sandberg ran for 101 yards and scored twice and Penn's defense recorded its first shutout in two years in a 16-0 defeat of Columbia on Saturday.

Rob Irvin passed for 185 yards and one score for Penn (4-1, 2-0 Ivy League), which won its ninth straight over the Lions. Craig Hormann completed 22 of 45 passes for Columbia (3-2, 0-2), which gained only 28 yards on the ground.

Derek Zoch's 31-yard field goal midway through the first period gave the Quakers a 3-0 lead, the first points allowed by Columbia in the first quarter this season. A fumble recovery by Penn's Brian Fairbanks at the Columbia 19 led to Penn's first touchdown, a 10-yard pass from Irvin to Sandberg with 7:06 left in the second quarter.

J.J. Stanton blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt by Columbia with 4:20 left in the third quarter. Irvin then connected with Matt Carre on a 49-yard completion to the Lions' 18, and two plays later Sandberg ran in for the score.

Columbia's deepest threat came with five minutes left after Hormann completed a 49-yard pass to Austin Knowlin, leading to a first down at the Penn 10. However, a fourth down pass from the 4-yard line fell incomplete, preserving the shutout.

Penn's last shutout was a 35-0 win over Dartmouth on Oct. 2, 2004. Columbia was last blanked on Nov. 6, 2004, losing 38-0 at Harvard.