Somewhere amidst the doom and gloom of the past two nightmarish Georgetown losses, freshman linebacker Nick Parrish has shone through.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound headhunter out of Jesuit Prep in Dallas played admirably during the 55-0 shellacking against Holy Cross two weeks ago and was named Patriot League rookie of the week after his 12-tackle performance in the 45-7 pile-driving by Cornell last Saturday.

“He’s getting better and better every week,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said of Parrish, who first cracked the lineup on Sept. 15 against Yale. “He’s a physical kid. Has great size and speed. He always asks good questions in the meetings and is always in the right place on the field.”

With his team five games in the hole and with six still to play, Kelly hopes his Hoyas feed off of Parrish’s positive energy going into this weekend’s match up with winless Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

“I think I am getting to the point where I can be more loose out there,” Parrish said. “At first I was just making sure I didn’t make mistakes; now I’m spending more time thinking about making plays.”

After spending the first five games searching for alternate means to motivate his struggling team, Kelly decided this week it was time to apply the brakes before the season skirted off the tracks.

“This week, I got after them – big time,” Kelly said, still smarting from the team’s first homecoming loss in eight years. “I told them if they don’t [step it up], then they aren’t going to win.”

Following two downy-soft performances, Kelly emphasized hitting hard this week in practice. Parrish welcomed the change in tempo.

“We have to play more physical and step up the physicality of our game,” Parrish said, voice booming over the phone. “Every person has to be beating the man in front of him.”

Parrish has remained quiet and let his playing do the talking this season, but after watching his defense get gouged for an unfathomable 100 points and 1,072 yards over the past two weeks, it may be time for the fierce-hitting first year to speak up.

“He was a great leader and a standout performer for us,” said Bob Wunderlick, Parrish’s coach at Jesuit. “He led by example and vocally.”

Wunderlick compares Parrish’s deep, booming voice with that of Dennis Haysbert from “24,” but the Georgetown coaching staff will need him to be more like Jack Bauer come Saturday, for Kelly and his assistants know the Quakers’ winless record isn’t an accurate representation of the team they have seen on film all week.

Penn Head Coach Al Bagnoli may be 0-3 for the first time in his 14-year tenure, but he is a botched snap and a blown call away from 2-1. Bagnoli and his boys led Lafayette 7-3 with five minutes to go three weeks ago, only to see a safety and quick touchdown mar their season opener. The next week, junior Robert Irvin and senior Bryan Walker combined to throw seven interceptions in an embarrassing loss to cross-town rival Villanova. But last week’s dagger through the heart at Dartmouth was the hardest. The Quakers nearly overcame a 15-point deficit in the final three minutes, but a referee’s controversial ruling on an incomplete pass stymied the spirited rally.

Needless to say, the Quakers will be feeling anything but friendly this weekend.

“They are playing in a slump right now, but they are still a good team,” said sophomore running back Charlie Houghton, who was held to 28 yards rushing last week. “So we just have to bring it to them.”

As of late, the Hoyas haven’t been bringing much of anything offensively. Over the last two contests, Georgetown has managed only one score, a five-yard scamper by senior quarterback att Bassuener late in the third quarter of last week’s homecoming loss. The Big Red bludgeoned Bassuener all day, sacking him four times and limiting him to 173 passing yards on the afternoon.

Except for allowing 34 points against Villanova – most of which were scored off turnovers – the Quaker defense has been stout. Defensive coordinator Ray Priore’s modus operandi is fairly straightforward. Voracious senior linebacker Joe Anastasio, who leads all Penn defenders with 31 tackles and three tackles for a loss, applies the pressure, while ball-hawking sophomore defensive back Chris Wynn has three interceptions on the year. Junior strong safety back Jordan Manning, with 18 stops, three for a loss, and one interception, picks up whatever scraps Anastasio and Wynn leave behind.

Houghton wants the ball in his hands, be it through the zone read – what the scat back calls his “money play” – or on a long pass through the air. Members of the Georgetown receiving corps believe it’s time to let Bassuener rear back and let it rip. But Kelly didn’t help steer the Naval Academy to three consecutive bowl wins by being a riverboat gambler.

“Going long?” Kelly said when asked if he planned on opening up the playbook. “If you complete it, it’s a good play. If you don’t, it’s second and 10.”

Houghton said it’s just a matter of time before things start clicking.

“I think everybody just needs to be on the same page, assignment wise,” said Houghton, who gained most of his 798 all-purpose yards in 2006 during the last half of the season. “Once everybody knows their assignments and everyone starts blocking everything up, we’ll start to get some offensive production.”

One Hoya needs no motivation for Saturday’s showdown at Franklin Field. Senior linebacker Mike Greene took a trip to the City of Brotherly Love as a recruit out of St. John’s College High School. While he neglected to divulge any details, Greene admits he hasn’t forgotten the trip.

“I took a visit up there, met a lot of their coaches,” Greene said Thursday, brow furrowed at the recollection. “I’ve been looking forward to this game for four years. I can’t wait to get on the field.”

Greene and Parrish will look to terrorize whoever lines up under center for the Quakers. Whether it be Irvin who has been in Bagnoli’s doghouse ever since his five-interception implosion against Villanova or Walker who was unimpressive in his only start last week at Dartmouth. Penn’s most potent weapon, senior running back Joe Sandberg, has been hampered by a leg injury since the season opener and is questionable for Saturday.

“Our main focus isn’t who they got out there. We just have to play our defense no matter who comes out,” junior defensive lineman Anthony DiTommaso said. “I think we practiced much better this week and if we do the things we know how to do best, we’re ready to go. We need the win, everybody wants it.”