Penn’s Cooper Gardner is relying on his hands on the field and in the classroom

Cooper Gardner sees his future career is in his hands, but the Penn senior nose tackle from Broomfield, Conn., isn't counting on playing a decade in the trenches of the National Football League.

He understands the long odds of any player — much less one from the non-scholarship Ivy League — falling in the minuscule percentage of those who make a living in the NFL. It has happened, but relying on an education from Penn is a much surer option.

Gardner is enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and majoring in the Biological Basis of Behavior, also known as neuroscience. He plans to go to medical school and become a surgeon.

That will require a skillful and delicate touch, and that leads to the question: Does Gardner consider that when he's in hand-to-hand combat with offensive linemen?

"I definitely had that thought process in my mind," he said, "but I really don't dwell on it. I can't be thinking about that if I want to succeed on the football field.

"I can't get held up thinking about that because there is violent hand play on every single snap. I just try to take care of my body the best I can so I feel good about playing."

Gardner is certainly doing good handiwork for the Quakers to start his senior season. After having just one career sack in 19 starts and 29 game appearances through his first three seasons, Gardner has four sacks in Penn's first two games in 2018. He had three in the season opener against Bucknell and added another against Lehigh.

Gardner leads a resurgent defense that has been hounding quarterbacks to a tune of 18 sacks. Despite playing just two games when many other teams have played four, the Quakers lead FCS in sacks and trail only Oklahoma State (19) in all of Division I.

Penn (2-0), which will open Ivy League play at Dartmouth on Saturday, had just 18 sacks in nine games last season.

"I think a big part of things is we are really focusing on rushing the passer as a unit," Gardner said. "We're really trying to condense the pocket. We're really just working together, and that's why I think we're being successful."

Penn coach Ray Priore said the defense has made a decision to being more aggressive in going after quarterbacks, which plays right into the mind-set of new defensive line coach Hank Hughes.

"I think right now we realize that we want to put the onus on the quarterback," Priore said. "Put pressure on the decision-maker. Let him try to beat you."Don't sit back, as we've done in the past, with three-man, four-man rush and let the quarterback sit there and find the easy route. We're saying, 'We're bringing the play to you now.'

"We want to force them into tough situations so if the quarterback is not throwing the ball away or throwing picks, then they are getting sacked."

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Records: Penn (2-0, 0-0 in Ivy); Dartmouth (2-0, 0-0)

Coaches: Ray Priore: 22-10 in fourth season at Penn; Buddy Teevens: 123-168-2 overall, 89-91-2 in two stints at Dartmouth.

TV/radio: 990-AM WNTP, streaming on ESPN+

History: Dartmouth won, 16-13, in 2017. Penn leads the all-time series, 48-35-2.