The Bulldogs will be traveling to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend to take on the Penn Quakers at 1 PM ET on Saturday. You can watch the game on the Ivy League Network or NBC Sports Philly.
Penn is sitting at 0-2 in the Ivy League after last minute scores by both Dartmouth and Columbia in their first two conference games. This is a tough and talented team that will not quit. With a few different bounces of the ball, this team could be 2-0 and in contention for another Ivy League title.
On offense, Karekin Brooks, Tre Solomon and Justin Watson are the stars of the show. Sophomore RB Karekin Brooks leads Penn with 586 yards rushing as Brooks filled in for Senior RB Tre Solomon while he was out with an injury. Solomon was back in the lineup last week and split carries with Brooks. These backs are fast and hard to bring down on initial contact. Senior WR Justin Watson is arguably the top player in the Ivy League. Watson is off to another explosive start to the season with 34 receptions for 467 yards and 7 touchdowns. Senior QB Will Fischer-Colbrie has an adequate arm and can run when he has to with 2 rushing touchdowns on the season, but he is no Alek Torgersen. Fischer-Colbrie was 14 of 25 for 186 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions against Columbia. In Penn’s loss to Dartmouth, Fischer-Colbrie only threw for 158 yards.
Penn’s defense always shows up to play against Yale. Junior LB Nick Miller is an early candidate for Defensive Player of the Year with the stats he is piling up. Miller currently has 56 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 INT’s. Senior LB Colton Moskal has been a dominant player in the conference over the last couple of seasons and is the heart of the defense. Senior Defensive End Louis Vecchio is the leader of the defensive line and has two sacks currently. Those who remember the nightmare that was the Night at the Bowl last year can recall Vecchio wreaking havoc on our offensive line. The secondary is not on the same level as last year’s Penn squad and gave up a number of big passing plays to Lehigh and Columbia.
Keys to the Game:
- Slow down WR Justin Watson
- Pick Penn’s secondary apart
- Contain Penn’s defensive front and get blockers to the second level
- Play smashmouth football
8 replies on “Penn Preview”
Time to smash the Quackers..! Pay back is a coming.!!! Be relentless..!!
The game is on SNY at 1:00 pm
Yale should be getting more respect then opponents are giving. Dartmouth (who won against Yale with several questionable calls,touchdown negated and roughing the passer on forth down after pass break-up). Columbia will be in bowl soon and we need to demonstrate how powerful this team really is
Yale needs to step up and shut down this penn. team for payback
YALE BEAT penn
I agree with Yale 1701
I admire your spirit, Jon, but I wonder why it seems Yale always plays so badly against Penn and they so well against us. Is it the place in the schedule? Yale’s smacking its lips over Columbia to follow (not this year!)? Or what? Let’s hope this team is indeed special and turns the tide.
Mr. Patrick, this team has something that I have not seen , since the glory years .? The 70’s early 80’s . This team can play with anyone. They will impose their personalitie on them.
I feel that strongly, about this program. In all facets.!! Majority will be back. For the following years. Gonna see the kids at Choate on Saturday aftermoon
I hope I am wrong, but I am worried that this is a trap game.
Yale always seems to struggle at Franklin Field, while as Mr. Patrick points out, Penn always turns up the wick against us.
Penn took both Dartmouth and Columbia to the absolute limits, so they are obviously a top-caliber Ivy team. They’re two plays away from being the only unbeaten team in the League.
Yale may look past this game to their date with 5-0 Columbia.
The Bulldogs’ defense is banged up and relying on supreme efforts from the “next man up.”
The offense has been unquestionably potent, but prone to lapses in output (first half against Cornell, second half vs. Dartmouth).
All of this adds up a potential trap game.
I hope I am wrong, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Quakers win handily by more than a TD.
I’ll say it for a third time to try to make a charm out of it — I hope I am wrong!
Oye Vey, me too.!!! I hope your wrong, I hope your wrong, I hope your wrong.. click shoes together. Yup you are
It took ten years to beat Harvard. And we did.