Penn Preview

The Bulldogs (2-3) return home to host the Penn Quakers (2-3) on Saturday at the Bowl.  Kickoff is scheduled for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

An improved Columbia squad led by former Penn head coach, Al Bagnoli, defeated Penn 23-14 last week in Philadelphia.  The Lions generated 426 yards of total offense including 244 rushing yards against the Quakers’ defense.  After going into halftime with a 17-14 lead, the Columbia defense was able to shutdown Penn and convert on two field goal attempts to widen the lead.

The Penn offense is led by senior quarterback John Quinnelly who has completed just 49.6% of his passes this season for 782 yards, 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.  Penn does have a few highly recruited quarterbacks on the roster, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a change at quarterback heading into the bulk of the Ivy season.  5^th year senior Isaiah Malcome (5’5”, 170 lbs.) is an explosive running back averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 84.8 yards per game.  Senior running back Trey Flowers (5’10”, 220 lbs.) is Penn’s power runner who has posted 4.3 yards per carry and 43.6 yards per game.  Penn always seems to have a talented receiving corps and this year is no exception.  Senior Ryan Cragun leads the team in receiving yards with 335 yards on 22 catches for 15.2 yards per catch.  Senior wideout Rory Starkey, Jr. (6’2”, 210 lbs.) is a large and athletic player who has hauled in 12 catches for 254 yards.  Starkey is rumored to have an injured shoulder, so his status for Saturday remains questionable.  The offensive line averages 288 lbs. across the board and is an above-average unit for the Ivy League paving the way for 4.0 yards per carry and allowing just 9 sacks so far on the season.  If our defense can limit the big plays and correct the coverage errors from last week, we have the potential to stymie the Quakers’ offense as the Lions did in the second half of their contest last week.

5^th year senior linebacker Brian O’Neill (6’2”, 240 lbs.) is the heart of the Penn defense racking up 28 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss this season.  Defensive lineman Prince Emili (6’2”, 300 lbs.) is the most talented player on the Penn roster and a 1^st team All-Ivy League selection in 2019.  Emili has dominated opposing offensive linemen notching 27 tackles, 4 sacks and a forced fumble.  Junior defensive back Jaden Key leads all defenders with 29 tackles, half a tackle for loss and 3 pass breakups.  Opponents have been equally successful running the ball and throwing the ball on the Penn defense for 737 yards and 741 yards respectively.  The focus for the Yale offense this week must be to contain Emili and establish the running game early on to take the pressure off our quarterbacks.

Senior kicker Daniel Karrash is 5 for 7 on field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards.  Junior punter Ben Krimm is averaging 38.3 yards per punt with 3 punts over 50 yards.  Penn did have a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown versus Dartmouth, so it may prove wise to test their punt protection scheme.

Go Bulldogs!