With one Ivy loss already in the books, the rights to this season's Ivy title will be contingent on Penn football extending its current three-game winning streak. Ahead of the Quaker's (5-1, 2-1 Ivy) matchup with Brown (3-3, 1-2), members of The Daily Pennsylvanian sports staff make their pick on which odds Friday's contest will favor.
Penn 38, Brown 30 — Caleb Crain, Sports Editor
Last year, Penn football's matchup against Brown was a classic trap game, as the 6-0 Quakers headed to Providence, R.I, and promptly dug a hole that they couldn't get out of. This week, though, Penn already has a conference loss, and a second could end its hopes of an Ivy title.
Few teams have been able to stop Penn's offense this year, with the Quakers averaging an impressive 27.7 points per game. Fortunately for them, Brown is seemingly unable to stop much, giving up the most points in the Ivy League. Less fortunate is that the Bears can hang with Penn's offensive onslaught, averaging over 325 yards per game through the air. I predict a shootout, but ultimately, junior quarterback Aidan Sayin and the Friday night Franklin Field crowd put Penn over the top.
Penn 35, Brown 24 — Walker Carnathan, Deputy Sports Editor
In a battle of the Ivy League’s two most prolific passing attacks, many things are alike between Penn and Brown. They each feature one of the conference’s top two quarterbacks in passing yards. They each feature one of the conference’s top two wide receivers in receiving yards. But among those similarities, one difference stands out: defense. While Brown’s defense has struggled to begin the season, the Quaker front has been as stout as ever, allowing the second-lowest passing yards per game in the Ancient Eight. For that reason, I see the Red and Blue pulling away from the Bears in the end, with the defense holding Brown quarterback Jake Willcox to under 250 yards passing.
Penn 38, Brown 3 — Vivian Yao, Sports Associate
After two weeks of back-to-back nail-biters, Penn finally seems to have gotten its feet back on solid ground with an all-around good performance against Yale – the reigning Ivy League champions. The righting of this ship could not have come a second sooner.
To keep its Ivy Title dreams alive, every game from here on out has become a must-win. Memories from last year’s upset — which all but stripped Penn of its chances at winning its first Ivy League title in seven years — will definitely be on the minds of many. With this added motivation, Penn should be able to keep its winning streak going with a dominant win against Brown, which currently has the worst defense in the conference.
The conference is currently wide open, and a convincing win this week would go a long way as Penn will be facing three of the tougher teams in the league to close out the season. Hope is always the most dangerous weapon, but I’m choosing to believe that this year is Penn’s year and that the team will absolutely dominate Brown this weekend to prove me right.
Penn 27, Brown 14 — Griffin Bond, Sports Associate
Last Halloween, Brown served the Quakers a frightening jump scare with a 34-31 upset victory in Providence. The Quakers will use Friday to dish out a nice helping of ice–cold revenge. Heading into the matchup, Penn has been firing on all cylinders. Last week's game against Yale saw the continued emergence of freshman running back Malachi Hosley in the backfield and sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson out wide. Both will dominate Brown’s defense, which has allowed more points than any other team in the Ivy League. It was also arguably Sayin’s best game of the season. Penn’s signal caller threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, Penn’s defense held the reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, Yale's quarterback Nolan Grooms, to just 121 yards of passing. Brown, reeling after a blowout 36-14 loss against Cornell last week, should be no match for the Quakers.
Penn 35, Brown 28 — Evan Stubbs, Sports Reporter
The Bears, 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in conference play, are a deceptively good team. Two of their losses have come from four or fewer points, and they’ve averaged 29 points a game thus far. Regardless, the Quakers are on a roll, and Richardson’s record-breaking performance makes me believe the Red and Blue can come away with a battle-of-offenses win.
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