After a disappointing result last week, losing in overtime to Dartmouth at home, Penn football (2-1, 0-1 Ivy) will have a chance to right the ship as it faces its third Patriot League opponent of the season in Georgetown (3-2) for the second home game of the season.
In the last meetup between these two teams, Penn absolutely dominated the Hoyas in all facets of the game en route to a commanding 59-28 win at Georgetown’s homecoming game. A lot has changed since that game, though.
Many of the Red and Blue's stars in that game — outside of junior quarterback Aidan Sayin — have all moved on to continue their collegiate football careers elsewhere, while the Georgetown program has seen noticeable improvements heading into the season this year. Before the two teams met last year, Georgetown had won just one game and were deep in a four-game losing skid. This season, Georgetown has already notched three wins and is coming off a solid victory against a conference opponent. Furthermore, Georgetown has one of the top defenses in the Patriot League, ranking first against the pass and third against the run.
However, Penn’s track record against Patriot League opponents has been stellar thus far. To open the season, Penn dominated two Patriot League teams in consecutive weekends on the road. In fact, the last time the Quakers lost to a Patriot League team was over two seasons ago to Lafayette. This season, Georgetown was held scoreless against fellow Ancient Eight member, Columbia, which bodes well for a Penn defense that is ranked third in the Ivy League.
A key point of focus for the Quakers heading into this weekend will be minimizing turnovers. In each of the team’s first three games, at least two turnovers resulting in points scored have been committed. While Colgate and Bucknell failed to punish Penn for its lack of ball security, the game against Dartmouth showed what can happen when Penn repeatedly gifts its opponents with good field position. The Hoyas — who have already stacked up 114 yards off of four interceptions this season — will be an opponent that will feast on any turnovers that Penn commits.
Once again, the Red and Blue will be going up against a very competitive pass defense unit. With the emergence of sophomore wide reciever Jared Richardson and junior tight end Bryce Myers, and with Sayin throwing for over 300 yards for each of the past two games, Penn will be looking to establish its dominance through the air against a pass defense unit that is ranked first in the Patriot League. On the other side of the ball, Penn’s defense, ranked second in the Ivy League — and fourth in the FCS — in rush yards allowed per game, should line up well against a Georgetown offense that has relied heavily on the run thus far in the season.
The game will likely come down to which team can win in the trenches. Penn’s offensive line has generally performed strongly, although there were a few moments where defenders were given straight shots to Sayin this past weekend — one of which resulted in a strip sack. If the offensive line can clean things up slightly and buy Sayin some time, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility for Sayin to throw for over 300 yards for his third consecutive game.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate