When senior quarterback Liam O’Brien stepped on the field for the first time as starting quarterback last season, no one expected him to rewrite the history books just two weeks later.
We should be similarly managing our expectations as the Quakers dust off the rust in these beginning games. We shouldn’t be expecting the same “Liamsanity” performance every game.
At No. 9 Lehigh (5-0, 2-0 Patriot League), the Quakers could not prevail over the Skyhawks and fell 44-30. And even if the score says otherwise, I believe Penn (1-1) football played a great game, and it came at the hands of O’Brien.
I’ll admit that I was initially worried. O’Brien’s start on the field was not ideal. Lehigh defensive back Nick Peltekian sacked the signal caller on his first play. Shortly after, O’Brien threw a high pass to senior wide receiver Bisi Owens for what would’ve been a touchdown.
But O’Brien was patient, and it showed. Right before the final minute of the game, O’Brien would complete 83% of his passes. In total, O’Brien attempted 37 passes and completed 28, good for 75.7% and his best performance to date as a starter.
A big part of O’Brien’s success is thanks to Owens and fellow senior wide receiver Jared Richardson. Of O’Brien’s 28 successful passes, 22 of them were to the wide receiver duo. Richardson would deliver with 141 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Owens would end with 101 yards and one touchdown. Richardson is now seventh in Penn history for receiving yards. By putting his trust in his wideouts, O’Brien delivered steady results across the game, and it showed.
But I’m not saying the game was perfect by any means. O’Brien also made critical mistakes, primarily in the second half. Penn trailed by three points near the end of the third quarter. As O’Brien attempted a pass, Peltekian forced a strip-sack, which culminated in a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter — pushing Lehigh’s lead to 10. Another pass by O’Brien intended for Richardson resulted in an interception and a Mountain Hawks touchdown. Those two turnovers were decisive in Lehigh’s victory.
Part of the loss also stems from Lehigh’s four victories before the matchup, compared to just one for Penn — a sloppy win at Stonehill at the heels of freshman kicker Mason Walters. However, the Quakers put up 30 points against a Lehigh defense that hadn’t given up more than 24 in its first four games thanks to passing.
For a team that’s almost found its footing after only one game, it has put up an impressive fight but turned up short due to turnovers.
“Our kids battled down to the last play of the game — it’s a lot to be said, and we’re excited about the next battle,” coach Ray Priore said.
And the team should be excited. The Quakers will be entering the Ivy League season opener against two-time reigning Ivy League champion Dartmouth with another game under its belt and with a home-field advantage. If O’Brien and the wideouts put up the same performance as they did against the Mountain Hawks, I can see Penn football rising victorious on top of the Big Green for the first time in three years.
JUSTIN LEE is a College sophomore from Las Vegas studying biochemistry and biophysics. He currently serves as DP sports editor. All comments should be directed to dpsports@thedp.com.
