For its second game of the season, Penn football heads to battle undefeated Lehigh

After a scrappy win in its season opener, Penn football is preparing to take on the undefeated Lehigh this Saturday. The Quakers (1-0) have plenty to build on from last week’s win, but they are focused on playing mistake-free football as they prepare to take on the Mountain Hawks (4-0) — their first nationally ranked non-conference opponent since 2019. 

“[We] walked away … with a win, which is very positive and feeds into the energy for this week,” senior quarterback Liam O’Brien told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “But at the same time, we had a lot of mistakes and a lot of execution errors that we want to get cleaned up.”

In last week’s win against Stonehill, costly penalties, blown coverages, and a fourth-quarter interception allowed the Skyhawks to stay in the game up through the final minutes after being down 21-7 at the end of the first half. A game-winning field goal kick in the final seconds from freshman kicker Mason Walters allowed Penn to come away with a win, but just barely. 

Last week, O’Brien went just 16 for 31 in passes, good for a 51.6% completion rate. What O’Brien didn’t get in the air, however, he made up for on the ground. Last week, he ran for 38 yards on nine carries, netting two crucial first downs to get the Quakers in field goal range. 

“Whatever the play call is, I’m just trying to do my job, make my reads correctly, and get the ball to the right guy, whether that be myself or someone else,” O’Brien said of his scrambles. “And so, on the last drive, my number got called a couple [of] times. [I was] just trying to make a play on the ground with my feet.”

O’Brien’s rushing threat is especially important given the departure of star running back Malachi Hosley — the 2024 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year — at the end of last season to Georgia Tech and a youth-heavy, revamped running room. 

To beat Lehigh, both the Quakers offense and defense will have to execute at a high level. The Mountain Hawks are undefeated in their four games since the start of the season, scoring an average of 31.25 points per game and holding their opponents to a mere 17.25. 

After beating Bucknell in a 41-24 win last week, the Mountain Hawks are poised to take on Penn on their own turf. With a dominant running game averaging 234.5 yards per game on nearly six yards per attempt and an accurate passing game going for 166.75 yards per game, Lehigh’s offense has dominated opponents all season long.  

Last week against Bucknell, the Mountain Hawks’ game featured a one-two punch of offense on the ground and in the air — with Lehigh running backs Luke Yoder and Jaden Green combining for 301 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, while Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson tossed two touchdown passes and completed 16-of-20 pass attempts. 

To win, the Quakers will have to avoid turnovers and take advantage of Lehigh’s defense, which is stronger against running than it is against passing. Opportunities will likely be abundant for senior wideouts Jared Richardson and Bisi Owens. Richardson notably had an explosive 69-yard catch and run on Penn’s opening drive last week, and both Richardson and Owens have quickly turned into O’Brien’s favorite targets.

O’Brien is up for the challenge. 

“They got great players, very physical, but you know, we have great players too,” he said. “We got physical players, too. And I really think it’s going to come down to who wants it more, who’s willing to put their body on the line, who’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the win.”  

The Quakers are set to take on the Mountain Hawks at Goodman Stadium at 12 p.m. on Saturday.

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