After an offseason full of roster shakeups, the Quakers are entering 2025 with a chip on their shoulder.
This season marks a pivotal inflection point for the program, which is hoping to turn the page on back-to-back losing records in the Ivy League, and there’s no better curtain-raiser than the storylines emerging from the offseason.
This weekend, Penn football faces its first test in a road trip to face the Stonehill Skyhawks. The contest marks the beginning of non-conference play, which traditionally kicks off the Quakers’ season.
Voted No. 6 in the Ivy League’s preseason poll, the Red and Blue will be out to defy expectations and write its own redemption story.
Despite a star departure at the running back position, the Quakers are seeing key players return, especially on offense. First team All-Ivy winner and senior wide receiver Jared Richardson and two-time program-record holder and senior quarterback Liam O’Brien are ready to headline the Quakers this season.
Getting off to a good start
This season carries added weight for the Quakers, as it marks the inaugural season of the Ancient Eight’s participation in the FCS playoffs — giving Penn a chance to compete not only for an Ivy championship, but also for a spot in the fight for a national title. A strong start will be paramount to the team’s confidence and season trajectory.
This weekend’s opponent, the Stonehill Skyhawks, boasts a structured offense led by quarterback Jack O’Connell, who recently threw three touchdowns in a loss to Lafayette. For Penn, limiting explosive plays will be key to containing the Skyhawks’ attack.
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Defense wins championships
The turnover margin wasn’t just a talking point that Priore off-handedly mentioned during the Ivy Day media conference — it’s been a thorn in the team’s side the past few years.
While it doesn’t help that the Quakers ranked as one of the bottom two teams in the Ivy League in interceptions this past season, Priore also stressed the fact that winning at the margins starts with possessing the ball.
“It starts [with] the ball. We got to possess it, we got to keep it, and we got to get it. … This league is all about points. … The goal is not three; the goal is seven,” Priore said in August about the season, “And then on defense, [the] goal is keeping the three. We’re not on the points, and we’ve lost too many games by a very, very small margin.”
During the 2024 season, the Quakers lost five games by seven points or less, including a devastating 20-17 loss to historic rival Princeton.
After losing their “quarterback on defense” in defensive back Shiloh Means, the Red and Blue will look to other leaders and contributors this season.
A critical area to focus on is limiting the big plays: Last season, Penn gave up seven touchdowns of 35 yards or longer, including two 75-yard touchdown runs. Senior defensive lineman Paul Jennings, who is returning this season after being sidelined by injury last year, sees physicality and aggressiveness as important factors for the defense in securing victories, especially in close battles.
“To be honest, this is not a group that’s interested in being close. This is a group that wants to make it all the way there [and] wants to dominate week after week,” Jennings said in August. “Our defensive motto is simply hustle, hard work, and physicality.”
The Skyhawks have also struggled on defense, giving up 42 points to Lafayette. Despite only holding Sacred Heart to 12 points in their first outing of the season, the Skyhawks showed vulnerability against the run game, surrendering 127 yards and three touchdowns to Lafayette’s running back Kente Edwards. The Red and Blue will aim to take advantage of that leaky rush defense with senior now-running back Julien Stokes, who converted from wide receiver last season and enters as a favorable matchup.
QB1 leading the charge
After a historic seven-touchdown performance at Cornell last year, quarterback Liam O’Brien turned heads in the college football world. In a historic performance dubbed “Liam-sanity,” it was clear that O’Brien had started to show his immense growth at quarterback, even after a slow start in his previous appearances.
O’Brien heads into this season as the starting quarterback, captain, and a leader looking to put in the hard work with his team to build upon the flashes of title potential from last season.
“I think it purely comes down to effort,” O’Brien said on being voted as a captain. “If you can always give 100% of your effort … and then bring the best attitude that you can, you’ll be the best teammate.”
Although there was not a specific moment or play when Priore recalls knowing O’Brien was “the guy,” a culmination of impressive statistics and off-the-field leadership caught the coach’s eye. Indeed, as O’Brien heads into his first full season as the starting quarterback, Priore sees something more than just the ability to run or throw the football in him.
“He is a leader on the field. He’s a leader off the field. When your best players are your hardest workers, everyone sees that,” Priore said at a practice in September.
Implications for this season
Entering his 10th season at the helm — and more than a decade with the program — coach Ray Priore knows there’s plenty riding on this year. The Quakers haven’t captured an Ivy League title since 2016, but earning a spot in the inaugural FCS playoffs would be both a realistic and meaningful goal.
The Red and Blue should come out firing this weekend, with the makings of a blowout on the horizon. The Quakers look ready to roll.
Score prediction:
Penn 30, Stonehill 14.
