As the final whistle blew at Franklin Field last Saturday, the scoreboard reflected a result not seen since 2013: a Penn football home victory over Dartmouth. It was a watershed win for the Quakers, one that gave them a 1-0 start to Ivy League play, and one which Penn senior linebacker John Lista called “season-defining.”
“Not just for us, but for the whole program’s history,” Lista added.
Now, just a few days later, the Red and Blue are onto the next goalpost.
On Friday, Penn will conclude its non-conference campaign with a home matchup versus Marist, marking the first-ever faceoff between the two programs. The 3-2 Red Foxes, who hail from the Pioneer League, will serve as the latest test for a Red and Blue team that has succeeded in all three phases en route to a 2-1 start.
“From offense to defense to special teams, everybody’s connected,” coach Ray Priore said.
The Quakers’ performance against Dartmouth earned them a pair of Ivy League weekly awards — one for senior quarterback Liam O’Brien, who brought home Offensive Player of the Week after throwing and running for two touchdowns apiece. Since O’Brien took over as Penn’s starting quarterback in the back half of last season, the Quakers’ offense has been close to unstoppable — the team has averaged a scorching 34.3 points over seven games and scored under 24 just once.
But a large piece of credit for Penn’s productivity this campaign is due to another player: Penn’s other weekly award winner, senior running back and return specialist Julien Stokes. Stokes, who has brought home two straight Ivy Special Teams Player of the Week awards, currently leads the FCS in average punt return yards (29.4) and ranks eight in average kickoff return yards (29.9).
“Just staying consistent with the game plan that my coaches are putting together,” Stokes said. “My teammates are all blocking their butts off. They’ve been helping me out a lot, and it’s been helping the team.”
Against a Marist special teams unit surrendering just 6.89 yards per punt and 18 yards per kickoff, Stokes’s ability to put Penn in plus field position could play a critical role.
The turnover battle will also be a factor in the Quakers’ quest for shortfield situations. After generating just one takeaway in each of their first two games, Penn produced two interceptions in key moments against Dartmouth — first senior defensive back Alec Wills came up with a pick in the final minutes of the first half, then freshman defensive back Ezra Fearon secured another at the start of the fourth quarter. Both resulted in Penn touchdowns.
“The game’s all about possessions,” Priore said. “So getting those turnovers was huge. … You don’t have the ball, you can’t win.”
Penn’s secondary will again be put to the test against an effective Marist receiving corps. Wide receiver Lance Martinez and tight end Connor Hulstein have each totaled 220+ yards and three or more touchdown catches for the Red Foxes this season.
“We’ve got guys in different classes making plays on the field, which is great,” Lista said. “We [as a defense] still need to step up. There’s a lot of mistakes that were made, and I think that’s the great part. We beat Dartmouth in a great game, and we didn’t even show our full potential.”
While its matchup with Marist will not contribute to Penn’s Ivy title pursuit, the non-conference clash carries more weight than in previous seasons.
As the Ancient Eight prepares for its first year of FCS playoff participation, the Quakers’ performance against non-league opponents could influence their seeding should they earn the conference’s automatic bid or make them a candidate for an at-large selection.
With that in mind, Penn is approaching each game with a sense of urgency.
“With us being able to play in the FCS playoff, every game counts,” Lista said. “So no matter if we’re playing an Ivy League team or an out of conference game, it’s all really the same. It’s just as important given our ultimate goal.”
“We only get 10 shots at it, only 10,” Priore said. “Not like baseball, you have 30 or 40 college games, basketball you have 25 games. We get 10. … We gotta practice hard, we gotta play hard, we gotta coach them hard. And our guys are responding well.”
