Penn 24, Brown 17 — Valeri Guevarra, DP Sports editor
The six hours of driving to-and-from the Yale Bowl last weekend gave me a lot of time to think about what is ahead for Penn football.
While the team appears unreliable on the ground with senior running back Julien Stokes out with a season-ending injury and last week’s disastrous run performance, I think Penn’s passing game will keep this Friday from being a Halloween nightmare for the team.
In last week’s blowout loss, there was one bright spot: the consistency of senior wide receivers Jared Richardson and Bisi Owens. Richardson continued his strong senior campaign and notched a conference-leading ninth touchdown of the season. He now only trails three-time Super Bowl champion Justin Watson in the program rankings for total scores in a single season. Owens, who has accumulated 444 yards this season, made a crucial 32-yard catch by channeling his inner high jumper — maintaining his reputation for acrobatic clutch catches.
I think senior quarterback Liam O’Brien will have a bounce-back game and go back to utilizing his receivers well, especially if relieved of the burden of leading the run game. Penn football also had a lot of time to sit with that blowout loss on its drive back, and its grit and pride won’t allow them to drop to 2-2 in Ivy play.
Brown currently sits at No. 7 in the Ancient Eight without a single win in conference. The Bears’ defense is also No. 7 — next to last — in the Ivy League, allowing 396.5 total yards on average to its opponents. With such a weak defense, I expect this Penn offense to take full advantage.
Penn 33, Brown 24 — Justin Lee, DP Sports editor
It’s been a spooky season for the Bears, currently a scoreless team in the Ivy conference. Friday night’s game will be no different.
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Last year’s matchup against the Bears ended in O’Brien finding his first victory in a 38-28 bout. O’Brien has since kept up a strong passing game with an average of 254.7 yards per game. Following a devastating loss against Yale, the Quakers enter with another opportunity to patch up their run game. Stokes may be sidelined, but the Quakers have a strong roster of running backs in sophomore Donte West and junior Sean Williams Jr. to fill his shoes.
On the other side of the ball, Bears quarterback James Murphy put up a career-high 468 yards last week at Cornell. But a strong passing game did not correlate to a win, as the Bears fell to the Big Red in double overtime. With both teams setting foot on Franklin Field following heartbreaking losses, this Halloween is set for a comeback for the Quakers.
Penn 27, Brown 21 — Sonal Sukhatme, DP Sports associate
After a tough loss to Yale last weekend, I’m confident the Quakers will bounce back. The Red and Blue benefit from the home court advantage this weekend, under the bright lights at Franklin Field. Historically, Penn has an overall winning record against the Bears, with an especially impressive record of 30-9-1 since 1925.
While the atmosphere helps, Penn is undoubtedly the stronger team. Brown has yet to take home an Ivy League win, losing to Harvard 41-7, Princeton 40-21, and Cornell 30-24 so far. The Bears’ most recent matchup against Cornell went to double overtime, and Brown was unable to convert its lead at the start of the fourth quarter into a win. However, it’s important to recognize that the score gaps have been decreasing. Brown is slowly but surely gaining control of the game, but I doubt it’ll be enough to take down Penn.
The loss of Stokes to injury will dampen the run numbers for Penn undoubtedly, but there is enough depth on the team to convert without him.
Overall, I think a blowout is unlikely. I have faith that the Red and Blue will be back to avenge last week’s loss and keep Brown from claiming its first Ivy win.
Penn 27, Brown 24 (OT) — Ellie Clark, DP Sports reporter
Will the Red and Blue bounce back from their blowout loss to the Bulldogs last week? I think so, but it will be a close contest.
As others have noted, Penn’s offensive line and run game are currently stretched to the limits due to an unsustainable over-reliance on O’Brien after Stokes is out for the rest of the season. Last week’s game was marked by penalty calls on both sides and notable pocket pressure from the Bulldog defense, limiting opportunities to score. Although West supported O’Brien with rushing plays, the pressure is on for the sophomore to step up to the podium and relieve the burden weighing down the Quakers’ run game.
Brown entered the season with three victories, including a shutout season opener against Georgetown, but the Bears have only faced losses in Ivy League play so far. Last week’s loss to Cornell in double overtime was certainly a difficult pill to swallow, especially amidst a career-high 468 passing-yard performance from Murphy. The Quakers will also have to contend with strong defensive performers in defensive back Garrett Nichols and linebacker John Perdue, who put up eight and 10 tackles last week, respectively.
Both teams enter this week looking to prove themselves after tough losses. A victory against Brown would reestablish the Quakers’ dominance in the Ivy League as the end of the season and the FCS playoffs approach the horizon. A victory against Penn would set the Bears on the right track to salvage their season. No matter what happens this Halloween night, the results of this game will echo throughout the conference and define the season to come.
Penn 31, Brown 17 — Madison Knier, DP Sports reporter
Lightning never strikes the same place twice; at least, that is the hope as Penn football comes off of its first Ivy League loss of the season with no intention to lose another.
In response to a devastating 35-13 loss against Yale last weekend, Penn is looking to return the favor against Brown under the stadium lights this Halloween Friday. However, the nightmare performance at Yale from a veteran offensive unit must not repeat itself this week. To move past a game plagued with penalties from both sides of the ball and haunting fumbles from O’Brien, Penn’s offensive unit must claw its way back to the league-leading performance it is accustomed to.
This would require taking advantage of Richardson’s skills, as he is averaging just over 15 yards per reception this season, a sneaky Owens, who has accumulated a vast 444 yards so far this year, and a monstrous O’Brien, who currently leads the team in rushing yards and has 13 touchdowns on the year. A Penn offense operating closer to its true potential will undoubtedly drain the life out of any Bears defense that comes its way.
With the chilling reminder of a brutal loss less than a week ago, Penn football smells blood and will do whatever it takes to secure another win.
