Penn football opened the season with a bang.
On Saturday, the Quakers (1-0) downed Bucknell (1-3) on the road 20-7 in a game headlined by firsts. It was new coach Rick Santos’ first career win in his first season for Penn — as well as new Bucknell coach Jeff Behrman’s first season at the helm. It was freshman Miles Teodecki’s first time taking the snap as the starting quarterback. And it was the first game to mark 150 years of Penn football.
The team had a lot going for them in their win against the Bison. First, freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki was one to watch. The freshman phenom was the starting quarterback at Vandegrift High School, where he racked up 5,755 yards over 69 touchdown passes, finishing his senior season as the No. 54 quarterback in the nation.
On Saturday, his performance was shaky at times, but it’s a strong start overall — especially for his first game.
Teodecki finished the game with 197 yards in the air and 87 rushing yards, cementing his position as a formidable threat both in the air and on the ground. Teodecki was consistently able to make long passes, including a first-quarter 37-yard pass to give Penn their second touchdown.
But he still struggled with completions, including many overthrown passes, and a pick-six interception in the second quarter to give Bucknell their only points. Teodecki didn’t let that deter him, ultimately finishing the game going 18-for-34 for 53% pass completion.
“He gets hit, they have a pick-six … and that could fracture [us] mentally. But he came to the sideline, he had a smile on his face, and was not at1 all affected by that,” Santos said.
Teodecki found his footing, and so did the receivers.
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This season, Penn’s receiving corps finds itself in a unique position, with all receivers who had accrued over 500 yards in the 2025 season graduating in May. Last season, we saw the likes of wide receivers Jared Richardson and Bisi Owens — second and fourth place in the Ivy League, respectively, for receiving yards.
This season, we’re seeing a lot of young talent in their place. Against Bucknell, sophomore wide receiver Luke Johnson finished with six receptions for 75 yards. Freshman wide receiver Mason Page also stepped up, nabbing a 37-yard first-quarter touchdown to put the Quakers up 14-0.
Last season, the Red and Blue ended fourth in the League in rushing defense and last in the League in passing defense. It’s a common saying that defense wins games, and a combination of veterans and young talent stepped up to the gridiron yesterday. The Red and Blue defense stopped the Bison at only 124 yards across 49 plays, a performance similar to Penn’s statement victory against Dartmouth last season, and a stark difference from last season’s messy 24-21 season-opening win against Stonehill.
“What I felt was [the defense’s] presence. I thought we were relentless in terms of our effort. I thought we tackled extremely well,” Santos said.
“We’re built on juice, so we try to keep the energy up the whole game. If you have more energy than the other team, you’re bound to win,” sophomore linebacker Luke McIlhon said.
Justin Lee is a College junior and former sports editor from Las Vegas studying biophysics and biochemistry. All comments should be directed to dpsports@thedp.com.
