Fall is here, and with it a new football season for Penn.
Following a surprise change at the quarterback position days before, the Quakers opened their season with a comfortable 20-7 victory over Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa.
For freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki, Saturday’s game marked his first collegiate start. It was also the first game with new coach Rick Santos at the helm, marking the beginning of a new era for Penn football in its 150th season.
After winning the coin toss, Penn (1-0) set the tone with instant defensive playmaking. Roughly two minutes in, junior defensive lineman Connor Martin got a huge sack on Bucknell quarterback Chris Dietrich to force the Bison (1-3) out.
For the next few minutes, the two teams exchanged punts before the Quakers began attacking the ground.
From the shotgun, Teodecki snapped the ball, scanning his receivers, then scrambling for 16 yards down the middle. Soon, junior running back Donte West and Teodecki took turns carrying the ball and charging through the defense, leading to a 36-yard run by Teodecki on a crucial 4th-and-2. Penn capped off a ground-heavy drive with a 1-yard run for a touchdown by the freshman quarterback.
After Penn’s defense forced a quick three-and-out, Teodecki showed his dual-threat ability, as he went 2-for-3 in the air for 48 yards. His success on the ground on the previous drive forced the Bison secondary to play closer to the line of scrimmage, anticipating another rushing attack. Instead, Teodecki stepped up in the pocket and fired a 37-yard dot to freshman wide receiver Mason Page over the Bucknell defense for a touchdown, putting the Quakers up 14-0 in the first quarter for the first touchdown pass of his collegiate career.
However, early in the second quarter, the Bison quickly got on board following a costly Penn turnover. Penn’s offense relied heavily on its run-pass option offense, with Teodecki making reads to decide whether to hand the ball off or find a receiver downfield. From the Bucknell 26-yard line, Teodecki faked the handoff and dropped back to pass. But before he could get the ball off, he was hit from his blind side, and the ball fell straight to Bucknell defensive back Nate Olson, who returned it for a pivotal pick-six.
For roughly the next 22 minutes of game time, the two sides had a scoring drought. Coming out of halftime, Bucknell looked to replicate Teodecki’s success by putting in freshman quarterback Emmett Dowling, but the Quakers’ defense forced two straight three-and-outs to open the third quarter. On crucial third downs, the defensive line was quick to pressure and forced punt after punt. By the end of the third quarter, the defense allowed zero third-down conversions all game.
Their exceptional performance included a pick by sophomore linebacker Luke McIlhon, who read the curl route and jumped the pass to give Penn the possession at the Bucknell 21-yard line.
“I just saw them drop back to pass,” McIlhon said. “I could see some guys breaking in, and I knew something was coming behind me, so I just kind of sat there expecting it, and [it] worked out in the end.”
“I think we did a really good job when the ball was in the air,” said Santos, who praised the defense for coming into the game “prepared.”
Meanwhile, Teodecki and the offense did enough to put Penn comfortably ahead. The freshman fired a bullet for a 25-yard completion, then followed it with a quick slant to keep the drive going. Facing a 3rd-and-10 in the end zone, Teodecki found senior tight end Dante Barone wide open on a run-pass option play for a touchdown, putting the Quakers up 20-7 after Mason Walters’ extra-point attempt was blocked.
In the next drive, the Bison marched down the field near Penn’s end zone, but facing a crucial 4th-and-13 conversion, senior defensive lineman Raashed Hall rushed Dowling from the snap to force a turnover, effectively sealing the win for the Quakers.
“We tackled. We got pressure on the quarterback. Created a turnover, so really proud with the defense,” said Santos.
From start to finish, the defense showed up for all four quarters.
“I really want to give a shout-out to Nick Della Jacono, our defensive coordinator,” Santos said. “That was the first game that he ever called defensively … really proud of him, the whole defensive staff.”
“We’re built on juice, so we try to keep the energy up the whole game,” said McIlhon. “If you have more energy than the other team, you’re bound to win.”
Penn football will be opening up the home front next weekend at Franklin Field, where it looks to strengthen its non-conference record against Patriot League foe Lehigh.
