The picks are in for Penn football's home game against Howard

Howard 17, Penn 7 – Ellie Clark, Sports Editor

It’s always darkest before dawn.

Penn football (1-2, 0-1 Ivy League) will take on the Howard Bison (2-3) this Saturday in its final non-conference game of the season. Although both teams enter the gridiron looking to prove that they’re better than a losing record, I believe Howard will come out on top.

Despite Penn’s strong defensive line, the Quakers struggle to convert drives into points, leading to low-scoring outings against opponents that a squad led by 2026 Wharton graduate Liam O’Brien or 2026 College graduate Jared Richardson would have dogwalked. Last season, Penn trounced the Big Green 36-24, with then-quarterback O’Brien putting up two touchdown passes with a 76% completion rate. Last Saturday, Dartmouth took advantage of a last-second tush push to secure a 14-10 victory over the Quakers.

Although freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki put up a career-high 214-yard performance with a 69% completion rate last weekend, the lack of synergy on the front line is evident on the field. Call it a young squad or a new coach, but Penn has slid down to the bottom of the Ivy League power rankings for a reason.

While Howard isn’t a Goliath of an opponent for the Red and Blue, it will still put up a fight. The Bison have a kicker who hasn’t missed a field goal this season and a linebacker ranking third in the nation for forced fumbles. They have critical assets on the offense, defense, and special teams. 

Although the Quakers have one of the nation's best defenses, defense doesn’t put points on the board, and their inability to convert will lead to yet another sad walk back to the locker room.

Penn 24, Howard 17 (OT) – Daniel Obstgarten, Sports reporter 

For this week, the Quakers are just “the Red.” The “Blue” was stolen by Howard’s mascot, a bison named “Big Blue.” Fortunately, if Penn just hangs on to the Red (zone), they should eke out a win over the Bison.

Howard, admittedly, is likely better than its record shows (two losses came from Rutgers and No. 7 Indiana, both of which are Football Bowl Subdivision teams). Fortunately, the Quaker defense doesn’t really seem to care. In all three games this year, including against Football Championship Subdivision No. 5 Lehigh, they held their opponents to under half of their typical offensive production. In fact, the Quakers still rank first in the FCS for first-down defense, third-down defense, and passing defense. This should help keep a lethal Howard red-zone offense (they’ve scored on all nine trips there) at bay. Howard kicker Matt Conord hasn’t attempted a field goal over forty yards yet, forcing him to shake things up.

Then, of course, Penn would also have to score to win, but Teodecki has been getting better and better with every game he’s played. Coach Rick Santos also seems to be figuring out his team, as the field has been opening up for receivers much more easily. Penn had chances to win last week, but it just couldn’t convert. This will be the week we’ll finally start to see breakout performances.

And why overtime? Each game has been getting closer for the Quakers — the Big Green barely escaped last week. The 150th anniversary of Penn football needs something exciting: how about Franklin Field’s first overtime game in almost exactly three years to get the home crowd fired up?

Penn 30, Howard 7 – Javier St. Remy, deputy Sports editor

The Quakers are back at Franklin Field after losing their first conference matchup to the Dartmouth Big Green. The Red and Blue are coming off a rough two-game stretch, in which they have only put up 17 total points across both contests; however, I don't see this theme continuing against the Howard Bison. Although Howard has managed to pull together two wins in the five games it has played, it’s given up 24 points or more in four of its five games and even over 50 in two of them. 

Facing a defense that gives up 246.6 passing yards and 155.2 rushing yards per game, the Quakers will feast offensively. 

After a debut in which Teodecki showed flashes of brilliance and a game against Dartmouth in which he completed an impressive 27 of his 39 passes, this matchup against the Bison will be his best showing yet. Having faced a top-10 FCS program in the country in Lehigh earlier this season, Teodecki is more than ready to take on a Bison defense that allows over 35 points per game. 

20 Penn, 17 Howard – Earl Coker, Sports reporter

Penn has never faced Howard, making this matchup especially significant for both programs. Penn began the season with a win that gave Teodecki confidence in his new role as a starter. Unfortunately, that confidence has not translated into consistent offensive success. On the other hand, Penn's defense has performed well, allowing opponents to score fewer than 14 points per game on average.

With Teodecki delivering his best performance of the season against Dartmouth and showing signs of offensive improvement, I believe this game could mark a turning point for Penn’s offense while its defense remains steady.

This combination could give Penn the edge it needs to secure a victory. Looking at Howard, the Bison have demonstrated their ability to compete at the FCS level, but I believe Penn’s determination to end its two-game losing streak will outweigh that momentum. Howard's recent victories have come by relatively narrow margins rather than decisive blowouts, suggesting there are weaknesses Penn can exploit. If the Quakers capitalize on those opportunities while maintaining their defensive consistency, they should be in a strong position to come away with the win.