On a day that saw crowds of family and friends come back to campus, Penn football made sure it was worth celebrating.
Penn (2-2, 0-1 Ivy) came back in the fourth quarter to defeat the Howard Bison (2-4) in a 24-20 victory that marks the first-ever matchup between the two teams. Heavy penalties on both sides defined the game, with the Quakers ultimately giving up 72 yards — just two yards higher than their total rushing yards.
The game was defined by a first-half knee injury to Penn’s starting freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki, who had just put up an explosive 41-yard scramble to the end zone.
“He hurt his knee. We’re gonna go get an MRI right now. We do not know the scope or the magnitude of it right now,” Penn football coach Rick Santos said.
Backup junior quarterback Karson Siqueiros-Lasky took the snap for the first time this season, finishing the game with 226 yards at 66% completion. Siqueiros-Lasky also notched his first collegiate touchdown pass, but he was always ready for the moment.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel that nervous. [I] feel like I’ve been ready for the moment. I was excited,” Siqueiros-Lasky said. “[This] wouldn't have been possible without our defense playing lights out.”
Penn’s first drive wasn’t fruitful, as a promising run game quickly stalled before a false start penalty forced a quick opening-drive punt. On the other side of the ball, Howard quickly strung together a series of smooth plays, backed by quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins’ calm pocket presence. A pivotal play on fourth and goal at the Quaker’s one-yard line led to Scroggins rushing in the end zone for the first score of the game.
The momentum soon shifted in the Red and Blue’s favor. An impressive 41-yard kick return from senior kick returner Jayden Drayton put the Quakers in prime field position to score, and a 30-yard dime from Teodecki to freshman wide receiver Mason Page set up a 20-yard field goal.
The Quakers followed up that scoring drive with an impressive defensive display that forced a Bison three-and-out. A missed Quaker field goal was soon followed by Teodecki’s game-ending injury. On the following play, Siqueiros-Lasky, coming on for the injured Teodecki, found Page in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
But how the tables turned.
After Siqueiros-Lasky’s strong start, Penn’s defense forced Howard into punting with back-to-back sacks. On the next drive, Penn fumbled on the snap, and Howard capitalized with a 30-yard touchdown.
The momentum did not fall there: as soon as Penn got possession again, they threw an interception to Howard defensive back Ben Chandler IV. Despite the penalty yardage, the Quakers held firm in the red zone to force a 20-yard field goal in the final three seconds of the half. The Quakers would head into the locker room down 17-10, but leading in third-down conversion rates and passing completion percentages.
The third quarter would be defined by one pesky, recurring side character: penalties. A strip-sack fumble six by senior linebacker Joey Holliday was overturned, and a face-mask penalty culminated in a 34-yard field goal by the Bison to put them up 20-10. To cap it all off, an exhilarating 43-yard return from Drayton was nullified by way of another penalty. The key moment in this quarter came from a failed fourth-and-one conversion from the Quakers offense, but the Red and Blue defense came up with clutch stops of their own to get the ball back by the start of the fourth quarter.
Howard went cold, and with Siqueiros-Lasky’s veteran leadership, magic was made by the Red and Blue in the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 13, the Quakers traversed 87 yards and finished with Siqueiros-Lasky catching a touchdown thrown by sophomore receiver Isaac Lee to close the difference.
“It was fun,” Siqueiros-Lasky said. “I didn’t get to practice that play this week, but it was called, and it's like, ‘you know what? All right, let’s go.’”
With a chance to finally take the lead for the first time since early second quarter, Howard’s defense awakened slightly to force a field goal, which Penn missed.
“Next unit up, defense needs to go and get us a stop. You don’t have the ability to feel sorry for yourself in this game,” Santos said.
Not to be discouraged, Penn’s defense stepped up to force another punt from Howard. Karson had all the pressure with three minutes left, but remained calm, leading the team up the field, finishing with a 13-yard touchdown to Lee. A clutch interception by sophomore defensive back Ezra Fearon put the finishing touches on a truly magical comeback.
With their first home victory secured – breaking Penn’s two-game losing streak – the Quakers now move with confidence into their next home game against Columbia on Oct. 16.
“We’ll take a deep dive into Columbia … they’re playing at an elite level right now,” Santos said. “We will continue to build upon the momentum that we garner today.”
