Three Up, Three Down: Brown Edition

Last week’s predictions were hit or miss — Billy Ragone struggled more than I expected against Yale’s bottom-ranked scoring defense among Ivies. But I did call the Bulldogs’ gashing of Penn’s defensive front. Ultimately, though, I would never have guessed that the egg that the Quakers laid at the Yale Bowl would be as big as it was. So who’s up and who’s down against Brown?

Three Up —

Tight ends: In Joe Holder's absence and with Cameron Countryman not a safe bet just yet, tight ends Ryan Allen and Mitch King have been stepping up when needed as secondary targets for Ragone and Holland. King's 32-yard reception in the second quarter from Penn's own 10-yard line jumpstarted an 8-play, 89-yard drive that gave the Quakers their only touchdown of the game last week, and both TEs combined for three catches for 41 yards against Columbia. Brown will undoubtedly match two-time first-team All-Ivy cornerback A.J. Cruz up with Conner Scott, and that should make for quite a battle. Look for Penn's QBs to continue to look to King and Allen to exploit the rest of Brown's average secondary.

Dan Davis: Davis led all Quakers at Yale with 10 tackles and showed flashes of impressive pursuit in both run and pass blitz situations. Still, his grasp of Penn's complex defensive schemes isn't quite where it needs to be per linebackers coach Dan Wood in this week's Penn Football Weekly. Davis embodies the rest of the defense in that he has great athleticism, potential, and versatility (playing 11 different positions in high school), but he still isn't experienced enough to be great. Nevertheless, look for him to be a ballhawk Saturday.

Connor Loftus: Because there's nowhere to go but up after missing a 21-yard field goal on the Quakers' second possession that set the tone for Penn's offensive futility all afternoon long. Penn still ranks second among Ivies in field goal percentage (behind only Brown), so count on Loftus to have a solid game once again.

Three Down —

Run defense: This one's obvious. Brown running back Jordan Reisner gouged Cornell for 193 yards on the ground last week and Penn comes in after giving up 203 rushing yards to an admittedly powerful Yale rushing attack. Still, Brown can run it better than Penn can stop it.

The early going: Brown has scored a touchdown on either its first or second possession in all but two of six games this season, getting six on its very first possession three times. Brown is used to fast starts and Penn is used to giving up fast starts. That shouldn't change tomorrow.

Jeff Jack: Jack has been asked to carry the load on behalf of the entire Stable at times this season, and he's understandably struggled often. Penn's rushing game was stifled by Columbia and failed to come through at key moments at Yale. Meanwhile, Brown comes in with the Ancient Eight's second-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 96.5 yards per game on the ground. Don't expect Jack to shine this Saturday.