When you think of Bethlehem, your first thought probably isn’t football. When Penn football travels to Bethlehem on Saturday, they won’t need to fly and their trip won’t be one of any religious importance.

Up in Rindge, N.H., lies Franklin Pierce. Perhaps it’s not an institution that Penn students hear about frequently in the world of Penn athletics, but for the 49 players on the Quakers’ sprint football roster, it’s a household name nonetheless. This weekend, Penn sprint football will officially begin its season against its New England counterpart, under the sun at Franklin Field on Saturday.

The play of Penn football’s defense in 2014 was, well, indefensible. The Quakers struggled mightily to stop opposing offenses a year ago, surrendering an average of 31.9 points per game.

Change is inevitable. Nothing continues forever... except for time and, maybe, space, but that’s not the point.

Anyone who says numbers never lie didn’t watch Penn’s offense last season. A year ago, then-sophomore quarterback Alek Torgerson was near the top of not only the Ivy League, but the entire Football Championship Subdivision in multiple passing categories.

Penn football operates under a microscope. With that said, it seems curious that the biggest guys on Franklin Field are consistently the most overlooked.

Alek Torgersen has something to prove. This year it’s not about proving he’s capable of locking down the top spot at quarterback.

Penn football’s first game may come a full two weeks after most teams begin their seasons, but a high level of competition has been brewing for weeks in Quakers' practices at Penn Park. As the Red and Blue approach their opener against Lehigh, position battles have been on the minds of many coaches and players.

The streak goes on. After opening its season with a draw and two losses, Penn men's soccer looked to get on track in a midweek matchup with crosstown foe Drexel on Wednesday night.

When Penn women’s soccer assistant coach Emily Oliver stepped on the soccer field four years ago on December 4th, her objective was clear. It was the finals of 2011 College Cup, the NCAA women’s soccer national championship, and her team, the Stanford Cardinal, was facing Duke.

Over the past few years, Penn men’s cross country has largely been a showcase for one of the top runners in the nation: Thomas Awad. And what a showcase it has been.

The fall season may still be quite young for Penn Athletics, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any surprises. So now, with most Red and Blue teams having gotten their seasons under way, we take the opportunity to talk about the squads that have made us reconsider our preseason expectations.

The 139th edition of Penn football has 77 days together. From the first day of preseason camp until the final snap against Cornell in November, the Quakers remain one cohesive unit.

The first big road trip of the season is always a challenge, and while Penn women’s soccer’s weekend in South Carolina was by no means perfect, the two games the squad played allowed for plenty of causes for optimism. Despite picking up their first loss of the season on Friday night in a 2-1 game against No.

It was a rainy trip to Florida for Penn men’s soccer this weekend, both literally and figuratively. With a two-game slate scheduled in the Sunshine State, the Quakers dropped their opener in disappointing fashion to Florida International, 3-1, on Thursday night.

Off to the races they go. After a brief layoff following the end of track and field season, Penn's cross country teams are eagerly anticipating their season opener at the Big 5 Invitational this Friday.

The old saying goes, two’s company, three’s a crowd, four’s too many. But for coach Fuller and the Quakers, four might be the magical number. Penn has four great options for the goalkeeping position, according to the team, but only time will tell if four is truly too many or a blessing. “I could probably say without hesitation, I’ve been at Penn 18 years and this is probably the deepest goalkeeping crop that I’ve had in my time at Penn,” Fuller said.