Penn football begins stretch of meaningful games to end season

When Penn football and Princeton face off each season, the game is always meaningful.

However, with the Quakers looking to continue their three-game winning streak this weekend, Saturday’s game is more than just Homecoming for the Red and Blue: It’s an opportunity.

Fresh off a 48-28 thrashing of Brown last weekend, Penn (4-3, 3-1 Ivy) is one of only two teams in the Ivy League that still controls its destiny in 2015. Starting with a win on Saturday, if the Quakers win out, they are guaranteed at least a share of the conference title.

“We recruit and we always say we want to be playing meaningful games in November,” coach Ray Priore said. “So we have three games in November that have the potential to be pretty meaningful.”

Aside from Harvard, who has gone 21 consecutive contests without a loss, Penn is the hottest team in the conference at the moment. Since a 41-20 loss to the Big Green on Oct. 3, the Red and Blue have averaged 42.3 points in their last four contests while simultaneously forcing 10 turnovers during their three-game winning streak.

And with Penn playing so well since its early October stumble to Dartmouth, it’s no surprise that the team is having more fun than at this time in 2014, when the Quakers were a measly 1-6 and nowhere near the thick of the Ivy title race.

“After winning, you feel a lot of weight come off your shoulders,” running back Tre Solomon added. “Last year, we hadn’t won more than one game at this point in the season. So we are a lot more excited about the games, and it’s more fun to be at practice or on the sidelines during games."

Along with junior quarterback Alek Torgersen, Solomon is one of the main reasons Penn has managed to light up the scoreboard of late. The sophomore from Brooklyn had his first 100-yard game two weeks ago against Yale and has scored seven times in his last three games.

Additionally, since returning from a head injury after a one-game absence on Oct. 17, Torgersen has been unstoppable. The veteran has completed 69 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

“We really have just started to believe in the system that [offensive coordinator John] Reagan set up for us,” Solomon said. “He just does a really good job putting us in the right position, and we have been doing a better job of executing. We have a lot more faith in ourselves right now.”

The Tigers (5-2, 2-2) are coming off an impressive performance of their own, a 47-21 win over Cornell on Saturday. Princeton, who entered the game on a two-game skid, jumped out to a 17-7 halftime and didn’t look back, with Dre Nelson’s 103-yard fourth-quarter kick return touchdown sealing the win.

Having faced off with predominantly passing attacks throughout the season, Penn is presented with a different challenge this weekend. Against the Big Red, the Tigers scored four rushing touchdowns and accrued 261 yards on the ground.

Despite the change of pace, the Quakers’ defense, led by seniors Tyler Drake and Ian Dobbins, is up for the challenge.

“I think we’re all playing on the same page and getting 11 hats to the ball every play,” Dobbins said. “It’s playoff football in our minds right now. Every game means a lot, so we’ll do what we need to do to win.”

With both sides of the ball in such synchronization for Penn at this point, the question for the team may not be whether or not it can beat the Tigers. Instead, the better question might be by how much.

“[We need to] use our weapons,” Solomon said. “[Sophomore wide receiver] Justin Watson is going to catch a couple touchdowns for us on Saturday, [freshman wide receiver] Christian Pearson is going to catch a couple. Hopefully I get to run a couple in.

“I think it’s going to be a blowout. 64-0.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.