Junior wide receiver Jared Richardson smiles during a game against Delaware on Sep. 21.
Credit: Sonali ChandyThe best part of a Week 1 loss? Week 2.
That is Penn football’s mindset as it approaches its matchup with Colgate this Saturday — the team’s first game this season at Franklin Field and an attempt to add its first mark in the win column. After a tight 29-22 loss to FCS powerhouse Delaware in the season-opener, the Quakers have plenty to build on, but also plenty of motivation ahead of their tilt against the Raiders.
“I thought the effort that our kids put forth [against Delaware] was commendable,” coach Ray Priore said. “Obviously we came up on the short end. Our kids, at the end of the game, they were really more ticked off at themselves. They were mad. They knew they had it. … And now, I think what they showed to us, our team, is what they’re capable of doing.”
As the Red and Blue turn their attention to this week, they meet an opponent almost as familiar as one of their Ivy League foes. Penn and Colgate have faced off in each of the last two seasons, with the Quakers winning both matchups. In 2023, Penn won a low-scoring 20-6 affair, buoyed by a defense that forced three turnovers and held the Raiders to just six points.
This season’s matchup seems destined to be different, at least in regard to Colgate’s scoring total. Though the Raiders began the season 0-3 against a string of tough opponents, they found their groove last weekend to the tune of a 41-24 blowout win over Cornell, which is coached by former Penn offensive coordinator Dan Swanstrom. During that scoring explosion against the Big Red, Colgate racked up 457 yards of total offense, with wideouts Brady Hutchison and Treyvhon Saunders each hauling in six catches for over 75 receiving yards.
“Colgate has good receivers, a good offense … ” senior defensive back Shiloh Means said. “They’re a good team. They’re better than they were last year, and they’re better than they were the year before, so we’ll have to come ready.”
The Raiders’ offense is powered by a unique three-quarterback system — one that shapeshifts to take what the defense gives. In some games, quarterback Michael Brescia — the team’s leading rusher and passer — will play both parts, as he did in a do-it-all performance against Akron. In others, quarterbacks Jake Stearney or Zach Osborne will lead the way: Against Cornell, Stearney passed for 184 yards while Brescia and Osborne each attempted just one pass.
Colgate is not the only Penn opponent to deploy this unique attack — Dartmouth has notably utilized multiple quarterbacks for years, an approach that has yielded the Big Green three Ivy titles in the last four seasons. Though each team and game is unique, the Quakers have generally fared well against these offenses; over the course of four matchups against Colgate and Dartmouth in the last two seasons, Penn has allowed an average of just 15 points.
Despite this past success, Priore emphasized the cerebral difficulty of stopping such a complex scheme.
“[The three-quarterback system] is a combination. It’s a lot of mental preparation for our guys,” Priore said. “[Colgate is] a very good opponent. They’re physical. They’re very similar to ourselves: old school, lunch-pail mentality. They’ll fight you for all four quarters, and we know we’ll be in for such a fight this weekend.”
On Penn’s end, the game plan for offensive success will be simple: Help the stars stay hot. Against Delaware, the Red and Blue’s skill position stars found major success, with sophomore running back Malachi Hosley rushing for 176 yards and junior wide receiver Jared Richardson catching five passes for 98 yards and a score.
The team's primary area for improvement is similarly straightforward. Turnovers and miscues plagued Penn last season, with the Red and Blue committing 14 turnovers over the course of their four losses. Last week's loss was a similar story, with a pair of giveaways — including one on Penn's final drive — ultimately deciding the outcome.
But as they look ahead to Colgate and beyond, the Quakers remain confident that their best is yet to come.
“Coach [Priore] always tells us the biggest jump for a team is between Week 1 and Week 2,” Means said. “So right now, I feel the team’s headspace is good. We’re not down or slouching or anything like that. We still have a goal in mind, we just have to take it one day at a time.”
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