PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Running back Sam Mathews and quarterback Mike Mitchell demonstrated again this weekend why Penn's offense is arguably the best in the Ivy League.
Mathews rushed for 173 yards on 34 carries and Mitchell led the Quakers through the air with 225 passing yards in Penn's 24-21 win over Brown Saturday.
The balanced attack Penn brought to Brown Stadium allowed the Quakers to dominate the first three quarters of action, jumping out to a commanding 24-7 lead entering the fourth.
"I think we've been doing a good job all year on the balance of the offense," senior offensive linemen Chris Kupchik said. Mathews "is doing a great job reading holes and [Mitchell] is doing a great job with the checks, so things are clicking right now."
The Quakers were clicking from the outset Saturday, as they scored on their first offensive possession of the game, driving 62 yards on 12 plays in just over three and a half minutes.
Penn's first drive continued after coach Al Bagnoli decided to go for it on a fourth-and-one situation at the Brown 11-yard line.
"I've got a lot of confidence in our team. We've got five senior offensive linemen, one of the best backs in the league," Bagnoli said about the decision to go for it on fourth down. "I don't think a field goal would necessarily do us a lot... I think touchdowns become a premium."
After converting on fourth down, Mitchell hit tight end Brian Adams in the end zone on a 7-yard pass, scoring the first points of the game and giving the Red and Blue a 7-0 advantage.
Mathews would score Penn's final two touchdowns in the second and third quarter, running through the Brown defense almost at will.
"I think we did a good job of running the ball again," Mathews said. "The guys like to say that they live through me, but in reality, I live through them. They make the holes for me, and I just try and do my job and go through the holes."
The sophomore transfer from Navy's ability to slice through the Brown defense was enhanced because the Bears never knew what to expect from the Penn offensive attack. Penn passed 37 times and ran 47. The Quakers' balance of passing and hard-nosed running left the Bears guessing for the majority of the game.
Mitchell "was doing an excellent job of throwing the ball," Mathews said. "He was putting it on the money, especially when we needed them on third downs."
Penn's ability to continually convert on third down situations allowed the Red and Blue to control the pace of the game.
The Quakers' punter -- junior Josh Appell -- didn't punt one away for Penn until late in the third quarter. After three quarters, Penn had converted 10-of-14 third downs and was a perfect 2-of-2 on fourth down.
While the Quakers loosened their chokehold on the game in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week -- allowing 14 unanswered points -- again they showed their resilience as a team.
"We realize we have our backs to the wall and we have to do something," Mathews said about Penn feeling the pressure of a Brown comeback. "We play when we feel like we're backed into a wall. When we're relaxed and up, that's when we need to keep scoring."
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