For Penn football's Matt Schwartz, it's football first, family second

On Saturday, Philadelphia truly will be the City of Brotherly Love for Penn football’s Matt Schwartz.

When the senior lines up for the Quakers on offense, he’ll find a familiar set of eyes staring right back at him. It isn’t every day that you get to face off against your identical twin.

“This one’s for all the marbles,” Matt said of his final matchup against his twin, Roy. “You have eternal bragging rights if you win this one.”

And while this weekend’s contest against Columbia (0-4, 0-1 Ivy) may be the opportunity for one Schwartz brother to gain bragging rights over the other, it’s also the opportunity for one of the two remaining winless Ivy teams to pull out its first victory.

For a Penn (0-4, 0-1) squad that’s faced off against a slew of tough opponents to start the season, the Lions provide a bit of an easier test.

“[A win] will do a world of good for our confidence, for our momentum. It’s been elusive,” coach Al Bagnoli said.

“Part of it is that we let one go against Jacksonville, and part of it has been that we’ve been playing really good teams on the road.”

One of the biggest question marks for the Quakers moving forward is at running back, where injuries have sidelined the top three players . Senior Lyle Marsh went down with a forearm injury in the team’s opener, while senior Kyle Wilcox and freshman Tre Solomon suffered a concussion and knee injury, respectively, against Fordham last week.

All three will be inactive for the game against the Lions, giving sophomore Brian Schoenauer an opportunity for a more active role. To beef up the depth at running back, senior wide receiver Eric Fiore — a high school tailback — will be transitioning back into the backfield and will likely see his share of carries.

However, Penn’s uncertainty at running back pales in comparison to the transition Columbia is making at quarterback. According to the Columbia Spectator, junior quarterback Brett Nottingham may be done with the program after his benching against Monmouth.

With fellow junior quarterback Trevor McDonagh stepping up in the starting role, it remains to be seen if Columbia’s offense will be able to rebound after a slow start. McDonagh finished with 276 passing yards to go along with four touchdowns and an interception in garbage time against Monmouth.

Yet the Lions may have more to worry about on the defensive side of the ball, as the Light Blue have failed to hold an opponent under 38 points this season.

Starting this season on Columbia’s defensive line is Roy Schwartz, identical twin of the aforementioned Matt. It wasn’t too long ago that the two were playing side by side on the defensive line at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.

“It’s really weird because we always played together in high school, and that was always fun ,” Matt said. “It’s a little different competing against each other. We always call each other and see how each other did in the game.”

Yet the past four seasons have seen a transformation for Matt as the former defensive lineman transitioned first to fullback and then to tight end this season. The senior has seen his share of targets on offense this season and is currently tied for third on the team in receiving yards with 137.

When he lines up against Roy this weekend, it will be the final matchup between the two, with both currently in their senior years.

“It’ll be interesting to see what side [my parents] sit on and what they’re wearing,” Matt added. “We’ll see where their loyalties lie.”

So while Penn’s focus this weekend will be on claiming its first victory of the season against winless Columbia, there will certainly be at least two fans in the stadium who are just looking to watch their sons compete against each other for the final time.

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