Those of you who have been paying attention to Penn football this season know that the Quakers have a two-headed monster in the backfield. Graduate student Isaiah Malcome may be designated as the starter, but senior Trey Flowers has provided sparks for the Quaker offense whenever he gets his hands on the ball.
This past weekend, in Penn’s home tilt against Lehigh University, Malcome and Flowers combined for 316 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Flowers’s 115 yards were a personal best. The senior’s career had gotten off to a slow start, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the Ivy League to cancel the 2020 season, as well as being buried behind Malcome and former All-Ivy standout Karekin Brooks on the depth chart. But Flowers has made quick efforts to prove that he can have an impact when he makes it on to the field.
“My career has been slow and steady,” Flowers said. “I played early as a freshman and less than that the next year, with low production through both seasons. That’s when COVID hit and pushed everything back. This season had been fine up until last game versus Lehigh, where I set my career high in yards and we were able to win. They trusted me to go out and execute and I did, and so did the rest of the team. Hopefully we can continue to build on that.”
Flowers has already doubled his production on the ground from his previous two seasons combined, and even with his increased workload, he has maintained efficiency, averaging 4.8 yards per carry in the young 2021 season.
The senior has scored in all but one game this season, the lone exception being Penn’s struggle with undefeated Dartmouth. Flowers' per game production has skyrocketed as well. Compared to his previous average yards per game of 3.1 and 8.3 in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Flowers is now averaging 44 yards per game.
Encouraged by his recent success, Flowers has big plans for the future.
“I’m studying sociology, but football is still first in my mind,” he said. “I want to pursue a career in the NFL, of course, because that’s what I know best. It’s actually all I know.”
When asked about his hopes for the short-term future, Flowers has a simple goal in mind.
“To win out and win the league title, of course. Anything less would be a failure. I’ll be back regardless of the outcome.”
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