Yao | Feed the touchdown machine

It’s one thing to be good when no one expects you to be — it’s another thing to be good when everyone expects nothing less.

Last season’s disappointing 6-4 finish by Penn football wasn’t without its highlights. The emergence of then-freshman running back Malachi Hosley was one of the key bright spots that the Quakers were able to take away from the season. Coming off a campaign where he took home Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, all eyes were on how he would step into his role as the lead back of the team. 

In his first game as a sophomore, Hosley did nothing but impress.

I made the drive down to Delaware this past weekend to watch the Red and Blue kick their season off. Sitting up in the press box, one of the first things that caught my eye was the glint of metal catching the sun. The source? Hosley’s gold backplate. 

Combined with his recent switch to wearing No. 1 on his jersey, it seemed like Hosley was letting the crowd know that he was the best. When the whistle blew and the game got underway, he did not disappoint. 

Hosley got the first touch of the game. And then the second touch. And then the fourth touch. After his first three carries, he had only gained four yards. There was a moment where the doubt started creeping in, and I really thought maybe Hosley was the product of being relatively unknown all of last season. 

And that’s what I get for jumping to conclusions too early. 

It was first and ten at the 50-yard line when senior quarterback Aidan Sayin bobbled the snap. Under intense pressure, Sayin went to the guys he trusts— in this case, Hosley. Running a short curl route, Hosley took that ball 20-yards down the field while showing off his trademark speed. That’s all it took for him to find his footing in the game. 

His first run of the second quarter was even more impressive. Ripping off a 43-yard rush on the first play and following it up with a nine-yard run on the next play was certainly a way of announcing that his rookie performances weren’t just flukes. By this point, everyone knew where the ball was going.

But even then, with everyone fully expecting the ball hitting to hit his hands in the backfield, Hosley was still making people miss. Putting the team, figuratively and literally, on his back. Furthermore, Hosley’s success on the ground allowed for Sayin to take deeper shots at senior wide receiver Julien “Juice” Stokes and junior wide receiver Jared Richardson. 

And then, the rushes stopped. Hosley finished the game with 26 carries, but when the game mattered the most, the touches dried up. In the fourth quarter, Hosley was handed the ball just four times. Sure, the Quakers were trying to come back from a one-score deficit, but in these situations, the trust should be in the players who have been eating all day. 

Hosley wrapped up the day with a 176-yard rushing performance, marking his fourth straight game where he has broken the 100-yard mark. Despite his bobbled ball that led to the game-ending interception, getting the ball into the touchdown machine’s hands should be a priority moving forward. Not only will it keep defenses honest, but the team is at its best when Hosley is well-incorporated into the game plan. 

Hosley can wear all the bling he wants because he is, in fact, that guy.

VIVIAN YAO is a junior and current DP sports editor studying Bioengineering from Clarksville, MD. All comments should be directed to dpsports@thedp.com.