The Lions were out for blood on Saturday as Penn football suffered a 23-17 loss at Franklin Field.
Columbia’s (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) win against Penn (2-3, 0-2) marks the first time the Lions have won at Franklin Field since 1996. Senior quarterback Aidan Sayin was unable to spearhead the Quakers’ offense in the game, struggling to find open receivers throughout the game and throwing two interceptions.
“We thought we had some opportunities, and we made a couple of real, real good plays,” coach Ray Priore said. “We never could get the explosive play up over the top.”
Penn got off to a slow start, unable to convert at fourth and 1 due to a false start. After throwing two incomplete passes intended for senior wide receiver Julien Stokes, Sayin went for a third, but it was intercepted by Columbia defensive back Aaron Brebnor for the Lions’ second drive.
“[Columbia’s] defense has been very, very stout inside,” said Priore. “We knew that going in.”
Following the interception, and with 58 seconds left in the first quarter, a 15-yard toss from Lions quarterback Chase Goodwin to wide receiver Marcus Libman gave the Lions the first touchdown of the game.
After the teams traded turnovers on downs, Sayin attempted to break the Lions’ grip on the Quaker offense with a deep ball to Stokes, but it was intercepted by Columbia defensive back Hayden McDonald. The Lions seized this opportunity. With the Quaker defense strung up on the left side of the field, a 18-yard pass from Goodwin to wide receiver Bryson Canty pushed the Lions to a 14-point lead.
Following a shanked kick by the Lions, the Quakers began at their own 49-yard line and passes to Stokes and junior wide receiver Bisi Owens brought steady yardage. Sayin, in a quarterback draw, went for 18 yards at the Lions’ two-yard line. In quick succession, sophomore running back Malachi Hosley gave the Quakers their first touchdown at a minute left in the half.
The Lions didn’t let this last minute halt their offense, though. With a 20-yard kick return by wide receiver Aidan Shinfeld and successful passes from Goodwin, the Lions drove down the field to set up a field goal attempt by kicker Hugo Merry. Following their success in icing the kicker in their game against Bucknell last week, the Quakers called a timeout, but to no avail: Merry split the uprights to give Columbia a two-possession lead.
After forcing the Lions to punt on their first possession of the half, Penn took advantage of its first drive, utilizing Hosley’s run game while maintaining efficient throws to bring repeated first downs. Sayin finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to three.
“We came out the second half and just really did what [we would] do,” said Priore.
After a pair of field goals from Merry to put Columbia up 23-14, the Quakers hoped for a comeback in the fourth quarter. Successful passes from Sayin to junior wide receivers Alex Haight and Jared Richardson put the ball at the Lions’ 10-yard line.
But from there, four straight incomplete passes killed the Quakers’ momentum, and though a field goal from junior kicker Sam Smith brought the score to 23-17, the Lions all but ran out the clock on their ensuing drive, with a final sack of Sayin ending the day.
Penn will have a short week ahead as it faces off against Yale on Friday night at Franklin Field.
“One game at a time,” Priore said of the team’s mindset. “We can’t control anything else other than us getting better.”
Stokes echoed Priore’s sentiment, emphasizing the importance of having a “short-term memory.”
“[We’ll] get ready to be here,” Stokes said.
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