Penn football out for revenge in ‘personal’ Ivy opener against Dartmouth

Penn football begins its quest for an Ivy League title with a trip to Hanover on the schedule and vengeance on its mind.

On Saturday, the Quakers (1-1) will kick off their conference campaign with a road matchup against Dartmouth (2-0), a clash containing additional incentive for the Red and Blue. After back-to-back overtime battles with the Big Green, including a bitter loss in 2023, Penn enters this year’s iteration with no shortage of motivation.

“Definitely,” junior wide receiver Jared Richardson said when asked if the Quakers considered Saturday's matchup a revenge game. "Last year they came out here and beat us in overtime on a field goal. So we gotta get ‘em.”

As Penn attempts to settle the score, one of its toughest obstacles will be a dominant Dartmouth defense. The Big Green have allowed just 13.5 points per game so far this season, most recently holding Merrimack to 14 points and just 99 yards passing.  

Though senior quarterback Aidan Sayin leads a high-powered Penn passing attack, the Quakers’ offense is capable of moving the ball in multiple ways. In the Red and Blue’s most recent conference win, a 23-8 victory over Cornell, Sayin attempted just 13 passes while now-sophomore running back Malachi Hosley scampered for 264 yards. That sort of adaptability will be essential against the Big Green.

“They’re a very, very disciplined team, one that I’ve played just a couple times in my career,” Priore joked. This week will mark Priore’s 39th faceoff with the Big Green. “Their scheme is very, very sound. They have very good players. So what you need to do is take advantage of opportunities that we find in their schemes, and I know our offensive staff is really hard at work trying to get that done.”

Richardson has his own share of individual history with the Dartmouth stop troops. In last season’s defeat, the first team All-Ivy wideout caught just two passes, tied for his lowest reception total on the season. Ahead of this year’s matchup Richardson lauded the size and physical play of the Big Green’s defensive backs, but said that his poor showing last season has only added fuel to the fire.

“For me, it’s more personal,” Richardson said. “Last year they held me to two receptions for 18 yards, so I gotta get my get back.”

As Penn’s perennial Ivy League opener, the Big Green are a familiar opponent, but this year’s Quakers have the added advantage of being familiar with Dartmouth’s offensive scheme. Last week, the Quakers soundly defeated Colgate, which utilizes a multi-quarterback attack on offense similar to that of the Big Green.

While this approach is unlike many others in college football, Priore says that preparing to play it in consecutive weeks cuts down on the learning curve for Penn’s defense.

“I think it becomes ‘the same as.’ And ‘the same as’ is the fact that you have good repetition week after week and that helps develop your team,” Priore said of the similar schemes. “You start getting into a rhythm, which is helpful this time of year.”

After needing extra time to decide their contests in two consecutive seasons, there’s reason to believe this year’s matchup will also go down to the wire. If so, Penn will need to improve its late-game execution from a season ago — last year’s Quakers were just 2-4 in one-score games, with all of their defeats coming by seven points or less, including a loss to Dartmouth that included three fumbles, two turnovers on downs, and a missed field goal in overtime.

As the team prepares for Dartmouth, Priore says the minor details will decide what has historically been a game of inches.

“Forever, since I’ve been here, it’s been close games [with Dartmouth] …” Priore said. “It’s all about doing the little things right …. Nothing in football’s ever perfect, but you strive for it. We’re minimizing the amount of errors.”

And while the Quakers’ coach is ready for a back-and-forth battle in this rivalry matchup, their star receiver envisions a different kind of victory.

“We plan to put them away,” Richardson said. “And put them away early.”