Yesterday, as I sat in the Franklin Field bleachers, the stage seemed perfectly set for a wonderful afternoon of Penn football. The weather was lovely, with few clouds in the November sky. Pregame, the members of Penn football’s senior class were honored on the field, with many of their families present. The crowd was about as lively as it could be in this day and age, with over 12,000 spectators in attendance.
However, one thing was needed to complete the afternoon: victory. And on Saturday, that crucial piece was lacking.
For most of the afternoon, things were going well for Penn. After not throwing a pass for most of the first quarter, junior quarterback Liam O’Brien had three touchdown tosses by early in the third quarter. The last of these was to senior tight end Michael Fraraccio, his first career touchdown, with the timing of Senior Day the perfect backdrop.
This score put the Quakers up 21-7 with around 12 minutes left in the third quarter. Penn seemed en route to a victory, which would have been Harvard’s second defeat of the season. Moreover, coupled with Dartmouth losing to Cornell on the same day, this result could have kept the Red and Blue alive for the Ivy title race.
But somewhere along the road from that touchdown to a win, Penn diverged. The Crimson responded with a vengeance, tying the game and ultimately gaining a walk-off victory on a last-second field goal.
In the second half, Harvard had the ball four times. It scored on all four possessions, with three touchdowns and the aforementioned field goal. After being bottled up for stretches of the first half, Penn’s defense could do little to stop Crimson quarterback Charles DePrima — who began the game as a backup but stepped into action when Crimson starting quarterback Jaden Craig suffered an upper-body injury in the first quarter. DePrima finished the game completing 13 of 18 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown while running 122 yards on 20 carries.
With the game on the line, the Quakers didn’t get the job done. While the defense couldn’t stop anything in the second half, the offense also came up short in crucial situations. In just one example, with under three minutes left and facing a third and 7 in Harvard territory, Penn dialed up an inside-zone handoff rather than trusting O’Brien, who had been playing well, to make a play with either his arm or his legs. Predictably, the run was stuffed, the Quakers missed the ensuing field goal try, and Harvard drove down to win the game.
No single party is solely responsible for Saturday’s loss, and the team definitely played well in some aspects. But in others, it came up lacking. For whatever reason, the team couldn’t get over the hump and achieve what would have been a marquis victory on the season.
Three weeks ago, after Penn lost to Yale, I said that the Quakers wouldn’t win the Ivy League title. But they were still mathematically alive … until Saturday. Then, Harvard clinched at least a share of the conference title and can win it outright with a win against Yale or alternatively, a Dartmouth loss against Brown next weekend. While the Crimson can celebrate, all Penn has clinched is a losing season in conference play.
Three years ago, I attended my first Penn football home game as a student. It was against Dartmouth, and I — along with the other first years present — stood on the field as the team ran out. Penn lost that evening, which was an unfortunate chapter in an unfortunate season. Saturday was my last Penn football home game as a student. I was hoping it would be a better experience, and in some respects, it was. But regarding the result of the game, some things unfortunately didn’t change.
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