On a day that saw crowds of alumni come back to campus, Penn football came back down to Earth.
During a Homecoming clash with Harvard (8-1, 5-1 Ivy), the Quakers (4-5, 2-4) were outdone by the conference’s top team in a game that came down to the final moment. After trailing by 14 points in the third quarter, the Crimson battled back behind backup quarterback Charles DePrima, who threw for 169 yards and rushed for 122. A walk-off field goal ultimately lifted Harvard ahead, spoiling the day for a crowd of over 12,000 at Franklin Field.
“I said in the locker room, ‘Be prepared to win on the last play.’ And this is back-to-back years with the same result,” coach Ray Priore said, referencing last season’s triple-overtime loss to the Crimson. “What you gotta applaud is the gutsy performance of our kids and the fight in them to keep on playing and playing.”
Star Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig left the game early after suffering an injury on the Crimson’s second drive. As Craig scrambled toward the line to gain on a fourth down attempt, junior defensive lineman John Lista delivered a heavy blow that dislodged the football and sent Craig spinning in the air. Craig remained on the ground for multiple minutes before being stretchered off. Lista also appeared stung by the hit, and walked off under his own power but did not return to the game.
Craig also did not reenter the game, but returned to the field midway through the second quarter without his uniform and helmet. He remained on the Crimson sideline for the rest of the game.
“He’s going to get checked out and then hopefully come back with us,” Harvard coach Andrew Aurich said of Craig’s condition, adding that he believed Craig had entered concussion protocol. “He is aware of where he’s at, and he was mad that he wasn’t allowed back in the game.”
Junior quarterback Liam O’Brien entered his third career start on a red-hot streak. Since filling in for senior quarterback Aidan Sayin, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury against Yale on Oct. 25, O’Brien has taken the conference by storm, most recently breaking the program record for touchdown passes with six in last week’s win at Cornell.
O’Brien did not attempt his first pass until Penn’s third drive. But from there, the Quakers’ air attack began to pick up steam, with O’Brien delivering a 31-yard touchdown strike across the middle to junior wide receiver Bisi Owens to put Penn ahead 7-0.
Craig was relieved by DePrima, who had been used primarily as a gadget player at both wide receiver and running back prior to Saturday. Following Craig’s return to the field, DePrima captained the Crimson’s first touchdown drive to tie the game at seven.
Penn’s offense quickly responded, with O’Brien again finding Owens on a play-action bomb. Owens corralled the ball, outran the Crimson defense, and tightroped down the sideline for a 66-yard score.
“It was electric … perfect ball, perfect placement,” Owens said of the play. “The faith that Liam has in me in that situation … it was momentum-building.”
Penn’s offense maintained that momentum as the second half began, with sophomore running back Malachi Hosley ripping off a 62-yard run to surpass 1,000 rushing yards on the season and O’Brien drilling a touchdown pass to senior tight end Mike Fraraccio for Fraraccio’s first career touchdown, and for a 14-point lead.
But the Crimson offense, led by a backup-turned-star of their own in DePrima, found a similar groove, scoring consecutive touchdowns to tie the game at 28. In October, this game would have been billed as a clash between Sayin and Craig. Instead, it was O’Brien and DePrima battling it out as the sun began to set on Franklin Field.
“Props to DePrima,” O’Brien, who finished the day with four total touchdowns, said. “He stepped up, produced for them … and made it a really good game.”
With the fourth quarter winding down, Penn drove deep into Harvard territory, but opted for a run up the middle on third and 7. However, the effort was stopped short and junior kicker Sam Smith was unable to convert the ensuing 46-yard field goal. That was all the opening the Crimson needed.
With just under two minutes to go, DePrima led the Crimson down the field, eventually setting up first and goal from the Quaker five-yard line. From there, Harvard wound down the clock and kicker Dylan Fingersh split the uprights, securing the Crimson at least a share of the Ivy title and leaving the Quakers with a sour taste in their mouths.
“These field goals will be the life of me,” Priore said. “They took the win coming out … of halftime, and it capitalized.”
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