It's Penn and Princeton in another Homecoming affair at Franklin Field. The Quakers enter the game fresh off their first Ivy League win of the season, while Princeton suffered a late setback to Cornell last weekend to fall off the pace in the Ivy League race. Records are often thrown out when these two storied rivals get together and today should be no different!
The Penn-Princeton Series — 109th Meeting
Penn has played Princeton more than only one other opponent, and enters today's game with a 41-66-1 record in the all-time series. The Red and Blue have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two teams and 16 of the last 21. The last time the two teams met at Franklin Field produced a classic. The Quakers blocked a FG with 0:00 on the clock and would go on to win in overtime via an Eric Fiore touchdown.
#JWatch
This past weekend,
Justin Watson set a new program record for career receiving yards (3,413), receiving touchdowns (29), and consecutive games with a receiving touchdown (7) while adding to his own Ivy League record for career games with 100+ receiving yards (17). This week, he has his sights set on Penn's career receptions record. He is two away from tying Rob Milanese '03 at 259 catches and three away from setting a new mark. Watson is also one touchdown reception away from tying the Ivy League record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch.
Sosl-OMG
Junior kicker
Jack Soslow hammered the third-longest field goal in program history last weekend, booting a 51-yarder as time expired in the first half. It was just the fifth 50+ yard kick in program history and the longest since a 51 yarder in 1979. Overall, Soslow's kick was the 16th-longest ever by an Ivy League kicker and longest since 2009.
A Look at Princeton
Co-champions with Penn last year, the Tigers have relied on Chad Kanoff throughout the season. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes and is No. 8 in FCS in passing yards-per-game (322.1). Wide receiver Jesper Horsted is No. 2 in FCS in catches-per-game (9.3) and No. 5 in yards-per-game (120.7) with 8 receiving TDs. Stephen Carlson has also added eight receiving TDs. Charles Volker leads the Ivy League and is No. 5 in the country with nine rushing TDs. All that adds up to a team which ranks No. 5 in the country in Total Offense (484.3 yards-per-game and No. 6 in Scoring Offense (38.9 points-per-game). Princeton also ranks No. 10 in the nation in Rushing Defense, allowing 84.6 yards-per-game.
Watson Gives 100%
Senior wide receiver
Justin Watson enters today's game with 17 career 100-yard games — the most ever by a an Ivy League wide receiver. Watson has gone over 100 yards in nine of his last 12 games. Watson also had 100+ yards in six straight games from 10/23/15 to 9/17/16 to set the Penn school record and tie with Yale's Grant Wallace (done in 2014) for the Ivy League record.
Watson's Catch Of The Day
Justin Watson has appeared in all 37 possible games during his career and has made at least one catch — in fact he has at least two — in all 37 games. His run of 37 consecutive games with at least one catch is a Penn record and he enters today tied for No, 3 all-time among Ivy League players. The Ivy record is 39 set by Cornell's Keith Ferguson (1999-2002) and Harvard's Corey Mazza (2003-07).
Miller Time
Junior linebacker
Nick Miller has had 10+ tackles in 5-of-7 games this season, including a career-high 13 at CCSU. He has recorded 10+ tackles in seven of his last nine games dating back to last season. His 13 tackles against the Blue Devils were the most since
Colton Moskal also had 13 at Princeton last season.
A Noble Effort
Freshman
Jared Noble is this year's newcomer who is making noise on defense. After seeing special teams duty in the season opener, Noble has played cornerback ever since and has moved into the starting lineup despite missing the last two games. He has 23 tackles over his last four games, including 11 at CCSU. Noble also blocked a PAT attempt at Lehigh.
Lucky Lukas
Lukas Sontich entered the CCSU game with just six tackles over three games. Against the Blue Devils, he was in on what seemed like every play — finishing the game with 11 assisted tackles, including 0.5 TFLs. His 18 tackles this season are a career-high.
Soslow Goes High
Junior kicker
Jack Soslow is 6-for-8 on field goals, this season, connecting twice against Dartmouth for the first two makes of his career. He is 26-for-26 on PAT attempts, including a 9-for-9 day at Lehigh which tied the Penn program record for made PATs in a game — last done in 1921.
Louis, Louis
Senior defensive lineman
Louis Vecchio has batted down four balls at the line of scrimmage this season. He leads the Red and Blue with 6.5 TFLs this season.
Snap To It
The Quakers have had the benefit of continuity of late at the snapper positions. Senior
Zach O'Leary has played in all 37 career games as the snapper on field goals while junior
Carson Vey has played all 27 games in the punting game.
Rushing Up The Charts
Karekin Brooks' 590 rushing yards through four games is already No. 9 among Penn rushers since 2003. He is averaging 7.3 yards per carry this season. The Penn record among qualifying players is 6.15 yards-per-carry set by Chris Flynn in 1986. The Ivy League record is 7.80 set by Brown's John Spooney in 2013.
Hunter The Punter
Senior
Hunter Kelley has been the starting punter for all 37 of his career games. He has punted 152 times for 6,051 yards — just the fifth punter in school history to surpass the 6,00 yard mark. He is 160 yards from moving into No. 4 all-time and eight punts away from No. 4 at Penn. He is averaging 39.8 yards per punt which ranks No. 12 all-time among Ivy punters entering today's game.
Sharp Is On Point
Tight end
Logan Sharp had three catches through three games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. This year, he already has six catches and a career-high 97 yards, including a 26-yards touchdown reception at Lehigh.
Touching Down On The Touchdown List
Justin Watson has 10 receiving touchdowns through seven games this season — already a career-high for a single season and already No. 3 all-time in a single season by a Quaker. 2017 is the third year in a row Watson has scored 7+ receiving touchdowns — something no other player in program history has accomplished.
Watson Climbs All-Time Scoring List
Among players who call wide receiver their primary position,
Justin Watson has already set Penn's career scoring record with 182 points on 29 receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and a 2-point conversion. That total ties for No. 6 all-time by any Penn player and No. 4 among non-kickers. His next touchdown will move him into No. 5 all-time at Penn, breaking his tie with Adolph Bellizeare '75 and surpassing Paul Scull '29. FYI, Penn's all-time career touchdown record is 35 set by Bryan Keys from 1987-89.
Sam The Man
Sam Philippi has recovered three fumbles this season. Not only does that lead the Ivy League, it ranks No. 2 among all players in FCS football. His three fumble recoveries are the most by a Quaker since 2009 (Brendan McNally).