PHILADELPHIA – In a fitting end to a season which tested every ounce of grit in the University of Pennsylvania football team, the Quakers banded together to make one final goal-line stand on the game's final play to defeat Cornell, 29-22, on Senior Day at Franklin Field.
 
With the win, the Quakers finish 2017 on a four-game winning streak, a 6-4 overall record, and a 4-3 mark in Ivy League play.
 
Those three Ivy losses came by a combined 11 points. All three had come with under 5:00 to play, with two of them being dealt on the game's final play – including the Ivy opener where Dartmouth scored on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line with no time remaining.
 
This time, Cornell had third-and-goal on Penn's 1-yard line with just one second remaining. However, Jacob Martin knocked down the final throw from Big Red quarterback Dalton Banks in the end zone to secure a thrilling win and send the Class of 2018 off riding high.
 
The Big Red had earned first-and-goal with 18 seconds left after 28-yard completion from Banks to Collin Shaw. The next play was a rush over the top, which the Quakers stuffed on the 104th tackle of the season from Ivy League leader Nick Miller. The clock nearly ran out, but Banks spiked the ball before the clock expired and the referees properly reset it after the clock ran down to triple zeroes. Given another chance, Banks rolled out to his right, but his pass to the end zone was knocked down by Martin.
 
After a 21-10 lead at halftime, Penn watched the Big Red score the game's next 12 points--via two touchdowns and two failed two-point conversions--to take a 22-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the Quakers still trailed by one with 8:21 to play as they stepped to the line for what would be their final drive of the season.
 
Oh, and the drive started at their own 3-yard line.
 
And a new quarterback was under center.
 
Nick Robinson took over for the drive and went 5-for-7 for 75 yards to drive the Quakers down field to take the lead. He almost got all 97 yards in one play when he found Nicholas Bokun free behind the Cornell defense on second-and-10 from the 3, but the ball just slipped out of Bokun's hands as he tried to catch it in stride. No worries: Bokun would redeem himself with a 13-yard catch on third-and-9 later in the drive.
 
On third down after the Bokun miss, Robinson made the right read – find Justin Watson.
 
The All-American hauled in a 13-yard catch to extend the drive. It was one of three catches for Watson on the drive – but it wasn't the biggest. On third-and-1 from the Cornell 37, Watson chased down a Robinson heave and dove to make perhaps the most spectacular of his Penn-record 286 career catches. Watson corralled the ball at the Cornell 3, and on the next play Tre Solomon barreled in to give Penn a 27-22 lead. The Quakers elected to go for two, and Robinson passed to Watson who plowed in to give the Quakers a seven-point lead.
 
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In his final game as a Quaker, Watson finished with 13 catches – tying his career high – for 192 yards and a touchdown. Along the way, Watson put a fitting bow on the greatest career by any Penn wide receiver – and arguably the best among Ivy League wideouts.
 
286 Career Receptions
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 3 All-Time In Ivy League; No. 13 All-Time in FCS
 
3,777 Career Receiving Yards
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 2 All-Time in Ivy League; No. 27 All-Time in FCS
 
94.4 Career Yards-Per-Game
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 4 All-Time in Ivy League; No. 17 All-Time in FCS
 
7.15 Career Receptions-Per-Game
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 4 All-Time in Ivy League; No. 14 All-Time in FCS
 
40 Consecutive Games With A Reception
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 1 All-Time in Ivy League; Longest Active Streak in FCS; Fourth-Longest in FBS/FCS
 
10 Consecutive Games With a TD Reception
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 1 All-Time in Ivy League
 
33 Career Receiving Touchdowns
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; T-No. 3 All-Time in Ivy League
 
14 Receiving Touchdowns This Season
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; T-No. 2 All-Time in Ivy League
 
4,116 All-Purpose Yards
No. 1 All-Time at Penn; No. 12 All-Time in Ivy League
 
34 Career Total Touchdowns
T-No. 2 All-Time at Penn; T-No. 15 All-Time in Ivy League
 
208 Points Scored
No. 4 All-Time at Penn; T-No. 22 All-Time in Ivy League
 
The Quakers had 546 yards of total offense in the game, bolstered by a rushing attack which amassed 267 yards. Karekin Brooks had 146 yards on 17 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns. Tre Solomon finished with 42 yards on 13 rushes and the game-winning touchdown.
 
Penn's defense was again led by Nick Miller. He finished with 10 tackles – his eighth game with 10+ tackles this season. He forced and recovered a fumble – giving him four fumble recoveries this season which ties for No. 1 in the country.
 
Colton Moskal added nine tackle – including a sack – while martin finished with 4.5 tackles and the game-saving pass breakup.
 
Penn's 6-4 record this season gives Ray Priore a 20-10 record in his first three seasons as head coach of the Quakers. The Class of 2018 graduates with a pair of Ivy League championships and a 16-5 record in Ivy League play over the past three seasons. The 19 members of the senior class also graduate 4-0 against Cornell and winners of the Trustees' Cup all four seasons.