For the first time since 1963-64, Penn is making back-to-back trips to Providence as the Quakers and Bears meet again in Rhode Island. The Quakers lost both of those meetings in the 60s, but are halfway to a complete flipping of the script following a 17-7 win in the Ocean State in 2017. That win started a four-game Penn win streak to close the season — something the Red and Blue hope is in the cards for 2018.
The Penn-Brown Series — 87th Meeting
The Quakers have won three in a row against Bears, giving
Ray Priore wins in all three career games against Brown. Those wins improve Penn's lead in the all-time series to 59-24-2. Penn is 19-14-1 all-time at Brown Stadium, with a 3-2 mark in its last five trips to Providence.
Looking Back On The 2017 Meeting
The Quakers entered last year's game mired in a four-game losing streak and looking for a spark. They found one on the game's very first play as
Nick Robinson hit
Justin Watson in stride for an 80-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Penn lead just 0:11 into the affair. The duo connected on another TD before the first quarter was complete, and Penn never looked back. The final points of the game came off a
Jack Soslow 51-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter — Penn's third-longest field goal in program history and longest since 1976. Rhode Island native
Kevin Cadigan finished with two sacks and a fumble recovery as Penn held Brown to 203 yards of offense.
Going For A Drive
The Quakers put together a 12-play, 99-yard scoring drive last week at Yale after forcing a Yale fumble at the Penn 1.
Steve Farrell's first career touchdown capped the drive, putting the bow on the longest touchdown drive in program history. The Quakers have become all too familiar with starting drives deep in their own territory — Penn has started 10 drives inside their own 15, nine inside their own 10, seven inside their own five, and five drives at their own 1yd line. Miraculously, Penn has scored 17 points on those drives. Almost as remarkable is the fact that the Quakers have only conceded one safety on drives started inside their 10 — and that was a bad snap from the 9yd line. Of the five drives Penn has started at its own 1yd line, the Quakers have amassed 341 yards of offense over 45 plays and scored 10 points.
A Look at Brown
Brown is 1-5 in 2018 following a 2-8 season in 2017. The Bears have lost 11 Ivy League games in a row dating back to 2016. The Bears picked up their lone win of 2018 via a 35-7 win over Georgetown, but have since been outscored, 130-26 in three losses to No. 17 Rhode Island, No. 21 Princeton, and Cornell. The Bears are averaging 15.5 points a game — No. 112 in the FCS, while allowing 35.3 — No. 99 in the country. Chima Amushi has been busy on defense and his 6.2 solo tackles per game ranks No. 9 among FCS defenders.
Third Down Thoughts
The Quakers ave converted 25-of-81 (31%) third down attempts, ranking No. 102 in the country. On defense, Penn is getting it done on third down — opponents are 34-of-96 for a conversion rate of 35% — good enough to rank Penn No. 43 in the nation.
Fourth Down Facts
Penn is the only team in FCS football without a fourth down conversion this season, entering this week 0-for-5. The Quakers are winning 4th down on defense, with opponents converting at 30%, going 3-for-10 to rank Penn No. 14 in the nation.
Quakers Go Low To Win Big
As the old saying goes, "They don't ask how, just how many" but for those who may ask "how many" points Penn scored in its win over Columbia in Week Five the answer is 13 — the fewest points scored by Penn in a victory during
Ray Priore's tenure as head coach and the fewest by any Penn team since a 9-0 win over Yale (10/24/09) — a span of 88 games and 53 victories.
Brooks Serving A Purpose
Karekin Brooks has rounded into a dual-threat out of the backfield this season. He ranks No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 44 in the country in all-purpose yards per game with 118.3 — almost 25 ypg higher than his 2017 average of 93.7. He had a career-high 65 receiving yards against Columbia in Week Five — he had 61 total receiving yards over his previous four games this season.
Fourth Quarter Favors Penn In Consecutive Weeks
What a difference a year makes for the Quakers in terms of fourth quarter success. In 2017, Penn dropped two games on the last play and another (the Yale one) deep in the fourth quarter. This year, the Red and Blue have shown team poise in back-to-back weeks when facing late adversity. One week after
Ryan Glover threw a game-winning touchdown with 1:13 left to beat Sacred Heart, Penn's QB ran for a game-winning score as he plowed in from four yards out with 6:55 remaining to defeat Columbia. Penn needed a defensive stand to tame the Lions, and got it in the form of a
Mohammed Diakite interception with 0:07 remaining and the Lions at the Penn 24.
Jack Attack
Jack Soslow is 17-for-24 on field goals for his career, and had made nine in a row dating back to 10/21/17 against Yale before a 41-yard attempt hit the right upright at Dartmouth. He is 50-for-51 on career PATs.
Miller Time
Senior linebacker
Nick Miller has 10+ tackles in five of six games this season and has done so in 14 of his last 16 games dating back to the start of 2017. A first-team All-Ivy linebacker and finalist for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, Miller has five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries over his last 16 games.
Protect The Quarterback
The Quakers have allowed just five sacks over six games in 2018, No. 11 in the nation in sacks allowed per game (0.83). Penn went 67 pass attempts into 2018 before allowing its first sack in Week Three at Dartmouth. Penn's 3.83 TFLs allowed through six games ranks No. 8 in the country.
Thrown For A Loss (TFL)
The Quakers aren't getting in the backfield only for sacks, Penn's 8.5 TFLs per game rank No. 8 in the country. 16 different players have at least 1.0 TFLS and 12 have more than two.
