FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The University of Pennsylvania football team had all the momentum early into the second half of Saturday's football game at Sacred Heart. Once the Quakers lost it, however, it was a struggle to get it back—to the point that their 24-0 lead was answered by a 27-point run from the hosts.
Penn was down, 27-24. They had 87 yards to go and 3:13 of game time to do it.
They needed just 1:54.
A pair of
Karekin Brooks rushes netted 14 yards, and then
Ryan Glover hit
Christian Pearson for 18 yards to the Penn 45. Brooks went around right end for 23 more to get the ball into SHU territory, and then on second down Glover hit
Steve Farrell for 10 yards and another first down at the Pioneers 18.
Abe Willows ran for eight yards, and then Glover found Pearson in the seam for the winning score as the Quakers took a 31-27 decision at Campus Field.
Sacred Heart still had the ball and 1:19 to play after that, but Penn was able to turn the Pioneers over on downs and Glover took a knee twice to salvage a victory that first looked like it was in the bag, then turned into improbable.
The first meeting between these programs had a little bit of everything. There were three missed field goals, two of them blocked by the same Penn player –
Taheeb Sonekan to tie the FCS record. And one of the Sacred Heart touchdowns came on as bizarre a play as you'll see at any level as Sacred Heart knocked down an option pitch and returned it for a touchdown.
Still, Penn emerges with the win and improves to 3-1 with only Ivy League games the rest of the way. It also marks the first time the Quakers won all three non-conference games in a season since 2003. Sacred Heart fell to 3-2 with the loss.
After a delayed start to Saturday's contest, Penn was quick to jump in front. The Quakers held SHU to a three-and-out on its first possession, then drove 83 yards on just six plays to go up 7-0. Glover found Pearson on consecutive plays to cover 40 of the yards, and Brooks gained the final 12 on a TD scamper around the right side.
It wasn't until the second quarter that the Quakers got back on the board; they were stymied at Sacred Heart's 34-yard line, but
Jack Soslow cleared the post on a 51-yard field-goal effort—matching his career high—to make the score 10-0. The field goal is tied for third-longest in program history.
It appeared the defense was going to get off the field after forcing SHU on downs at the Penn 33. A defensive holding penalty gave the Pioneers a first down at the Quakers' 23; however, the defense stiffened and forced a 44-yard SHU field-goal attempt that was tipped by
Taheeb Sonekan and fell well short.
Penn took advantage. The Quakers drove 73 yards in just seven plays to find the end zone again, the score coming when Glover lofted a pass to the back right corner that Pearson ran under and caught just before sliding out the back of the end zone.
Sacred Heart's next possession was a case of déjà vu all over again. The Pios drove all the way to Penn's 14-yard line before the defense again held. Again, it was Sonekan who broke through to block SHU's 33-yard field-goal attempt, and the Quakers took a 17-0 lead into the locker room.
Sonekan's two blocked field goals tie an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record held by several others.
Penn received the kick to start the second half and picked up where it left off. The Quakers needed just eight plays to go 65 yards,
Abe Willows taking it up the gut from three yards out to paydirt and a 24-0 lead.
As it turned out, that was the wake-up call for the hosts.
Sacred Heart finally broke through on its first second-half possession. The key play was a 48-yard pass play down the left sideline from Kevin Duke to Naseim Brantley, which got the Pioneers to Penn's 9-yard line. From there, Jordan Meachum cut back and beat a pair of Penn defenders to the right pylon for the score to make it 24-7.
Nick Robinson was under center for Penn's next possession, his first time on the field on the day. He was content to let the offensive line do the legwork, as the Red and Blue ran the ball 10 times to cover 49 yards. That got the Quakers down to Sacred Heart's 15, but they stalled there and then Soslow missed his 33-yard field goal wide left.
SHU seized on the momentum. The Pioneers churned right through the Penn defense—the highlight being a 46-yard run by Duke—and made it 24-14 when Meachum cut back and sprinted through the Quakers backfield for a 17-yard score. Sacred Heart needed just five rushing attempts to cover all 80 yards on the drive.
The momentum was now squarely with the Pios. Penn went backwards on three offensive plays and had to punt from its own end zone. The punt was a good one—SHU started on its own 32—but no matter: the Pioneers needed just two plays to score again. This time, Duke found Trimble Edwards behind the Penn defense and hit him in stride down the middle for a 53-yard TD to make Penn's lead just three, at 24-21. That's how the quarter ended.
Sacred Heart took the lead on one of the most unusual plays you'll see. On third-and-9 from the Penn 40, Glover went left and tried to pitch to Brooks. SHU's Aaron Donalson punched the ball out of the air, though, then scooped it up and ran it in for the score. The extra point was no good, but the Pioneers had the 27-24 advantage.
With six minutes left, and pinned deep in its own territory, Sacred Heart again tried to go over the top. This time,
Conor O'Brien was ready and he beat a Pioneer receiver to the pass for an interception right at midfield. However, Penn got nothing from the turnover, Glover's fourth-and-3 pass going out of bounds.
The defense forced at three-and-out, however, and the offense took over on its own 13 with 3:13 left to set the stage for a heart-racing finish.
Penn ends the season with six Ivy games, the first coming next Saturday when the Quakers host Columbia at Franklin Field. Kickoff with the Lions is slated for 1 p.m.
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