PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team could not get untracked on Saturday against a physical Harvard team, and as a result the Quakers took a 29-7 loss to the Crimson at Franklin Field.
 
With the loss, Penn fell to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the Ivy League. The Quakers also were officially eliminated from title contention; they entered the day two games behind first-place Princeton with two to play, but if Penn's loss wasn't enough Princeton did its part with a 59-43 win at Yale. Instead, Penn is in a tie for third place with, among other teams, Harvard which improved to 5-4 overall.
 
Penn started Saturday's game on defense, but it looked like the Quakers might be in business after just two plays when Conor O'Brien spectacularly intercepted Tom Stewart's long pass at Penn's 20. However, just as quickly as the Red and Blue had the ball they gave it away, Ryan Glover getting intercepted for the first time in 104 pass attempts by Max Jones who returned it to Penn's 29. Four plays later, the Crimson were up 7-0 as Charlie Booker ran it in from a yard out.
 
Harvard's next drive was 13 plays and took nearly seven minutes as the Crimson drove all the way to Penn's 3-yard line. However, the Quakers kept the visitors out of the end zone on a third-and-goal play, and Harvard was forced to settle for a 20-yard Jake McIntyre field goal that made the score 10-0.
 
A critical drive ensued for Penn. The Quakers drove all the way to Harvard's 1-yard line where they started first-and-goal. Penn ran two plays to end the first quarter and two more to start the second; none of them got the Red and Blue into the end zone, and instead of a 10-7 game the Harvard defensive stand seemed to inspire the Crimson.
 
Harvard scored again later in the second quarter, using nine plays to go 74 yards. Jake Smith orchestrated this drive under center, and his pass to Brian Dunlap covered the final nine yards. The kick was botched, and the Crimson took a 16-0 lead into halftime.
 
The third quarter was defined by several three-and-outs on both sides, the difference being that Penn was pinned deep in its own territory each time while Harvard struggled near midfield. The tilted field eventually paid off for the Crimson when Wesley Ogsbury intercepted Glover and returned it to the Quakers' 39. From there, Harvard used six straight run plays to get into the red zone, then a pair of passes put the Crimson in the end zone. The guests then went for two but were unsuccessful, and the score was 22-0.
 
It was quickly 29-0, as Nick Robinson lost the ball attempting to throw it on Penn's first play from scrimmage and Harvard recovered on Penn's 10-yard line. One play later, Devin Darrington took it up the middle and was virtually untouched as he scampered into the end zone.
 
Penn finally got on the board with 10 minutes left, scoring the only points in the fourth quarter. The Quakers drove 79 yards in just five plays as Glover completed all four passes he threw, including a 23-yard dart straight down the middle that Kolton Huber caught over his shoulder in the end zone to make it 29-7.

Penn will close out the 2018 season next Saturday at archrival Princeton. Kickoff at Princeton Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.