Game 1: Penn at #20 Delaware
September 21  |  1 p.m.  |  Delaware Stadium
TV: None
Live Internet Video: FloFootball.com ($$)
Live Internet Audio: Quaker Audio Network (Free)
Live Stats  |  Tickets

The 143rd season of Penn Football opens with a short road trip to the First State as the Quakers begin their 2019 season the way they ended 2018 — against a ranked opponent. The first season of Ray Priore's tenure as head coach featured a road win against a ranked CAA opponent, will his fifth open in similar fashion?

The Penn-Delaware Series — Sixth Meeting
The first meeting between the two schools came 100 years ago when Penn rolled past the Blue Hens, 89-0, in Philadelphia. The Red and Blue cruised through the first three meetings, outscoring Delaware, 213-0, from 1919-1921. The series then took a hiatus until 1981 and the Blue Hens won the next two. The last time these two teams met came in 1983, a 40-7 win for Delaware in Newark. 

Looking Back On The 1983 Meeting
Delaware dominated on the ground with 315 yards rushing and three touchdowns, bursting out to a 40-0 lead before a late John McGeehan touchdown run got Penn on the board in a 40-7 loss in Delaware. 

The #UPrising Returns
Since 2015 when Ray Priore took over as head coach of the Quakers, Penn is the only Ivy League team with four consecutive winning seasons. The Red and Blue have won at least six games in all four years with Priore as head coach, and captured Ivy League titles in each of his first two seasons. 

Championship Experience
Of the 44 players listed on Penn's two-deep to enter the season, 15 were a part of an Ivy League championship during their freshman seasons in 2016. Another — fifth-year safety Sam Philippi — played on Ivy title teams in 2015 and 2016. Overall, the Class of 2020 has won 19 games over its first three seasons.

Non-Conference Success
Last season saw the Quakers go 3-0 in non-conference play for the first time since 2003 and just the seventh time since 1986. In five of the seven seasons since 1986 where Penn went 3-0 in non-conference games the Quakers would go on to win an Ivy League championship.

Remember 2015?
The first win of Ray Priore's tenure as head coach was on the road against a ranked CAA team when the Quakers knocked off No. 4/5 Villanova, 24-13, on the Main Line. The Quakers jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the strength of two Alek Torgersen-to-Justin Watson touchdowns, and a Donald Panciello 90-yard fumble return for a touchdown iced the game. Sam Philippi, the lone Quaker remaining from that game, had four tackles and an interception.

Quakers Return Six Total All-Ivy Players
Three Quakers who earned All-Ivy honors in 2018 are joined by a trio of teammates who'd picked up the recognitions earlier in their career to give the Quakers a solid nucleus of All-Ivy players. Senior running back is a two-time All-Ivy selection who earned second-team All-Ivy honors last season. He is joined by 2018 honorable mention All-Ivy defensive backs Mohammed Diakite and Jacob Martin. Other Quakers to earn All-Ivy honors in their careers include senior safety Sam Philippi — a second-team selection in 2016 and 2017 — as well as linebacker Connor Jangro (honorable mention in 2016) and offensive lineman Greg Begnoche (honorable mention in 2017).

Something Old, Something New
Of the five offensive linemen expected to start on Saturday, three bring a wealth of experience while two are earning their first starting nod. Greg Begnoche has 20 games of starting experience at right tackle, but is sliding to left tackle to replace graduated All-Ivy honoree Tommy Dennis. Next to him will be Ace Escobedo who started all 10 games last season at left guard. At right guard will be Jeff Gibbs who has played in 25 career games with 20 career starts across the line. The newcomers include right tackle Dan Beaver — who has 10 appearances as a reserve and special teamer — and center Trevor Radosevich who spent last season on the defensive side of the ball. If Trevor needed any guidance on how to adjust to the offensive line, he could ask his older brother, Reilly, who is a first-team All-Ivy tackle at Princeton.

Here's To You, Mr. Robinson
Senior Nick Robinson has been named starting quarterback, and will make his second career start this weekend. A transfer from the University of Georgia, Robinson has appeared in 13 games over the past two seasons and is 75-for-113 passing for 910 yards. He has thrown for nine touchdowns with just one interception. Robinson is 1-0 in career starts, going 15-for-23 for 173 yards and two TDs in a 17-7 win at Brown in 2017. In his last outing, Robinson was 12-for-17 for two touchdowns and 168 yards at Princeton in the 2018 finale.

Brooks And Fun
Senior running back Karekin Brooks is the lead back for the Quakers, entering his final season with 1,844 yards rushing on 313 carries. He is 156 yards away from becoming just the 11th Quaker in program history to run for 2,000 career yards. His astonishing 5.9 yards-per-carry is No. 1 all-time at Penn entering the season. In the 142 year history of Penn Football, there have been 13 200-yard games, and Brooks has accounted for two of them with stellar outings at Lehigh (268 yards) in 2017 and Brown (246 yards) in 2018. He is one of three players in program history with multiple 200-yard games.

Who's #1?
That is the likely question at wide receiver as the Quakers look to replace the previous season's top target for the second year in a row. Last year, Steve Farrell earned All-Ivy honors with 46 catches for 608 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, players returning for 2019 accounted for just 24 of Penn's 149 receptions last season with Kolton Huber (11) and Tyler Herrick (8) doing the most damage. Abe Willows, who had 24 receptions for 192 yards out of the backfield in 2018 has moved to slot receiver this season, while Karekin Brooks and his 21 catches return.

Second(ary) To None
It is hard to find a more experienced secondary than the one Penn lines up this weekend. While three of the eight players on the depth chart are making their first appearances, they have a group of five returners who've combined for 111 games played and 78 starts over their careers. Sam Philippi is the old head of the group, with 31 appearances and 30 starts and fellow safety Jacob Martin is right behind with 24 games played and 13 starts. Cornerback Conor O'Brien has played in 26 games with 20 starts, while backup safety Tayte Doddy started eight games last season with 20 overall appearances. Sophomore Mohammed Diakite started 8 of his 10 appearances last season.