PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team closed out the 2021 season with a 34-14 loss to rival Princeton on Saturday at Franklin Field.
The Quakers (3-7, 1-6 Ivy League) were up 7-3 after one quarter of play, but the Tigers scored 28 unanswered points in the second to coast to the victory. With the win, Princeton (9-1, 6-1 Ivy League) earned a share of the Ivy League title with Dartmouth, a 52-31 winner over Brown on Saturday. The Big Green beat the Tigers, 31-7, in Week 8 in the head-to-head matchup between the co-champions.
Quaker Notemeal
*Princeton scored its third straight win against Penn.
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Rory Starkey, Jr. caught four passes for 68 yards and a TD. In the fourth quarter, he became the 22nd player in program to record 1,000 career receiving yards. The touchdown reception was the 10th of his career. He becomes the 13th Quaker to catch 10 TD passes.
*In his final game as a Quaker,
Prince Emili had eight total tackles, two TFLs and a pass breakup. He leaves Penn with 11 career sacks, 30.5 TFLS, one forced fumble and one blocked kick.
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Jake Heimlicher had a sack. He finished the season with a team-high 7.5 sacks. His 7.5 sacks were the most by a Quaker in a single season since Tyler Drake had 8.5 in 2015.
*Jason McCleod had three pass breakups and six tackles. In 2021, he led the Ivy League in pass breakups (15) and passes defended (15). He was also tied for third in the Ancient Eight with three interceptions.
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Brian O'Neill capped an impressive career with six tackles. He ends his career with 200 career tackles.
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Isaiah Malcome had 49 rushing yards on eight carries. He also caught three passes for 26 yards. In 2021, he led all the Ivy League running backs with six yards per carry. He was also the only Ancient Eight running back to have a 200-yard rushing game this fall. He ends his career with the Red and Blue as Penn's all-time leader in yards per carry (6.0).
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Daniel Karrash hit both of PATs in the game. On the year, he was 23-of-23 on PATs. He was tied for third in the Ivy League thanks to making 72.7 percent of his FGs (8-of-11) in 2021.
How It Happened
Both teams punted on their first drives of the game before Princeton drew first blood. The Tigers drove from their 16-yard line all the way to Penn's 7 before the Quakers defense held, forcing Princeton to settle for a 31-yard field goal that George Triplett nailed.
Penn responded immediately. On the Quakers' first play after the kick,
Aidan Sayin found
Shane Sweitzer for 45 yards into Princeton territory, then he hit Josh Casilli for 12 more yards on the following play. On third-and-5 at the Tigers' 13,
Isaiah Malcome went around the right side for nine yards and a first down, and three plays after that Sayin found a wide-open Rory Starkey Jr. in the right corner of the end zone. The 75-yard drive took eight plays.
The quarter ended with Penn up, 7-3, but Princeton was driving for a score and that came on the third play of the second period when quarterback Blake Stenstrom ran it up the gut for a five-yard score.
A killer play occurred just three plays into Penn's next drive when Sayin tried to drop a pass to his receiver down the right sideline. Instead it was picked off by a leaping Matthew Winston who landed inbounds and scampered untouched to the end zone for a pick-six and a 17-7 Tigers lead.
Sayin found
Ryan Cragun for 21 yards to start Penn's next drive but the Quakers went three-and-out after that, and Princeton started on its 25. The Tigers had momentum and kept it, using nine plays to drive the length of the field for another touchdown. The 18-yard scoring play involved a bit of trickeration, Princeton employing a few elements of "Philly Special" with wide receiver Dylan Classi taking a double-reverse pitch and hitting John Volker for an 18-yard score.
Princeton's defense set up its final score before halftime. On first down from his own 8-yard line, Sayin fired a pass down the middle that was intercepted by Christian Brown at the 24 and returned to the 5. Penn's defense held firm for three downs but the Tigers went for it on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line and converted, Cole Smith running it up the middle and into the end zone. The half ended with Princeton up, 31-7.
After a scoreless third quarter, Princeton made it 34-7 with a 33-yard field goal in the first minute of the fourth. Penn came right back on its ensuing drive and finally got back on the board with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with
Trey Flowers running it around the left side and into the end zone from 10 yards out.
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