PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania sprint football team is set for another road test after a defensive victory last Friday night against Chestnut Hill. The Quakers (2-2, 2-0 CSFL South) visit Ithaca to take on traditional Ivy foe Cornell (0-3, 0-2 CSFL North) Friday night at 7 p.m.
 
Penn used a late touchdown and strong defense to claim the 9-6 home victory over the Griffins to remain unbeaten in divisional play heading into the second half of the 2022 season.
 
Game 5: PENN (2-2, 2-0 CSFL South) at CORNELL (0-3, 0-2 CSFL North)
October 14 | 7 p.m. | Schoellkopf Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Live Stats | Live Internet Video: ESPN+ | International Stream
 
Stingy Defense
Penn's defense played a game that the late, great John Madden would especially be proud of against Chestnut Hill last Friday. The Quakers held the Griffins to just six points and 155 yards of total offense (including 50 yards on the ground). Penn's defense forced four interceptions and a forced fumble (with a recovery) to keep Chestnut Hill (for the most part) off the scoreboard.
 
Players of the Week
Two key players in the Penn defensive attack earned CSFL weekly honors on Monday for their respective performances. Defensive back Jordan Ortiz earned CSFL Defensive Player of the Week laurels while Adrian Montemayor was named CSFL Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time following a strong effort as the punter, kicker and on defense as well. Ortiz registered two interceptions, including one that set up the game-winning touchdown while Montemayor averaged 34.3 yards on three punts with a field goal and five tackles (with an interception) on defense. The Quakers have now won a total of five weekly awards through the first four weeks of the season so far.
 
Keep On Keeping On
Freshman wide receiver Brandon Graves has enjoyed quite the start to a rookie season wearing the Red and Blue, picking up at least one touchdown catch in three of his four appearances this year. He scored yet another against Chestnut Hill Friday, one of his four catches for 54 yards in the contest. In four games, Graves has 14 catches for 308 yards and four scores for the Quakers as QB Andrew Paolini's leading target.
 
Through The Air
Speaking of Paolini, he got back to work against the Griffins after struggling to get the ball off against Army the previous week. He earned an honorable mention nod from the CSFL this past week after completing 19 of his 35 pass attempts for 269 yards and a touchdown that proved to be all Penn needed to grab the three-point victory. Through four games, Paolini is 67-for-120 through the air with 946 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception.
 
Defensive Leaders
The usual suspects remain the Quakers' tackling leaders after four games, as freshman linebacker Charles Tauckus leads the team with 33.0 total tackles (and 18 solos) with a sack, an interception and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Jake Inserra is second with 26.0 tackles, while Cam Janock ranks third with 24.0 and Gavin Griswold has 21. Defensive backs Ortiz and Montemayor, who both earned weekly awards this week, lead the team with a pair of interceptions each.
 
Leading The South
At 2-0, Penn remains in a tie with Navy for the lead in the CSFL South division with just a few games to go. After Friday night's test against Cornell, the Quakers will play two more games to attempt to represent the division in the CSFL Championship Game at the end of the month. Next week, Penn heads to Annapolis to face the Midshipmen on Friday at 7 p.m.
 
Scouting the Big Red
Cornell is still looking for its first win of the season on Friday night, trying to re-group after falling to Navy, 55-0, last week. The Big Red have been outscored 169-14 in three games this year with two shutouts. Xavier Martinez (32-for-68) has two touchdowns, two interceptions and 371 yards passing for Cornell this year so far, while Ralph Fleuranvil has run the ball 43 times for 104 yards. The team's leading receiver is Luke Verzella with nine catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. He's averaging 75.0 yards per game this season. On defense, Will Anderson leads the way with 28 total tackles and his 11 solos are tied for the team-lead with Bill Turner, who is second on the team with 22.0 total tackles.
 
All-Time Series
Penn trails the all-time series with Cornell, 57-44, however the Quakers have claimed each of the last eight matchups dating back to the 2013 season. Penn has out-scored the Big Red, 124-7 in the last two meetings which includes a 63-0 shutout victory last season at Franklin Field.
 
Quakers On Air
Friday night's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats provided.