PRINCETON, N.J. – The University of Pennsylvania football team entered Saturday with a chance to earn a share of the Ivy League championship.
When the final gun sounded at Princeton Stadium, the Quakers celebrated like they had indeed won a championship—even though they hadn't.
Penn's chances at winning the title were obsolete by the early fourth quarter, when Yale's 19-14 win at Harvard was completed in Cambridge. You never would have known it after the Quakers pulled off a stunning, last-second comeback to beat the Tigers, 20-19.
On fourth and goal from Princeton's 5-yard line, Penn quarterback
Aidan Sayin found fifth-year running back
Trey Flowers in the middle of the end zone with just five seconds left in the game, capping a stirring comeback as the Quakers overcame a 19-7 deficit entering the final quarter. It was Penn's third fourth-down conversion on the final drive.
Penn and Princeton end the season tied for second in the Ivy standings, both 5-2 and a game behind the champion Bulldogs (6-1). Overall, the Quakers won at Princeton Stadium for the first time in a decade and finished with eight wins for the first time since 2010.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn wins its first game over Princeton since 2017 and first on the road since 2012. At 8-2, the Quakers close the year with eight wins for the first time since 2010 when they went 9-1 overall and 7-0 in Ivy play to win the outright title.
*The victory over #22 Princeton is the Quakers' first against a ranked opponent since topping #22/24 Harvard, 27-14, on Nov. 11, 2015 at Franklin Field.
*Trailing 19-7 heading into the fourth quarter, the Quakers scored 13 unanswered points to close out the Tigers for the victory. It's the first Penn victory trailing after three quarters since a 24-20 win over Harvard Nov. 16, 2019 in Cambridge.
*
Francesco Barone's punt block and
Jordan Niles' return for a touchdown is Penn's first since Mozi Bici got one against Cornell on Nov. 6, 2021.
*Sophomore quarterback
Aidan Sayin completed 38 of his 47 pass attempts for 261 yards and two touchdowns in the win. His 38 completions are a career high and the most by a Penn player since Alek Torgerson slung 40 passes against the Tigers at Princeton Stadium on Nov. 8, 2014.
*
Rory Starkey, Jr. closed out his Penn career with 12 catches for 95 yards, 31 coming after the catch.
Trey Flowers caught eight passes for 48 yards and the game-winning TD.
Malone Howley and
Julien Stokes both totaled five receptions.
*
Jack Fairman led the defense with 10 total tackles, while
Garrett Morris had seven tackles.
Jonathan Melvin,
Micah Morris and
Jake Heimlicher each recorded sacks.
*Heimlicher finishes the year with nine sacks, leading the Ivy League. His nine sacks are the most by a Penn player since Mike Germino had 9.5 in 1999.
*Penn gained 315 yards of total offense, 261 through the air and 29 on the ground.
How It Happened
Princeton took the ball to start the game and wasted little time getting on the board. The Tigers needed 10 plays to march 78 yards to paydirt, converting two third downs and a fourth along the way. The scoring play came on third-and-3 at Penn's 23, Princeton QB Blake Stenstrom throwing a jump ball to the front left corner of the end zone that was won by Andrei Iosivas. The PAT was no good, leaving the score at 6-0.
Penn's first drive, meanwhile, ended with a punt but was certainly adventurous. Sayin was picked off in Princeton territory and the ball was nearly returned for a touchdown, only to be called back after Princeton was called for two penalties. A few plays later, Sayin lost the ball while attempting to pass although the Quakers recovered. The very next play, Sayin went over the middle and again was nearly picked off. Finally, Penn punted from Princeton's 35, and after the ball hit the ground it bounced off a Quakers player and rolled into the end zone for a touchback, making the punt a net-15 yards.
Princeton again marched through the Penn defense, and on the second play of the second quarter the Tigers were back in the end zone as Ryan Butler rushed up the gut for the final four yards of an 11-play, 80-yard drive, Princeton went for two but unsuccessfully, and the score was 12-0.
Princeton's third drive looked like it was headed for another score, but the Penn defense stiffened just inside the red zone and on fourth down Niko Vangarelli was stopped short of a first down by
Jaden Key and
Paul Jennings. That gave the Quakers the ball at their own 16. Penn moved the ball out to near midfield, but on second and nine Sayin's pass down the right sideline was picked off by Princeton's CJ Wall to give the Tigers the ball on their 36.
Penn's defense held fast, forcing Princeton's first punt of the day, and the Quakers got on the board when
Francesco Barone blocked the kick and the ball rolled into the end zone where
Jordan Niles fell on it. The extra point was good, and suddenly the Red and Blue—to that point completely outplayed—was within five at 12-7. That was still the score as the game reached the half.
Penn got the ball to start the third quarter, and the Quakers drove right down the field into the Princeton red zone. However, in a stunning turn of events Starkey caught a Sayin pass at Princeton's 8-yard line but had the ball ripped out of his hands as he was being tackled. Princeton's Liam Johnson picked it up and took off down the right sideline, 92 yards to the end zone for a score. Following a review that confirmed the fumble call, the extra point was good and the Tigers' lead was 19-7.
Penn's offense again moved the ball but came up empty, Sayin's fourth-down rush falling two yards short of a first down at the Tigers' 33-yard line. However, the defense came up with its first turnover of the day when Stenstrom's pass was deflected by
Joey Slackman and picked off by Key at the Quakers' 32-yard line.
Penn methodically moved the ball down the field, needing 15 plays and more than six minutes to cover 66 yards. The Quakers had fourth down on Princeton's 2-yard line and needed to go for it, down 12. The gamble paid off when
Julien Stokes came in motion from the right side, took a flip pass from Sayin off the snap, and ran around the left side of the line for the score. It was 19-14 after the kick, with more than 10 minutes still to play.
Princeton held the ball for the next five minutes, taking it from its own 25 to Penn's 35. However, on fourth and 10 Stenstrom's pass to Iosivas only went for four yards and Penn had the ball with 72 yards to go and 5:16 to play.
They needed 17 plays, three fourth-down conversions, and almost all of that 5:16.
The first sign that something significant might be happening came when Sayin found Starkey on a fourth-and-2 play that covered 12 yards and got the ball near midfield. The Quakers moved the ball into Princeton territory but faced another fourth down at the 33, then compounded the situation with a false start. Facing fourth-and-9, Sayin found
Julien Stokes on the left for 12 more yards and a first down at the Tigers' 26.
Penn went for it all on the next play and Princeton was called for pass interference in the end zone, moving the ball to the Tigers' 11, and on third down Flowers rushed up the middle to get yet another first down inside Princeton's 1 with only seconds left on the clock.
Penn went to the well again, running Flowers up the middle, but this time Princeton's L Johnson broke through the line and stopped him for a four-yard loss. After a timeout to stop the clock, Sayin passes to Flowers and Stokes fell incomplete to set up fourth down. The third pass was the charm, Sayin finding Flowers with just five seconds on the clock. Penn then set up for a two-point conversion, but rather than risk a fumble the Quakers took a knee.
Princeton fair caught the kickoff at its 22-yard line and tried some trickery on its final play. However, the ball was fumbled out of bounds and Penn's improbable win was complete, touching off a wild celebration on the Quakers' sideline.
#BEGREAT
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