PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team used an outstanding second half to overcome a shaky first, and the result was a 25-14 win over the Raiders Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field.
The Quakers outscored the Raiders 22-0 in the second half in winning its season opener for the second straight year over a Patriot League opponent.
Quaker Notemeal
*The win marks the second consecutive season in which Penn opened the season with a victory. The Quakers are now 4-3 in season-openers during the
Ray Priore era.
*Penn's victory snaps a two-game losing streak dating back to last season at Franklin Field.
*In the ninth contest all-time between the two squads, Penn has now won four straight games against Colgate in the series. This victory marks the Quakers' first against the Raiders in the 21st century, the last meeting taking place in 1996.
*Penn out-scored Colgate, 22-0 in the second half and held the Raiders to just 192 yards of total offense including 148 passing yards. The Quakers gained 367 yards of total offense including 289 through the air.
*Sophomore quarterback
Aidan Sayin passed for two touchdowns over 289 yards on the afternoon, along with two interceptions. The yardage is a career-high for Sayin as well as the touchdown passes, which he reached twice before in his first two starts during the 2021 season.
*Senior
Trey Flowers had a great second half running the ball, picking up a net 66 yards on the ground on 19 carries with the touchdown that won the game for the Quakers, giving them a 15-14 lead with 6:40 to play in the third quarter.
*It was a tremendous afternoon for junior wide receiver
Joshua Casilli, who racked up a game-high 10 catches for 60 yards, while
Rory Starkey, Jr. and
Jonathan Mulatu both registered touchdown grabs.
*The Quakers were defensively sound on the day, led by leading tackler
Shiloh Means, who recorded seven tackles (four solo).
Jaden Key and
Kendren Smith both tallied six, while
Jonathan Melvin,
Garrett Morris and
Jake Heimlicher each recorded five. Speaking of Heimlicher, he picked up right where he left off last year with two sacks for a loss of 14 yards.
Joey Slackman and
Grant Ristoff also picked up sacks on the day.
*
Graham Gotlieb was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goal tries, including a long of 24 yards with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter to increase Penn's lead to the final score of 25-14.
*It was a good start to the non-league slate for the Quakers, who will play all Patriot League opponents this season. Penn has now won two straight games against the Patriot League after shutting out Lehigh, 20-0 on Oct. 9, 2021. Penn will turn its attention to Lafayette next weekend at Franklin Field.
*The attendance was 4,678, Penn's largest crowd since 5,142 attended the 2021 Homecoming Game against Cornell.
Gallery: (9-17-2022) Football vs. Colgate - 9/17/2022
How It Happened
Penn's first drive of 2022 ended quickly, Quakers QB
Aidan Sayin intercepted by Jackson Price near midfield. The defense was stout in its first action, though, and held the Raiders to a 44-yard field goal that Spencer Biscoe knocked through.
Penn's second drive? Much better. It went 16 plays, covered 72 yards and took more than seven minutes. The Quakers got first-and-goal at Colgate's 7 before the Raiders defense stiffened, leaving
Graham Gotlieb to tie things up with a 19-yard field goal. Sayin was 8-of-10 passing on the drive, hitting five different receivers as the offense got unspooled. The first quarter ended with the score tied, 3-3.
A pair of Penn mistakes directly led to the only points in the second quarter, all of them by Colgate.
The first came on defense. It looked like the Quakers had held the Raiders on downs near midfield, but a personal foul gave Colgate a first down. The guests took advantage, driving all the way to Penn's 8-yard line before Biscoe knocked home a 25-yard field goal for a 6-3 Raiders lead.
The offensive error was far more direct. With less than 30 seconds left before halftime, Sayin was flushed out to the right side and airmailed his throw to
Rory Starkey, Jr. Instead, Colgate's Marquis Cooper picked it off and the next thing you know he had gone 68 yards to the end zone for a shocking score. Colgate then compounded the error by converting a two-point conversion to take a 14-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The offense made amends with its second-half performance.
Penn started with the ball in the second half and immediately embarked on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended in the Quakers' first TD of 2022. Sayin completed seven passes to four different receivers on the drive, and this time Penn got the break when he was tackled on a third-and-16 rush but Colgate was whistled for a late hit. That gave the Quakers a first down and new life, and they took advantage. After a rugged five-yard gain by
Trey Flowers got the ball to the 1-yard line, Sayin hit Starkey and the senior got the block he needed at the left sideline to get into the end zone. The PAT was no good, and the score was 14-9.
The defense held Colgate to a three-and-out on the Raiders' first drive of the second half, putting Penn's offense back on the field. Momentum was with the Quakers, and they kept it rolling with five-play, 55-yard drive that was highlighted when Sayin floated an absolute perfect pass into
Sterling Stokes' breadbasket along the left sideline for 30 yards. Two plays later, Flowers went virtually untouched up the gut for an eight-yard rushing score, giving Penn its first lead of the season at 15-14. The two-point conversion was no good.
The defense again stopped Colgate's offense, limiting the Raiders to one first down, and for the third straight time the offense went to work. Sayin completed four straight passes to end the third quarter, moving Penn from its 32 to Colgate's 33, and then his first completion of the fourth hit
Jonathan Mulatu who outran his defender to the left pylon for a 10-yard score. After the kick, the Quakers' lead was 22-14.
Colgate hit the big play when Michael Brescia found Max Hurleman on a wheel route for 54 yards down the left side. However, the Penn defense answered after that, and on fourth-and-5 the Raiders went for it unsuccessfully as Brescia's pass to Garrett Oakey was overthrown.
Penn put this game to rest with some good old-fashioned power football. Starting with the ball on its 37 and 8:02 on the clock, the Quakers were content to hand the ball off to Flowers again and again with the bruising senior gaining 35 yards on seven straight carries. That ate up more than six minutes of game time, and Gotlieb made it a two-score game on a 24-yard field goal with 1:27 left.
The defense had one final chance to shine and boy did they, the Quakers sacking Brescia three times on the Raiders' final three offensive plays of the day.
Up Next
The Quakers are back at home next Saturday, hosting another Patriot League opponent in Lafayette. The Quakers and Leopards are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. in a game that will air locally on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus in addition to its usual location on ESPN+.
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