PHILADELPHIA – Just a week removed from the University of Pennsylvania football team's first victory of the season Saturday against Colgate, the Quakers return to Franklin Field this Saturday at 1 p.m. to host Lafayette, presented by Macquarie.
 
GAME 2 – PENN vs LAFAYETTE
Presented by Macquarie
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 | 1 p.m.
Franklin Field | Philadelphia
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Penn Game Notes (PDF)   |   Lafayette Game Notes (PDF)
 
The Lafayette Series
The matchup between Penn and Lafayette is a historic one, dating all the way back to Nov. 25, 1882. Since then, the two teams have played a total of 92 times with the Quakers emerging victorious in most of them (64-24-4). In the grand scheme of things, Penn has seen the most success on its home field, going 47-10-4 against the Leopards all-time at Franklin Field. Lafayette snapped Penn's two-game win streak in the series last year in a 24-14 victory at Fisher Stadium. The Leopards have claimed six of the last 10 matchups between the two teams dating back to 2006, but the Quakers won the last meeting at Franklin Field back on Sept. 21, 2013 (27-21).
 
Lafayette's New Era
The John Troxell era in Easton started on a high note with a 6-0 victory over Sacred Heart in the first contest of the 2022 season. In the two games since then, the Leopards have played stiff competition, falling on the road to FBS foe Temple, 30-14, and to No. 15/17 William & Mary, 34-7, at home. In those games, Lafayette has been out-scored, 64-21. After their matchup at Penn Saturday, the Leopards will face another Ivy League opponent in Princeton in their non-league finale Oct. 8.
 
Lafayette's Preseason Predictions
When the Patriot League's preseason poll was released heading into the start of the campaign, Lafayette was picked to finish fourth, ahead of Georgetown (another 2022 Penn opponent), Lehigh and Bucknell. In addition, the Leopards had two players — senior defensive end Malik Hamm and senior linebacker Marco Olivas — named Preseason All-Patriot League selections while the former earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year laurels. Olivas is a two-time All-Patriot League pick, while Hamm, the 2019 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year has been tabbed an All-Patriot League honoree three times.
 
High-Flying Start
You couldn't have scripted a better start to the new year than Penn's 25-14 victory over Colgate last Saturday at Franklin Field. After trailing the Raiders, 14-3 at halftime, the Quakers scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to come out on top with the victory. Penn out-gained Colgate on total offense, 367-192 including 289 through the air by way of sophomore quarterback Aidan Sayin. The Quakers also out-paced the Raiders in first downs, 24-11. It's the first time since 2018 that Penn started a season with a 1-0 record.
 
That's What We've Been Sayin
Yes, that pun will end up being used quite a bit, however, Sayin's performance against Colgate last Saturday was no joke. Sayin threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, both career-highs for the signal-caller. A touchdown pass to Rory Starkey, Jr., early in the third quarter started the scoring run for the Quakers, while a 10-yard score to Jonathan Mulatu with 13:54 remaining in the fourth quarter put Penn up by eight.
 
Sticky Fingers
10 catches in a game? Pretty darn good. Junior wide receiver Joshua Casilli did just that against Colgate on Saturday. He tallied 10 catches for 60 yards, becoming the first Quaker to haul in 10 passes in a single game since Ryan Cragun had 11 vs. Brown on Nov. 2, 2019. To put that number into context, Casilli finished the 2021 season with a total of 10 catches, spanning over eight games.
 
Triumphant Return
Making his first start since suffering a season-ending injury last season, senior defensive back Kendren Smith looked like his old self against the Raiders, tallying six tackles and one pass breakup. It'll be familiar territory for Smith on Saturday, who in 2021, had three tackles (one TFL) and two breakups against at Lafayette in Easton.
 
Shiloh "Means" Business
Okay, this is the last pun of the day. Junior defensive back Shiloh Means was excellent on Saturday vs. Colgate, making a team-high eight total tackles and four were solo. Means also totaled a pair of pass breakups to pace the Penn defense. Means had a solid sophomore season for the Quakers in 2021, recording 30 tackles (19s, 11a) over nine games with a fumble recovery.
 
Penn All Patriot in 2022
Penn will face Patriot League teams in all three non-conference games this season, opening with Colgate and Lafayette and traveling to Georgetown in Week 4. Surprisingly, this is the first season since 2000 that the Quakers have faced three PL teams. That season, the Quakers opened with a 17-10 loss at Lehigh; came home the next weekend to beat Lafayette, 45-28; then lost at Holy Cross in Week 4, 34-17.