PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team is 2-0 to start the 2022 season and begin Ivy League play under the lights Friday at Dartmouth in a nationally televised contest on ESPNU.
 
A victory over the Big Green would give the Quakers their first 3-0 start to a season since going 10-0 in 2003 and for the first time during the Ray Priore era as head coach.
 
GAME 3 – PENN at DARTMOUTH
Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 | 7 p.m.
Memorial Field | Hanover, N.H.
Watch on ESPNU  |  Listen Live (QAN)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Penn Game Notes (PDF)   |   Dartmouth Game Notes (PDF)
 
The Dartmouth Series
There have been some seriously memorable matchups over the years between Penn and Dartmouth and the 2022 iteration of the game should be no different. The Quakers have been playing the Big Green dating all the way back to 1896 and hold the all-time edge 48-38-2. However, it's Dartmouth that have won the last four games in the series, including a 31-7 victory at Franklin Field in 2021. A win on Friday night would give the Big Green their longest win streak in the series since 1960-67 (eight straight).
 
Tough Defeat
Dartmouth saw a truly remarkable win streak come to an end on Saturday following a 38-31 overtime defeat to Sacred Heart on the road. The Big Green had won 20 straight non-league games heading into Saturday's affair following a 35-13 victory over Valparaiso in the season opener in Hanover.
 
Dartmouth Preseason Predictions
A surprise to absolutely no one, the two-time defending Ivy League Champion Big Green were picked to finish tied for first with Harvard (108 pts) when the league announced its preseason poll on Aug. 8. This marked the first time since Buddy Teevens became head coach in 2005 that Dartmouth was picked to finish first. 
 
Defense Prevails
Bob Benson's defense was on full display Saturday vs. Lafayette, pitching a 12-0 shutout en route to the team's second victory of the season so far. Penn has shut out its opponents over the last six quarters, the second half of the season opener against Colgate and Saturday vs. Lafayette. The last time Penn did that was in 2009, when the Quakers did not allow a point over eight consecutive quarters spanning wins over Columbia (October 17), Yale (October 24) and Brown (October 31).
 
Dare You To Run
No one is getting past the Penn defensive line right now, especially on the ground. With Colgate totaling 44 rushing yards and Lafayette finishing at -1 on Saturday, the Quakers have limited opponents to under 50 yards rushing in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2010 season. The last time the Quakers held an opponent to fewer yards in back-to-back games was in 2009 against Columbia (-20) and Yale (25).
 
Opposition's Touchdown Drought
Neither Colgate nor Lafayette were able to notch an offensive TD against the Quakers in the first two games. The last time Penn had back-to-back games without allowing the opponent to score an offensive touchdown was in 2011. The Quakers held Brown to a pair of field goals in a 6-0 loss to the Bears on October 29, then a week later they limited Princeton to three field goals in a 37-9 win at Franklin Field.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Senior DL Jake Heimlicher was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his exceptional performance against Lafayette on Saturday. He led the Quaker defense with 10 total tackles and a sack. Heimlicher currently paces the team in total tackles (15), solo tackles (9), tackles for a loss (5), sacks (3) and forced fumbles (1). He is Penn's first defensive player of the week honoree since Garrett Morris in 2021.
 
Leading Tacklers
Heimlicher is just one of a litany of leading tacklers on the Quaker defense, pacing the way with 15 total tackles (with five tackles for a loss). Shiloh Means has been all over the field with 14 tackles, followed by Jack Fairman's 11 and Jonathan Melvin's nine. Fairman has four tackles for a loss and Melvin has two and a half.
 
So Many Targets
Sophomore QB Aidan Sayin has had quite the arsenal of receivers in his back pocket this season so far, throwing to 13 different targets in two games. Of the 13, Josh Casilli leads the way with 11 catches, followed by Rory Starkey, Jr. (7), Justin Cayenne (6), Sterling Stokes (6) and Malone Howley (6). Sayin has three TD passes to Starkey, Jr., Cayenne and Jonathan Mulatu.
 
Last Time Out
In the 31-7 defeat to Dartmouth last season at Franklin Field, returning members of the Quaker defense were on full display as Means led the way with eight total tackles, followed by Jaden Key (7), Garrett Morris (7) and Heimlicher (7), who also tallied two tackles for a loss.