PHILADELPHIA – Following overtimes in back-to-back games, the University of Pennsylvania football team heads back on the road Saturday at Columbia with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m.
 
It's Ivy League the rest of the way for the Quakers (3-1, 0-1 Ivy) as both teams are looking to win their first conference games of the year.
 
GAME 5 – PENN at COLUMBIA
Saturday, October 14, 2023 | 1:30 p.m.
Lawrence A. Wien Stadium | New York, N.Y.
Watch Live on ESPN+, SNY ($)  |  Listen Live (QAN)  |  Live Stats
Penn Game Notes (PDF)  | Columbia Game Notes (PDF)
 


The Columbia Series
Penn and Columbia are meeting for the 102nd time in its storied history. It's a series that the Quakers have traditionally dominated, going 76-24-1 including wins in seven of the last 10 games. From 1997 to 2016, Penn won 20 matchups in a row over the Lions before Al Bagnoli stepped in to claim three of the last five. The Quakers are 23-16 all-time at Wien Stadium but have lost three straight in NYC, looking for their first road victory in the stadium since Oct. 17, 2015.
 
Last Meeting With Columbia
Penn led Columbia, 34-0, through three quarters last fall at Franklin Field, rolling to a 34-14 victory over the Lions. With the win, the Quakers improved 5-0 overall with a 2-0 Ivy League mark. A 34-yard field goal for Graham Gotlieb and a Micah Morris interception return for a touchdown had Penn up, 10-0, at the conclusion of the first quarter. Two TD passes from Aidan Sayin to Julien Stokes and Joshua Casilli made it 24-0 after two. Gotlieb and a second Stokes TD made it 34-0 before the Lions chipped away at the lead in the fourth stanza. The game was highlighted by an incredible performance by Kendren Smith, who recorded three takeaways—two forced fumbles and an interception—and was then named both Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week and FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.
 
So Many Overtimes!
For the first time since 2006, the Quakers have played consecutive overtime games after a 23-20 loss to Dartmouth on Sept. 30 and a 42-39 victory over Georgetown last weekend at Franklin Field. Penn has played OT now three times in the last two seasons after not having seen the extra period since 2017. Saturday was the fifth overtime game in the Ray Priore era as head coach, going 3-2 in those games. He's now 2-1 in OT contests at Franklin Field.
 
Puttin' Up The Points
The Red and Blue have put up a significant amount of digits on the scoreboard through the team's first four games. They scored 20 points at Colgate, 37 at Bucknell, 20 against Dartmouth and 42 vs. Georgetown, totaling 119. Ironically, it's the same exact amount of points scored as last year's first four games, ending with a 59-point outburst against the Hoyas. The Quakers are averaging 29.8 points per game so far, good for fourth in the Ancient Eight. Only Harvard (158), Brown (132), Yale (121) and Penn (119) have totaled more than 100 points this season.
 
Must-See Malachi
These last two games have showed just how promising of a player Malachi Hosley looks to be on offense. He tallied 101 all-purpose yards Saturday in the victory over Georgetown with two rushing TDs—including the game-winner in OT—and for the second straight game, had a chunk play catching the ball with a 55-yard reception late in the second quarter. In three career games, the Columbus, Ga. native has 14 carries for 67 yards and two scores, while catching nine passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, no doubt eye-popping numbers for a true freshman.
 
Weekly Honors
Due to his standout performance on the gridiron Saturday, Hosley was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, the first Quaker to earn the honor since Mohammed Diakite in 2018. It's the third straight week with a weekly award for the Quakers, the first time since Oct. 17, 24 and 31, 2016 that has happened. Jared Richardson was named Offensive Player of the Week back on Sept. 25 and Albert Jang earned Special Team Player of the Week laurels on Oct. 2 for his role forcing OT against Dartmouth.
 
National Leaders
There's been no shortage of representation from the Quakers in the top 25 of several statistical categories in NCAA FCS football. As a team, Penn ranks fourth in first downs defense (72), seventh in rushing defense (86.5 ypg), ninth in passing offense (292.8 ypg), 10th in total defense (290.8 ypg), 12th in kickoff return defense (15.92 ypg), 13th in passing efficiency defense (112.92) and 23rd in fewest penalty yatds (220). On the individual side, Sayin is second in the country in completions per game (30.25), Richardson is sixth in receptions per game (7.0) and Sayin's 10th in total offense (288.5 ypg). On defense, Shiloh Means ranks ninth in interceptions per game (0.5), while Joey Slackman is 21st in TFLs per game (1.5).
 
Preseason All-Ivy
Twelve Penn players earned Preseason All-Ivy selection by Phil Steele in early August including first-team honorees Jaden Key, Kendren Smith and Julien Stokes. A 2022 first-team All-Ivy pick, Smith, along with Key will play a large role in anchoring the Penn defense this season. The second team was made up of eight Quakers—Casilli, Jake Ligos, Jack Purcell, Micah Morris, Slackman, Jack Fairman, Jonathan Melvin and Gotlieb—while Sayin earned a spot on the third team.
 
Hey, Coach!
Head Coach Ray Priore has one new face on the coaching staff as Sean Reeder takes over as tight ends coach for the 2023 season. Reeder joins the Quakers following six seasons on staff at Ithaca, the first five working with the offensive line before he was promoted to the role of offensive coordinator in 2022. Prior to his stint with the Bombers, Reeder spent two years at Division II Wayne State before working as a tight ends and offensive line coach at California Lutheran. As a student-athlete, Reeder was a key member of the offensive line at Johns Hopkins, where he graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering in 2013.
 
Oh Captain, Our Captains
Following a team vote, Priore named five captains for the 2023 Quakers including a familiar face to the leadership group. For the second straight year, Melvin was voted a co-captain, while Casilli, Sayin, Slackman and Kendren Smith will join him for the coin toss at the beginning of each game this season.
 
Follow The Action
Saturday's game in New York City will be streamed live on ESPN+ and regionally on SNY with Lance Medow (PxP) and Shawn Fitzgerald (Analyst) on the call. The contest will also air on NBC Sports Philadelphia on tape delay at 8 p.m. Saturday night. Matt Leon (PxP) and Hench Murray (Analyst) have the radio call on the Quaker Audio Network. Live stats will be provided on gocolumbialions.com.