PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football looks to bounce back following a home defeat to Brown last weekend when it hosts Cornell Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field on Homecoming.
 
The Quakers (5-2, 2-2 Ivy) remain in a five-way tie for second place along with the Big Red (3-4, 2-2 Ivy) who are also looking to rebound after a loss to Princeton.
 
GAME 8 – PENN vs. CORNELL
Homecoming presented by David Auto
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 | 1 p.m.
Franklin Field | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch Live on ESPN+, NBC Sports Philly Plus, NBC Sports Chicago ($)  |  Listen Live (QAN)  |  Live Stats
Penn Game Notes (PDF)  | Cornell Game Notes (PDF)

 

The Cornell Series
Penn vs. Cornell is the fifth-most played rivalry in Division I football as the two teams meet for the 129th time on Saturday. Penn leads the all-time series, 76-47-5 and are 8-2 in its last 10 games against the Big Red. The Quakers have a 57-35-4 edge all-time at Franklin Field, but are looking for their first home win against Cornell since 2019. 61 of the previous 128 meetings were played on Thanksgiving Day, the most recent of which occurred back in 1989.
 
Last Meeting With Cornell
Penn marched into Schoellkopf Field and took back the Trustees' Cup for the seventh time in the last eight seasons with a 28-21 victory over the Big Red. The Quakers got out to a 21-7 lead at halftime and led 28-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Cornell scored one more time with four seconds remaining, but Penn held on for the win. Trey Flowers returned to the field for the first time in nearly a month, racking up 124 yards with two touchdowns on 26 carries. Although he was held to just eight completions on 137 yards, quarterback Aidan Sayin threw for two touchdowns, one to Josh Casilli and the other to Sterling Stokes. Linebacker Garrett Morris recorded his second straight double-digit tackle game with 10 (including five solos) along with a 22-yard interception return and a pass breakup. Joey Slackman, Kendren Smith and Jack Plank each sacked Cornell QB Jameson Wang once.
 
The Quakers' Last Time Out
Penn nearly pulled off the second-half comeback yet again, but fell just short in a 30-26 loss to Brown Friday evening at Franklin Field on ESPNU. After the Bears led by 10 entering the final stanza, the Quakers had two scoring plays—a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Jared Richardson and a safety in the closing seconds—to get within four points and have one final offensive possession. However, Penn ran out of time trying to get past midfield with no timeouts remaining. Richardson tallied his second straight 100 receiving yard game with 12 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, while Alex Haight had seven receptions for 89 yards. For the fourth time this season, Sayin had a 300-yard passing game, throwing for 322 yards on 32 completions. Jack Iuliano paced the Penn defense with a team-high 12 tackles, adding three TFLs and a sack.
 
National Leaders
Two Quakers are currently pacing all of FCS football in individual categories. Sayin leads the country in completions per game (30.86), while also placing third in total offense (308.9 yards per game). Richardson leads the nation in receptions per game (9.5) after another double-digit performance against Brown. He's third in receiving yards per game (103.8) after racking up 122 yards in the contest.
 
Welcome Back, Champs!
Five of Penn Football's championship teams will return to Franklin Field to be honored at halftime on Saturday for Homecoming. Members of the 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003 Ivy League Champions will be in attendance. In addition, several Penn championship teams, All-Americans and award winners from the 2022-23 academic year will also partake in a special halftime ceremony.
 
That's Our QB1
Aidan Sayin has become quite the quarterback for the Quakers in his three years as the starter. He became the second Penn QB in program history to have a trio of 350-yard passing games in the same season—along with Gavin Hoffman in 2000—when he threw for 364 yards in the win at Yale and then threw for an additional 322 yards in the defeat vs. Brown last weekend. He has four games of 300 passing yards this season, both of which were back-to-back. Sayin is the fifth QB in program history with over 5,000 career passing yards. He now has 5,381 yards, the fourth-most in Penn history and is just 166 shy of Mike Mitchell '03 (5,547) for third.
 
Defensively Sound
Despite giving up 30 points to Brown last Friday night, Penn's defense is still as good as advertised. We saw it last season when Jake Heimlicher led the Ivy League in sacks and we're seeing it this season again with the Quakers ranked fifth in the nation in total defense (278.3 ypg), behind only Princeton (270.7) in the Ivy rankings. Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Bob Benson has done a fantastic job in working with his personnel this year. Iuliano is in a tie for third in the Ancient Eight for sacks with four, while Joey Slackman is second in TFLs (9.0), Iuliano's third (8.5) and Jack Fairman ranks eighth in tackles per game (6.7).
 
Target Practice
Wide receiver is clearly a strength for the Quakers this season. Catching a majority of the passes are the sophomore trio of Jared Richardson (57), Alex Haight (34) and Bisi Owens (22) with another 21 to junior tight end Bryce Myers. Richardson has a firm grip on the team lead with 623 yards and five touchdowns, while Haight has 346 yards and Owens with 241. Heading into the last game, Richardson was the only Penn receiver with more than one TD this season until Haight caught a touchdown pass from Sayin against the Bears.
 
Top Frosh
Hosley continued to show his flexibility in both facets of the offense against Brown, rushing eight times for 28 yards, but totaling four receptions for 54 yards. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the premier freshmen talents in the country, named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. One of 22 FCS players—and the only student-athlete from the Ivy League—to land on the list, the award is given to the national freshman of the year in the NCAA Division I subdivision. He's played a key role in both areas, totaling 57 carries for 234 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while hauling in 16 catches for 194 yards and a TD through the air.
 
Follow The Action
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and aired regionally on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus and NBC Sports Chicago. Joe Tordy will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster and Joe Valerio C'91, a Penn Athletics Hall of Famer, will provide analysis. Matt Leon (PxP) and Hench Murray (Analyst) will handle radio duties on the Quaker Audio Network. Live stats will be provided through pennstats.com.