LEWISBURG, Pa. – Guided by 515 yards of total offense and a stout rush defense which held Bucknell to just eight yards on the ground, the University of Pennsylvania football team exploded for 20 third-quarter points to come away with a 37-21 victory over the Bison at rain-soaked Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
The Quakers start the year 2-0 for the second season in a row while Bucknell falls to 1-2. Penn successfully completed the Patriot League road swing with an unblemished record as it looks forward to opening Ivy League play next weekend at Franklin Field.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn is 2-0 for the second straight season and the fourth time in the
Ray Priore era. Previously, the Quakers had not won their first two games to start a campaign since 2003.
*Make it nine wins in a row for Penn against Bucknell dating back to Oct. 11, 2003. It's the fifth consecutive victory in Lewisburg for the Red and Blue.
*The Quakers were lethal offensively, gaining 515 total yards on 86 plays, including 354 through the air. It's the first time since Oct. 26, 2019 at Yale the Quakers had 500 or more total yards (521).
*Junior quarterback
Aidan Sayin recorded his first career 300-yard passing game, going 35-for-49 with 354 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. His 354-yard performance is tied with Nick Robinson (Nov. 23, 2019 against Princeton) for the 11th-most yards thrown in a single game in program history.
*
Jared Richardson is looking like the 'new big thing' for the Quaker offense, finishing the day with 12 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Through the first two games, Richardson leads his teammates with 19 catches for 201 yards and three TDs.
*
Alex Haight also had a solid outing, catching six Sayin passes for 80 yards and his first career score.
*
Jonathan Mulatu carried the ball 11 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.
*
Jack Fairman and
Joey Slackman both finished with five tackles, while Slackman had 3.5 TFLs and a sack.
*Fairman, Slackman,
Paul Jennings,
Isaiah Jordan and
Charlie Mossy each finished with sacks on the afternoon.
*
Jack Iuliano and
Micah Morris were consistently putting pressure on the Bucknell quarterback with a pair of hurries.
*Penn handled the time of possession and it wasn't even close, holding onto the ball for 41:29. Bucknell only had control of the ball for 18:31.
How It Happened
Penn started with the ball and had a nice drive to Bucknell's 32-yard line before things stalled out. The Quakers surprised the Bison with a quick-kick, Sayin doing his best punter impression as he pinned the ball on Bucknell's 3-yard line.
Bucknell went three-and-out, punted from the shadow of its goalpost, and Penn's second drive started right at midfield. This time the Quakers needed just four plays to find paydirt as Sayin aired it out to
Malone Howley (17 yards) and
Jared Richardson (22), then tossed an eight-yard screen to
Alex Haight who followed a nice block and tucked inside the left pylon for his first collegiate touchdown.
Bucknell's defense was bend-but-don't-break in the second quarter, as Penn had two lengthy drives but only found three points from them. The Quakers' first drive of the period started at their 27 and went all the way to the Bison's 17, but went for naught as
Graham Gotlieb's field-goal attempt missed. Bucknell then went three-and-out, and Penn had a 12-play drive that ended with Gotlieb splitting the uprights from 18 yards after the Quakers decided not to go for a fourth-and-1 at Bucknell's 1-yard line. Penn clung to a 10-0 lead at the half.
The Red and Blue got the second half started strong on a 22-yard completion from Sayin to Casilli then focusing mainly on the run game again, turning to backup quarterback
Liam O'Brien in the red zone. The sophomore converted on a two-yard sneak to give the Quakers a 17-0 lead following the Gotlieb PAT.
After the Penn defense forced the sixth Bucknell punt of the contest with eight minutes to go in the quarter, Sayin ran into some trouble in throwing his second pick of the day to set up favorable field position for the Bison offense. Bucknell used the opportunity to its advantage, converting a deep pass down the middle for 40 yards and the touchdown to get on the board, making it 17-7.
Just one drive later, the Quaker offense went to work quickly down the field with a two-play, 43-yard drive capped by Sayin's 18-yard heave to Richardson for the score, giving the Red and Blue a 23-7 edge with 5:07 left in the frame.
Richardson made one of the catches of the day on Penn's next offensive drive, as Sayin completed a pass out short to the wideout for a first down and then another deep down the sideline to the sophomore 40 yards and the score. It was Richardson's second touchdown of the day as Penn led 30-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
Trailing by 23 and looking for a positive outcome to begin the fourth quarter, the Bison drove down the field 79 yards on eight plays resulting in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Rucker to Weatherly, cutting into the Penn lead, now 30-14.
After
Albert Jang had to punt on fourth down with 10:22 to play in the game, Penn's defense went back to work swarming Rucker in the pocket, as
Paul Jennings and
Isaiah Jordan sacked the QB to set up a third-and-long, in which the Bison offense could not overcome.
The Quakers' next drive started with a pair of long rushes by Mulatu (for 18 yards) and
Isaac Shabay (for 10 yards), which set up the passing game again as Sayin aired it out 21 yards to Richardson back down to the Bucknell 21-yard line. Mulatu pounded the ball four consecutive times and marched into the end zone on a one-yard carry to extend the lead to 37-14 with 2:47 to play.
Bucknell was able to cut back into the Penn lead with a 10-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to close the game as the score was deemed final at 37-21 following an onside-kick attempt and the Quaker victory formation.
Quotable
"I thought we got better from last week. We hit on some key things during the week in practice including our offensive consistency and our ability to run the football. Once again, we spread the ball out amongst many receivers and our defense came back to where they left off from Colgate. We made some big plays in the second half and really stifled the run. I'm happy with where we're at heading into Ivy play." –
Ray Priore, George A. Munger Head Coach of Football.
Up Next
Looking for a 3-0 start to the year for a second straight season, Penn is home for its Ivy League opener next Saturday, hosting Dartmouth at 1 p.m. for First Years On The Field presented by The Penn Bookstore.
For the latest on Penn football, follow @PennFB on X (formerly Twitter), @PennFootball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
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