PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team begins its second season on Saturday, starting Ivy play against defending champion Dartmouth at what will be the newly-dedicated Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field.
 
The Quakers (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) are coming off a decisive 27-17 home victory over Colgate on Saturday, while the Big Green (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) remain just one of two unbeaten Ancient Eight squads after back-to-back victories over Fordham and Merrimack.
 
GAME 3 – PENN at DARTMOUTH
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 | 1 p.m.
Memorial Field | Hanover, N.H.
Watch Live on ESPN+ ($)  |  Listen Live (QAN)  |  Live Stats | Tickets
Penn Game Notes (PDF) | Dartmouth Game Notes (PDF)
 

The Dartmouth Series
Saturday is the latest edition in a series that dates all the way back to 1896. It's the 91st meeting between Penn and Dartmouth as the series shifts back to Hanover at the newly dedicated Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field. The Quakers lead the Big Green, 49-39-2 all-time but Dartmouth have won seven of the last 10 matchups. The last two meetings have gone to overtime—a 23-17 double-OT victory in Hanover in 2022 and a 23-20 OT loss in 2023—and each had dramatic finishes.
 
Last Meeting With Dartmouth
Penn's valiant comeback sent its game with Dartmouth to overtime, but the Big Green scored the only points in the extra session to escape Franklin Field with a 23-20 win. The Quakers trailed the Big Green, 20-10, with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, before Aidan Sayin's 16-yard touchdown pass to Malone Howley with 5:52 left and Albert Jang's 51-yard field goal in the game's dying seconds sent the game to OT. Jang's kick was the third-longest in program history. Dartmouth took advantage of a missed field goal try and converted one of its own to earn its first Ivy victory of the season. With 357 passing yards, Sayin became the first Quaker since Alek Torgersen in 2014 to record back-to-back 300+ yard passing games, and his 711 yards in the last two games are the most since all-time leading passer Gavin Hoffman had 742 on Oct. 16 and 23, 1999.
 
Putting Up The W
Penn took care of business in its home opener at Franklin Field, beating Colgate 27-17 on Saturday. Sayin found wideout Jared Richardson for 36 yards on an acrobatic touchdown catch to give the Quakers a 21-7 lead into halftime and Sam Smith booted a pair of second-half field goals to punctuate the 10-point victory. Sayin completed 70.7 percent of his passes (29-41) for 320 yards and three TDs, while Malachi Hosley recorded his fifth straight 100-yard rushing yard game dating back to last season, with 131 yards on 17 carries. He's the first Penn back since Sam Mathews in 2003 to accomplish the feat. Richardson had six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Shiloh Means led the defense with 10 total tackles and Alec Wills recorded his first career interception. 
 
Super Sayin!
Sayin had one of his strongest games under center in his career Saturday vs. Colgate, putting together a turnover-free, 320-yard, three TD performance to shut down the Raiders at Franklin Field. His 29 completions put him in rare territory, becoming Penn's all-time leader in completions with 665. He passed all-time leading passer Gavin Hoffman (1999-2001) for first in the category.
 
Sayin's marching his way towards Hoffman's passing yardage record as well, currently sitting third with 6,617 yards. Alek Torgersen '16 is second at 7,025 while Hoffman has the top spot with 7,542.
 
How about touchdowns? Glad you asked. Sayin has tossed 44 TDs in his career, good for fourth in program history, three behind Mike Mitchell '03 (47), six behind Hoffman (50), and eight behind Torgersen (52).
 
So Many Targets
Penn was known to spread the ball around in former offensive coordinator Dan Swanstrom's offense. Under Greg Chimera? Same thing. Sayin threw the ball to eight different receivers in the Quakers' 27-17 win over Colgate on Saturday. All eight had a catch including Jayden Drayton and Josh Casilli, who caught his first TD pass since Oct. 7 vs. Georgetown last year. Casilli has a touchdown reception in all four years he's played at Penn.
 
Trusting The All-American
There was no doubting who Sayin's favorite target heading into the season was going to be. It's Richardson and he showed it again on Saturday vs. Colgate. The junior put together another signature effort, hauling in six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown in the win. With that, J-Rich has registered five touchdowns in his last three games dating back to last season, catching one in each game to begin this year. Entering Ivy play, Richardson ranks 10th in the nation in receiving yards per game (97.0).
 
Last Time in Hanover...
Penn got to 3-0 for the first time since 2003 after a thrilling, 23-17 victory over Dartmouth in double overtime. Senior running back Trey Flowers scored both the first and last touchdowns of the contest to lead the way on offense, while senior defensive lineman Jake Heimlicher once again paced Penn on defense with a career-high 13 tackles including eight solos. With Penn trailing in the closing stages of the fourth quarter, 10-7, junior placekicker Graham Gotlieb booted a 35-yard field goal with time expiring to send the contest to overtime. After both teams scored touchdowns in the first OT—Penn's by way of a five-yard pass from Aidan Sayin to Josh Casilli—the Quakers' Grant Ristoff blocked a Big Green field goal attempt to start the second overtime, giving Penn the ball only needing a field goal to win. On second down, Flowers scampered 24 yards which set up his one-yard, game-winning TD two plays later. At the time, the Quakers were one of just nine remaining unbeaten teams in FCS football.
 
Defending Champ? No Problem.
Penn has had the defending Ivy League champion's number in year's past, going 3-0 against those teams since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season in 2020. In 2022, the Quakers beat both Dartmouth and Princeton, the co-champs from 2021. Last year, Penn knocked off Yale, 27-17, in New Haven after the Bulldogs claimed the outright title.
 
On Saturday against Dartmouth, Penn will look to make it four straight wins after the Big Green shared the 2023 championship with Harvard and Yale.
 
Scouting The Big Green
Dartmouth enters the weekend as one of the Ivy League's two unbeaten teams at 2-0.
 
The Big Green took care of Fordham in their season and home opener on Sept. 21, 45-13, before eeking out a 16-14 victory at Merrimack last weekend. During that game, kicker Owen Zalc knocked in three field goals including the game-winner with three seconds remaining. Zalc went on to win Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
Following the graduation of Big Green QB great Nick Howard, Jackson Proctor has taken the baton and excelled this year, passing for 346 yards and three TDs in two games so far. Q Jones leads Dartmouth with 138 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, while Paxton Scott has a team-high 10 catches for 157 yards so far.
 
Defensively, Josiah Green and Sean Williams have each totaled 11 tackles while Green has a team-best 1.5 sacks. Zach Farris has Dartmouth's lone interception.
 
Penn in National Rankings
The Quakers continue to be one of the nation's leading teams in a variety of categories as we enter Week 3 on the calendar.
 
Penn ranks first in FCS football in fourth-down conversion percentage (1.000), seventh in first downs defense (39), 10th in rushing defense (90.0), 12th in passing offense (274.0), and 15th in total offense (424.5).
 
Individually, Malachi Hosley is third in all-purpose yards per game (162.0) and third in rushing yards per game (153.5). Sayin ranks fourth in points responsible for per game (18.0), eighth in passing yards per game (274.0), 11th in completions per game (23.0), 16th in completion percentage (.667), and 21st in passing efficiency (151.5). Julien Stokes is currently fifth in receptions per game (7.0).
 
Ivy Predictions
Penn was picked third in the Ivy League's annual preseason poll, voted on by 16 media members and announced on August 5. The Quakers totaled 88 voting points and two of the 16 first-place votes, trailing only Harvard (108, 7) and Yale (114, 6), who both claimed shares of the Ancient Eight's title in 2023. Princeton had 80 points and one first-place vote to tie for fourth place with reigning Ivy champ Dartmouth. Brown (56) is sixth, Cornell (26) seventh, and Columbia (24) placed eighth.
 
Preseason All-Ivy
Announced by Phil Steele on August 2, eight Quakers earned Preseason All-Ivy honors led by first-teamers RB Malachi Hosley, WR Jared Richardson, TE Bryce Myers, LB Jack Fairman, LB John Lista, and DB Shiloh Means. DL Paul Jennings and LB Kadari Machen earned spots on the second team.
 
Hey, Coaches!
Priore added four new faces to his coaching staff with Greg Chimera (offensive coordinator), Marvin Clecidor (defensive backs), Jordan Johnson (running backs), and David Josephson (tight ends) coming to University City.
 
Follow The Action
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Matt Corsetti (play-by-play) and Steve Goldberg (analyst) on the broadcast call. Matt Leon (play-by-play) and Hench Murray (analyst) provide the radio call on the Quaker Audio Network (QAN).
 
For the latest on Penn football, follow @PennFB on X (formerly Twitter), @PennFootball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.