PHILADELPHIA – Coming off a much-needed victory last Saturday at Brown, the University of Pennsylvania football team continues its road trip up to Ithaca, N.Y. for the 130th meeting against Cornell Saturday at Schoellkopf Field.
 
Saturday is also the 29th playing for the Trustees' Cup, awarded annually to the winner of the rivalry game since 1995. The Quakers (3-4, 1-3 Ivy) are 20-8 against the Big Red (3-4, 2-2 Ivy) in that series.
 
Penn is currently locked in a three-way tie for sixth in the Ivy League standings while Cornell is tied with Brown for fourth.
 
GAME 8 – PENN at CORNELL
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 | 1 p.m.
Schoellkopf Field | Ithaca, N.Y.
Watch Live on ESPN+ ($)  |  Listen Live (QAN)  | Live Stats
Penn Game Notes (PDF)  | Cornell Game Notes (PDF)
 
The Cornell Series
It's officially tied for the fifth-most played rivalry in Division I college football and Saturday will be the 130th meeting of the famed series. Penn and Cornell have met each year—with the exception of 2020—since 1893 with the Quakers completely owning the overall record at 77-47-5. Since the Trustees' Cup was introduced in 1995, Penn is 20-8 in such games and have brought the trophy back to Philadelphia the last two seasons and have not lost in Ithaca since 2006.
 
Last Meeting With Cornell
Freshman running back Malachi Hosley put forth one of the most impressive running games in program history as Penn topped Cornell, 23-8, on Homecoming at Franklin Field. Hosley ran wild for 261 yards—the most by a Penn freshman and the third-most in a single game in program history—on 21 carries and two touchdowns. His first TD went for 68 yards and the second was a 96-yard run back, the longest offensive play in program history and longest since 1914. The Quakers took a 16-0 lead into halftime and only let up a five-yard Big Red TD pass early in the third quarter. Logan Nash led the Penn defense with 11 total tackles (eight solos) and a pass breakup while Joey Slackman had two TFLs and a sack for a loss of eight yards.
 
Penn's Last Time Out
Penn went up big and then held off Brown for a 38-28 victory Saturday in Providence. The Quakers had a 24-point lead with 10:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Bears comeback ultimately came up short even after 14 unanswered points the rest of the way. Junior QB Liam O'Brien made his first career start and passed efficiently, completing 75 percent of his passes (18-for-24) with 247 yards and two touchdowns. He added 60 yards rushing with a TD. Hosley recorded his fourth 100-or-more rushing yard game of the season with 102 yards on 17 carries and two TDs. Jared Richardson caught seven passes for 113 yards and a score. John Lista was a force on defense, totaling 12 tackles (with 11 solos) and a sack, while Jack Fairman, Kadari Machen, and Shiloh Means also had a TFL. Special teams also excelled on the afternoon, as Jacob Cisneros was credited with a punt block—Penn's second of the season—which resulted in six points late in the second quarter and Albert Jang averaged 45.7 yards on his three punts, one going for 50 yards.
 
We Meet Again, Coach Swanstrom
After spending two stints at Penn as quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator (2014-16) and offensive coordinator (2022-23), Dan Swanstrom will coach his first game against his former team as Cornell's head coach on Saturday.
 
Swanstrom had an impressive tenure at Penn the last two seasons, guiding the Quakers' offense in leading the Ivy League in total yardage (4,013) in 2023. As OC and Quarterbacks Coach, he worked on the development of Aidan Sayin under center and worked with 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Hosley.
 
In seven games this season, Swanstrom has the Big Red at 3-4 overall (2-2 in Ivy play) and second in the conference in total offense (2,801 yards) behind Brown (2,947).
 
In addition, there are three other familiar faces on the Cornell coaching staff—co-offensive coordinator Sean Reeder (Penn's TE coach in 2023), assistant coach Eric Franklin (Penn's CB coach from 2020-23), and offensive analyst Trey Flowers '23, who was a first-team All-Ivy halfback for the Quakers in 2022—that will face Penn for the first time on Saturday.
 
Taking The Reins
O'Brien made his first career start as Penn's signal caller on Saturday at Brown and did not disappoint.
 
In a win over the Bears on the road, he completed 75 percent (18-for-24) of his pass attempts and combined for 307 yards (247 pass, 60 rush) and three touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush) to pace the offensive effort.
 
Poised to become the Red and Blue's full-time starter in 2025, O'Brien certainly showed why on Saturday in delivering Penn its first Ancient Eight win of the season.
 
The Touchdown Machine Strikes Again
We saw Hosley return to his same-old form at Brown on Saturday, registering his fourth 100-or-more yard game of the season after picking up 102 yards on the ground with two touchdowns in the victory.
 
He's tallied at least two TDs in three of his seven games so far this year, while recording 735 rushing yards and seven touchdowns—matching his 2023 total—on 129 carries. All three of those categories pace Ivy League running backs.
 
Hosley's just 56 yards from passing his total from last season and would have the most rushing yards by a Quaker since Karekin Brooks in 2019. Brooks was the last Penn tailback to have three consecutive 800-or-more yard seasons.
 
Fortunately for Hosley, Cornell was the game his legend began when he rushed for 261 yards—the third-most in a single game in program history—against the Big Red, which included a 96-yard touchdown run, the longest offensive play in program history.
 
J-Rich Back In The Fold
Hosley wasn't the only Quaker to re-emphasize his presence on Saturday in Providence, as Richardson did just as much in Penn's victory over Brown.
 
He recorded his first 100-yard game of the season when he caught seven of O'Brien's passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
 
That marked Richardson's fifth 100-or-more receiving yard game of his career after tallying four such games in 2023. He currently leads the Quakers in receiving with 30 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Linebacker UofP
Defense is one of, if not the most important facet of a successful college football team, and this year the success has revolved around Penn's elite group of linebackers.

Kadari Machen, John Lista, and Jack Fairman have all stepped up in a big way this year at that position. Lista and Machen are chasing Harvard's Ty Bartrum atop the Ivy League's leaderboard in total tackles, leading the conference with 65. Lista and Machen are tied for fourth with 55 stops.
 
Yale's Abu Kamara's 48 solo tackles rank first in the Ivy, while Lista is second with 40.
 
Kamara and Lista are putting together significant seasons on the national level, ranked first and second, respectively in solo tackles per game in FCS football. Kamara is first with 6.9 and Lista second at 6.7. Lista leads the Ancient Eight in total tackles per game (9.2) and is 19th in the nation as well.
 
A Second Pick
Penn's secondary has recorded just two interceptions this year so far, the first to Alec Wills against Colgate on Sept. 28, and the other was tallied by Josh Narcisse against Yale.
 
It was Narcisse's first collegiate INT after picking off the Elis' Grant Jordan early in the second quarter and returning it 41 yards in the Penn 47-yard line.
 
Scouting The Big Red
Though on the outside looking in of the Ivy League title race (2-2), Cornell boasts one of the most explosive offenses in the conference with just three weeks to go.
 
On one hand, Swanstrom brings that type of firepower in his coaching philosophy. On the other, familiar faces like QB Jameson Wang, RB Ean Pope, and WR Samuel Musungu have put together impressive campaigns so far.
 
The Big Red are averaging nearly 30 points per game this season but are allowing just about the same number on defense. Cornell put up almost 50 points on Saturday in a 49-35 victory at Princeton. They also won games against Bucknell and Yale this season.
 
Wang is second in the Ivy League in touchdowns (17) with just three interceptions, while throwing for 1,766 yards. He's also rushed for 314 yards and five TDs this year. His favorite target has without-a-doubt been Samuel Musungu who has an Ivy-best 55 catches for 660 yards and six TDs. Defensively, linebacker Luke Banbury leads the team in total tackles (58) and TFLs (4.0).
 
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 8 on the calendar.
 
Penn leads the nation in punt return defense (-0.25), second in fumbles lost (1), sixth in blocked punts (2), ninth in turnovers lost (7), 12th in net punting (41.23), 16th in kickoff return yards per attempt (24.00), 18th in fourth-down conversion percentage (.643), and 22nd in red-zone defense (.727).
 
Individually, Hosley is 12th in rushing yards per game (105.0) and 22nd in all-purpose yards per game (115.14). Julien Stokes is currently 17th in kickoff return yards per attempt (25.7) and 25th in total kick return yards (446). Lista ranks second in solo tackles per game (6.7) and is 19th in total tackles per game (9.2). Placekicker Sam Smith has burst onto the scene ranked 26th in the nation in field goals per game (1.14).
 
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
Nick DeLuca (play-by-play) and Matthew Miller (analyst) will provide the broadcast call on ESPN+ while Matt Leon (play-by-play) and Hench Murray (analyst) have 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.