PHILADELPHIA – Despite falling short after challenging nationally-ranked Lehigh closely on the road last weekend, the University of Pennsylvania football team turns its attention Ivy League play by hosting two-time defending champion Dartmouth Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field.
 
The Big Green are coming into this contest with a wave of momentum following a thrilling road victory at Central Connecticut State after beating No. 23 New Hampshire at home.
 
GAME 3 – PENN (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) vs. DARTMOUTH (2-0, 0-0 Ivy)
First Years On The Field
Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 | 1 p.m.
Franklin Field | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch Live on ESPN+ ($) | Listen Live (QAN) | Live Stats | Tickets
Digital Game Program | Penn Game Notes (PDF)  | Dartmouth Game Notes (PDF)
 

Ivy League Opener
Saturday marks the Ivy League opener for both Penn and Dartmouth, the teams hoping to embark on a championship campaign.
 
The Big Green have won each of the last two Ivy League titles, while the Quakers are searching for their first title since 2016.
 
Dartmouth has the most Ivy League titles all-time in conference history with 22, while Penn is tied for third with Yale with 18.
 
The Dartmouth Series
Penn leads the all-time series over Dartmouth, 49-40-2, one of four Ivy opponents the Quakers have a winning record against.
 
At Franklin Field, the Quakers are 31-21-1 against the Big Green but have dropped five consecutive games at home dating back to Oct. 3, 2015 with the last win coming in four overtimes on Oct. 5, 2013, a 37-31 victory.
 
The George A. Munger Head Coach Ray Priore has never beaten Dartmouth at home in his career and is 2-7 all-time against the Big Green, the wins coming on the road in 2016 and 2022.
 
Last Time Against Dartmouth
In the season's first Ivy game on Oct. 5, 2024, Penn fell 20-17 at Dartmouth in a back-and-forth contest that stayed within one score throughout.
 
The Big Green piled up 439 yards of offense, highlighted by 275 through the air and 164 on the ground, while holding the Quakers to just 211 total yards. Dartmouth's decisive 21-play, clock-chewing drive in the fourth quarter converted all five third downs and bled nearly nine minutes off the clock, leaving Penn with only seconds for a final possession.
 
Despite being bottled up for much of the night, running back Malachi Hosley scored both of Penn's touchdowns and finished with 82 yards on 15 carries, while quarterback Aidan Sayin completed 11-of-27 passes for 123 yards. Linebacker Kadari Machen turned in a standout defensive effort with 15 tackles, including eight solo stops, but the Quakers couldn't overcome Dartmouth's efficiency and ball control down the stretch.
 
Scouting The Big Green
Receiving votes in both the FCS coaches and media polls, Dartmouth enters the weekend with a 2-0 overall record following victories over No. 23 New Hampshire and Central Connecticut State.
 
On Saturday at CCSU, quarterback Grayson Saunier had an excellent performance with a career-high 407 yards (30-for-44) with two touchdowns, including a 50-yard strike to KyDric Fisher with 16 seconds remaining to seal the dramatic 35-28 win. D.J. Crowther paced the ground game with 86 rushing yards and two TDs on 24 carries. Defensively, Tyson Grimm led the way with eight solo tackles, while Zylon Freer-Brown had 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
Saunier leads the Ancient Eight and is third in the nation in completions per game (26.0) and first, second in passing yards per game (325.5). Grayson O'Bara is second in the Ivy and fourth in the country in receiving yards per game at 117.0 while Crowther ranks eighth in FCS football in rushing yards per game (114.5).
 
Dartmouth has the eighth-best offense in the country by averaging 478.0 yards per contest.
 
Toe-to-Toe With Lehigh
Penn gave No. 9/10 Lehigh all it could handle in a 44-30 loss Saturday in Bethlehem. The Quakers scored their most points against a Top 10 opponent since Nov. 10, 1945 (32-7 win over No. 10 Columbia).
 
QB Liam O'Brien was sharp—completing 28 of 37 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns and adding a TD on the ground—while wide receivers Jared Richardson (141 yards, two TDs) and Bisi Owens (100 yards, TD) both eclipsed the century mark.
 
Penn grabbed a four-point lead early in the third quarter on the first of two O'Brien-to-Richardson connections before Lehigh pulled away for good.
 
Julien Stokes provided a spark on special teams with 133 return yards, including a 60-yarder that set up the go-ahead touchdown, while freshman kicker Mason Walters continued a perfect start to his rookie campaign by converting a 32-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Defensively, safety Ty Cortes led the Quakers with a career-high 10 tackles and Carter Janki added two TFLs for the second straight game.
 
Another One!
Stokes was named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week for the second straight week on Monday after another standout performance, becoming just the 11th player in program history to earn back-to-back Ivy weekly honors and the first on special teams.
 
On Saturday at Lehigh, he returned four kicks for 133 yards, highlighted by a 60-yarder that set up a go-ahead touchdown.
 
Through two games, the Newbury Park, Calif. native has six kick returns for 193 yards and four punt returns for 82 yards and a touchdown, and he currently leads the NCAA FCS in punt return average (20.5) and all-purpose yards (206.5), while ranking eighth in kickoff return average (32.2).
 
In addition, QB O'Brien, WR Richardson, and DL Janki were tabbed to the Ivy League's weekly honor roll.
 
All Ready For Richardson
Senior wideout Richardson has delivered standout performance after standout performance for the Quakers to begin the 2025 season, solidifying his reputation as one of the Ivy League's premier playmakers.
 
Through the first two games, he has recorded 244 yards on 17 catches and three touchdowns. His most impressive outing came this past weekend at nationally-ranked Lehigh—his "homecoming" game—where he amassed 141 yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions.
 
Richardson continues to climb Penn's all-time receiving list, entering Week 3 with 1,716 career yards, having just cleared Doug O'Neill '00 (1,614) for seventh all-time. Richardson begins to chase Conner Scott '14 for sixth at 1,762 and then will turn his attention to becoming just the sixth Penn receiver to reach the 2,000-yard milestone.
 
In addition, Richardson is now ranked fifth in Penn history in touchdown receptions with 18, passing both Don Clune '73 and Christian Pearson '18 at 17. He needs four TDs to pass Rob Milanese '02 for fourth with 21.
 
O'Brien's Offense
You couldn't ask for a better start to a season for Penn senior QB O'Brien, who heads into Week 3 ranked second in the Ivy League in passing yards per game at 277.0, while completing 64.7 percent (44-for-68) of his passes with four touchdowns and just two interceptions.
 
His passer rating of 146.7 ranks fourth behind Dartmouth's Saunier (147.7), Princeton's Kai Colon (155.9) and Harvard's Jaden Craig (222.5).
 
O'Brien entered this season with just four starts under his belt after taking over for the injured Aidan Sayin following Week 6 vs. Yale. He immediately jumped off the page at Cornell when he set Penn's single-game program records for passing touchdowns (6) and total TDs (7) in a 67-49 victory over the Big Red. He got himself on the map when he was named FCS National Offensive Player of the Week by Stats Perform following the effort.
 
In The National Rankings
Just like last season, there really is no better team in the nation in punt return defense than the Penn Quakers, ranked second in that category at 0.00 yards per attempt. On the other end, the Red and Blue rank third in punt return yards per attempt at 20.50, much due to the impact Stokes has had in that area.
 
Also, the Quakers rank first with six others in fourth-down conversion percentage (1.000), fifth in fewest penalties (9), sixth in fewest penalty yards (98), and seventh in first downs defense (44). Penn also has the 11th best passing offense in the country at 277.0 yards per game.
 
Individually, Stokes leads all of FCS football in all-purpose yards with 206.5, while Richardson ranks 25th (122.0). Stokes also has the nation lead in punt return TDs (1) and punt return yards per attempt (20.5) while ranking eighth in kickoff return yards per attempt (32.2). Under center, O'Brien's 277.0 passing yards per game rank third and is seventh in completions per game (22.0).
 
Not only does Janki pace the Ancient Eight in TFLs per game (2.0), but he also ranks second  in FCS behind just Furman's Joshua Stoneking (2.63).

Academic Heisman Watch
Besides a strong outing at Lehigh last weekend, O'Brien also found himself in the news for being named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, announced by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and the College Football Hall of Fame.
 
One of four co-captains for the 2025 season, O'Brien is a member of several campus and community initiatives including Penn's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), the Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy (PAWLA), and the Ivy League Football Council, the leadership group that brought the FCS Playoffs to the conference for the first time ever.
 
He has also participated in Uplifting Athletes, a non-profit organization that invests in lives of those affected by rare diseases, which sponsors Lift for Life events. He also has been involved in Penn Football's annual Bone Marrow Drive with NMDP.
 
A Finance and Business Analytics double major in Penn's prestigious Wharton School of Business, O'Brien spent the past summer as an Investment Banking Analyst at J.P. Morgan as a part of its Business Services Coverage Group. He received a full-time job offer from the company upon completion.
 
Preseason Honors
There has been no shortage of preseason honors bestowed upon the Red and Blue with multiple student-athletes receiving national laurels ahead of the 2025 campaign.
 
Senior offensive lineman Netinho Olivieri has been front and center for Penn this preseason, taking home All-America honors from Stats Perform (third team), FCS Football Central (third team), and Phil Steele (third team).
 
Senior wide receiver Richardson joined Olivieri on Phil Steele's All-America list, while also being honored by FCS Football Central along with senior offensive lineman Will Bergin.
 
Olivieri and Richardson were also tabbed to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List.
 
Those Are Some Good Works!
Not only was he recognized for his effort on the field, Bergin also got some love off for his work in the community by being nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
 
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992 by the College Football Association, recognizing the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate worked to present the award starting with the 2008 season.
 
Bergin, a team captain for the 2025 season, is a key contributor to the Penn Football chapter of Uplifting Athletes, where he helps coordinate team fundraising events either through games or lifts to raise money and awareness for children with rare diseases. He and his teammates involved helped raise over $7,000 two years in a row.
 
In addition, Bergin has been involved with Young Quakers, an organization partnered with the University of Pennsylvania's Netter Center that works with Philadelphia kids ages 6-18. He's also a member of the Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy (PAWLA) and Penn's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
 
Like other football student-athletes, Bergin has also donated his time to helping at Get in the Game Bone Marrow drives for NMDP.
 
Five Up Front
It's not every day you get five returning offensive linemen on your roster, but Penn has that exactly heading into the start of the year.
 
It's a mammoth O-Line with all five starters weighing over 300 pounds. Spearheaded by first-team All-Ivy selection Olivieri at left tackle and second-team All-Ivy honoree
Bergin at center, the duo with a combined weight of 620 pounds is joined by senior Maxwell Freeman at right guard, junior Luke Sacchetti at left guard, and junior Aaron Kruse at right tackle.
 
This formidable group did wonders in run blocking for Hosley in 2024, who racked up nearly 1,200 yards on the ground en route to being named Ivy Offensive Player of the Year. In addition, the offensive line allowed just 15 sacks all season, the ninth-fewest number in FCS football.
 
Yes, Captains
Penn has four captains leading the charge in 2025 with QB O'Brien, OL Bergin, DL Paul Jennings, and LB Lista.
 
Jennings is the latest Quaker to be a two-time captain after earning the honor in 2024 as well. The senior missed a significant chunk of time in 2024 due to injury and comes back healthy and ready to go. Jennings was impressive in 2023, recording six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks over 10 games for the Red and Blue.
 
Follow The Action
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Joe Tordy (play-by-play) and Penn Athletics Hall of Famer Joe Valerio C'91 (analyst) while 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.