PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team wrapped up non-conference play in a big way on Friday night under the lights at Franklin Field, battling past Marist, 28-9, behind offensive dominance and a stout defensive effort.
The Quakers shift to 3-1 for the season, while the Red Foxes slide back to .500 at 3-3.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn claims the first-ever meeting over Marist and improves to 4-1 all-time against opponents from the Pioneer Football League.
*The Quakers are 3-1 through the first four games for the second time in three years. Penn started the 2023 campaign with a 5-1 overall record before dropping three of the final four games on the year.
*Penn finishes the non-conference slate with a 2-1 record, improving to 18-4 in such contests since the 2017 season.
*The Quakers snap a six-game skid in night games at Franklin Field, winning its first since Nov. 11, 2016 vs. Harvard. That game, the Quakers scored twice in the final 15 seconds to knock off the nationally-ranked Crimson. The following week, Penn clinched a share of its 18th Ivy title.
*The Red and Blue's record in night games all-time improves to 31-22 overall and 21-14 at home.
*You couldn't have asked for a better performance from quarterback
Liam O'Brien, who completed 26 of his 40 pass attempts for 335 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. His yardage was six yards short of his career high (341 at Cornell in 2024) and it's his second 300+ yard game of the year.
*It was another unbelievable night for senior wide receiver
Jared Richardson, who continues to move up the record book in career receiving. He finished with 15 catches for 190 yards—one yard shy of his career high—and two TDs.
*Now with 1,943 career yards, Richardson passed Conner Scott '14 (1,762) for sixth in program history and is just 58 yards from becoming just the sixth player in program history to eclipse 2,000 yards for a career.
MOST RECEIVING YARDS IN A CAREER
Penn Program History
1. Justin Watson, 3,777 (2014-17)
2. Rob Milanese, 3,405 (1999-02)
3. Dan Castles, 2,444 (2001-04)
4. Don Clune, 2,419 (1971-73)
5. Miles Macik, 2,365 (1993-95)
6. Jared Richardson, 1,943 (2022-pres.)
7. Conner Scott, 1,762 (2010-14)
*It's just the 23rd 150-or-more receiving yard game in program history and Richardson's second. He joins just Don Clune '74 and Justin Watson '18 to have at least two games of 190 yards or more in a career.
MOST RECEIVING YARDS, SINGLE GAME
Penn Program History
1. Don Clune, 284 (10/30/1971)
2. Karl Hall, 252 (9/19/1981)
3. Paul Scull, 229 (11/29/1928)
4. Justin Watson, 210 (10/29/2016)
5. Ryan Cragun, 208 (10/26/2019)
6. Dan Castles, 204 (11/22/2003)
7. Don Clune, 200 (10/7/1972)
8. Justin Watson, 192 (11/18/2017)
9. Jared Richardson, 191 (10/21/2023)
10. Jared Richardson, 190 (10/10/2025)
*Richardson also caught his 19th and 20th career touchdown receptions, becoming just the fifth player in program history to reach the milestone. He's two away from passing Rob Milanese '02 for fourth as a Penn Quaker.
MOST RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS IN A CAREER
Penn Program History
1. Justin Watson, 33 (2014-17)
2. Dan Castles, 27 (2001-04)
3. Miles Macik, 26 (1993-95)
4. Rob Milanese, 21 (1999-02)
5. Jared Richardson, 20 (2022-pres.)
t6. Christian Pearson, 17 (2015-18)
t6. Don Clune, 17 (1971-73)
*Penn running backs netted 128 total yards and two scores, led by
Julien Stokes' 59-yard performance on 13 carries with a TD. O'Brien added 25 yards and a TD on the ground while
Sean Williams, Jr. rushed five times for 25 yards.
Donte West added a 19-yard carry.
*Defensively, linebackers
John Lista and
Ryan O'Connell registered both of Penn's sacks, while Lista led the way with six total tackles (on three solos).
*
Carter Janki had the Quakers' lone pass breakup, while tallying a hurry alongside
Cole Olsztyn,
Hunter Lay, and
Jake Davis.
*Penn out-gained Marist, 463-250, while putting forth 335 yards through the air. The Quakers had 22 first downs to the Red Foxes' 15.
*The Red and Blue were an efficient 9-of-14 on third down conversions, while going 2-for-4 in the red zone. Penn won the possession battle, holding the ball for 30:13.
How It Happened
The Quakers elected to defer the opening kickoff, trusting their defense to set the tone early. Marist pieced together a 51-yard drive over 11 plays, but an offensive pass interference penalty on Reed Shumpert pushed the Red Foxes back and forced them to settle for a 43-yard field goal and a 3–0 lead.
Penn didn't trail for long. On their first possession, the Quakers marched downfield on an eight-play drive—seven of them commanded by quarterback O'Brien—capped by a 21-yard touchdown strike to Richardson.
The defense kept momentum on Penn's side, forcing a three-and-out on Marist's next drive. Senior linebacker
John Lista punctuated the series with a seven-yard sack on third down, setting up another Quaker possession.
Stokes powered the offense on the ensuing drive, carrying the ball five times as Penn chewed up the remainder of the first-quarter clock and rolled into the second. Facing a 4th-and-1 at the Marist 23, the Quakers went for it, but Stokes was stopped just shy of the marker for a turnover on downs.
Marist pushed back into Penn territory, but the Quaker defense responded again. A botched snap by the Red Foxes was recovered by Penn, setting up the offense for another scoring opportunity. Six plays later, O'Brien connected with senior
Davis Ellis for a 23-yard gain, then called his own number on a 3rd-and-2 from the 21, keeping it around the right edge for a rushing touchdown and a 14–3 Penn lead with 5:49 left in the half.
Both defenses held firm over the final minutes of the second quarter, though O'Brien managed to connect with Richardson for a 43-yard highlight-reel catch.
Penn's offense totaled 266 yards in the first half—214 of them through the air—while Marist controlled the clock for over 17 minutes but was limited to just 105 total yards. The Quaker defense added three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
Opening the second half, Penn controlled nearly half the third quarter on a methodical 15-play drive. However, a pair of holding penalties, including one that negated a 37-yard Stokes touchdown run, stalled the possession just outside the red zone. Kicker
Mason Walters' 47-yard field goal attempt had the distance but drifted just right. The score held steady through a penalty-filled third quarter, with five accepted flags totaling 53 yards stalling momentum on both sides.
Marist carried its drive into the start of the fourth, but the Quaker defense came up big once again. Facing a 4th-and-4 from their own 46, the Red Foxes' pass attempt fell incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Penn capitalized quickly as O'Brien and Richardson picked up right where they left off—opening the drive with a nine-yard completion and later connecting for 14 more. The duo then sealed the possession with an 11-yard slant across the middle, Richardson's second touchdown of the evening, to extend the Quakers' lead to 21–3 with 11:45 remaining.
Marist finally broke through midway through the quarter, using a four-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 29-yard reverse pass from wide receiver Jeremy DeCaro to Santino Correa for the touchdown. The Red Foxes' two-point attempt failed, keeping Penn ahead 21–9.
Late in the fourth, the Quaker defense buried Marist deep in its own territory, forcing a punt from the 10-yard line. The short 15-yard kick set Penn up with prime field position to put the game away. Stokes handled the load, chewing up the clock before breaking free up the middle on his third carry for the touchdown and sealed the 28–9 victory.
Up Next
It's all Ivy League play the rest of the way for the Quakers, starting next Saturday when they are in the Big Apple to face Columbia in the first of two straight road games. Kickoff with the Lions is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Wien Stadium.
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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