PHILADELPHIA – Receiving votes in a national poll for the first time since 2022, the University of Pennsylvania football team looks to ride a wave of momentum back into Ivy League play, taking on Columbia Saturday at Wien Stadium at the northern tip of Manhattan.
 
To begin the Ancient Eight slate 2-0, the Quakers will need to get through the defending champion Lions and get revenge for last season's defeat. Columbia comes into the weekend reeling from back-to-back losses to Lehigh and Princeton.
 
GAME 5 – PENN (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) at COLUMBIA (1-3, 0-1 Ivy)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 | 1:30 p.m.
Wien Stadium | New York, N.Y.
Watch Live on ESPN+ ($) | Listen Live (QAN) | Live Stats | Tickets
Penn Game Notes (PDF)  | Columbia Game Notes (PDF)
 

Back to Ivy Play
The road to the Ivy League title and berth into the FCS playoffs resumes on Saturday in New York City as Penn takes on Columbia.
 
The Quakers started the slate 1-0 with a statement 36-24 victory over Dartmouth on Oct. 4 on their search for their 19th Ivy title in program history.
                                      
The Lions fell in their Ivy opener to Princeton on the road, 17-10, not beginning their title defense off on the right foot. Last season, Columbia took a share of their first Ancient Eight crown since 1961 after finishing up the campaign with a 7-3 overall record and 5-2 mark in conference play.
 
The Columbia Series
Penn has historically dominated its all-time series with Columbia, leading with a mark of 77-25-1 as Saturday marks the 104th meeting between the two programs.
 
On the road at Wien Stadium, the Quakers also lead with a mark of 24-16 and won their last meeting in NYC back in 2023 by a score of 20-17.
 
Penn has emerged victorious in six of the last 10 games against Columbia, despite the Lions winning three of the last five including a 23-17 victory at Franklin Field last year.
 
Last Time Against Columbia
Penn dropped its second Ivy contest of the season after falling to Columbia, 23-17, in 2024 at Franklin Field.
 
The Lions put together a dominant first half, leading 17-7 at halftime and kept the Quakers at bay for majority of the second half.
 
Despite two interceptions and no passing touchdowns, quarterback Aidan Sayin seemingly gave Penn life with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter when he scrambled for 10 yards and flipped into the end zone for the TD, making it a three-point game, but two Columbia field goals put the game out of reach.
 
On defense, safety Julian Talley had a team-high 13 total tackles with three TFLs (losing 15 yards) and two sacks.
 
Scouting The Lions
Columbia enters Week 5 with a 1–3 overall record and 0–1 mark in Ivy League play, looking to regain momentum after back-to-back losses.
 
The Lions' lone victory came against Georgetown (19–10) on Sept. 27, when quarterback Chase Goodwin accounted for two touchdowns and the defense forced multiple takeaways. The Lions have been outscored 96–50 through four games, including a 17–10 Ivy-opening loss at Princeton. Columbia is averaging just 12.5 points per game while allowing 24.0, and have been outgained on the ground 682–376.
 
Through the air, Goodwin leads the offense with 511 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Xander Menapace has added 221 yards and a score as well. Titus Evans has been the QBs' top target, hauling in 20 receptions for 314 yards and a 74-yard TD, with Hutch Crow (9 catches, 83 yards, 2 TDs) and Braden Dougherty (8 for 100 yards) providing support. On the ground, Michael Walters (111) and Griffin Johnson (77) have combined for 188 rushing yards and two scores, though the team averages just 3.1 yards per carry.
 
Defensively, the Lions have shown flashes, led by Jack Smiechowski and Caleb Solomon, who each have 36 total tackles. Columbia has recorded 23 tackles for loss and four sacks, paced by Justin Townsend (4.0 sacks, 6.5 TFLs). Smiechowski has also picked off three passes, with Charlie Newton adding another.
 
A Solid Win to Close Non-Con
Penn capped its non-conference slate with a commanding 28–9 win over Marist on Friday night at Franklin Field.
 
After falling behind 3–0 early, the Quakers quickly took control as quarterback Liam O'Brien engineered a seven-play scoring drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown to Jared Richardson, then added a 21-yard rushing score himself in the second quarter for a 14–3 halftime lead.
 
Penn's defense stifled Marist throughout, forcing a fumble (recovered by Cole Olsztyn) and limiting the Red Foxes to just 105 yards in the first half. In the fourth quarter, O'Brien and Richardson connected again on an 11-yard strike to extend the margin before Julien Stokes put the game on ice with a TD run.
 
O'Brien finished with 335 yards and three total touchdowns, while Richardson finished one yard shy of his career high with 190 yards on 15 receptions and two TDs. He also became the fifth player in program history to record 20 career receiving touchdowns.
 
John Lista anchored the defense with six tackles and a sack, and Penn outgained Marist 463–250.
 
Non-Conference Dominance
Penn closed its non-conference slate with another victory after a 28-9 win vs. Marist at Franklin Field. The Quakers closed the schedule with a winning record for an eighth consecutive season.
 
Penn is 18-4 in non-conference action since the 2017 season, going 2-1 in both 2024 and 2025, 3-0 in both 2022 and 2023, 2-1 in 2021, 2-1 in 2019, and 3-0 in 2018. The Red and Blue went through this season's non-conference gauntlet with victories over Stonehill and Marist, while falling on the road at then-No. 9/10 Lehigh.
 
Receiving National Votes
For the first time since 2022, Penn is receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches Poll following its 28-9 victory over Marist and a 3-1 start to the year.
 
Harvard is ranked 20th in the poll with 145 voting points, five spots ahead of last week's poll. Brown is the second Ancient Eight team to receive votes with eight points with the Quakers and Dartmouth tied with seven.
 
Penn has not been nationally ranked since 2010, ending that season ranked 16th by the coaches, 18th by the media.
 
Catching Everything—Especially Awards
Well, Richardson is certainly catching the attention of more folks than just Penn media after his highlight-reel performance against Marist last week at Franklin Field.
 
The senior wideout hauled in 15 passes from O'Brien for 190 yards—one shy of his career high—and two touchdowns against the Red Foxes. It was his third 100-or-more yard game of the year and seventh of his career.
 
For the effort, Richardson was tabbed FCS National Offensive Player of the Week by Stats Perform and Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.
 
This is the third consecutive season Penn has had an FCS National Player of the Week, joining Malachi Hosley (Rookie) in 2023 and O'Brien (offensive) in 2024.
 
In addition, Penn has won an Ivy League weekly honor in four straight weeks to begin a season for the first time since the Quakers earned eight weekly awards in five consecutive weeks to begin the 1993 campaign. That year, Penn went 10-0 and ran the table to win the Ivy League title.
 
J-Rich in the Record Books
Richardson's elite-level performance vs. Marist on Friday put himself into some interesting conversations regarding program records heading into the season's final six games.
 
With two touchdowns against the Red Foxes, Richardson became Penn's fifth member of the 20-touchdown club.
 
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)
 
Richardson is also heading towards 2,000 receiving yards for his career and is currently at 1,943, just 58 away from the milestone.
 
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)
 
All Juice, No Brakes
Despite Marist kicking away from Julien Stokes on Friday night, he is still a force to be reckoned with. The fifth-year senior is putting together one of the most impressive seasons on special teams in recent memory and is making history in the process.
 
Stokes had 141 total return yards in the victory over Dartmouth and had 100+ return yards in three consecutive games to begin the year.
 
He heads into middle of the season ranked second in the nation (FCS or FBS) in all-purpose yards per game at 168.0 by a very healthy margin and has 11 kick returns for 297 yards and five punt returns for 147 yards and a TD. At 1,143 career kick return yards, Stokes is now just six yards from passing Mark Fabish '96 (1,148) for second all-time and 94 from the record, currently held by Chris Wynn '09 (1,236).
 
O'Brien's Offense
After a 335-yard, two-touchdown performance in Friday's win over Marist, O'Brien heads back into Ivy play as the conference's leading passer. He leads the Ancient Eight in passing yards (1,036) and passing yards per game (259.0), also first in points responsible for (72), while ranking third in passing yards per completion (12.05)
 
His passer rating of 149.9 ranks second behind only Harvard's Jaden Craig (175.8).
 
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
If you're looking for punt return defense or punt returns in general, look no further than the Penn Quakers, who lead the nation in both categories at -5.5 yards per game and 29.4 yards per attempt, respectively.
 
Penn also ranks seventh in first downs defense (82), 10th in fourth down conversion percentage defense (33.3), 11th in fewest penalties (27), 12th in turnovers lost (5), 12th in third down conversion percentage (48.0), 16th in passing offense (262.5), 19th in fumbles lost (2), 20th in passing yards allowed (175.8), 23rd in completion percentage (66.2), and 23rd in passes intercepted (3).
 
As you already know individually, Stokes leads the nation in punt returns (29.4 ypa), punt return TDs (1), and is second for all-purpose yards per game (168.0). He's also fifth for combined kick return yards (444).
 
O'Brien is among the FCS's best signal callers, ranked sixth in completions per game (21.5) and 20th in completion percentage (66.7). He also ranks sixth in total offense (299.3), seventh in points responsible for per game (18.0), seventh in passing yards per game (259.0), and 28th in passing efficiency (149.9).
 
Richardson now ranks first nationally in receiving yards per game (117.8) and receptions per game (8.75). Bisi Owens ranks 10th in that category at 6.25.
 
On defense, Lista ranks fifth in the nation in solo tackles per game at 6.33. He's also 10th in total tackles at 10.7.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Follow The Action
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Lance Medow (play-by-play) and Shawn FitzGerald (analyst) on the call. Matt Leon (play-by-play) and Hench Murray (analyst) will provide the call for 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.