PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania football team suffered a disastrous third quarter on Saturday, and once Cornell grabbed the momentum at Franklin Field the Big Red never let it go in walking away with a 39-17 victory.
 
Both teams are 3-2 in Ivy League play after Saturday's result. Penn fell to 5-3 overall while Cornell—which went three-and-out on its first drive but scored on every other drive until taking a knee at the end of the game—won for the fourth straight week and is back at .500 (4-4).
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The Big Red will bring the Trustees' Cup back to Ithaca for the first time in four years, last claiming it at Franklin Field back in 2021.
 
*Donte West led the running game with 15 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, his third over the last two games.
 
*West's 75-yard run is the Quakers' longest since Malachi Hosley's 96-yard TD against Cornell in the same endzone back in 2023.
 
*Thanks to West's 125-yard performance and a 63-yard effort for Liam O'Brien, Penn nearly eclipsed the 200-yard mark for the day, settling for 192 yards on 34 carries.
 
*O'Brien was 15-for-22 through the air for 112 yards, targeting seven different receivers, all of whom had at least one catch.
 
*Jared Richardson led the way with five receptions for 42 yards, while Bisi Owens had four grabs for 22 yards. Ronan Johannson caught two passes for 19 yards.
 
*John Lista led the Penn defense with 10 total tackles, including a team-leading nine solo stops. Kadari Machen and Ty Cortes each added seven, with five each for Josh Narcisse and Andrew Bruce.
 
*Rookie kicker Mason Walters knocked back a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter and finished 2-for-2 on extra-point tries.
 
How It Happened
Both teams were unsuccessful on their first drives, but Penn gave Cornell a short field by attempting a fourth-and-3 play just inside Big Red territory that went incomplete. That gave their guests the ball on the Cornell 40 and the Big Red immediately got down the field, covering 41 yards in three plays to get a first down on Penn's 19-yard line. The drive stalled at that point, but Cornell opened the scoring when Caden Lesiewicz knuckleballed his 32-yard field goal through the uprights.
 
Penn's offense responded, taking nearly nine minutes off the clock with a 16-play drive. Liam O'Brien was the one who finally got the ball over the goal line, gaining the final four yards on the first play of the second quarter to put the Red and Blue in front, 7-3.
 
Cornell utilized the big play on its next drive, Garrett Bass-Sulpizio finding TJ Hamilton for 47 yards that left the Big Red on Penn's 13-yard line. Once again the Quakers defense stiffened, leaving Lesiewicz to convert a 23-yard field goal that left Penn with a 7-6 lead.
 
Penn restored its four-point lead with another sustained drive, the Quakers moving the ball to the edge of the red zone before a few self-inflicted wounds pushed the Red and Blue back. Mason Walters was undeterred, however, the freshman kicking a 47-yard field goal that made the score 10-6.
 
Cornell was left with 2:43 before halftime and took advantage. The Big Red marched down the field and took their second lead of the day with 11 seconds left when Bass-Sulpizio rolled out to his right and hit Brendan Lee for a two-yard score. Cornell took a 13-10 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
Penn started the second half with the ball, but on the very first play O'Brien was sacked by James Reinbold who also forced a fumble that was recovered by Cornell's Joey Cheshire. Three plays later, the Big Red was in the end zone as Jordan Triplett ran it in from three yards out. The extra point was blocked, but Cornell's lead was 19-10 and the Franklin Field crowd was stunned by the turn of events.
 
Penn's next drive didn't help matters; the Quakers muffed the kickoff and had to settle for starting on their 13-yard line. They then had third-and-1 but were stuffed on third down and elected to punt since they were still deep in their own territory. The momentum was all Cornell at that point and the Big Red kept it, needing just seven plays to cover 63 yards for yet another touchdown. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful but the Big Red's lead was extended to 25-10.
 
Forced to play catch-up, the offense couldn't respond and punted after another three-and-out. Nine plays later, Cornell was back in the end zone as Carothers went up the middle to make it 32-10 after the kick.
 
Penn needed points quickly—and the Quakers got them. On the first play of the Red and Blue's next drive, Donte West found a seam through the right side and was gone, outrunning the Cornell defense for a 75-yard rushing touchdown. Literally 13 seconds after going down by 22, Penn was back within two scores.
 
The clock was in Cornell's favor, though, and the Big Red kept their offense rolling with a 15-play drive that milked more than eight minutes off the clock. Bass-Sulpizio ended it with a QB option up the middle, and the deficit was back at 22 with just ten minutes left.
 
Penn was in desperation mode, and that left the Quakers looking at a fourth-and-6 at Cornell's 31-yard line with just over six minutes to play. O'Brien looked for Jared Richardson but the pass went incomplete, giving the ball back to Cornell. The Big Red were able to get the first downs necessary to run out the clock.
 
Up Next
Penn is on the road one final time next Saturday, traveling to Cambridge to take on Ivy League leader and undefeated Harvard. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Harvard Stadium.
 
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