The Quakers Did Not Score on Offense in 15 – 12 Loss to the Big Red
November 6, 2021 –
The University of Pennsylvania got yardage, but only got to within twenty yards of the Cornell goal line only once in a 15 – 12 loss at Franklin Field. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Red and Blue over the Big Red. The Trustee’s Cup goes to Ithica by virtue of the first Ivy League win of the season for Cornell. Both teams are 1 – 4 in the Ancient Eight. Penn had one last chance to either tie or win, but turned the ball over on downs at the Cornell 49-yard line with a minute and a half on the clock.
The sole Penn touchdown came off a blocked punt in the third quarter. The Quakers moved the ball well between the twenties, but got only field goals when getting past the 25-yard line of the Big Red. That’s a win for the defense.
“You have to be patient and take what they give you,” said Penn Coach Ray Priore. “We never had that big, explosive play. We didn’t have a play over thirty yards.”
Twenty-two yards was the longest play for Penn on a Aidan Sayin pass to wide receiver Julian Stokes. Cornell took away the run which forced short passes, swings and screens for the Red and Blue. The Quakers did run up 325 yards of offense, 247 through the air, on 70 plays. Sayin threw 45 times completing 26, the most in the freshman’s career. Penn ran for only 78 yards.
“They doubled the front and took away the inside stuff which forced us to quick, short passes,” Priore said.
With the Quakers trailing 7 – 6 in the third quarter with 6:16 remaining, Penn punted from the Cornell 40. It resulted in the Big Red starting a drive from their own 9-yard line. They went three-and-out and punted from deep in their own territory. The punt was blocked by Penn linebacker Mozi Bici who recovered the ball in the endzone to put the Red and Blue ahead 12 – 7. It was the spark that the team appeared to need.
“We needed something to get us started,” said Priore.
But what happened was Cornell went on a 6-play, 75-yard drive over the next 3:13. The drive was capped when quarterback Jameson Wang scored from one-yard away at the 1:08 mark of the third quarter. They key play was a 40-yard reception by Thomas Glover setting the ball at the Penn 18-yard line. Wang passed to Glover for a successful two-point conversion. The three-point lead that stood up until the end. Penn got no further than the Cornell 44-yard line for the remainder of the game.
The Big Red scored the first touchdown of the game early in the second quarter for a 7 – 0 lead on a 21-yard run by Wang. The Quakers responded with field goals of 40 and 24 yards by Daniel Karrash.
Sayin ran for a team-high 32 yards. He found Owen Goldsberry and Isaiah Malcome seven times each. Goldsberry had 72 yards, Malcome 32 yards.
Running back SK Howard led the Big Red with 65 yards rushing followed by Wang with 55. Fellow quarterback Richie Kenney threw for 128 yards. His favorite target was Alex Kuzy who caught 5 for 70 yards. Kenney hit Curtis Raymond for an apparent 37-yard scoring toss, but Raymond was flagged for offensive pass interference nullifying the score.
Penn (3 – 5, 1 – 4) goes to Harvard (6 – 2, 3 – 2) next week and try to get back in the right direction in Boston.
“We’re disappointed,” said Priore. “They (Cornell) played everybody tough. We battled down to the last minute.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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