Penn football cruises to 34-14 win over Ivy foe Columbia to remain undefeated this season

The last time Penn was 5-0 was in 2003.

Al Bagnoli was the head coach and he went on to lead the Quakers to an undefeated season and they outright won the Ivy League title. On Saturday, Bagnoli was on the Columbia sideline watching current Penn head coach Ray Priore conduct a commanding 34-14 victory over his Lions to remain undefeated.

Here’s a look at how Penn did it –– while simultaneously placing itself squarely into FCS Top 25 conversation.

The first quarter was relatively quiet, featuring just a 34-yard field goal by Penn kicker Graham Gotlieb, until senior defensive lineman Micah Morris snatched the ball from Lions quarterback Joe Green and ran into the end zone to put the Quakers (5-0, 2-0 Ivy) up, 10-0, early on.

Two plays later, senior defensive back Kendren Smith forcefully stripped running back Ryan Young and recovered his own forced fumble. With a short field, quarterback Aidan Sayin cashed in his first touchdown pass of the day with a quick slant to sophomore wideout Julien Stokes. Sayin had a monster day, going 29-of-45 for 299 yards and three touchdowns.

Penn led, 34-7, heading into the fourth quarter. Lions backup quarterback Caden Bell entered late in the second half and had an impressive showing, piling up 196 yards and two touchdowns.

All three position units stood out, in what was arguably the most balanced performance of the season for the Quakers.

Junior wide receiver Joshua Casili was the primary beneficiary of Sayin’s throws, finishing the afternoon with 11 receptions for 159 yards and one score.

Despite the fact that starting running back Trey Flowers was out because of an injury, Penn still managed to pile up 100 rushing yards against a Columbia defense that entered the game as the No. 1 rushing defense in the FCS, allowing just 27.5 yards per game.

Smith made his name known, totaling three turnovers (two forced fumbles and an interception) alongside five solo tackles.

Next Saturday, Penn celebrates its homecoming, as the team will host Yale (1 p.m., ESPN+, NBC Sports Philadelphia). The Bulldogs (5-1, 2-0) present another tough test that could shift the top of the Ivy League standings.