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Here’s why a win over Columbia on Saturday should lift Penn into the FCS top 25

The Quakers are 4-0 heading into a six-game Ivy League slate. First up, the Lions on Saturday.

At 4-0 Penn football is soaring to heights it hasn't reached since 2011. A win over Columbia should put the polls pundits on notice.
At 4-0 Penn football is soaring to heights it hasn't reached since 2011. A win over Columbia should put the polls pundits on notice.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    by Melanie Heller
    Published 

For the second straight week, Penn received votes in the Football Championship Subdivision rankings, this time recognized by both the Stats Perform and coaches’ polls. A convincing win over Columbia on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+) might be enough for the Quakers to crack the top 25 for the first time since the 2011 preseason.

It also marks the first home Ivy League game for the Quakers as well as the halfway point of the season.

Keys to victory

Columbia (3-1) appears to be a formidable opponent, but its wins have come against struggling nonconference programs. In their only Ivy showing, the Lions were dominated in every way in a 24-6 loss to Princeton. Putting strain on the Lions for the whole 60 minutes is just the first step to Penn improving to 5-0.

Senior running back Trey Flowers had a breakout performance at Georgetown last week with 149 yards and two touchdowns — both career highs. However, Columbia has been impressive in stopping the run, allowing just 27.5 rushing yards per game, the best in the FCS by far. But with the Lions allowing 278 passing yards per game, quarterback Aidan Sayin should have a field day.

» READ MORE: As Penn quarterback Aidan Sayin continues to improve, so do the undefeated Quakers

Keep an eye on

Wide receiver Malone Howley. The Quakers senior has come into his own over the last couple of weeks. He’s coming off a game against Georgetown in which he tallied 90 receiving yards and a TD, and is expected to be one of Sayin’s main targets this weekend.

These two have a history

Penn has a 59-19 record all-time against Columbia. Even though the teams first met on the field in 1938, it took until 1960 for the Lions to pick up their first win over the Quakers. However, the Lions have made a comeback in recent years. Columbia won three of the last four contests, including a 34-31 overtime thriller in 2017.

Columbia has a 32-32 record since longtime Penn coach Al Bagnoli took the reins of the program ahead of the 2015 season. The last time Columbia had a winning season before the Bagnoli era was in 1996.

Looking down the line

After Columbia, Penn will remain at Franklin Field for its homecoming game against Yale (3-1) next Saturday (1 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia). The Bulldogs already beat Cornell and Dartmouth this season and should pose a serious threat to the Quakers.