Penn plagued by missed opportunities in first home loss to Columbia since 1996

For the first time since 1996, the Penn football team fell to Columbia at Franklin Field, as the Quakers’ long-standing dominance was snapped with a 23-17 loss to the Lions on Saturday.

Columbia (4-1), which snapped a 12-game losing streak at Franklin Field, improved to 2-0 in Ivy League play for the first time since 2017. Penn (2-3, 0-2) is still seeking its first league win.

Despite missed opportunities, Penn still had a shot to win the game.

After forcing a punt, Penn had the ball on its 20-yard line with 14 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Senior quarterback Aidan Sayin orchestrated a late drive deep into Columbia territory, advancing to the 45-yard line with two clutch sideline completions to junior wideout Bisi Owens. However, on the final play, as Sayin prepared to launch a Hail Mary, he was sacked before he could get the throw off.

Here are some notable takeaways from the loss.

Last season, Penn’s losses were confined to the games that mattered most — Ivy League matchups. Unfortunately for the Red and Blue, those conference woes have continued this year.

Saturday’s defeat marked their second Ivy loss, following a setback against Dartmouth two weeks ago. With an all-Ivy schedule ahead, the Quakers must be nearly flawless in the second half of the season to keep their championship hopes alive.

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“Every week [in the Ivy League] it’s somebody knocking somebody else off, so you have no idea what’s going on,” said coach Ray Priore. “We can’t control anything else other than us getting better. Our kids, who got banged up today, are coming back this week and working hard.”

Entering Saturday, Columbia was ranked first in the Ivy League in total yardage behind senior running back Joey Giorgi, who’s averaging 6.2 yards a carry.

Giorgi totaled 49 rushing yards on eight carries, including a 30-yard run, but the real story for the Lions was sophomore quarterback Chase Goodwin.

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Goodwin was efficient in the first half, completing 19-of-23 passes for 173 yards and two touchdown passes.

Halfway through the third quarter, the Lions put together an 87-yard drive ending with a 29-yard field goal. Goodwin ended his day 28-for-40 for 334 yards. He was sacked twice.

On its first drive, Penn lined up for a fourth-and-1 attempt in Columbia territory, but a false start moved the Quakers out of “go for it” range, forcing a punt.

This penalty was the first in a long line of missed opportunities.

On their next possession, as senior wideout Julien Stokes sprinted downfield on a rollout, Sayin pointed to his intended target, telegraphing the play. Columbia defensive back Aaron Brebnor seized the opportunity, capitalizing on Sayin’s signal and intercepting the pass.

Sayin finished 27-for-48 for 241 passing yards, a 10-yard rushing touchdown, and two interceptions.

“Two turnovers turned into short fields [for Columbia], and short fields turned into two touchdowns for them,” Priore said. “Up to this point in time, we’ve been playing really mistake-free football … takeaways typically come back to hurt you.”

Entering Saturday’s game, sophomore running back Malachi Hosley led the Ivy League with 535 rushing yards. However, the Lions held him to 50 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run just before halftime, on 19 carries.

“[Columbia] has done a very good job all year long with their run defense, being very stout inside,” Priore said. “We knew that going in. We knew in order to move the football, we’re going to have to really rely on the air game.”

Stokes, Penn’s leading receiver, made seven catches on a game-high 13 targets for 65 yards but is looking to forget the game.

“[We need] short-term memory,” Stokes said. “Just get back to work tomorrow and get ready to beat Yale.”

Penn takes on Yale at Franklin Field on Friday (ESPN+, 7 p.m.).