What to watch for as Penn looks for its first Ivy victory against Brown

After a three-game homestand, Penn football is going back on the road on Saturday to face Brown in search of its first conference win.

Penn (2-4, 0-3 Ivy League) is coming off its worst loss of the season, 31-10 to Yale on Oct. 25. Quakers senior quarterback Aidan Sayin suffered an elbow injury and is questionable going into the Brown game.

If Sayin is unable to go, junior quarterback Liam O’Brien will make his first career start after filling in last week following the injury. O’Brien passed for 91 yards and threw an interception. He added 61 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown.

“Liam’s looking good [in practice]. Aidan’s also been looking good. He’s recovering well,” said junior linebacker Kadari Machen. “I don’t know for sure who’s going to be playing on Saturday.”

Brown (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) snapped a three-game losing streak last week in a comeback victory over Cornell after it trailed, 21-3, late in the third quarter. The Bears scored 20 straight points for their second conference victory.

Here’s what to know about the noon game in Providence, R.I. (ESPN+):

Penn is the only Ivy team without a conference win.

“I still feel like we haven’t played to our full potential, and that’s what we’re all striving for,” Machen said.

Machen is on pace to have his best season. The strong-side linebacker is third in the conference with 48 tackles. He and the Penn defense will face a Brown offense that ranks first in the conference and 20th in the FCS in total yards.

The Quakers will have more of a running threat at quarterback in O’Brien if Sayin is out.

“Everyone’s strengths are a little bit different,” coach Ray Priore said after Friday’s loss to Yale. “Aidan’s ability to throw the football, spread the ball out, is one of his assets … Liam is very, very athletic with the ball in his hand. He gives us other opportunities to work on.”

Penn also will look to get star running back Malachi Hosley on track. The sophomore has been quiet the past two weeks; he rushed for 50 yards against Columbia and 48 against Yale. In Penn’s first four outings, Hosley averaged nearly 134 yards rushing.

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The Quakers are 49-23-1 in the rivalry with Brown. Last season, the Bears came out on top, 30-26. Penn wide receiver Jared Richardson caught 12 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

With a 2-1 start to Ivy play, the Bears look to contend for their first conference title since 2008.

Brown is powered by fifth-year quarterback Jake Willcox. He leads the Ivy League with 1,604 yards passing and threw for a season-high 316 last week against Cornell. Four of his seven touchdown passes have come on passes longer than 45 yards.

“One thing that stands out to me [about Brown’s offense] is they’re very high-paced,” Machen said. “That’s smart from an offensive standpoint to keep the defense guessing and not being able to get set. A goal for us is perfect communication and staying relaxed when they try to speed us up.”

A player to watch on Brown’s defense is senior defensive back Isaiah Reed, an FCS Football Central second-team preseason All-American. Although seeing limited action this season because of injury, Reed looks to be a major factor in slowing down Penn’s wideouts.