As Penn quarterback Aidan Sayin continues to improve, so do the undefeated Quakers

Aidan Sayin’s college football career took a complete 180-degree turn halfway through his freshman year.

In fact, the exact date was Oct. 23, in a Penn loss to Yale, as Sayin made an unexpected appearance, replacing injured senior quarterback John Quinnelly. By the end of it, Sayin had thrown for 114 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first freshman quarterback to throw a pass for the Quakers since 2013.

Sayin finished the rest of the season as Penn’s starting quarterback.

And although Penn finished the year with a losing record, Sayin showed rapid signs of improvement, eclipsing the 200-yard passing mark in the final three games of the season and attempting nearly 40 passes a game.

“Every day, every game that he plays he continues to get better,” Penn coach Ray Priore said.

“Last year I think we were a very young team,” said Sayin, a native of Carlsbad, Calif. “We’ve returned a lot of people, especially on offense, and I think we’ve grown with that experience in being able to put it together.”

Opening his sophomore season against Colgate, Sayin set a career high with 289 passing yards, threw for two touchdowns with two interceptions, and posted a 70.5% completion percentage. Through four starts in his sophomore season, Sayin has exhibited the same steady improvement. Only this time, and perhaps most important, Penn is undefeated at 4-0, which hasn’t happened since 2003 and is the first 4-0 start of Priore’s tenure.

“The quarterback steers everything, he’s the commander out there,” Priore said. “My best years at Penn, in my 35 years, are when you have a quarterback with all those intangibles — not only talent but understands the game and can lead. That’s when you have the most successful team.”

Most significantly this season, Penn defeated reigning Ivy League champion Dartmouth, 23-17, in double overtime. With two minutes left in regulation, Sayin led a drive that culminated in kicker Graham Gotlieb’s 35-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

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“It shows a lot of trust,” Priore said. “There was absolutely zero panic at all by anybody. Our kids played with confidence until the final whistle.”

The Quakers’ success, which hinges on field position and ball control, wouldn’t be possible without major contributions from all three units on the team.

“Ben Krimm has done a tremendous job with his punting,” Priore said. “But when he does not have a good punt, we can rely on our defense to put the fire out; they’re like firemen.”

Penn’s defense isn’t just sufficient; the Quakers are suffocating. Through four games, the defense ranks second in the Football Championship Subdivision in total defense and fourth in scoring defense.

“If you look at the numbers, they’re one of the best defenses in all of FCS football,” Sayin said. “That alone speaks to how great they’ve been. I think they’ve only allowed one touchdown this season, so it’s great to be able to bank on them to get the ball back.”

Despite the team’s success, everyone acknowledges the constant need to improve. “The defense is playing great, the offense is doing what we need to do,” Sayin said. “We still have a lot to improve on, which I think is what we’re most excited about. We are nowhere near where we can be.”

Sayin and Penn will seek to remain unbeaten as the team heads into six straight Ivy League games beginning with visiting Columbia this Saturday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+).

“We might be scoring a lot of points on offense, but we’re controlling the football. The defense is bending but not breaking,” Priore said. “Winning and losing is very fragile — you win by the margin and you lose by the margin. We know we’ve left a lot on the field. I think that’s really the focus this week, how much better we can be as a football team.”

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