After a loss to Dartmouth, here’s how Penn football got back into a ‘right frame of mind’
The Quakers are looking to bounce back from their Ivy League loss to the Big Green with a statement game against Georgetown this Saturday.
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After a devastating upset at the hands of conference foe Dartmouth last Saturday, it would be tough to find many silver linings for Penn.
But watching his players leave the field that day, Penn coach Ray Priore saw a group he believes has the capacity to forcefully rebound.
“When you come off of a loss, there’s two things that you walk away with,” Priore said. “Kids that [go] ‘OK, we lost the game,’ and the kids who are very upset at themselves that they let one get away. Our kids came off the field very upset that they let it get away by some missed opportunities that we had. So I think our kids are in the right frame of mind going [up against Georgetown], but we’ll know at 1 p.m. on Saturday.”
Priore meant this Saturday when the Quakers return to Franklin Field to face Georgetown ( ESPN+) — a team they defeated 59-28 last season, led by a rushing attack that marched for 206 yards and four touchdowns — a far cry from just the 11 yards they ran for against Dartmouth.
Part of the problem against the Big Green was having junior running back Jacob Cisneros, who accounted for 98 yards in the first two games, out with a foot injury. He’ll be back on Saturday to bolster Penn’s run-by-committee approach.
Though the 11 rushing yards certainly marks a big issue for Penn (2-1), it makes it tough to get much going. Priore’s response: emphasis on running backs in the passing game.
“A 5-yard little hitch pass is equal to a 5-yard run,” said Priore. “It’s a sometimes easier-blocked play … Some of our run game is in disguise [as the] pass game, based on what opponents are doing. They’re loading the box on you, forcing you to throw the ball, so we’re trying to spread the ball out.”
On the defensive side, two running backs the Quakers likely have written all over their notebooks are Georgetown (3-2) graduate student Joshua Stakely and junior Naieem Kearney, who has rushed for 100 yards three and two times, respectively, through five games.
Penn entered last Saturday’s contest as the leading rushing defense in FCS but fell mightily after giving up 133 rushing yards to Dartmouth.
The Georgetown matchup has all the markings of a trap game: a team that Penn beat by 31 last time around; that lost, 30-0, to Columbia two weeks ago; and that comes prior to six consecutive Ivy matchups, all of which they need to win to have a shot at a conference title.
But, of course, one key factor is missing.
“When you lose, I’m not sure if there’s any trap,” said Priore. “Winning, typically, then you turn around and say trap.”