Penn football is on a roll and pundits are noticing. Here’s how they keep it going against Georgetown

The 3-0 Quakers head to Georgetown in their final non-conference game of the season

Riding a 3-0 start to the season, its first since 2003, Penn heads to our nation's capital this week in a non-conference test against Georgetown.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

by Melanie Heller

Published Oct. 7, 2022, 1:58 p.m. ET

Penn football is enjoying its best start since 2003.

That year, the Quakers went undefeated, and won the Ivy League. This year, the team’s 3-0 start arrives with votes in the American Football Coaches Association Poll for Week 5 after last weekend’s 23-17 upset of Dartmouth on the road, a monster statement against the defending Ivy League champions.

It was the first time they received votes since Week 1 in 2011.

Penn’s next test is also its last nonconference game of the season in Georgetown (1-4). The Hoyas are riding a four-game losing streak, including the last three by over 20 points apiece.

Keys to victory

While Georgetown seems like an easy opponent on paper, the Hoyas actually trump the Quakers in several key stats including points per game (22-20), yards per game (373-327), and first downs per game (23.2-19.7).

Penn will have to keep an eye on fifth-year Hoyas wide receiver Joshua Tomas. One of the best receivers in FCS, he boasts 94 yards per game and 8.2 receptions per game. Tomas is a major reason why quarterback Pierce Holley has 1,282 passing yards this season.

Keep an eye on

The Penn defense. Senior linebacker Jake Heimlicher was just named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row — the first Quakers player to have done so. He currently leads the Ivy League in both tackles for loss (7) and solo tackles (17), ranking him No. 4 and No. 14 in the FCS, respectively.

The Quakers defense as a whole is one of the best in FCS play as well. They are No. 2 in total yards allowed, with just 235 per game (156 passing, 79 rushing). Because they allow so few yards, opposing teams just can’t seem to score. Penn’s scoring defense is No. 4 in the country with just 10.3 points allowed per game.

These two have a history

The Quakers are undefeated against the Hoyas heading into just their third-ever meeting. In the last game, which was in 2008, a visiting Penn held off Georgetown, 27-7.

He said it:

“They scored 38 on Fordham last weekend … they have some explosiveness there. We gotta make sure we play our game and let them earn it.” –– Penn head coach Ray Priore

Looking down the line

The Quakers return home in the start of back-to-back games at Franklin Field against Columbia on Oct. 15 (1 p.m., ESPN+). In a nonconference matchup just two weeks prior, Columbia routed Georgetown, 42-6.