Penn’s quarterback situation remains up in the air following injury to starter Miles Teodecki
Freshman Miles Teodecki has been the starter, but he left last week's game with a knee injury. Karson Siqueiros-Lasky was effective in his place, and says he's ready to start.
Penn football is prepping two quarterbacks for this week’s home game vs. Columbia.
Quakers freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter last Saturday that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Backup Karson Siqueiros-Lasky then led them to a 24-20 upset over Howard.
Teodecki was seen taking snaps at practice Tuesday, but coach Rick Santos declined to commit to a starter for Friday’s game at Franklin Field (7:30 p.m., ESPN+). Teodecki will continue to test his knee in the coming days.
“It was very frustrating,” Teodecki told The Inquirer. “Obviously, as an athlete and a competitor, whenever you have to watch on the sideline, it’s always an annoying moment, especially knowing that something happened outside of your control that you can’t control.”
After a strong showing in his first start against Bucknell, Teodecki has experienced growing pains. In three games and a quarter, he has completed 56% of his passes for 607 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Teodecki also has rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown.
If Teodecki cannot go, Siqueiros-Lasky will get the start. During the offseason, the junior signal caller appeared to be getting his shot after backing up Liam O’Brien last year. Santos previously referred to Siqueiros-Lasky as “the clear-cut No. 1” at Ivy League media day.
Just days before Penn (2-2, 0-1 Ivy) kicked off its season against Bucknell on Sept. 19, Santos reversed his decision. Instead, Teodecki — the highest-rated Penn recruit since 2000 — was going to get the starting nod. At the time, Santos called it “one of the hardest decisions I’ve had as a coach.” Now, Santos is commending Siqueiros-Lasky’s character after the junior was jolted into Saturday’s game.
“There was a reason why his teammates voted him captain,” Santos said. “It’s easy to be a leader when things are going your way. It’s extremely difficult when things happen that are unforeseen. And obviously, in his mind, he was a starter going into it. We made a really tough decision, and one that we could have went either way. … So for him to stay focused, to continue to prepare — he never made it about himself. He really, honestly, amplified himself as a leader through some of those moments, and I’m really proud of him.”
Added Siqueiros-Lasky: “Facing adversity and being able to stay up on yourself, stay motivated is a really important characteristic, not only in football but just in life in general.”
After throwing an interception early, Siqueiros-Lasky completed 19 of 29 for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown on a Philly Special-esque trick play, marking his first touchdown reception since playing flag football as a kid.
“It was crazy,” Siqueiros-Lasky said. “When he called that play, I was like, ‘Oh wow, we’re running this. … OK, let’s go.’ I wasn’t really nervous; I was excited. I saw the defense start to flow, and I was like, ‘All right, it’s gonna work.’ Then, I saw the ball. I just had to go make a play.”
Game at hand
Siqueiros-Lasky said he will be prepared if he is asked to make more plays against Columbia (3-1, 0-1 Ivy). Last season, Columbia went 1-6 against conference opponents to finish in the Ivy’s basement. Things look to be trending upward this season for the Lions, who are coming off a 41-28 win over Marist.
One player to watch is Columbia senior running back Griffin Johnson. Last season, Johnson split carries with then-freshman Michael Walters. This season, Johnson is averaging 101.5 rushing yards and has two rushing touchdowns. Statistically, the Quakers have the best rushing defense in the Ivy League, allowing 113.5 yards per game.
Columbia senior quarterback Chase Goodwin also is off to a hot start. He is averaging 313 passing yards and with eight touchdowns.
Columbia is allowing a conference-worst 28.5 points per game. Santos hopes his offense can build off the success it had late against Howard.
“We have shot ourselves in the foot offensively,” Santos said. “I think that’s been the most frustrating thing as a team overall, especially being an offensive-minded coach. I felt like it wasn’t necessarily some of the things the other teams were doing. We had some plays that we left out there and didn’t make.
“Halfway through the third [against Howard], we did make some mistakes, but then really, for a quarter and a half, we played nearly perfect football. It gives us a ton of momentum, a ton of confidence.”
