Penn Football Preview: Defensive Slugfest at Brown

Penn Football will try to win consecutive games for the first time this season when they travel to face Brown (3-3, 1-2 Ivy League) at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Quakers (3-3, 1-2 Ivy League) might’ve turned a corner with their home upset of Yale last week: freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki helped engineer a late-game comeback and had one of his best games as a passer after returning from a knee injury that caused him to miss seven quarters of football.

The Bears have a pitiful passing offense but have still managed to hang in just enough games to play .500 ball, and their home turf has them as a slight +2.5 point favorite; Penn’s chances of winning sit at +126 on the money line. Here’s what to expect in this matchup on ESPN+.

Scouting Penn

Teodecki has completed 85 of 156 passes for 763 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions this season, averaging less than five yards per attempt. The Quakers’ running game hasn’t done him any favors as both Donte West (48 carries for 120 yards and a score) and Tommy Lafayette (43 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns) haven’t had anywhere to run this season, but a breakout game against Yale from Sean Williams Jr. (41 carries for 172 yards and score), who now leads Penn’s running backs in most major statistical categories, could help open up throwing lanes for Teodecki.

The promising freshman’s best asset has been his legs, helping him pick up 259 positive rushing yards. Even so, developing a young quarterback isn’t a linear process, and he’s sure to endure plenty of growing pains as he figures out the rigors of college football. Teodecki’s top target is fellow freshman Mason Page (26 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns), while Isaac Lee (23 catches for 329 yards and a score) is hot on Page’s trail.

Penn’s defense has helped keep them in games to this point in the season, averaging five tackles for loss, two sacks and five pass breakups per game while making plenty of other plays that don’t immediately show up on the stat sheet.

Scouting the Bears

Penn fans watching Teodecki’s ups and downs should count their blessings after looking at Brown starter James Murphy’s passing line: 145 of 230 for 1,562 yards, three touchdowns and a whopping nine interceptions. Murphy has solid mobility, picking up roughly 20 rushing yards per game before counting sack yardage lost, but his offensive line is giving up three sacks per game. 

That certainly isn’t doing Murphy any favors; nor is a running game led by Matt Childs’ 85 carries for 351 yards and six touchdowns, barely clearing an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Childs is also the leading receiver (38 catches for 430 yards and a score) on this moribund offense averaging 18.8 points per game. 

With more than 350 yards per game, they do a solid job between the 20s but are scoring a touchdown less than half the time (10-of-21) they enter the red zone. Brown’s defense isn’t particularly flashy, averaging just under five tackles for loss, 2.2 sacks, 1.2 interceptions and four pass breakups per game, but they’re holding opponents to an even worse 16.17 points per game.