Penn Football Mounts Fourth Quarter Comeback, Drops Yale 24-21

Penn Football mounted a 10-point fourth quarter comeback on Friday, Oct. 23, defeating the Yale Bulldogs 24-21 behind a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Sean Williams Jr. with eight minutes to play.

Williams amassed 82 yards on 14 carries on the day, one of the best performances of any Quakers’ running back this season. Freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki returned to the lineup after missing much of the last two games with a knee injury and completed 16 of 33 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns; the vast majority of his production came in the first quarter, when he completed seven of 10 passes for 84 yards and two scores, giving Penn a 14-7 lead.

The Quakers’ (3-3, 1-2 Ivy League) offense stagnated in the middle stages, but Yale miscues helped them tread water throughout. The Bulldogs went for it on fourth-and-10 from their own 12-yard line in the first quarter, turning the ball over on downs and setting up a three-yard touchdown pass from Teodecki to tight end Dante Barone that gave Penn the lead. A 22-yard punt return in the second quarter set up a short field touchdown for the Bulldogs, who took the lead late in the frame with a catch-and-run touchdown.

Penn’s defense pitched a second half shutout, intercepting Yale quarterback Dante Reno four times — including once in the end zone. Another Reno pick set up a field goal drive early in the fourth quarter; after Williams gave the Quakers the lead, Reno threw his fourth and final interception to help Penn burn out the clock.

Up next, Penn will travel to face Brown at noon on Saturday, Oct. 31.