Penn Football Preview: Quarterback Shakeup Against Cornell?

Penn Football (3-4, 1-3 Ivy League) will travel to face Cornell (3-4, 1-3 Ivy League) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 in a game that pits the basement of the Ivy League against one another. The Big Red are a plucky bunch that knocked off teams like Yale and Lehigh and can score in bunches; Penn has a much weaker offense balanced with one of the best defenses in the conference.

The Quakers enter as heavy underdogs with +200 odds of winning at FOX; the point spread sits at +6.5 in Cornell’s favor, and an over/under of 43.5 indicates a lower scoring game than usual. Here’s what to expect in this matchup on ESPN+.

Scouting Penn

Saturday’s game has intrigue at quarterback, as Rick Santos went to backup Karson Siqueiros-Lasky to jolt the Quakers’ offense late in their loss to Brown. He’s a more prolific passer than freshman Miles Teodecki, completing 60 of 96 passes for 793 yards and six touchdowns, but also struggles with turnovers (six interceptions) and is less of a threat to run.

Teodecki (92-of-177 for 812 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions) is still settling in to the level of play at Division I football; he’s a solid rusher with 225 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but Santos’ decision at quarterback will come down to high risk and high reward against low risk and low reward.

Penn’s ground game doesn’t do much to augment their passing: running back Sean Williams Jr. (52 carries for 196 yards and a score) broke out against Yale but wasn’t able to build on that performance against Brown, while Donte West (48 carries for 120 yards and a score) and Tommy Lafayette (43 carries for 141 yards and a score) have also struggled.

Who starts at quarterback could have a major impact on the Quakers’ receivers: Ronan Johannson (21 catches for 275 yards) has built up excellent chemistry with Siqueiros-Lasky, while Isaac Lee (32 catches for 405 yards and two scores) and freshman Mason Page (29 catches for 386 yards and three touchdowns) have enjoyed similar production regardless of who’s under center.

With 38 tackles for loss to just 14 sacks, Penn’s front seven is much better against the run than the pass. Their secondary makes up for that discrepancy, however, recording nine interceptions and 34 pass breakups so far this season.

Scouting Big Red

Cornell’s offense runs through mobile quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, a 6-foot-5 senior who’s completed 145 of 234 passes for seven touchdowns, eight interceptions and 1,614 yards. Despite the turnovers, he’s an excellent threat to run, gaining 335 yards with nine touchdowns while taking just six sacks.

Lead running back Jordan Triplett (85 carries for 393 yards and five touchdowns) is solid if unspectacular, and Bass-Sulpizio likes to spread the ball around to targets like Brendan Lee (23 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns), Samuel Musungu (28 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns) and Ja’von Broussard (15 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns).

The Big Red boast a strong run defense, holding opponents to an average of 3.5 yards per carry, but they’re allowing nearly 30 points per game. With 25 pass breakups, 18 sacks and eight interceptions, they make a solid amount of splash plays against the pass and are good on third downs despite the points they give up.