Penn Football Preview: Questions at Quarterback Against Columbia

The University of Pennsylvania football team will try to get back to .500 in Ivy League play when they host Columbia under the lights on Friday, Oct. 16… but an injury to Miles Teodecki during the Quakers’ win over Howard last week leaves their quarterback situation up in the air. Per a report from Conor Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Teodecki hasn’t yet been ruled out for Penn’s duel with the Lions, set to air on ESPNU at 7 p.m.

Even so, the Quakers (2-2, 0-1 Ivy League) are splitting practice reps between Teodecki and backup Karson Siquerios-Lasky, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against a struggling Hampton squad. Despite his status as a highly-touted recruit, Teodecki has struggled through parts of four games this season, completing 69 of 123 passes for 607 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s augmented his arm with 35 carries for 212 yards and a score, but the Quakers’ offense still hasn’t settled in. A quarterback situation that’s up in the air could continue that trend. Here’s what to watch for as the Quakers host the Lions.

Scouting Columbia

The Lions sit at 3-1 on the season, winning overtime duels with Lafayette and Georgetown, but took a 35-7 thrashing at home against Princeton two weeks ago in their Ivy League opener. They’re averaging more than 40 pass attempts per game behind 6-foot-2 senior Chase Goodwin, who has completed 105 of 172 attempts for 1,252 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. A pair of overtime games means more plays called overall, however, and Columbia has a strong ground game powered by senior running back Griffin Johnson (82 carries for 406 yards and two touchdowns), who eats up the majority of carries.

6-foot-4 first year Bryce Coleman is the Lions leading receiver, hauling in 29 passes for 363 yards and five touchdowns. Hutch Crow (23 catches for 283 yards and a score) and Robinson Beckett (nine catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns) are other capable options, so the Quakers’ talented defense will have their hands full.
Columbia’s defense has 18 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions and 13 pass breakups.

Despite the occasional splash play, they’re giving up 173 yards per game on the ground across an average of 25 minutes of possession. Their passing defense looks much better, limiting opposing quarterbacks to a 53.8 completion percentage and 179 yards per game. That could prove a major challenge for Penn’s already-shaky air attack.

Scouting Penn

After Teodecki and Siquerios-Lasky, Penn’s running game has also struggled. Teodecki is the team’s leading rusher, his ability to scramble opening another dimension to their anemic offense. If the freshman signal caller isn’t ready to go, the Quakers will need to rely on junior tailback Donte West (46 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown) and sophomore Tommy Lafayette (24 carries for 78 yards and a score), neither of whom has done much to impress this season.

True freshman Mason Page (19 catches for 191 yards and a touchdown) is the team’s leading receiver; Ronan Johannson broke out with seven catches for 113 yards against Howard, so his chemistry with Siquerios-Lasky is a matchup to watch for if Teodecki doesn’t play.

Penn’s defense is their saving grace with nine sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 18 pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. They’re holding opposing offenses to 225 yards and 15.25 points per game, the latter exactly what their own offense averages. With an average of 3.4 yards per carry and 4.74 yards per pass attempt, both well below the average rate in college football, the Quakers’ opponents haven’t found much room to operate.

However, their own struggles on offense mean they’ll need to play clean football in all three phases of the game: gifting the Lions a short field could turn into an obstacle they can’t overcome.