PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Junior quarterback
Zach Osborne scampered for a career-long 31-yard touchdown run, and classmate
Treyvhon Saunders exploded for 16 catches totaling 123 yards, but it was not enough to lift Colgate past Penn on the road. The 27-17 loss drops the Raiders to 1-4 on the season with league play looming next weekend against Holy Cross.
"We knew coming in this was going to be a tough matchup," Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty said. "There were some timely things that we really needed to capitalize on, whether it was a defensive stop, a third-down conversion on offense, or a field goal that we wanted to make. We really needed stuff like that playing against a team like this. We needed to play consistently disciplined football and we had lapses in that."
"A couple of drives stalled early on," Dakosty continued. "Penn always plays good defense and they're good on all three levels. We knew we had to get the ball outside pretty quick and Trey always puts himself in great positions out there. Overall, I think we spread the ball around pretty good, and coming in we knew we were going to need to execute that part of our offensive scheme."
Saunders now sits at eighth all-time in the Colgate record books for career receptions with 130 grabs. He also set the program record for most receptions in a game, breaking the previous mark of 14 set by Corey Hill '99 in 1998. His 16 catches also tied the Patriot League single-game receptions record that was set in 2017 by Lehigh's Troy Pelletier.
In his second start of the season, sophomore quarterback Jake Stearney threw for 229 yards with a touchdown and an interception completing 31 of his 47 passing attempts. Conversely, Colgate was gashed for 456 total yards including 320 through the air.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Quakers marched down the field on the opening drive with seven passes and only one run, leading the Raiders conceding an early 7-0 lead.
After settling in, Colgate controlled the field position battle for the rest of the first quarter. Two punts from senior Shelby Pruett were downed inside the 20, including one dropped inside the five, allowing the Raiders to keep applying pressure inside Penn's territory.
Stearney drove the Raiders into the redzone on their fourth possession of the opening frame, but a missed 33-yard field goal attempt led to a 55-yard Quaker reception that allowed the home side to take a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
Osborne gave the Raiders' a jolt of momentum and put Colgate within a score when he turned a fourth and one into a 31-yard touchdown run, the longest of the junior's career.
But Penn answered quickly, moving the ball to the Raider one-yard line in just seven plays. The Quakers missed the chip shot FG attempt, handing the ball back to Colgate with five minutes remaining in the half.
While the Raiders could not capitalize, they did turn the game back to the Quaker's offense which converted a 36-yard touchdown pass at the 1:52 mark of the second quarter.
The Raiders were resilient coming out of the half, driving 58 yards in 11 plays capped by a Luke Vogeler field goal.
After Penn answered with three points of their own, sophomore wide receiver Winston Moore sprung the longest return of the season for Colgate with a 52-yard sprint. Three fourth-down conversions on the ensuing drive kept the Raiders within a score when junior wideout Brady Hutchison caught his second touchdown pass in as many games.
The Quakers would go on to milk the clock on another double-digit play drive, extending their lead to two possessions with another short field goal.
Back on offense, the Raiders could not string together their third-straight scoring drive, turning the ball over on downs with just under three minutes left in regulation.
Penn milked the clock with a pair of first downs, and despite the Raiders using three timeouts and the two minute warning, the Quakers ended the game in victory formation at Franklin Field.
GAME NOTES
- Sophomore wide receiver Reed Swanson saw his first action of the season, making a career-high two grabs for 13 yards.
- Sophomore wide receiver Winston Moore matched his career-high of five receptions accumulating 42 yards.
- Junior defensive lineman Dane Picariello matched his personal-best with eight tackles.
- First-year linebacker Zach Jones tallied a new career-high four tackles.
- Senior running back Brendan Cassamajor tied the longest run of his career with an 11-yard burst in the fourth quarter.
- First-year defensive back Reece Allan accumulated a new personal-best three stops.
UP NEXT
The Raiders open Patriot League play on Saturday, Oct. 5 against Holy Cross at 1 p.m. in Andy Kerr Stadium.
