Columbia
Penn
Football Heads to Penn for Friday Night Tilt
10/14/2026 3:00:00 PM | Football
The Lions and Quakers will meet Friday night on ESPNU in Philly
OPENING DRIVE
• The Lions closed non-conference play with a 41-28 victory over Marist on the road last Friday.
• Columbia scored a defensive and special teams touchdown in the same game for the first time since September 18, 2004, when it scored off a blocked punt and a fumble recovery in a 17-14 loss to Fordham.
• Jonah Walker was named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week, while Bryce Coleman picked up his second Ivy League Rookie of the Week honor of the season.
A WIN WOULD...
• Even its Ivy League record at 1-1.
• Be the Lions' 11th win in night games.
• Be the second win at Franklin Field in the last three games in Philadelphia.
• Give the Lions' three-straight road victories for the first time since the end of the 2021 season and the beginning of the 2022 season, and the first in a single season since 2017.
MARIST LEFTOVERS
• Columbia scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a 28-21 deficit.
• Hutch Crow posted a career-high 105 yards on seven catches with a touchdown.
• Chase Goodwin went 6-for-6 on third down in the fourth quarter and finished with over 250 yards passing for the fourth consecutive game.
• The Lions scored six touchdowns in a game for the first time since November 19, 2022 against Cornell.
• Jonah Walker blocked a kick, which was recovered by Carter McCray and returned 85 yards for a touchdown. It marked the first-ever blocked field goal returned for a score and the longest return on any blocked kick in program history.
• Walker later posted his first career sack, which was returned 44 yards for a touchdown by AJ George to give Columbia a 21-14 lead before the half.
• Julius Patton also recorded the first sack of his career, which also led to a fumble, which he recovered and led to the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
• After a Marist holding call in the endzone, the Lions earned their first safety since 2023 against Dartmouth.
PENN'S STATUS
• Penn enters the matchup 2-2 through its first four games of the season. The Quakers are averaging 15.3 points and 316.5 yards of total offense per game.
• Penn's offense is averaging 209.8 passing yards and 106.8 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Miles Teodecki has thrown for 607 yards and is averaging 41.5 rushing yards per game. Mason Page leads the team with 4.75 receptions per game, while Ronan Johannson is averaging 48.0 receiving yards per game.
• Penn's defense is allowing just 15.3 points and 225.0 yards per game, ranking first nationally in total defense. The Quakers are allowing 111.5 passing yards and 113.5 rushing yards per game. Zach Darche leads the team with 10.5 tackles per game, while Joey Holliday is averaging 1.0 sack and 1.33 tackles for loss per game.
• On special teams, Nate Kashey is averaging 37.8 yards per punt, while Mason Walters has converted 33.3% of his field goal attempts. Jayden Drayton is averaging 22.9 yards per kickoff return and 8.1 yards per punt return.
A LOOK BACK...
Penn wide receiver Jared Richardson posted 157 yards and three touchdowns to give the Quakers a 35-21 victory over Columbia. The Lions jumped out to an early lead, but the Quakers broke a 21-21 tie thanks to back-to-back scores from Richardson to come away with the win. Caleb Sanchez had a career game, completing 26-of-46 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Michael Walters recorded a team-high of 61 yards, while Evans posted 75 receiving yards.
After a Terell Battle interception, Sanchez connected with tight end Braden Dougherty with a 25-yard pass to put the ball on the 1 before Walters, who notched his first career touchdown, with 43 remaining in the first quarter, to put Columbia in front. Penn responded with a 12-play drive, capped by Richardson's first touchdown catch from one yard out at the 9:59 mark of the second to tie things up, 7-7. The Lions offense took advantage of another Quaker turnover after defensive back Levi Robins recovered a fumble inside Penn territory to set up another score. Sanchez threw a perfect pass into the hands of Beckett Robinson in the right corner of the endzone to regain the lead, 14-7, at the 5:51 mark in the second frame.
However, the Quakers responded again before the half, marching 75 yards, capped by an O'Brien seven-yard touchdown pass to Bisi Owens with 1:17 before the break to knot things up again. Penn took its first lead of the day on the first drive of the second half, sparked by O'Brien using his legs to rush for 57 yards, including an 18-yard scamper off a QB draw to go ahead, 21-14, with 8:52 to play in the third quarter. Columbia punched back with a 75-yard scoring drive of its own, featuring three catches from Evans, to set up Hutch Crow's third touchdown grab of the season from two yards out at the 3:48 mark, but Penn scored on its third consecutive drive after Richardson broke free over the middle for a 31-yard touchdown with 1:38 left in the third to make it 28-21 in favor of the Quakers.
The Lions had a golden opportunity to knot things up after Penn's punter's knee hit the ground while fielding a low snap, but the Lions could not convert on a 4th and 4 from the Quaker 23, and Penn delivered the final blow. Richardson, who was coming off National Player of the Week honors, took a bubble screen to the house for a 76-yard touchdown on the very next play to make it 28-21 with 10:18 on the clock. Columbia turned the ball over on downs again and could not draw any closer despite its final two drives moving into Penn territory.
SERIES HISTORY
• Friday marks the 94th meeting between Columbia and Penn all-time. The series began in 1920 with a 27-7 loss for Columbia.
• Columbia trails Penn 23-70 in the series after a 35-21 loss at Wien Stadium in 2025.
• Friday will be the 51st game of the series played in Philadelphia.
INSTANT IMPACT
First-year wide receiver Bryce Coleman has been Columbia's primary target through the first four weeks and has caught at least one touchdown in each game this season. He has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice after catching seven passes for 127 yards and two scores in a win over Lafayette and nine grabs for 93 yards and a touchdown last week at Marist.
PATTERSON STEPPING UP
Junior Keller Patterson has been a disruptive force at defensive tackle for the Lions. He has at leaset one tackle for a loss in three of the four games this season. Against Princeton, Patterson posted his first career multi-sack game with 1.5 and registered a career-high six tackles.
The Keller, Texas, native was Columbia's All-State Good Works Team nominee over the summer. Patterson has been active in the community, volunteering with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.
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