The University of Pennsylvania football team secured a 28-9 win over Marist on Friday night at Franklin Field, closing out its non-conference schedule. With this result, Penn improved to a 3-1 record for the season, while Marist dropped to 3-3.
This game marked the first meeting between Penn and Marist. The Quakers now hold a 4-1 record against teams from the Pioneer Football League. Penn also finished its non-conference slate with a 2-1 record and has gone 18-4 in such games since 2017.
The victory ended a six-game losing streak for Penn in night games at Franklin Field. The last time the Quakers won a home night game was in November 2016 against Harvard.
Quarterback Liam O’Brien completed 26 of his 40 passes for 335 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. His performance was just six yards shy of his career high set at Cornell in 2024 and marked his second game this season with more than 300 passing yards.
Senior wide receiver Jared Richardson had a significant impact, catching 15 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. With this performance, Richardson increased his career total to 1,943 receiving yards, moving into sixth place all-time in program history. He is now within reach of becoming only the sixth player in Penn history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards. Richardson also reached his 19th and 20th career touchdown receptions, becoming just the fifth player in school history to do so.
Penn’s running backs combined for 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Julien Stokes led with 59 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. O’Brien contributed another rushing touchdown while Sean Williams Jr. added five carries for 25 yards.
On defense, linebackers John Lista and Ryan O’Connell each recorded a sack. Lista led with six tackles overall. Carter Janki registered Penn’s only pass breakup of the game.
Penn outgained Marist by totaling 463 offensive yards compared to Marist’s 250. The Quakers converted nine of their fourteen third-down attempts and controlled possession for just over thirty minutes.
The game began with Marist taking an early lead after a field goal on their opening drive. Penn responded quickly as O’Brien connected with Richardson for a touchdown on their first possession. The Quaker defense then forced a three-and-out before Penn took control offensively through much of the first half.
A key moment came when Penn recovered a fumbled snap by Marist late in the second quarter, leading to an O’Brien rushing touchdown that put them ahead by double digits going into halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams struggled to score amid penalties that stalled drives on each side. Early in the fourth quarter, O’Brien found Richardson again for their second touchdown connection of the night.
Marist scored once more on a reverse pass but failed on their two-point conversion attempt. In response, Penn capitalized on good field position late in the fourth quarter as Stokes scored to secure the final margin.
Next week marks the start of Ivy League play for Penn as they travel to New York City to face Columbia at Wien Stadium.
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