Penn’s balance on both sides of the ball greatly contributes to its success. The offense, led by fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Mitchell, has scored fewer than 30 points only once in its five Ivy contests.
“Mitchell’s very talented,” Murphy said. “And while they don’t have the experienced receivers anymore, they have picked up their running game considerably.”
That running game got a huge boost this summer when sophomore running back Sam Mathews transferred from the Naval Academy.
Mathews has been nothing short of outstanding for the Quakers. He is second in the conference in rushing yards per game with 134.9 and in rushing yards with 1,079.
Keeping up with the high-powered Penn offense will not be easy against a Quaker defense that has allowed 30 points only once all year. Defensive back Bryan Arguello is second in the Ivy League with four interceptions.
With Harvard’s title hopes all but extinguished for this year, the Crimson’s motivation against Penn will be to give the seniors a good memory for their last game at Harvard Stadium.
“We just want the seniors to leave on a good note,” Fitzpatrick said.
Upsetting the Quakers would go a long way toward helping them do just that.