Sprint Football Opens New Campaign Against Alderson Broaddus Friday Night - University of Pennsylvania Athletics (2024)

PHILADELPHIA – Eager to start the 2022 season off in style, the University of Pennsylvania sprint football program begins its new schedule with Alderson Broaddus Friday night at Franklin Field in the Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma(DIPG) Awareness Game. The matchup kicks off at 7 p.m., streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Game 1: Alderson Broaddus at Penn
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma(DIPG) Awareness Game
September 16 | 7 p.m. | Franklin Field (Philadelphia)
Live Internet Video: ESPN+
Live Stats

A Fresh Start
Led by second-year head coach Jerry McConnell, the Penn sprint football team returns to the field for the first time in 2022 following a season in which the Quakers went 5-2 including a 2-1 record at Franklin Field. Penn took a five-game win streak into the season finale vs. Navy before falling to the Midshipmen, 52-14 with the CSFL South Division title up for grabs.

They're Back
Penn returns five players who earned All-CSFL selections in 2021. Senior LB Lewis Evans and sophom*ore LB Jake Inserra were named First Team honorees while senior QB Andrew Paolini, senior DL Travis Legum and sophom*ore LB Cam Janock were tabbed to the Second Team.

Linebacker UP
Of the five returning All-CSFL selections mentioned earlier, three are linebackers and totaled five of the Quakers' 13 sacks in 2021. Legum finished the year with 2.5 sacks (a total loss of 16 yards) while Evans totaled 1.5 sacks and Inserra had one. Inserra and Evans were the team's leading tacklers with 74 and 65, respectively.

Allow Him to Re-Introduce Himself
Penn will have a familiar face lining up under center in junior quarterback Andrew Paolini. The Cherry Hill, N.J. native was a force for the Quakers last season, passing for 1,358 yards (the seventh-most in a single-season in program history). He totaled 19 touchdowns (with four on two occasions) and just four interceptions. Paolini also rushed 83 times on 181 yards with six touchdowns.

Are You Rushing or Are You Dragging?
Following the graduation of RB Laquan McKever, the Quakers will need new bodies to step up in his place heading into the new campaign. Next to Paolini, senior Caleb Pierce is Penn's leading returning rusher in 2022, having run for 100 yards on 22 attempts and one touchdown a season ago. In addition, sophom*ore Tom Rebstock (17-66-1) will also look to make an impact out of the backfield.

Catch Pigskins, Not Feelings
Penn will miss the consistency of pass-catchers Brendan McCaffrey and Ben Klaus this year as sophom*ore WR Jake Wang returns as the Quakers' leading receiver a year ago after making 15 grabs for 192 yards, despite not reeling in a touchdown grab. Rebstock and sophom*ore Kyle Zeitlann both finished with a pair of touchdowns last season.

First Game Jitters
After falling in season-opening contests to Army West Point to begin both the 2019 and 2021 seasons, the Quakers will look to win their first season-opener since a convincing 54-21 victory in 2018 at Mansfield.

New Faces
16 freshmen Quakers will make their Penn debuts Friday night at home. With a local Philadelphia product in DB Omar Felix, the incoming class includes freshmen from eight different states including California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Last Time Out Against The Battlers
The Quakers scored 23 unanswered points against Alderson Broaddus, en route to a dominant 38-7 victory over the Battlers on Oct. 29, 2021 away from home. Ben Klaus led the way with three touchdown grabs including a 24-yarder by way of Paolini in the final quarter, putting the finishing touches on the win. The QB went 20-for-30 with 239 yards and three TDs. Luca Curran and Eugene Kim each recorded six tackles on defense, while Nick Bauman forced a fumble (recovered by Cam Janock). Janock and Lewis Evans each picked off AB quarterback Timmy Tillman once.

Keeping Tradition Alive
The Quakers continued the annual tradition of the Alumni Game at Franklin Field last Saturday, Sept. 10. Sprint Football defeated the Alumni, 16-6. Two Paolini touchdown passes (one to Brandon Graves and one to Wang) were enough to pace the offense as the Alumni scored with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter via Ed Jenkins' four-yard throw to Barry Klein. Paolini was 12-for-19 with 155 yards and the two touchdowns in the victory, while Levi Gans rushed five times for 21 yards and Graves caught six passes for 79 yards and a score. On defense, Legum tallied six tackles (three for a loss) and a sack.