Penn claims share of Ivy League crown with win over Cornell

Pennsylvania, in its first year under coach Ray Priore, completed an unlikely season Saturday at Franklin Field, dominating overmatched Cornell, 34-21, to win a share of the 2015 Ivy League championship.

The Quakers (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) will share the title with Dartmouth (9-1, 6-1) and Harvard (9-1, 6-1). Dartmouth rallied late to defeat Princeton, 17-10, and Harvard beat Yale, 38-19.

The title, Penn's 17th, marks the first time the Quakers have captured the Ivy League crown since 2012. That year, the Quakers went 6-4 overall and 6-1 in the Ivy League.

"This is a resilient team," said Priore, a 28-year assistant at Penn before taking over this season. "Someone asked me earlier, and I said I thought this was the grittiest team I've ever been around in my tenure. I'm so proud of them and what they've accomplished. They probably don't realize what they've accomplished. It is hard to win. Hard to go out there week in and week out and do what they did."

Penn's turnaround under Priore, who took over after Al Bagnoli stepped down, has been nothing short of remarkable. Penn finished the 2014 season 2-8. And going back to the second half of the 2013 season, it had lost 12 of its last 14. This season, the Quakers were picked to finish in sixth place in the Ivy, just ahead of Cornell and Columbia, which combined to go 3-17.

They rebounded from a 1-3 start and finished by winning six straight games, the longest winning streak at Penn since it won six in a row in 2010.

"For six straight games it's been our backs to the wall. It's been a must-win situation," Priore said. "We just said, 'Stay together. Take it one game at a time.' "

On Saturday, the Quakers used a fast start to take any drama out of the game.

Penn's first three possession resulted in touchdowns – a 6-yard run by Brian Schoenauer and passes of 17 yards and 37 yards, respectively, to tight end Ryan O'Malley and receiver Justin Watson. It added up to a 20-0 Penn lead with 7 minutes, 46 seconds left in the first quarter and provided enough of a buffer for victory.

Schoenauer rushed for 118 yards on 19 carries. Watson caught nine passes for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The sophomore's 74 receptions rank fourth in a single season in Penn history. He also finished with 1,082 receiving yards, which ranks second in a single season.

Quarterback Alek Torgersen completed 15 of 22 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.