Penn Visits Dartmouth Friday Night In Ivy Opener

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Penn Quakers will be in Hanover, New Hampshire on Friday night to play their Ivy League opener against the Big Green of Dartmouth.

Penn is off to an 0-2 start to the season. Last week the Quakers battled a good Fordham team up in the Bronx before falling, 31-17. Penn trailed at one point 24-7, rallied to get as close as 24-17 before Fordham scored late to put the game away.

"I thought as a team, we took a step forward," Penn head coach Ray Priore tells KYW Newsradio. "Unfortunately we don't see that in the win-loss column. But I thought our kids fought for four quarters, which is a step up from what we did in the first week (loss to Lehigh). Saw our defense come on with a lot of key stops end of the first half and in the second half, really slow down an explosive Fordham offense and tailback and offensive machine. I think we're on the right track getting into league play this week."

Listen to the entire interview with Penn's Ray Priore:

Penn and Dartmouth were two of three teams (along with Harvard) to share the Ivy League title last season. The Big Green bring a 2-0 record into this game, including an impressive season-opening win over then nationally ranked New Hampshire.

"Real good coaching staff," Priore says. "Real good philosophies and they are protecting the ball real, real well. They did graduate, like we did, some really talented kids from last year's team but they've been able to step in and come out with two good victories so far (other win was over Holy Cross)."

This is one of three Friday night games on the schedule for the Quakers this year.

"Upside to the short week is that you don't over prepare," Priore says. "Sometimes when you have a longer time to prepare, you put too many things in for your kids to operate. We'll go back to our core principles, see some of the things that we can take advantage of, short and concise."

Last year, Dartmouth beat the Quakers at Franklin Field, 41-20.

Friday night's game will kick-off at 7:00pm.