Penn’s late touchdown erases Howard’s ten-point lead

Howard built a 20–10 lead with long possessions and two Ja’Shawn Scroggins touchdowns, but Penn answered with two fourth-quarter scores to beat the Bison 24–20 Saturday.

The winner came with 57 seconds remaining: Karson Siqueiros-Lasky found Isaac Lee for a 13-yard touchdown, finishing a nine-play, 52-yard drive. Penn had begun that possession near midfield after Howard failed to extend a drive that could have consumed more of the closing minutes.

The Bison had received another opportunity to protect their lead when Mason Walters missed a 37-yard field goal with five minutes left. Eden James gained nine yards on Howard’s first play, but a two-yard loss and an incomplete third-down pass forced a punt. Penn took over at its 48 with 3:12 remaining and produced the deciding touchdown.

Howard’s early offense had looked considerably more secure. Scroggins finished a 14-play, 88-yard opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run. After Penn moved ahead 10–7, he connected with Zaden Jackson for a 30-yard score to regain the lead.

Matt Conord added a 20-yard field goal as the first half expired, then made a 34-yarder in the third quarter. Those kicks finished drives of 13 and 14 plays and moved the Bison ahead by ten.

Penn’s first fourth-quarter touchdown reversed the usual roles of its eventual winning combination. Lee threw a six-yard scoring pass to Siqueiros-Lasky with 11:55 remaining, ending a 13-play, 87-yard possession and reducing Howard’s lead to three.

Scroggins completed 13 of 33 passes for 140 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and was sacked five times. Semaj Pierre caught six passes for 55 yards; Jackson had three receptions for 52. Billy Roberson II led Howard’s rushers with 51 yards on eight carries.

Penn finished with 365 total yards to Howard’s 247 and converted eight of 15 third downs, compared with Howard’s four of 14. Siqueiros-Lasky threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, while Ronan Johannson caught seven passes for 113 yards.

Howard fell to 2–4 after a game in which its early sustained drives could not prevent Penn from owning the final scoring possessions.