EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette football took down Ivy League foe Penn, 24-14, on Saturday evening at Fisher Stadium.
 
The Leopard offense used a pair of touchdowns from junior WR Joe Gillette to provide the bulk of the scoring, and the Maroon and White defense provided some cushion when senior LB Billy Shaeffer ran back an interception 41 yards for a score.
 
Gillette scored two different ways, running in a 29-yard score on a jet sweep while also reeling in a 70-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Ah-Shaun Davis, who was making his second straight start. Gillette ended the day with five catches for 91 yards and four runs for 49 yards.
 
The defense picked off Penn quarterback John Quinnelly for three interceptions, two by Shaeffer, and limited Penn to just 11 yards on the ground for the night. Shaeffer finished with a team-high eight tackles, one more than fellow linebacker Marco Olivas, who contributed 2. 5 tackles for loss.
 
The victory was the first for the Leopards over Penn since 2012 and the first against an Ivy League foe since that same year.
 
Five minutes into the second quarter, Lafayette had its best field position of the day. The Penn punter mishandled the snap and freshman LB Tim O'Hearn was there to make sure he didn't advance it. Lafayette took over at the 38-yard line.
 
After two rushes for a nine yards by Jaden Sutton, the Leopards cranked out a scoring play. Gillette went in motion along the line of scrimmage and took the sweep in 29 yards for the touchdown. Micah Pettit added the PAT and Lafayette led 7-0 with 10:35 left in the half. 
 
After a Penn punt, the Quaker defense stopped Lafayette on a 4th-and-2 at the Penn 35 by sacking Davis for a loss of 11 yards. Penn took advantage, needing just two plays to score. Quinnelly connected for 36 yards to Rory Starkey to even the score at 7-7.
 
Just before halftime, Lafayette took the 10-7 lead following a 25-yard field goal from Pettit.
 
Out of the break, the visitors took their first lead of the game with 6:50 left in the third quarter. Trey Flowers capped a seven-play drive over 64 yards with a one-yard plunge for the 14-10 margin.
 
After the kickoff, Lafayette wasted no time answering. Davis avoided a rusher who broke through the middle. The rookie QB stepped up into the pocket and hit a wide-open Gillette. Gillette gathered the catch, ducked inside a would-be tackler and took it to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown catch and a 17-14 advantage. It was the longest catch of Gillette's career and the Leopards' longest play from scrimmage in 2021.
 
Lafayette made it consecutive scores when Shaeffer added his 41-yard pick-six.
Pettit's PAT gave the Leopards a 24-14 lead at the end of the third quarter.
 
With 10 minutes left in the game, the Leopards' defense survived a Penn scoring opportunity on fourth down at the Leopard 13-yard line. Olivas caught Isaiah Malcome from behind on third down and forced a 30-yard field goal attempt. The kick was wide left.
 
The Leopards' defense continued to come up with plays (and turnovers). Freshman Saiku White picked off Quinnelly for 32 yards with 5:14 left on the clock. Shaeffer sealed the game with his second pick of the game with just under four minutes left.
 
The Leopard offense ran the ball for 141 yards on the day led by 58 yards from freshman Michael Hayes, 49 from Gillette and 28 from Sutton. Davis finished the game 12-of-18 for 157 yards with a touchdown.
 
Lafayette opens Patriot League play with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff vs. Fordham on Oct. 2. The game is part of Homecoming Weekend along with the inauguration of the College's 18th president, Nicole Farmer Hurd.