Yale Athletics

Searching for their first Ivy League win of the year, the Yale Football team needed someone to step up. Wide receiver David Pantelis ’25 proved to be just that player on Friday night.

Pantelis has been a force for the Bulldogs all season, but this may have been his best performance yet. The wideout made eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown on the day, with his 123 yards being a career-best. 

Whenever the team needed a play, Pantelis came up with one, including a couple of highlight reel layout catches.

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The man throwing the ball to Pantelis also performed well. Quarterback Grant Jordan ’25 had an efficient day, going 24 for 30 through the air for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan showed his ability to make plays as he threw over 3 times as many yards as the Quaker’s starting quarterback, Liam O’Brien.

While much of the damage was done through the air, the Bulldogs also showed the potency of their double-headed rushing attack. 

While Josh Pitsenberger ’26 and Tre Peterson ’25 both struggled with injuries early in the season, the pair are healthy now and wreaking havoc on defenses. Pitsenberger ran for 83 yards on the day while Peterson tallied 80, but the two did it in very different ways. 

Pitsenberger is a bruising back who often seeks out contact and takes a couple of defenders to bring down, while Peterson is a faster back that makes defenders miss in the open field. 

Yale’s offense continued to show its depth and versatility, with five touchdowns coming from five players. This depth of playmakers has been a new asset for the Bulldogs this season and is a promising factor as they hope to climb the Ivy rankings. 

On the other side of the field, Yale’s defense has been a work in progress this season, but the Bulldogs came out hot on Friday. They made some big plays on the defensive line, an area they had been struggling to lock down.

Phoenix Grant ’27 made a huge stop in the 3rd quarter with 29 seconds to go. The Quakers were fourth and goal when quarterback Liam O’Brien handed the ball to his running back, who was swiftly knocked backward by Grant as he tried to muscle his way into the endzone. 

This was the last push of momentum the Bulldogs needed to keep the Quakers scoreless in the fourth quarter and earn a solid 31–10 win. 

Next weekend, the Bulldogs keep their eye on the Ivy rankings as they head to New York to face the Columbia Lions. With their first Ivy win under their belts, the Bulldogs are looking to keep the wins coming as they head into the final stretch of the regular season with four straight Ivy challenges. 

The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday under the lights in New York and will be live-streamed on ESPNU.