So the only thing standing in the way of a MAC title-game appearance on Dec. 2 in Detroit, as three voters in the preseason poll projected, are the Owls themselves.
Pierce rushed for 152 yards and two TDs on 23 carries. He also tied Paul Palmer's all-time program record of 264 points. And for the second consecutive week, Matt Brown reached triple digits on the ground (12-120, TD).
The Owls, as they've been doing, controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes.
PENN 27, COLUMBIA 20
For the second time in 3 weeks, the Quakers (3-2, 2-0) won an Ivy road game in the closing seconds.
This time, quarterback Billy Ragone scored on a 7-yard third-down run with 25 seconds left, after the Lions (0-5, 0-2) tied things with a field goal at 1:31 of the fourth quarter.
The Quakers have won 17 straight in the league, which matches the second-longest all-time Ivy streak. They've tied a school record with 12 straight Ivy away wins. It was their 15th consecutive win in this series, and their 17th in a row in the month of October.
Brandon Colavita, who went over 1,000 rushing yards for his career, put Penn in front 20-17 on a 3-yard run with 11 minutes to go.
The Quakers host Yale (3-2, 2-0) Saturday. The Bulldogs will be coming off a 28-19 loss to Lafayette (2-4), whose other win was over Penn.
JAMES MADISON 34, VILLANOVA 10
At least the visiting Wildcats (1-6, 0-4 CAA) led by four midway through the third quarter. It was their third consecutive loss to a top-15 club.
This week they get Old Dominion (5-2, 2-2), which was No. 18 before losing to Towson (39-35).
The No. 13 Dukes (5-2, 3-1) scored two TDs in the third quarter, and two more in the fourth. Jordan Anderson had three altogether.
JMU rushed for 253 yards.
