Friday, October 4, 2013

On the Verge...






Columbia Lions at Princeton Tigers

October 5, 2013


Kickoff Time: 1pm


Gametime Weather Forecast: 77 degrees, partly cloudy and humid


The Spread: Princeton by 22 ½ points

Columbia Game Notes



How to Get to the Game


TV/RADIO

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3

(Recommended): Columbia audio with Jerry Recco and Sal Licata: Ivy Digital Network

The Columbia student station broadcast is on WKCR at 89.9 on your FM dial


Lead Stories

-The Princeton faithful and the all the pundits aren’t being shy about considering this game a complete joke. The Tigers are high on their new supercharged offense and they expect the defense to feast on CU’s porous pass protection. Anything other than a Princeton rout will be a shock to the home crowd.

-Columbia Head Coach Pete Mangurian is under heavy pressure to show some semblance of improvement after two blowout losses to start the season. But he shows all the signs of being a man on the verge. His comments to the Columbia Spectator earlier this week sounded like the words of a man about to lose it. As one fan told me this week, “now the only question is if Mangurian loses it in a spectacular ‘top of the world, Ma!’ way or simply does the slow descent into short order cookery.” (To those who don’t know, Columbia head coaches of the recent past have done both). Either way, Mangurian and the Lions need to either win, or play well enough to ease some of the pressure.

Columbia Keys to the Game


ADJUST THE OFFENSE

If Mangurian’s changes are simply going to be in personnel and not strategy, the team may want to look into leaving NYC without him tomorrow. More running plays, QB rollouts, etc. are badly needed to alleviate the pass protection disaster. Princeton’s Caraun Reid is looking to make his case for Ivy Player of the Year tomorrow, and he’s hoping to boost his sack totals.  In other words, the Tigers are coming and coming hard, so this is no time for on-the-job training for a bunch of new guys.

MAKE THE TIGER OFFENSE WORK

Princeton’s offense moves super fast and likes to dictate the entire pace of the game. Smart defenses know how to slow down the game here and there. I’m talking about being slow to get up off of a tackled player, distracting the ref a bit, etc. But the real job will be to make QB/RB/WR, Quinn Epperly work for his yards. The Lions need to hit him and hit him hard when he strays from the pocket. One thing the defense needs to remember is that the refs, knowing that Columbia is a huge underdog, will not be helpful here, so the Lions can’t even come close to hitting Epperly late or out of bounds. Keep it clean, but keep it tough.

      BE READY FOR PRINCETON TRICKS

Princeton may open the game playing conservative, but the lack of respect the Tigers obviously have for the Lions should lead to some audacious play calling at some point. Flea-flickers, fake punts, reverses, they’re all in the mix for Princeton. Stuffing one of those plays fairly early would be a big emotional boost for Columbia and could have the Tigers questioning themselves.     




Five Columbia-Princeton Games You Must Know


This week marks the 25th anniversary of perhaps the greatest Columbia win of the last 50 years. It came over Princeton in 1988.

Five years ago, Princeton survived a late challenge to eke out a four point win at Wien Stadium.

10 years ago, Columbia pulled out a miracle win at Princeton Stadium on a Hail Mary pass with no time left.

20 years ago was the last time Princeton came into a game against Columbia as such a prohibitive favorite. That was because RB Keith Elias was in the middle of his spectacular senior season. The Tigers won in a slippery mess.


Just three years ago, the tables were turned as Columbia whacked Princeton in NYC.

123 comments:

Mitch S.'68CC said...

An extremely thoughtful analysis, as usual. Some of our football experts may recall that the late George Allen wrote a master's in PE thesis on the process of creating a football scouting report. As a high school coach, I had a wonderful mentor who taught me how to do a scouting report, which is truly an essential element of success.

That's why the first game of a season is often so dangerous: you can't usually get a good scouting report. (Unless your opponent has already played several games, as CU's did. Hm.....)

I believe that teams don't like to play CU because they don't see winning as a great accomplishment but losing would be a real downer. They respect the CU players for giving their best effort in a seemingly snakebit program. Opponents of CU want to "just get it over with." Yet, oddly, they often start slow, because in addition to wanting to get it over with they also don't really want to be there. So Columbia needs to start fast and then SUSTAIN MOMENTUM when the opponent starts to wake up.

CU's failure to do this can be seen in the decent first half performances in many games, followed by the truly terrible third quarter results that very often take place. Halftime and third quarter are the keys, provided of course that CU can be competitive from the start as well.

Will we see this happen at Princeton? Do you feel lucky?

Anonymous said...

Nether the Ivy Digital site nor the AD.s has the game on video; just audio.
http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=43660&SPID=3885&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209274038&DB_OEM_ID=9600

Jake said...

Correct. But I still recommend listening to the Recco/Licata audio.

Anonymous said...

So what you are saying is we will not be able to see the game , just listen?

Anonymous said...

Such a cute picture!!!

oldlion said...

I fail to see how Mangurian's quotes in Spec are consistent with Jake's conclusion that he is on the verge of some sort of melt-down. Again, it appears that Jake and others have already decided, two games into the season, having lost two of our most important players in week one, that Mangurian is a failure. As a matter of fairness and decency how about showing some support for the next eight weeks.

Jake said...

You can see the game on ESPN3

Anonymous said...

As far as your references to past Princeton games are concerned, I find that discussion of Columbia football history invariably turns "presidential", as in :

"First kick-off returned for a touch-down since FDR's second term"

"First victories over Harvard and Penn in a single season since the McKinley assassination"

Anonymous said...

Hey I have a great idea, why don't all of you who post on Jakes blog. Post something positive today for all the parents and mostly for the players. How about Good Luck Lions, we are backing you guys. You guys can do this, Go Lions. Anything for any of players who read this blog. Just wish them well for gods sakes. Change up the negative remarks. If all your children heard was what losers they were( and have always been), how productive would they be? Tomorrow is a big game for these guys, give it a rest.

ungvar said...

I'm with Anonymous and OldLion: how about we cut out the negative crap for a while and boost the team instead. We got whipped by an FBS wannabe and lost two important players in week one. The following week, a newbie QB and his OL were out-of-synch, not a great surprise. Our team does have some great players. Let's give it a rest for a few weeks and see if Coach M. makes the necessary coaching changes and if our players can execute the plan.

Face it -- Coach M isn't going anywhere this season, not even to Bellevue. Ripping down the team in a public forum mid-season is mindless. We all understand the pain of the Lions fan. Winning fans would cheer on the team until the last week of play and then call for rolling heads. Why don't we start acting like winning fans.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the Ivy Digital service isn't carrying the Pr game because it's on ESPN3.

Jake: if it's possible, I think you should correct your note thyat it's on the Digital network. Accuracy counts!

oldlion said...

Thanks Ungvar and Anonymous. I expect our guys to have a great game tomorrow. Go lions!

Anonymous said...

Old Lion and Anonymous...I guess what you're asking is that we all keep our comments to ourselves and let the on-field performance be acknowledged as acceptable.

Of course we want the team to win.

If we didn't, we wouldn't be on this blog.

You folks are indeed the problem and you must be drinking the same Kool-Aid as the Administration....Loser-Aid.

I for one will not rest until Columbia gets its football program right.

As a former All-Ivy player, I wish I had alums like me who cared about the program as much as I do.

Disgusted....but hoping for a respectable effort tomorrow.

Former All-Ivy Player

Anonymous said...

i dont recall anybody calling the kids losers. as a former player i have the utmost regard for them since i know how hard it is. May people have called the coach and the AD a loser, yes, but if the shoe fits...
we all wish the kids great success and good luck to the players this week and the weeks to come.

Jake said...

The Ivy Digital Network DOES have the audio, so I will keep it there.

Anonymous said...

But, not the video, as you state. C'mon Jake, opt for truth.

Jake said...

You're right... I see now I had the word "video" in there. Taking it out.

Anonymous said...

Jake: Please cite specifics of where the Princeton faithful have expressed the view they consider the game a joke and have no respect for Columbia? On the voy board? Their school paper. Maybe we have some bulletin board material.

ungvar said...

Former All-Ivy Player,

No one said that you can't post your candid opinions of the team. But the reality is that current players probably read this blog and it's got to be incredibly demoralizing to read that a "Former All-Ivy Player" is disgusted with their efforts to date. I think your past accolade would be better used to urge the guys onward. What did you do after a disappointing series of games to get back in the groove? Dissing a few other alums who, I would argue, care a great deal about the program, is counterproductive.

Anonymous said...

a reminder: Surace
2010 Princeton 1–9 Ivy 0–7
2011 Princeton 1–9 1–6
Patience,.....

Anonymous said...

For those of you wondering where you can watch Columbia/Princeton, it is an ESPN3 game which means it's available online if your cable/internet provider has it available. Here in the NYC area, if you have your cable & Internet with TWC, Optimum, or Verizon Fios, you can see the game on your computer at espn3.com, or via the WatchESPN app on your smartphone or tablet. For the rest of you, here's a link to find out if your provider has ESPN3 in your area.:
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/affList?device=videosub

Anonymous said...

surace, the alums were calling for his head and now are just being held at the gate. he is a players coach selected by a group of admin and former players.
quite bit different than CU where the selection process isnt the same.

Al's Wingman said...

What turned it around for Surace and Princeton was obtaining depth of talent and finding a balance on O and D. True enough, the reign of Pete is still working with mostly players he did not recruit. So from a recruiting standpoint he has another season to prove himself. What bothers me is his attitude. Such audacity to try shovel off BS that he has answers when in fact he has none and is out of his depth. With his experience he shouldn't be so far out on the limb but he is so that is what has snuffed out confidence he can get the job done.

oldlion said...

From what I can tell sitting next to and speaking with parents of current players, I think that Jake's "on the verge" heading to this blog is not justified by the evidence. I read the Spec interview and find on evidence in those comments which supports Jake's conclusion. Might admire Jake's love for Columbia football but challenge the narrative he appears all too willing to create, that Pete has lost the players, cannot or will not adopt to conditions on the field, and is about to become unglued. We lost two of our best players in the first half of the first game and were faced with playing two very strong teams. We spent the entire preseason developing an offense built around Nottingham. So we have to adjust. Let's see what happens. In the meantime, let's support the guys on the field.

Anonymous said...

No one says he's lost the players... yet. But Old Lion, WHY do you think we lost Nottingham? Pete put him out there without adequate protection and after almost 3 full qtrs, he STILL hadn't adjusted and still had him running for his life. Nottingham should sue Pete for malpractice and/or gross negligence.

Anonymous said...

Go Lions!
This lifelong lover and critic of Lion football agrees with many fans here that Coach M deserves a chance to regroup, adjust, restore order, etc. before he's prodded onto the plank with a cutlass. That thinking is a bit severe at this point. BUT these same fans are falsely hinting that the coach's critics don't support the players on the field. That's plain wrong. The coach's job is to put the players in the best possible position. Let's hope he can do that and that they execute his plan. The coaches and the players together are the team. Let's hope they succeed together.

Anonymous said...

Execute!!!! Go loins !!

Win or lose ,we are behind you a 100% .

Anonymous said...

Fordham scored as many points in the first quarter vs. Lehigh Sat. as they did against the Lions in the first half. Then, Leh woke up and went over, around the Rams's D for a TD.

Anonymous said...

Is anybody watching this mismatch?

Anonymous said...

Big time HS player Frosh Hilinski finally gets in and his third pass of college career is 70 yard TD!

Future is bright!

Al's Wingman said...

such an embarrassing display.

Anonymous said...

This team makes the team that lost 44 games in a row look good.

Anonymous said...

Columbias DB's are a joke

InwoodTiger said...

Roar Tigers Roar

Anonymous said...

Through 3 quarters:
First downs - CU 3, PU 31
total yards - CU 122 (70 on one play), PU 551

Are you kidding me?

On the bring side, no turnovers.

Looking at the big picture, in just a few seasons we went from 42-14 over PU to getting blown out 2 straight years. Unlike Fordham, we can't blame this on scholarships. Sorry, but I am not seeing reason for optimism here.

LionEsq said...

That looks like an exceptional Princeton team, but our Lions looked just awful. Maybe Wilson would take a pay cut and come back?

Anonymous said...

The talent level can not be that much of a disparity. There is obviously problems with the coaching and motivation of the players.

Anonymous said...

Just for a little perspective. Princeton's Coach Surace
went 1-9 and 1-9 in his first two seasons and Princeton looked just horrible. 5-5 in his third. They are looking very good this year.

Wilson left the cupboard fairly bare. It is too early to judge Coach M's future prospects. The Princeton fans, just two years ago, sounded like the CU fans this year. Now Surace is starting to look like a success and folks are praising him.

You don't turn things around that fast. You need couple of good recruiting classes and time for them to mature before you can really judge how things are going to go. Folks should calm down and realize this is the year where the young guys get thrown in the deep end of the pool and learn how to swim. It isn't pretty but it will pay off two years from now.

Anonymous said...

FIRE mangurian Forgt the Surace analogy. This clown has lost his team. Have any of you spent time talking football with this guy? I have and was not impressed. The administration should be embarrassed for this hire. Bill Campbell and the other yes men needs to be put out to pasture permanenty. A proper search with emphasis on finding a successful D 2 or 3 guy who has turned around a program with consistent success should be the one and only criteria. Look at the previous hires going back to Billy Boy himself. Not one of them had any success as a head coach. Aren't we ll tired of this.

Anonymous said...

Agree
Just because you didn't recruit the players doesn't mean you cant coach them. Last years 3 wins were with 75% Norries recruits. This team is 50-50. But, if you disenfranchise your juniors and seniors this is what you get. You take a 2-3 yr turnaround and turn it into a 4-6 year turnaround, if it is destined to happen. Furthermore, you make your job of recruiting much more difficult. It did not have to be this way!!!!

Anonymous said...

Furthermore, you still need to coach.

Anonymous said...

There were plenty of successful FCS, D2 and D3 coaches who applied, but Murphy and Kraft (just as responsible as Campbell) ignored them since they didn't have Patriots or Cornell ties.

Here is the key comment from the Spec article on the hiring:
"For Mangurian and Murphy this must have felt like déjà vu. Prior to coming to Columbia in 2004, Murphy served as the associate athletic director at Cornell from 1995-1998. In her final year with the Big Red, she took a leading role in the school’s search for a new head football coach. The final man left standing in that search turned out to be Mangurian."

The sad thing is that Mangurian was just using CU as a stepping stone back to the NFL. Well, that isn't happening now...

Al's Wingman said...

Is Bill Campbell a yes man? I would think he has some influence. I would be happy to ask him personally if anyone has his cell to share.

Anonymous said...

It is simply ridiculous to think any coach is going to come into a weak program and turn it around in one year. People wanted to fire Surace right away also. They look dumb know.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't happen to a more condescending person. The players, no matter who they are, his or not, will find out his story. Maybe the weekly berating meetings aren't going as well as planned. Who would want to play for this guy. All you see is guys out of position, going thru the motions.

oldlion said...

I was very impressed with what James Parry, the Princeton OC, has done with their offense. But the ESPN3 announcers pretty much had it nailed that our starting QB kept missing receivers before the game got out of hand. Princeton had better athletes out there today. I just don't know if we have the athletes to be competitive, especially without Nottingham and Adebayo.

Anonymous said...

Surace had NFL experience. Was 18-3 as a head coach in D3. And most importantly he is a Princeton man. Thats what they wanted. Mangurian had one stint as a head coach and was barely .500. He once told me he didn't recruit in the state of Florida because HS players there were over-rated!! Come on people. This guy is an arrogant dude who needs to go now. Today. Not tomorrow. When the teams returns to Baker Field he should be let go.

Anonymous said...

yeah, I know it's only Mangurian's 2nd year. How's Yale's coach doing in his second year?

Anonymous said...

All you see is young inexperienced players going against older more experienced players. Of course they look bad now. They are newbies. Two years from now they will be good.

Wilson recruited some great players his first couple of years. The 2009 and 2010 teams were loaded with talent and all ivy players. Because of his flaws as a coach, those teams did not break though and win 7 or 8 games. After that, his recruiting fell off because he could no longer say "come here, start early, and help me turn this program around." Everyone in the program knew that his last couple of recruiting classes were very weak.

Anonymous said...

The recruiting excuse is bogus. Columbia has plenty of excellent athletes and players. A good coach adapts to what he has. Has M done that? Did he do that last year when he had an electric QB who he tried to transform to a pocket passer? It's over for this obnoxious coach. He needs to go now.

Anonymous said...

yes, using logic, being factual and using reason is so overrated. I say "fire him now" because I am an unbelievable expert on recruiting, football talent and coaching.

Anonymous said...

So you are on of the many morons who subscribe to the theory that the players just suk. No matter who recruited them.

Mitch S.'68CC said...

It's not enough to say "You can do it, boys!" or "We need to support the kids." There's no logic in saying, "Surace stunk in his first two years, which proves CU will get better." I'm sorry, but as a fairly careful observer of football and CU football since dinosaurs roamed the earth, I can PROMISE you that CU will never be successful with this staff -- nor, very possibly, with this AD or even with this president of the university. Where does that leave us? No one knows. Again, I'm very sorry.

Al's Wingman said...

These are the people responsible for this disaster so they need to held accountable and remove themselves as part of the head coaching selection committee: Associate Athletics Director Ray Tellier, football alumni Ted Gregory '74CC, Don Jackson '73CC, and Kevin Ward '74CC

Anonymous said...

No, I am saying the opposite. Coach M's recruits are more athletically talented than many of the current juniors and seniors and will be very good in a couple of years. Especially, as he adds more talent each year. He is investing in the future by play the young guys now. There is nothing like game experience to make you a better player.

Anonymous said...

That was (is) PATHETIC! What a joke! After 3 games you would think Pete would do something different. I know, I know, the System is not not broke, it's the kids who are at fault...

And by the way, Pace, #76, is simply not that good. The PU D-Line went through him! All he does is extend his arms and the go around him., if that's our future, we should play a Div.-III schedule!

oldlion said...

Easy on Pace. He is a freshman left tackle. Jeff Adams, three time first team All Ivy at left tackle, never saw the field his freshman year. Pace is playing because the starter, Ramljak, went down. And one of the points that the ESPN 3 announcer made was that the pass protection wasn't bad. Not great, but there was a pocket which would have been workable if our starting QB made some throws and if our WRs got some separation and made a few catches. On the WRs, is Gross gone? What about Connors, who was our best guy last year, and Wanamaker, who at least has some speed and decent hands.

Anonymous said...

Were you at the game? #76 gave up no sacks and had no penalties. What few running lanes came from the left side. And he's only 17 and 3 months! Did you see Surace and the PU coaching staff shaking his hand after the game?

Anonymous said...

Pace is a cornerstone LT. He is only gonna get better. He is already the best offensive lineman on the team. The more people criticize him, the more his status will grow. And for the guy talking about his arms, that's why you want tackles with long arms! #76 rides the defender away from the QB with those long arms. I hate people that post and don't know jock straps from gym shorts.

Anonymous said...

As a parent of a Wilson recruit, I am getting pretty sick and damn tired of hearing how this team will look good in 2 years. Like one of the anonymous posters wrote, a good coach will coach the guys he has . He will adjust as well as his staff. I also don't want to hear about investing in his future and playing the young guys now. What are the juniors and seniors , chopped liver. It's like some of you are sayings" screw "the upperclassmen! We will be lousy for the next 2 seasons ( forgetting how much these kids have invested), till We can get some really great recruits. Continue thinking like that and not work with who you have presently, would be very unfortunate.

oldlion said...

To the parent of a Wilson recruit: you should ignore those posts which suggest that the upperclassmen should be tossed aside. A coach has the responsibility to put the best guys on the field, irrespective of their tenure. Hang in there.

Anonymous said...

Ignore the ignorant who post on this site. There purpose in life is to upset you because they couldn't play the game.

Mitch S.'68CC said...

It's really amazing to read people's jubilation about the opposing coach shaking a CU player's had after that coach's team just kicked the shit out of us, as has happened for the third straight week! Yeah, I'd shake his hand too: "Nice game, kid. Hang in there. Yuk yuk." This game was as big a blowout as there can possibly be. They could easily have scored a hundred points. But let's hang in there!

Anonymous said...

Most of the upperclassmen have already been tossed aside. There are more than a few who could help the team here and now. Also, Nelligan was and is the most talented WR on the team, by a significant margin. He was very effective in the slot. He was moved outside this year and is hardly a factor. That is bad coaching.

Anonymous said...

To the wilson kids, you are all fine. This is now just about the coach.
620 yeards to 136 and negative 6 rushing and princeton only had the ball for 12-14 minutes more than us. We were 2 for 14 on 3 rd down.
Stopp hiding, this coach is the worst and system no system, second year fist year. I couldn't care less. This is a disgrace. His defense has let up more points in 3 weeks than schools do in a year maybe 2 years.
His offense looks worse than a pop warner team.
He has to go. I would give a coach time if he had a good game plan and was working on building something. The only thing being built here are the scores we let up.
All you people saying he is a visionary, great coach....how can you say that with a straight face. He has taken us back decades.
I feel for the players and feel their pain, but jesus snap out of it administration and come to your senses. This isn't working.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous above who states Coach M's recruits are more athletically talented then the current juniors and seniors, how the hell do you know this unless you are a coach or the trainer. The only way you could possibly make such an idiotic statement is if you were on the field with them everyday.pretty sure you are not!!

Anonymous said...

And to add to the above, if they are so much more athletic, why do we look so less athletic?
This isn't wilson vs. Mangurian as far as the kids go. They are trying, the coaches should get the players in a position to succeed and that certainly isn't happening.
Parents- I feel bad for you and your kids because I am sure you didn't sign up for this.
To Mangurian, do the honorable thing and fall on your sword and resign. Rambo this is raven, it is over johnny!

Anonymous said...

When I played at CU we didn't win a ton, but we were competitive. We could have won more than we did, but the ball just didn't roll our way. The coaches usually had us in a position to be competitive.
Whatever is being played now is not hard nosed football where there appears to be a solid gameplan. No team in the ivy league is this much better on a talent level than Columbia. I will never, ever, believe that. This is discouraging and embarrassing for the players, fans, alums, families, and university.

Des Werthman
All ivy
All-american
Cu hall of fame


Des

Anonymous said...

Since when do we target individuals that play on a TEAM sport? And then disrespect them? I'm appalled at the low life "anonymous" that continues to bad talk #76. He's on his way to great.

Anonymous said...

ESPN just took a poll of all IVY League coaches... In a vote of 7-0, they all voted that Dianne should re-sign Pete and extend his contract.

Agreed, that performance was pathetic!

Anonymous said...

To Mr. Werthman, what do you suggest to remedy this ? This is very embarrassing and I know very discouraging for the players. I am not so sure it's embarrassing for the University though, if it were dont you think there would be some changes? And I don't just mean coaching changes.

Anonymous said...

Well, if you are suggesting the university doesn't care then why make the effort to field a team? And yes, it has crossed my mind that this may be the path it is going down

Anonymous said...

Ivy League charter mandates fielding a football team.

Anonymous said...

You can't promise anything other than your an obnoxious know-it-all with a big mouth.

Anonymous said...

All I ask is that we are competitive. The last few coaches at CU (NW and Shoop) struggled in their second year with 1-9 records. They were competitive but just did not win. We kept Princeton to 7 points in the first quarter but only had 1 first down ourselves. That is all we ask for is that the team have a solid game plan and play hard nose football.

Anonymous said...

Des, I hope for all of us that you are coneveying your thoughts to the powers-that-be...your post here would do just fine. If they don't listen they have no one to blame but themselves. There are no more excuses...although the defense looked decent for the first several minutes, once it became clear that the offense wasn't going anywhere, they pretty much abandoned ship. If they were still trying, it sure didn't look that way much of the time. Princeton has some things that we are sadly lacking, namely, imagination, spirit, and intelligence. Our OC makes Vinnie Marino look like a genious, and Mangurian does nothing about it. Will we ever find another Lou Little or Buff Donelli? Hard to say, but if we're going to continue to field a team, we have to keep trying. The answer has to be out there somewhere.

Anonymous said...

I will make my thoughts known, but that isn't going to sway anybody. It needs to come from a large base. I know everybody on this blog is enthralled by all the posts, but it is a forum and a pretty powerful one that should be listened to. Regardless of the comments, I wish I had known there was this much support for the team when I was playing and I imagine other former players would say the same thing.
Des

Anonymous said...

Des, we didn't have Jake when you were playing, nor the sickening ineptitude we have now. Although I don't think anyone has mentioned it, the decision early on to kick a field goal from their 49 instead of going for the 7 yards needed for a first down was typical of the mental blunders by this staff. The result? A blocked kick, of course and their ball in our territory. It was downhill from there.

Al's Wingman said...

I have believe Bill Campbell would be the voice people listened to. He was as unsuccessful a coach as CU has had and he is the largest donor CU football has ever had. His clout has to speak. My impressions are that he is simply not that invested in the success of the program despite hefty donations. If my impressions are accurate I find that a very strange position for him to take. I would think he would be the first guy to shake things up and make sure his money gave the program a blueprint it is sorely lacking, not just a building.

Anonymous said...

If the kick had worked we would have gotten the confidence that we needed. I assume that the kicker has the range for a 49 yard kick or the coaches wouldn't have tried it. Anyhow thanks to Princeton penalties on the next drive the gamble did not harm us. What killed us was the offensive ineptitude and inability to get first downs.

Anonymous said...

What confidence? I don't think these kids have been confident since their camp. That super coaching again

Anonymous said...

to the person who posted: "To Anonymous above who states Coach M's recruits are more athletically talented then the current juniors and seniors, how the hell do you know this unless you are a coach or the trainer. The only way you could possibly make such an idiotic statement is if you were on the field with them everyday.pretty sure you are not!!"

Well, experienced coaches are on the field with them every day!! If the upperclassmen were better athletes, they would be playing, duh!! The good juniors and seniors ARE playing!! If you are arguing that the coaches aren't playing the best athletes, how the hell would you know? I repeat, duh.

Anonymous said...

Fire Mang man NOW. This obnoxious person needs to go
How is this clown going to recruit going forward. If the ridiculous 6am practices don't turn off potential recruits his "great personality" and outstanding track record surely will.

InwoodTiger said...

All of the highlights from the game can be found here for public viewing (no ESPN login required):

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/video?gameId=332780163

Wow did Epperly throw some crazy stuff, but it somehow all landed.

Al's Wingman said...

We can all sing kumbaya and have a group hug now.

Anonymous said...

Inwood Tiger, it would have been good of you to say "all the Princeton highlights," as some of us may have searched in vain for the one Lion moment of glory.

oldlion said...

Was Mangurian interviewed after the game? If so, what did he say? What, if anything, can be done for the next Sven weeks, because having seen three games I am at a loss. The only bright spots were our punter and our special teams play, other than the blocked field goal.

Anonymous said...

Think about it... One of two lone bright spots was our punter. Our punter for goodness sakes! Garrett ran hard, but in to what? an O-line that gave up negative rushing yards???!! Seriously??? And the silver lining is what? That some Freshmen and sophomores (who should be playing JV) gained valuable experience? Didn't that experiment fail last year?

I fear that Princeton's Sprint Football Team could have beaten us!

Like Jake said! there is no "w" in "system".

Anonymous said...

Simply put, these kids were not prepared! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that every team will be running the no-huddle offense against us until we can stop it. And when I mean stop it, I don't mean at the end of a quarter or at half time!

Thank goodness Pete doesn't need a JV team and that ALL of the other Ivies are WASTING their time with it. Keep showing them how great your system is Pete!

Honestly, Harvard, Yale, and Brown's second teams could beat us. Not only is that sad, but Yale was behind us for the past two years. Somehow their "system" is working???

Anonymous said...

Who to blame? Hmmmmm????

Dianne for one for selecting this moron!

The Nathan's Hot Dog Committee for endorsing this selection (please keep Kevin Ward, Ted Gregory, and the rest of these "experts" off the selection Committee)

Bill Campbell - you are 0-4 for Head Coaches and Apple would have fired you by now if you led like this

All of the alums who contribute to this disaster. They will only hear your voice if you STOP right now and do not contribute another dollar to this program! Just hold your money until the new coach comes in and then invest.

90% of alums from the 80s and 90s want Tom Gilmore! How can we all be wrong and the Hot dog Committee continues to pick LOSERS! he's coached in the league, was named national assistant Coach of the Year, and
he is the current HC at Holy cross (who had defeated Harvard on several occasions). This math is simple, yet Dianne chooses "cronyism" over what would be right for this program!.

Anonymous said...

What was the rationale for getting rid of the JV program?

Post-game interview/comments from Pete?

Anonymous said...

We are now 1-2 right? I mean any time we hold a team under 50 is a win, right?

We've only been out scored 142-28. That's positive, right Dianne?

Anonymous said...

If you are an opposing coach, and you are about to play Columbia, you do the following:

1.) Run the no huddle offense because after three weeks we still can't defend it.

2.) blitz, blitz, blitz!!! Our young, inexperienced, underdeveloped , an weak (although lean), offensive line is horrible!

3.) Send Dianne, Bill Campbell, Ray Tellier, Kevin Ward, Ted Gregory, and the rest of the hot dog committee a "thank you" note for selecting Pete. Bravo!!!

Anonymous said...

To the "Duh" poster above, your lack of insight into college football in general and This CU program are astounding. We have vetted this issue ion this blog previously. In an ideal world, the coaches will give equal opportunities to all players during preseason and practice and will be objective and accurate in assessing which kids are best suited to perform successfully in their system. Reality is quite different. The handful of studs are usually out there. Other factors enter into decision making. Players perceived attitudes, who recruited them and what was promised, academics etc. On any team, there are kids on the bench who should be on the field, and kids on the field who have no business being there. The reasons are varied but a large component is "coach is sending a message". The problem comes when coaches messages are louder than putting the most competitive team on the field, when large portions of the team become disenfranchised , the X's and O's aren't there, and the blame for the poor outcomes get deflected solely back to the players. The psychology of building a team is critical. This team is in a deep depression . The coaches are responsible for it.

WOF said...

Bunch of comments:

I met Mangurian once. His personality is odd and he did not seem terribly interested in meeting me. Many coaches, Norries included, treat former players like family, and it did not seem Mangurian cared about that. So I can believe the others that complain about his personality.

McElreavy had little regard for us Seniors and treated us all like dirt. Even though he was a total fraud, he could at least put on the charm with the right people when he needed to. He sounds like a worse version of McElreavy and I don't wish that on anyone....

I still want to believe in him but it is pretty tough to continue believing in Mangurian after another embarrassing blowout loss to another Ivy school in as many years. I could understand Fordham but what the hell happened yesterday?

I had heard from a source I am pretty sure had good inside information that this hire was the AD's decision. She went out on a limb for this hire and it sure looks bad now.

And are we certain that Coach Campbell was really completely behind hiring him or did he give the AD his input and let her do her job? I am pretty certain coach Campbell is dying for a successful program as much as any of us but I believe he is the only person on the entire Board or part of the Admin that gives a damn.

Does anyone think Gilmore would even consider coming here after two bad interview experiences with us?

I am almost 50, I am tired of buying into the hype of each new coach and then dealing with such disappointment. Isn't it obvious that the real problem is at the very top of the pyramid? The President of our school does not care about football, he thinks it makes us look more academic.

I always thought I would see us win at least one Ivy championship in my lifetime but I don't have that hope anymore. Columbia does not care



Anonymous said...

Columbia football has been bad for decades and now everyone wants blood in a coaches second year. Can you be that stupid you supposed fan base? Get a grip and get a life!

Anonymous said...

People need to lay off Campbell for this hire. This was all Murphy and Kraft. The committee was nothing but window dressing for what those two were actually planning to do, which was hire someone with Cornell or Patriots ties, and lo and behold, there was someone who has both. Score!

Anonymous said...

You are totally wrong, this was not kraft! Kraft wanted to continue the search, this was all Murphy!

Anonymous said...

You guys are way off bases (again)! Kraft had a member of the Patriots staff in line for the job, and ex-BC linebacker who is a Pats Assistant coach. In fact, he was upset that his guy didn't get this job. This is a fact, not the fiction you guys keep spewing...

Anonymous said...

Is Pete a bad coach? No, he's horrible! So what can we do besides about the situation besides complain?


1.) We can write Bollinger (bollinger@columbia.edu) and express our grave concern

2.) we can written Dianne (see CU web site for her e-mail address) and say the same thing.

3.) And probably the most effective... Hold off on all donations. Whatever you planned on contributing, just hold for the next coach. This guy simpler doesn't get it!

Anonymous said...

Jake where are you? Are you still seething after the loss or trying to come upwith some ideas?l

Anonymous said...

Or do 1-2and 3!

what is the football committee's address?
NathansHDC@columbia.edu?

Anonymous said...

All of you have no idea what is going on.

Anonymous said...

Please don't leave us hanging Anonymous. Tell us , what is going on?

Anonymous said...

It's plain common sense to stop contributing money to a disaster. I can't justify one more penny despite AD Murphy's
form letters.
Something is ridiculously wrong. More than anything in his long-vanished blogs, Coach M talked about insuring that every player have the lowest possible fat content in his body. It seems that anorexics linemen have not worked out too well. Those fat NFL linemen seem to do OK. Too bad since that seems to be the totality of his strategy, Some here claim he wants to use frosh and sophs as much as possible. That would be akin to treason. You use the players most likely to produce a victory, regardless of their class year. I wondered why receivers Garner, Connors, Wanamaker, Gross and others have disappeared.
It's time for Bollinger and Murphy to explain why they are deliberately prolonging "the culture of losing" they promised to eradicate.

Anonymous said...

Bad hire. Cut our loses now. Forget the record. The team is regressing. He's making things worse not better. Coaching is common sense. This clown has none. Throw him to the curb as he has done to his own players. These are smart driven young men. The elimination of the JV, forcing players to sit in the stands at home games, 6am practices, setting height and weight limits for payers he recruits and plays....this is not the Dallas Cowboys. He wants back in the pros. If he were to win he would jump ship and drop the program without remorse. Blast this moron out NOW.

Anonymous said...

My only fear is if Coach M were to leave, the interim coach would be the OC. That would be disastrous!

Anonymous said...

What could be more disastrous than our first three games?

oldlion said...

Unless Murphy goes we will continue to make the same hiring mistakes. And she will not go unless Campbell and Kraft tell Bollinger to dump her

Anonymous said...

Guys-
As much as I'd like to think differently, Murphy is going to give Mangurian a pass this season due to the injuries....and Mangurian knows it. He can give a rip what any of us have to say. The only way to have an impact is to immediately STOP writing checks and make our feelings known. They want money to fund the football players club...screw that. This is all Murphy and Campbell. Hot dog committee is a joke and a farce. I've tried to get on that committee but was told no thank you...it's a Campbell boys club that is all window dressing. It's a serious joke.

In terms of Gilmore, know him very well and he is a friend. He never even got the sniff of an interview during the last selection process. I lobbied Murphy and the hot dog committee but it was a thanks but no thanks. No reason given. Mangurian was the only hire considered bc of Murphy's past dealing with him at Cornell. So, this hire is squarely on her shoulders.

So......here's looking at 0-10. We're not close to sniffing a win this yr.

What can we do? Stop donating and make your feelings known.

Former All-Ivy, All-American

Anonymous said...

That's funny, a coach or adminidstrator from Dianne's staff has the audacity to say that we "... have no idead what is going on." Oh, I see, going 0-3 and being outscored 142-28 is part pof Pete's Master Plan. No wonder he got fired by Tamps Bay and was not employed last year. How about you shed some light on exactly what IS going on?

Anonymous said...

I agree that the only way to make our feelings know is that we need to stop donating. If donations drop by 50% then maybe someone will think about doing something. Stopping my donation will not do anything but we need the big donors to not be happy. If Kraft is not happy (after all she ignored his candidate) then we may have a chance.

Anonymous said...

To the All-American poster above who tried to get on the footall committee, I would just remind you that Nathan's is now the corporate sponsor of those puppets, so please refer to them in the proper context "Nathan's Hot Dog Committee".

I agree with you, STOP donating and then they will listen. if by some miracle, we win 3-4 games next year under this clown, they may re-up him. Cut lose NOW and call Tom Gilmore! You won't hear another word from us.

Al's Wingman said...

On the west coast you have no idea how much I miss Nathan's. There is the supermarket version but I usually opt for Hebrew National instead.

In those ESPN highlights, the editor accidentally put in two clips of a Princeton sideline catch instead of the CU 70 yard pass TD. The salt in the wounds just seems to happen automatically regardless of forum.

HOWEVER, there is a great clip of a blocked CU FG attempt and the holder saves a TD with a nice tackle. Nice going #1!

Anonymous said...

http://qcforge.net/Page.aspx/83/Forgings_Best.htmlI was at the P game. Saw a kid play that I had seen play since Pewee ball.
Worst game that he ever played. Believe me, his physical talents have not deminished to the extent shown.
My assessment is that he and several other players looked like Zombies before, during and after the game.
I am convinced that the practice schedule is shorting these kids of needed sleep.
Red Sox hired a sleep expert to find out why their west coast performance
was not up to their norm,
Bottom line not getting enough sleep by flying out after night games on east coast. By sleeping that night and flying out the next day, they have been able to prove their W/L %.
Brain power at CU should be able to contribute some data to this observation.

oldlion said...

Doesn't Tony Reno also run early morning practices? As I recall three practices a week are run in the early morning.

Anonymous said...

Many schools practice early in the morning including Georgia State, Old Dominion (ODU), William & Mary and Georgetown.

Anonymous said...

Yeah. But do their student athletes have to get on a bus and travel 20 min to the practice field???? I'll answer that for you. NO

Anonymous said...

It's obvious that comments defending the 6am practices are being made by those who have no clue. This is college not boot camp. These athletes are not getting any money to play. Nada. They do it because they love they game. This moron of a coach has no clue. Does anyone really believe this clown will be able to recruit after this year?

Anonymous said...

Get up at 4:00/4:30 AM: get to bed at 9:00 PM. Teen aged boys working this hard need more sleep.
Not sure other programs get started by 5:30 AM.

InwoodTiger said...

You can watch the complete replay on ESPN3.com. While the Columbia TD was impressive, the fact that the covering Princeton player ran into the umpire, thereby allowing the TD to happen, makes it less of a highlight.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you need a coach who does not think he is to good for the place. Pete and Shoop had the so called pedigree on paper but when it comes down to it the people skills of a corpse.

Figure it out, it's all about the fit. Belichick is a great coach but no the correct fit at CU.

Anonymous said...

After reading all of these comments,its sounds like you need exactly the coach you have. A person who is trying to change things that clearly need to be changed. Who needs enemies when we have fans such as you?