St. Francis Red Flash (0-2) vs. Columbia Lions (0-0)
September 17, 2016
Location: Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium/Baker Athletics Complex
Kickoff Time: 1:00
Game Time Weather Forecast: 76 degrees and partly cloudy
The Spread: St. Francis is favored by 3 points
TV/RADIO
The game can be seen and heard live on the Ivy League Digital Network with superior play-by-play and commentary from Jerry Recco and Sal Licata.
Columbia Game Notes
St. Francis Game Notes (will appear soon on this link)
Leading Story Lines
1) The Red Flash are 0-2, but look formidable after two straight near losses to FCS powerhouses Montana and Towson on the road. That, plus their two weeks of actual game experience versus no real tests for this 2016 Lions team give St. Francis some keen advantages.
2) Columbia unveils a new up-temp offense with no huddles and a myriad of new weapons. The last time the Lions went with an up-tempo attack, it was 2002 and it was to cover up for a lack of offensive options after the graduation of all-time rusher Johnathan Reese. This time, the opposite seems to be true with talented veterans at QB and all along the offensive line, plus several promising new receivers.
3) The key matchup in the game should be between the very strong and talented St. Francis offensive line and Columbia's untested defensive line featuring three new starters. The Lions need to show up with a D-line that can challenge anyone.
Players to Watch
-Columbia WR Josh Wainwright is a freshman phenom the likes of which we haven't since in Lion land in years. Now's the time to show he's earned wearing Odell Beckham's #13.
-St. Francis CB/KR Lorenzo Jerome is a lethal threat whenever he has the ball or is ever near it. You can't kick to him, period. And when you're on offense, you need to be ready for him to take the ball away.
-Columbia QB Skyler Mornhinweg did a solid job last year despite the late arrival on campus and the massive adjustment to the Ivy League from the University of Florida. Now with the added prep time and the team's confidence behind him, will he emerge as a top player in the league?
-St. Francis RB Marcus Bagley has looked pretty good in his first two games against big defenses. He could have breakout game vs. the Lions if his offensive line is indeed dominant.
If, Then...
-If Columbia's new fast offense operates without major mistakes and a bevvy of penalties in week one, then it will be a good sign that this team and coaching staff are really in fabulous sync.
-If Columbia's defensive line looks effective against the Red Flash big boys up front, then it means the Lions can play with anyone.
-If Lorenzo Jerome disrupts the game at every turn, then it means Columbia did not prepare or execute well enough based on days worth of data to work with.
-If more than five of the 10 Columbia freshmen listed on the two-deep get significant playing time and make an impact, then we'll immediately know all the hype about this recruiting class was for real.
5 comments:
Does Wainwright's game resemble that of Austin Knowlin, the last real threat that we had to score any time that he touched the ball. They both seem to be around the same size, with similar speed and skill sets.
Yes, excellent analogy to AK
Josh Wainwright may become a phenom but one reception for two yards didn't do it today. You gain more by taking a handoff and falling down.
Also, St. Francis, stymied by our defense, apparently borrowed our new quick-tempo offense since we weren't using it and scored a 72-yard pass TD to grab this game.
Don't want to get depressed already since this is just the first game. But I hope all our improved recruiting, coaching, training etc. is going to pay off, and as Maria sang in West Side Story: "We'll find a new way of winning, instead of listening to all this damned spinning, Someplace, Sometime, Somewhere!!!"
Trying to sort out my reaction to a game that we played them well enough, but we could not close....
We could not close on first and goal from 5 after a beautiful run (fumbled handoff)..
We could not close when we had them stopped inside their 10 (offsides)
We close either of those and we win against a very good and big team
I guess i am 70 pct frustrated and 30 pct encouraged.
Hope Hill is ok?
I cannot recall the last time this board was so quiet after the first game. It was not the result we wanted, but the defense played hard and perhaps St. Francis is a little underrated. the offense is certainly a work in progress, but just the first game. we have some skill at receiver. our O line almost got 2 QB's killed so that needs some real work. if we cant protect the blind side it is going to be a long season.
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