Stat Sheet

It was only four years ago this month that after the Lions went from 3-7 in 2012 to 0-10 in 2013, the previous coaching regime told us there was "empirical evidence" that the team was actually improving.

Of course, that was patently false.

Under Head Coach Al Bagnoli we've already seen massive evidence based on real statistics that showed strong improvement in both his first and second seasons.

But the list of 2017 improvements and the percentage degree of improvement in category after category compared to 2016 really takes the cake.

Let's look at the numbers:


-Wins went from 3 to 8, a 166% improvement

-Touchdowns scored rose to 31 from 21, a 47.6% improvement

-Points allowed fell to 175 from 247, a 29.1% improvement/reduction

-Touchdowns allowed fell to 23 from 32, a 28.1% improvement/reduction

-3rd down conversion rate rose to 43% from 34%, a 26.4% improvement

-Total penalty yardage fell to 577 yards from 772 yards, a 25.2% improvement/reduction

-Scoring rose to 239 points from 185 points, a 23.7% improvement

-Passing yardage rose to 2,408 from 2,014, a 19.5% improvement

-Total penalties fell to 60 from 73, an 18.5% improvement/reduction

-Rushing yards allowed fell to 1,270 from 1,559, an 18.5% improvement/reduction

-Average time of possession rose to 33:31 per game from 29:18, a 14.3% improvement

-1st downs rose to 200 from 177, a 12.9% improvement

-4th down conversions allowed fell to 56% from 64%, a 12.5% improvement/reduction

-Total offense rose to 3,593 yards from 3,265 yards, a 10.0% improvement

-Total defense/yards allowed fell to 3,290 from 3,591, an 8.3% improvement/reduction

-1st downs allowed fell to 169 from 178, a 5.0% improvement/reduction

-Passing yardage allowed fell to 2,020 from 2,032, a 0.5% improvement/reduction


There were just three areas where there was some regression:

-Sacks fell to 15 from 17, an 11.7% reduction

-Sacks allowed rose from 36 to 38, a 5.5% increase

-Rushing yards fell to 1,185 from 1,251, a 5.2% decrease

The overall improvements listed above are simply outstanding. The only really rough stats came in the sacks for and against categories. The 5% reduction in rushing offense was acceptable with the graduation of Alan Watson and the wise decision to use indispensable QB Anders Hill less as a runner this year.

Just for fun, let's look at the statistical percentage improvements compared to the nadir of the program in 2013:

-Wins went from 0 to 8, a statistically impossible improvement to show in percentages

-Touchdowns scored went from 9 to 31, a 244% improvement

-Scoring rose from 73 to 239 points, a 227% improvement

-3rd down conversions went from 17% to 43%, a 152% improvement

-Rushing yardage went from 519 to 1,185 yards, a 128% improvement

-Total offense went from 2,043 to 3,593 yards, a 75.8% improvement

-Passing offense went from 1,524 to 2,408 yards, a 58.0% improvement

-Points allowed went from 402 to 175, a 56.4% improvement/reduction

-Touchdowns allowed went from 52 to 23, a 55.7% improvement/reduction

-Rushing yards allowed went from 2,429 to 1,270, a 47.7% improvement/reduction

-Average time of possession went from 24:44 to 33:31, a 39.2% improvement

-Total defense went from 5,141 yards allowed to 3,290, a 36.0% improvement/reduction

-Passing yards against went from 2,712 to 2,020, a 25.5% improvement/reduction

Now THAT's empirical evidence!

All Ivy Thoughts

2017 ALL-IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL SELECTIONS

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

*Zane Dudek, Yale (Fr., RB – Kittanning, Pa.)

COACH OF THE YEAR

Al Bagnoli, Columbia

FIRST-TEAM ALL-IVY

Offense

Jon Bezney, Yale (Sr., OL – Cincinnati)

Matt Kaskey, Dartmouth (Jr., OL – Winnetka, Ill.)

Nathan Kirchmier, Penn (Sr., OL – Pembroke Pines, Fla.)

Karl Marback, Yale (Sr., OL – Birmingham, Mich.)

Mitchell Sweigart, Princeton (Sr., OL – Washington Boro, Pa.)

*Chad Kanoff, Princeton (Sr., QB – Pacific Palisades, Calif.)

*Zane Dudek, Yale (Fr., RB – Kittanning, Pa.)

Charlie Booker III, Harvard (Jr., RB – Houston)

*Jesper Horsted, Princeton (Jr., WR – Shoreview, Minn.)

Josh Wainwright, Columbia (So., WR – Austin, Texas)

*Justin Watson, Penn (Sr., WR – Bridgeville, Pa.)

Jaeden Graham, Yale (Sr., TE – Aurora, Colo.)

Defense

John Herubin, Yale (Sr., DL – Coppell, Texas)

Lord Hyeamang, Columbia (Sr., DL – Lakeville, Minn.)

*Richard Jarvis, Brown (Sr., DE – Watertown, Mass.)

Louis Vecchio, Penn (Sr., DE – Orange, Calif.)

Tom Johnson, Princeton (Jr., LB – Moorestown, N.J.)

Nick Miller, Penn (Jr., LB – New Market, Md.)

*Matthew Oplinger, Yale (Sr., LB – Summit, N.J.)

*Jack Traynor, Dartmouth (Sr., LB – Lake Forest, Ill.)

Hayden Carlson, Yale (Sr., DB – Glen Ellyn, Ill.)

*Nick Gesualdi, Cornell (Sr., S – Sykesville, Md.)

Cameron Roane, Columbia (Sr., DB – Durham, N.C.)

Spencer Rymiszewski, Yale (Sr., DB – West Chester, Pa.)

Special Teams

Jack Soslow, Penn (Jr., K – Bryn Mawr, Pa.)

Parker Thome, Columbia (Sr., P – Hortonville, Wis.)

*Justice Shelton-Mosley, Harvard (Jr., WR/RS – Sacramento, Calif.)

SECOND-TEAM ALL-IVY^

Offense

Eric Ramirez, Princeton (Sr., OL – York, Pa.)

Patrick Kilcommons, Dartmouth (Jr., OL – Berwyn, Ill.)

J. Edward Keating, Cornell (Jr., OL – Birmingham, Mich.)

Anders Huizenga, Yale (Sr., OL – Trophy Club, Texas)

Christian Montano, Brown (Sr., OL – Orange, Conn.)

Clay Eubank, Brown (Sr., OL – Coto De Caza, Calif.)

Bewley Wales, Columbia (Sr., OL – Tulsa, Okla.)

Tommy Dennis, Penn (Jr., OT – East Setauket, N.Y.)

Reily Radosevich, Princeton (So., OL – Manalapan, N.J.)

Sterling Strother, Yale (So., OL – Moraga, Calif.)

Anders Hill, Columbia (Sr., QB – Boulder, Colo.)

Tre Solomon, Penn (Sr., RB – Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Charlie Volker, Princeton (Jr., RB – Fair Haven, N.J.)

Stephen Carlson, Princeton (Jr., WR – Jamestown, N.Y.)

Hunter Hagdorn, Dartmouth (So., WR – Manvel, Texas)

Chris Williams-Lopez, Yale (Sr., WR – Duluth, Ga.)

Nick Bokun, Penn (Sr., TE – Hobart, Ind.)

Defense

Charles Callender, Yale (So., DE – Cutler Bay, Fla.)

Stone Hart, Harvard (Sr., DT – Olympia, Wash.)

Kyle Mullen, Yale (Jr., DE – Manalapan, N.J.)

Nick Tomkins, Dartmouth (Sr., DL – Matawan, N.J.)

Kurt Frimel, Cornell (Sr., LB – Cream Ridge, N.J.)

Luke Hutton, Harvard (Sr., LB – Austin, Texas)

Eric Meile, Dartmouth (Sr., LB – Ramsey, N.J.)

Foyesade Oluokun, Yale (Sr., LB – St. Louis)

Landon Baty, Columbia (Sr., DB – Mountain View, Calif.)

Tanner Lee, Harvard (Sr., S – Spanish Fort, Ala.)

Danny McManus, Dartmouth (Sr., DB – Mendota Heights, Minn.)

Sam Philippi, Penn (Jr., DB – Trabuco Canyon, Calif.)

Isiah Swann, Dartmouth (So., DB – Queen Creek, Ariz.)

Special Teams

Nickolas Null, Cornell (So., K – Bradenton, Fla.)

Alex Galland, Yale (Jr., P – Bakersfield, Calif.)

Tiger Bech, Princeton (So., WR/RS – Lafayette, La.)

HONORABLE MENTION

Offense

Jack Anderson, Dartmouth (Sr., OL – Palo Alto, Calif.)

Greg Begnoche, Penn (So., OT – Delray Beach, Fla.)

Dieter Eiselen, Yale (So., OL – Stellenbosch, South Africa)

Markham Paukune, Columbia (Sr., OL – Fort Worth, Texas)

Jack Heneghan, Dartmouth (Sr., QB – Atherton, Calif.)

Kurt Rawlings, Yale (So., QB – Bel Air, Md.)

Karekin Brooks, Penn (So., RB – Marietta, Ga.)

Deshawn Salter, Yale (Sr., RB – Syracuse, N.Y.)

Ryder Stone, Dartmouth (Sr., RB – Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Jakob Prall, Brown (So., WR – Tipp City, Ohio)

Justice Shelton-Mosley, Harvard (Jr., WR/RS – Sacramento, Calif.)

Ronald Smith II, Columbia (So., WR – St. Louis)

Graham Adaomitis, Princeton (Jr., TE – Ross Township, Pa.)

Stephen Johnston, Dartmouth (Sr., TE – Potomac, Md.)

Defense

Rocco Di Leo, Dartmouth (Sr., DL – Elmhurst, Ill.)

Kurt Holuba, Princeton (Sr., DL – Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.)

Dominic Perkovic, Columbia (Sr., DL – Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)

Charlie Pontarelli, Dartmouth (Sr., DL – Glenview, Ill.)

Richie Ryan, Harvard (Jr., DT – Pittsburgh)

Jay Cammon, Jr., Penn (Jr., LB – Landover, Md.)

Colton Moskal, Penn (Sr., LB – Lake Zurich, Ill.)

Michael Murphy, Columbia (So., LB – Tampa, Fla.)

Colin Boit, Dartmouth (Jr., DB – Sammamish, Wash.)

Connor Coughlin, Brown (Sr., FS – Medford, N.Y.)

Malcolm Dixon, Yale (So., DB – Gardena, Calif.)

Jason Alessi, Yale (Sr., DB – Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)

David Jones, Cornell (So., DB – Sugar Land, Texas)

C.J. Wall, Princeton (Fr., DB – Plano, Texas)

DJ Woullard, Cornell (JR., DB – Fullerton, Calif.)

Special Teams

David Smith, Dartmouth (Sr., K – Montreal)

Hunter Kelley, Penn (Sr., P – Huntington Beach, Calif.)

Nickolas Null, Cornell (So., P – Bradenton, Fla.)

Will Allen, Columbia (Fr., DB – Pembroke Pines, Fla.)

*-unanimous decision

^-second team expanded due to ties in the voting

I'm happy with just about all of the results above, with the exception of Bewley Wales being put on the 2nd Team... but that is still a great honor.

I'm really happy QB Anders Hill made the 2nd Team as opposed to Honorable Mention. And I can now confirm he is getting interest from NFL scouting agents. 

And the future does indeed seem bright. Because two of the senior All Ivy awardees are planning to return for 5th years, (I cannot report which two as of now, but it's not QB Hill or DB Cameron Roane), Columbia can expect to have six returning All Ivy players on the roster to start next season, which is probably a record for us. 

The most important "All Ivy" returnee is of course 2017 Ivy League Coach of the Year Al Bagnoli. We expected him to get this award, but it's still a big deal. 

Two New Lions

John Foreback

The good news about the beginning of our 300-day off season is that it's also the beginning of the high season for recruiting commitments that runs until mid-January or so.

This could be an extra exciting time for CU fans as we hope to see some added recruiting benefits from this past season's success and all the national attention the team earned.

Two players more players have committed to Columbia just since the Lions season finale against Brown. And they are both QB's, at least for now.

The first is 6-3, 203 pound Ty Lenhart from Maryland high school powerhouse DeMatha. He will be the third DeMatha grad to come to Columbia Football and the first since Alex Myers '03.

The second is 6-1, 215 pound John Foreback from Morristown-Hamblen West High School in Morristown, Tennessee. Foreback will be the first grad from his high school to come to Columbia.

Ty Lenhart


That brings our list on reported commits for 2018 to 14:

1) Inho Choi DB 6-1 175 lbs. Holy Names HS Windsor, Ontario/Deerfield Academy

2) Michael Fluegel RB/CB 6-1 180 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI

3) John Foreback QB 6-1 215 lbs. Morristown-Hamblen West HS Morristown, TN

4) Devin Hart LB 6-1 212 lbs. McEachem HS Powder Springs, GA 

5) Ty Lenhart QB 6-3 203 lbs. DeMatha HS, Hyattsville, MD

6) Drake Morey DL 6-5 250 lbs. Ashland HS Ashland, OR

7) Chris Park WR 5-11 175 lbs. Junipero Serra HS San Mateo, CA

8) Keaton Prevette LS 6-0, 225 lbs. Charlotte Country Day Charlotte, NC

9) Brandon Radice TE 6-4, 205 lbs. Ridge HS Basking Ridge, NJ

10) Mikey Roussos WR 6-1 180 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL 

11) Joshua Smythe-Macaulay LB 6-3 193 lbs. Bowie HS, Austin, TX

12) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

13) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

14) Ryan Young RB 5-10 200 lbs. Wheaton Warrenville South HS Wheaton, IL 

Reward these Men!

Anders Hill


Here are the Lions who deserve All Ivy recognition:

CB Cameron Roane

Roane not only deserves 1st Team All Ivy honors, but he should be a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. He basically took half the field away from Columbia's opponents. Every coach in the league knows it.

QB Anders Hill

Princeton's Chad Kanoff probably has the 1st Team All Ivy honors locked up. But before everyone just gives Yale's Kurt Rawlings the 2nd Team nod, remember that Hill's improvement this year was the biggest reason for Columbia's big turnaround. He also was the only QB in the Ivies to truly employ the deep pass as a regular weapon. Usually, long passers get picked off a lot more. But Hill only had 10 INTs. And he also took a massive pounding with 38 sacks on the year often because he needed that extra time to throw deep. He deserves the 2nd Team honors and Rawlings, who had the best Ivy running back and overall running game behind him, should get Honorable Mention.

LT Bewley Wales

Wales made sure that just about all of those 38 sacks didn't come from Hill's blind side. This is a guy who started all 40 games on the O-line for his four year career. He deserves 1st Team honors.

DB Landon Baty

Baty was all over the field against the run and pass. He was in on so many key plays and tackles, it's really hard to count. He deserves 1st Team All Ivy.

WR Josh Wainwright

The Ivy League had three incredible wide receivers this season in Wainwright, Penn's Justin Watson and Princeton's Jesper Horstead. All three should get 1st Team honors.

P Parker Thome

He was the best punter in the Ivies this season, hands down. Deserves 1st Team All Ivy.

WR Ronald Smith

Smith really missed half the season with a broken jaw he suffered in the Penn game. But his contributions stood out in a big way during that first half of the year. He easily deserves 2nd Team honors.

DT Lord Hyeamang

Double teams reduced his stats, but Hyeamang deserves 1st or 2nd Team All Ivy recognition for the overall impact he had on the team.

LB Michael Murphy

In his first year as a starter, Murphy was a big impact player. Even after missing the last two-plus games with an injury, Murphy still finished in the top four on the team in tackles. 1st or 2nd Team All Ivy honors should be his.

LB Sean White

White wasn't even supposed to start this season, but a career-ending injury to Matt Tofano in training camp forced the junior into the role. He responded with stellar play against the run and pass in game after game. He should get 2nd Team All Ivy at least.

DB Ryan Gilbert

Columbia's leading tackler saved a lot of potential TDs over the course of the season. Like White, he was not on a lot of our radars in the off season. He deserved 1st or at least 2nd Team All Ivy.

PK Oren Milstein

Took a bit of a step back from his pace as freshman 1st Teamer in 2016. But he was still a key cog in a number of key Lion wins, especially against Wagner and Cornell. I'd give him Honorable Mention All Ivy this season.

DE Connor Heeb

He was one of the unsung heroes of the defense this season, but he stuffed the run and blocked kicks all over the place. He deserves Honorable Mention All Ivy.

Head Coach Al Bagnoli

It shouldn't even be a question that Bagnoli is the Ivy Coach of the Year. He may be the national coach of the year. He's just been named one of the 18 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award.

Closing the Deal

Columbia 24 Brown 6

Why Columbia Won

The Lion defense and special teams played a dominant game and the offense was solid enough to cash in. 

Why Brown Lost

The Bears gained a decent amount of yards in the air and didn't play badly on defense, but they never really threatened at any time to take the lead. Brown finished with just 61 rushing yards and had three kicks blocked.

Key Turning Points

-With 8:46 left in the 1st quarter, a bad exchange on a handoff lef to Columbia fumble that Brown recovered at the CU 46. But the Lion defense stepped it up and forced a three-and-out and the best chance the Bears had to gain real momentum died right there. 

-After Brown punted following that three-and-out, Columbia took over at its own 13 with 7:47 in the quarter. The Lions then began a 13-play drive that ended with a Josh Bean push over the goal line for a one-yard TD and a 7-0 Columbia lead.

-Still leading 7-0 but struggling to gain consistency on offense, Columbia got a major boost with 4:04 left in the hald from the special teams when Tyler Holmes blocked Ryan Kopec's punt and Justin Woodley easily recovered it in the end zone for a TD. 

-With 52 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Brown threatened to make things interesting by scoring a TD on a 75-yard drive to put the score at 17-6. But the Lions answered again with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that featured a 22-yard run by QB Anders Hill on a 4th and one from the Brown 43. The score came on a six-yard TD pass from Hill to WR Josh Wainwright that gave the Lions a 24-6 lead and also gave Wainwright the single-season record for receiving yards in CU history.

Columbia Positives

-Every key aspect of the special teams was strong. Connor Heeb blocked a FG, Wilson blocked that punt and recovered it for a TD, and Alex Holme blocked an extra point. Parker Thome averaged 44 yards per punt with five of his seven landing inside the Brown 20. Four out five Columbia kickoffs were touchbacks. 

-The Lion defense had eight tackles for a loss and didn't allow any big home run ball-type plays. 

-With the Columbia offensive line suffering from injuries, the long passing game wasn't able to play the kind of role it did earlier in the season. As a result, the Lions developed a decent screen passing game that resulted in a couple of big gainers throughout the game. 

Columbia Negatives

-The Lion offense was not able to finish enough drives with scores.

-Hill was sacked six times. 

Columbia MVP

With 13 catches for 127 yards and a TD, Josh Wainwright helped bail out the Lions offense on a number of occasions Saturday. It's fitting he broke a 35-year old Columbia record in a game where he made the ultimate difference. 

A Date with History

Brown Bears (2-7) at Columbia Lions (7-2)

November 18, 2017

Kickoff Time: 1:00pm

Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium, Baker Athletics Complex

Game time weather forecast: 49 degrees and cloudy, with rising chances of showers beginning at 2pm

The Line: Columbia is favored by 17 points

TV/Radio: The game will broadcast live on SNY with Eamon McAnaney and Sal Licata getting the call. If you don't have SNY, you can follow the game for free on Columbia's audio feed with Jay Alter, Shawn Fitzgerald '80, and Ted Gregory calling the game.


Leading Storylines:

1) For the first time in 46 years, and only the third time in Ivy history, the Lions come into the season finale with a shot to win a share of the league championship. A win over Brown and a Harvard win at Yale would seal Columbia's first Ivy title since 1961. The words "once in a lifetime" have merit here.

2) Barring the title implications, Columbia comes into the game with a shot to go 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Ivies, the best the Lions have done in both columns since 1996 when they finished 8-2 and 5-2. In what's already been a remarkably positive season, a win over a weak Brown team feels essential to finish the year off right. 

Individually, sophomore WR Josh Wainwright has a good chance to break the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the season. That would be an all-time Columbia record. Senior QB Anders Hill just needs to maintain his 62% completion rate to clinch the all-time single season Columbia record in that category.

3) Brown is trying to avoid an embarrassing 0-7 Ivy record and hoping to find some shred to build on for 2018. Head Coach Phil Estes, long someone I've seen as a miracle worker at a program that got perhaps the weakest support in the league, may be coaching his final game for the Bears if they lose convincingly.

Week 10 Picks

I had a good week 9 with a 5-1 record straight up and also 5-1 against the spread. For the season, I'm now 39-17 straight up (.696) and 33-23 ATS (.589) 


Harvard +16 at Yale

I see Yale winning, but Harvard giving the Elis a big fight.


Penn -13 1/2 over Cornell

The Quakers are finishing strong.


Dartmouth +3 1/2 vs. Princeton

This may be the toughest game of the week to call, so I'm going to go for the split decision. I say Princeton wins, but Dartmouth covers.


Sacred Heart -6 vs.Wagner

It's been a rough year for the Seahawks. They will lose by a TD or more.


Georgetown +26 1/2 vs. Colgate

I can see the Hoyas just barely covering the spread here.


San Diego -33 vs. Marist

Marist is bad enough without the jet lag.

Super Seniors

The final game of the Columbia season and the special and deserved attention the program gives to the graduating seniors usually makes me sad.

That sadness is made up of a combination of the fact that we'll all have to wait 300 days for another Ivy football game and the fact that Columbia is losing another group of talented players who deserved to taste victory a lot more than they did during their careers. 

But this group of seniors is different. They've experience more highs than almost any group of players in Columbia history this season alone. And because they also really endured the depths of the program, their relative perspective is extremely positive. Plus, they get to leave Columbia with the knowledge that turnarounds are always possible for anything provided you have the right leadership.

Here are a few words about the seniors, whom I wish I could heap more praise on if I had the time and the information. If the Columbia program continues in this direction, too many of the following names may be forgotten by fans who will come to know the Lions from 2017 onward. 

But we will not forget.

Cameron Roane

 Not only did he become the best corner in the Ivies, he's probably the best corner in Columbia Football history. The stats don't show it because opponents just don't throw his way, but that's the point. A great talent and team leader. 

Landon Baty

An absolute spark plug who made a huge impact this season as a tackler and pass defender. His story is interesting because he has a personal family connection to the previous coaching regime, but he was still all in when Head Coach Al Bagnoli took over. His love of the game and Columbia is undeniable.

Marcus Briscoe

Talented receiver who proved his commitment to the program by switching to TE this past off season. Injuries abbreviated his time on the field.

Parker Thome

Saving his best for last, Thome has a strong case to be the 1st Team All Ivy punter this season. On an already patient group of Columbia seniors, he may have been the most patient of all. 

Dylan Weldon

Weldon is another player who proved his commitment to the program by switching positions from WR to DB. But his best moment came in 2015 when he caught a TD pass from Skyler Mornhinweg in 13-9 very close Lion loss to Dartmouth that would have been the upset of the century if Columbia could have pulled it off. 

Denzel Hill

Hill is a really special case since he is a 5th year senior who also changed positions to help the program. He turned out to be an outstanding DB who made an impact even though he was lost for the season after the Penn game. But this is a guy who endured not one, but TWO 0-10 seasons and has persevered to see his team go to 7-2 so far this year. What a story he has to tell for the rest of his life. 

Anders Hill

Anders was the man this program desperately needed to step up and deliver this season in order to have a shot at a winning season. He came through with more than flying colors. He's taken a tremendous pounding since taking over as the starter in week 3 last year, but he keeps getting back up. A win over Brown will give him an incredible 11-7 record as a starter and a .611 winning percentage. No other CU QB in the Ivy era comes close. 

Chris Schroer

Another guy who saved his best for last. Schroer's last two games, where he's run for 100+ yards in each, have been fantastic to watch. Going out this strong must feel like a dream to him right now. 

Tyler Holmes

Became a good contributor on special teams, which always seems to me to be amazing proof of commitment in a player who sticks with the program for four years. 

Parker Tobia

Became an important piece of the puzzle in the midst of all the linebacker injuries this season. The simple fact is that it's a good thing he stuck around.

Turner DeMuth

Another guy who was willing to bounce around at different positions to help the team. His brother Garrett DeMuth '15 played through the tough times and did see the turnaround Turner has as a player.

Ian Tyler

A very talented player who just never got a chance to show what he could do because of injuries. 

David Donovan

Had the hard luck of playing during an era of very talented defensive linemen for Columbia. But he stayed on the team and contributed. 

Clay Caruso

Gutty LB who got into some games and made a nice impact over the years. 

Charles Melka

Another guy who had to squeeze through a very talented corps of D-linemen during his playing era. But he and his brother Nick '15 were great contributors to the program.

Markham Paukune

Worked his way up to become a stater on the O-line at the end of the 2016 and started throughout this magical season for the Lions. 

Reid Stables

Stuck with the program through the losses and the lack of playing time. But what wouldn't most of us give to at least be in uniform and on the sidelines during this season? 

Bewley Wales

There's a lot to say about a four-year starter on the O-line. It's such a rare achievement at any level of college sports, but especially in the Ivy League where we don't see such game-ready blue chip recruits at that position. Wales has seen and done it all.

Michael McGrath

The biggest player on this team for years helped on the O-line on several occasions. 

Patrick Denny

Another player who stuck it out despite not getting playing time. Football programs can't exist without people willing to play this role. 

Benjamin Robbins

Made a big impact on the O-line and lots of playing time. 

Charlie Flores

Charlie is expected to come back for a 5th year, but just in case it's important to mention how much he has meant to the program already. He too started often as a freshman and fought through the tough years.

Bailey Popeck

Stuck with the program and did get a little playing time. His family has been a loyal positive to CU as his brother Ben '12 also played for the program. 

Zach Dansby

A good TE that I thought would get more playing time in the end. 

Dominic Perkovic

Perkovic has been a stalwart of the defensive line since his breakthrough game as a sophomore in the 2015 season opener against Fordham. He will be missed. 

Alexander Holme

Probably the most intimidating looking player on the CU defense for years, he made an immediate impact as a freshman and really blossomed over the last two seasons. 

Connor Heeb

Broke out with a strong performance in the 2016 spring game and has been a starter ever since. It was especially gratifying to see him score a safety in the Cornell game this past Saturday. 

Greg Washington

Tough player who stuck it out among his very talented fellow D-linemen.

Lord Hyeamang

Developed into one of the most feared D-linemen in the Ivies and a team captain. Made key plays in several wins, especially the 2016 victory at Wagner. NFL scouts have shown a real interest as well. 

Noah Zgrablich

Did a solid job as the kickoff specialist and persevered as a freshman starting placekicker during a rough 2014 season. 

Collin Breckenridge

Big DT who stuck it out in that crowded group of talented D-linemen.  

Liam Talty

Another survivor who stuck with the program. 

Ivy Power Rankings

1) Yale

It's Yale's championship to lose right now. Coming back against Princeton was impressive. And Harvard looks weaker than at any time in years.


2) Columbia

The Lions defense is playing its best football of the season while the offense finds a running game.


3) Dartmouth

Hard to learn much after beating Brown.


4) Princeton 

This is still the best offense in the Ivies, proving that defense really does win championships.


5) Penn

The Quakers are quietly making a nice bit of lemonade of the lemon that was their early season.


6) Harvard

The Crimson just can't move the ball effectively.


7) Cornell

They have three league wins, but the Big Red are battered now.


8) Brown

The Bears are last in run offense, run defense, pass offense, pass defense, scoring offense, and scoring defense. But other than that Mrs. Lincoln...

This is Really Happening

Remember at the beginning of the season when I predicted Columbia would go 6-4 and come in 4th in the Ivies?

Those who weren't laughing at me were spitting with anger at how stupid I was for being so optimistic about the Lions.

It turns out I wasn't optimistic enough.

Now Columbia awaits its final game of the season with an actual chance to end the season as an Ivy co-champion.

No one who's been a Lions fan for more than a few years can possibly by blase about this, but let's set the historical stage:


-The last time Columbia entered the final game of the season with a chance to win even a share of the Ivy title was 1971 when the Lions traveled to Brown trailing Cornell and Dartmouth by a game in the standings. Columbia needed to win and the Big Red and Big Green needed to lose for the Lions to force a three-way tie. But all three teams won on the road, Columbia beat the Bears 24-6, Cornell beat Penn 41-13, and Dartmouth beat Princeton 33-7. So it's been 46 years since the Lions have even had a long shot to do what they could do this Saturday.

-But Brown has entered the traditional final game of the season against Columbia several times with a chance to win all or a share of the Ivy title on the line. The last time was 2008 when the Bears needed a win over CU at home to tie Harvard for the championship. On a very cold day in Providence, (it was cold even in the press box), Brown thrashed the Lions 41-10.

-In 2005, the Bears and their all-time great RB Nick Hartigan came into Wien Stadium with a shot to win the title outright. They responded with a 52-7 rout over Columbia.

-In 1999, Brown needed to beat the Lions at Brown Stadium to tie Yale for the Ivy title. And they got that win, 23-6.

-In 1998, the Bears needed to beat the Lions at Wien Stadium and hope that Cornell could upset Penn at Schoelkopf Field to tie the Quakers for the title. Brown squeezed past Columbia with a 10-3 win and a last minute goal line stand, but Penn beat the Big Red 35-21.

-In 1987, Brown needed to beat Columbia at home and hope that Yale would beat Harvard to force a three-way tie for the title with the Elis and Crimson. Brown eked out a referee-aided 19-16 win, but Harvard beat Yale to take the title outright.

-In 1983, the Bears needed to beat Columbia and pray for Harvard to lose to Yale and Penn to lose to Dartmouth to earn a share of the title. Brown beat the Lions in a wild 42-36 shootout that was the last game of QB John Witkowski's career. But Harvard and Penn both won their games, keeping the Bears out of the money.

-In 1978, the Bears needed a win at Columbia and a Dartmouth loss at Princeton to tie the Big Green for the championship. Brown did it's job with a 24-12 win over the Lions at Baker Field, but Dartmouth held on for a 28-21 win at Palmer Stadium.

-In 1976, the Bears needed to beat Columbia to again tie Yale for the championship. They beat the Lions at Baker Field, 28-17.

-In 1975, Brown needed to beat Columbia in Providence and Harvard and Yale to tie, (they had ties back then), to earn a three-way tie for the title. Brown beat the Lions 48-13, but the Crimson beat the Elis 10-7.

So this will be the 11th time that Columbia and Brown have met with at least some chance of one of them walking off the field as Ivy champs or co-champs. But only the second time in the 62 seasons of Ivy football that it's been Columbia with that championship chance.

Other than the title implications, there's another weird quirk to the Columbia-Brown series. While the Lions have had limited success against every Ivy opponent, they've had the least success over the last few decades against the Bears when it comes to winning back-to-back games.

Columbia last won consecutive games against Cornell in 2009-10, Dartmouth in 2016-17, Harvard in 1995-96, Penn also in 1995-96, Princeton in 2009-10, and Yale actually four times in a row from 1994-97.

But the last time the Lions beat Brown two seasons in a row was way back in 1971-72. This will be their seventh chance to do it since then.

After Cornell...

The Coach


Al Bagnoli is now 12-17 as Columbia's head coach. He's reached 12 wins 31 games faster than Ray Tellier and 11 games faster than Norries Wilson.


The Hill File


-QB Anders Hill is now 10-7 as a starter and clinched a career winning record with the win at Cornell. That matches the win total for Sean Brackett '13, who started a total of 32 games in his career.

-Hill's 62.5% completion rate puts him in position to break the single-season record in that category for a Columbia QB. Coming into this season, the great Archie Roberts '65 held that record with a 61.6% mark in 1963.

-Hill needs just six passing yards to crack the top 5 single season all time in passing yardage in CU history. But he needs a hefty 324 yards to crack the top three.

-Hill needs two more TD passes to crack the single season top 5 in Columbia history. He needs three more to crack the top 5 in career history.

-Hill is now #5 all time in pass completions at Columbia with 380. But he needs 49 more to tie Jeff Otis '05 for #4.

-Hill needs just 59 yards to tie Marty Domres '69 for 5th all time in passing yardage in Columbia history. 233 more yards will tie him with Otis for 4th.


Receiving Records

-Sophomore WR Josh Wainwright now has 874 yards receiving and is just 126 yards short of the CU single season receiving record of 1,000 yards held by Don Lewis '84. Wainwright already has 1,389 receiving yards in his career. That's just 140 yards away from cracking the top 5 all time in Columbia career receiving yards. He also needs just one more TD catch to tie David Ramirez '97 and crack the top 5 all time in TD catches in CU history.

-Sophomore WR Ronald Smith returned from the injury that cost him three games, and made three receptions against Cornell Saturday. His career totals are 51 catches for 772 yards.


The League

 -Yale has clinched at least a tie for the Ivy title, but both Columbia and Dartmouth can finish tied with Yale if they both win and the Elis fall at home to Harvard.

Back on Track

Columbia 18 Cornell 8


Why Columbia Won

The Lions dominated the Big Red in every facet of the game, despite the relatively close final score. Columbia's passing game gave the Lions an early small lead, and then senior RB Chris Schroer exploded for a huge 2nd half and finished with 183 rushing yards and a TD. On defense, Columbia held Cornell to just 257 total yards, scored a safety, and allowed just the one Big Red score in garbage time.


Why Cornell Lost

The Big Red offense was punchless and couldn't take advantage of any of the multiple gifts it received from Columbia in the early going. The defense played well in the red zone, but finally ran out of steam in the 2nd half.


Key Turning Points

-With the Lions leading 3-0 early in the 2nd quarter, Cornell put together its most impressive drive of the day. Starting at its own 13 with 14:49 left in the half, the Big Red marched 69 yards in just six plays to the Columbia 18. But a run for no gain and two incomplete passes followed, forcing Cornell to attempt a 36 yard FG. Nick Null's kick hit off the left upright and the best Big Red threat of the day came to nothing.

-With 9:11 left in the 3rd quarter and Columbia clinging to a 6-0 lead, Cornell began a possession at its own one yard line after a mishandled punt. On the first play, a host of Lions led by DL Connor Heeb stopped Big Red RB Jack Gellatly in the end zone for a safety that gave Columbia a little breathing room.

-On Cornell's next possession, DB Landon Baty intercepted an ill-advised pass by Cornell QB Dalton Banks, setting the Lions up at the Big Red 38. Once again, Columbia had to settle for a FG, but the Lions now had more breathing room with an 11-0 lead with 2:23 left in the 3rd quarter.

-With about six minutes left in the game, Cornell was faced with a 4th and four at the Columbia 26. Banks somehow eluded a heavy Lion rush and got off a desperation pass that was ruled incomplete. On the next play, Schroer twisted away from a scrum and turned a short gain into a 40-yard run that essentially iced the game.


Columbia Positives

-Despite playing with some injury replacements on the offensive line, Columbia overcame some early snafus in pass protection and put together big numbers on offense. Schroer's 183 yards were the most for a CU rusher since Marcorus Garrett '14 racked up 187 yards against Cornell in 2012, and WR Josh Wainwright had nine receptions for 140 yards.

-The Lion defense had its best performance of the year, keeping Columbia in the driver's seat even as the offense failed to capitalize with TDs.

-K Oren Milstein also kept the Lions in control, hitting three of four FG attempts.


Columbia Negatives

-Red zone miscues plagued Columbia for much of the day, turning what should have been a rout into a tight game for most of the day.

-The Lions did register two sacks on the day, but allowed Cornell QB's to escaped far too often for comfort.

Columbia MVP

There are a lot of candidates for this honor, and you could give in Wainwright for his 1st half performance and Schroer for his 2nd half explosion. But Chris Schroer's overall day made just a bit more of a difference in the end,

Looking for a Rebound

Columbia Lions (6-2) vs. Cornell Big Red (3-5)

November 11, 2017

Schoelkopf Field

Kickoff Time: 1:30

Game Time Weather Forecast: Sunny and 34 degrees

The Line: Columbia is favored by 4 points

TV/Radio: The familiar and superior broadcast team of Jerry Recco and Sal Licata make their debut better late than never for the TV coverage of this game in SNY and the Ivy Digital Network. Jay Alter and Shawn Fitzgerald '80 will cover the game for the online feed on GoColumbiaLions.com.

Leading Storylines

-Columbia and Cornell are two of the five teams currently tied for second in the Ivy League. The winner of this game will have a great chance of finishing in the top three.

-The Lions and Big Red have played three straight extremely tight games, all going to Cornell in the final minutes.

-Both teams are banged up with injuries and will have to prove they can overcome that and the chillier weather that's finally made appearance this season.

Two Pickups

6-1, 180-pound RB/CB Michael Fluegel from Clarkston HS in Michigan has committed to the Lions.

Fluegel will be the first Clarkston grad to come to Columbia Football.

Incidentally Clarkston looks for its third win of the 2017 playoffs against West Ottawa HS tomorrow.

Second, we have 6-0, 225-pound Long Snapper Keaton Prevette from Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, NC.

Prevette will be the first Charlotte Country Day grad to come to Columbia Football since Ryan O'Malley '03.

That brings our list on reported commits for 2018 to 12:

1) Inho Choi DB 6-1 175 lbs. Holy Names HS Windsor, Ontario/Deerfield Academy

2) Michael Fluegel RB/CB 6-1, 180 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI

3) Devin Hart LB 6-1 212 lbs. McEachem HS Powder Springs, GA 

4) Drake Morey DL 6-5 250 lbs. Ashland HS Ashland, OR

5) Chris Park WR 5-11 175 lbs. Junipero Serra HS San Mateo, CA

6) Keaton Prevette LS 6-0, 225 lbs. Charlotte Country Day Charlotte, NC

7) Brandon Radice TE 6-4, 205 lbs. Ridge HS Basking Ridge, NJ

8) Mikey Roussos WR 6-1 180 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL 

9) Joshua Smythe-Macaulay LB 6-3 193 lbs. Bowie HS, Austin, TX

10) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

11) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

12) Ryan Young RB 5-10 200 lbs. Wheaton Warrenville South HS Wheaton, IL