Hearts of Lions

Columbia 17 Yale 10


Why Columbia Won

In a wind and rain swept game that hindered both of thr injury-depleted teams, the Lion special teams made the difference. K Chris Alleyne's 51-yard field goal, a blocked punt, and especially P Drew Schmid's incredible punts with and against the wind were the key elements in the CU victory.

Why Yale Lost

The Elis easily out-gained Columbia on offense, 428 yards to 160, but Yale consistently sputtered when it mattered most. Two turnovers and a missed field goal sealed the Eli's fate.

Key Turning Points

-With 5:02 left in the 1st quarter, Lion starting QB Ryan Suitt fumbled the ball on a scramble and it was recovered by Yale at the CU 49. But an Eli holding penalty downfield nullified the turnover and gave Columbia a 1st down at the Yale 44. Less than two minutes later Alleyne hit his 51-yard FG, the longest placement kick FG in Columbia history.

-With about 1:30 left in the 1st quarter and the Lions still ahead 3-0, Suitt was sacked and he fumbled the ball at behind the Columbia 40. With at least two Yale defenders very close the ball, OL Joseph Scowden came seemingly out of nowhere, lept in between the two defenders, and recovered the fumble that looked like an easy scoop-and-score for the Elis.

-With 6:09 left in the half and the score still 3-0, Yale's offense finally came to life with a 44 yard run by RB Alan Lamar on a left sweep. Five plays later, Lamar took it into the end zone from the 2 and the Bulldogs had suddenly grabbed the momentum.

-With 2:04 left in the half, Schmid pinned Yale at its own 4 with another perfect punt. But the Elis passing game got going with QB Jimmy Check completing 50 yards worth of passed and RB Zane Dudek getting clutch yards along the way. But after getting a 1st and goal at the CU 3 with eight seconds to go, Check's pass into the end zone fell incomplete and the Bulldogs had to settle for a 20-yard Alex Galland FG and a 10-3 halftime lead.

-With about 6:50 left in the 3rd quarter and Yale still ahead 10-3, LB Carson Powell blocked Galland's punt and the Lions took over on the Eli 30. What followed was Suitt's only truly effective passing series of the game, as he hit TE Casey Mariucci for a 15-yard 1st down pass on 3rd and 10 from the 30 and then threw a strike to Mariucci again two plays later for a 16-yard TD that tied the game.

-With about 1:30 left in the 3rd quarter and the score still 10-10, the DT Alex Robin stopped Lamar for a just a two-yard gain on a 3rd and 3 from the Yale 20. The ensuing Galland punt traveled just 23 yards, and the Lions took over on the Bulldog 45. But with Suitt now injured, the Lions began the drive with 5th string QB Matt Dame at the helm. Five plays later and the Lions facing a 3rd and 5 from the Yale 30, RB Ryan Young burst through the middle and scored even with an Eli DB hanging on his back for the final five yards. That gave Columbia the 17-10 lead with 14:12 left to go in the game.

Columbia Positives

-The special teams play was simply perfect. In addition to Alleyne's record-breaking FG, all of his kickoffs went for touchbacks, the Lion coverage teams never allowed any returns, and Schmid punted 11 times for a 44.7 average even though half of those punts were against a stiff wind.

-The Lion defense was dominating at times, but mostly stiffened up when Yale got into scoring range. DE Daniel DeLorenzi shook off an early 4th quarter injury and came back into the game to make a key late sack. DB Landon Baty returned from missing the three previous games to snag an interception and make a tackle for a 10-yard loss.

-It's hard to measure a team's heart, but with all the injuries already plaguing the team the Columbia spirits seemed high all day. When Dame was forced into the game by Suitt's injury, the team rallied around him quickly.

Columbia Negatives

-The injuries and the weather combined to mostly stifle the Lion offense against a Yale defense that has otherwise struggled all year.

-The Columbia defense allowed too many Eli receivers to get open in the middle of the field.

Columbia MVP

-This was more of a true team effort victory than I've ever seen at any level of football. A big standout among that crowd was RB Ryan Young, who's impressive TD and 91 yards on 19 carries would make him an easy choice.

But the game was ultimately put in Columbia's corner because the Elis consistently faced poor field position all day. That was primarily because of Drew Schmid, who is the rare punter to earn MVP honors.