Another Sad Loss

Brian DeVeau


I learned earlier this week that Brian DeVeau '13 has died in a car accident.

Deveau was a great team player for the Lions, switching back and forth from DB to WR depending on when and where the program needed him.

Here's how I sized him up going into the 2012 season.

I will post funeral and/or donation information when I receive it.

Schedule News

Columbia has just released the official kickoff times and TV coverage info for the 2019 season.

The big news is the week 6 game at Dartmouth has been moved to Friday night October 26th and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

The rest of the schedule is as we expected it to be with mostly 1pm kickoff times with just the the exceptions for the Dartmouth game, Homecoming vs. Penn (1:30pm), and the season finale at Cornell (also 1:30pm).

Bullish on '19

Hero Sports is predicting big things for Columbia Football this fall, as you can see for yourself in this piece released yesterday.

But I use the word "predicting" loosely as the bullish outlook does not include any prognostication on where exactly the Lions will end up in the standings.

That doesn't mean the article doesn't hold good value for Columbia, especially since embedded in the piece is the longer-form 2018 CU highlight video, which I hadn't seen until now.

Hero Sports is also correct in noting that much rides on junior QB Josh Bean, who health and development as a player are likely the two biggest variables determining Columbia's 2019 success.

With 89 days to go until the season kicks off, we're still several weeks away from fuller and more informed predictions and forecasts on all eight Ivy teams. But when I have more season preview, I promise to include how I think the final standings will shake out.

2018 Columbia MVP

I'll dispense with the suspense and get right to the top 7 reasons why now-graduate Kicker Chris Alleyne was the CU Lions overall team MVP in 2018:

1) Filled in all season for the #1 kicker on the depth chart, Oren Milstein.

2) Hit a crucial 44-yard FG in the opener at CCSU to regain the momentum in the game for the Lions.

3) Hit all three FG attempts, including a 46-yarder, in what turned out to be squeaker of a win at Georgetown in week 2.

4) Hit all of his first seven FG attempts on the season, and went 15-18 for the season.

5) Broke the placekick FG record, (as opposed to the old school drop kick), with a 51-yarder in the win vs. Yale.

6) Was a perfect 24-24 on PAT's

7) He was "money" on kickoffs, with 27 touchbacks and only one kickoff out of bounds.

I know, I know, it's not "cool" to choose a kicker as MVP. But Alleyne was the most consistent and impressive Lion on a scrappy 6-4 team last year.

He deserves the honor.

Happy Waiting

With just 93 days to go until the 2019 season kickoff for the @ColumbiaLionsFB the team still hasn't released its official list of incoming new players... and I'm STILL just fine with it! Take your time to finalize the best list possible!

2018 Offensive Player of the Year

Kyle Castner

While 2018 was truly the "Year of the Injury" for Columbia Football, the medical emergencies on the offensive side of the ball were more critical than they were for the defense.

That's what makes choosing the offensive MVP for last season so hard. Each of the six Lion wins seemed to have a different offensive star.

Part of me wants to give the award to the entire offensive line, which kept its composure protecting four different starters and allowed 50% fewer sacks than 2017. But the run blocking wasn't quite strong enough to go there.

But when all was said and done, WR/Wildcat QB Kyle Castner deserves the award the most. He was the biggest reason the Lions beat Brown in week 9, played a major role in the week 10 win over Cornell, and stepped up the entire season after top WR Josh Wainwright went down in week 1.

Kyle was always a special player and he really got a chance to show it in 2018.