Blew Haven

 Yale 37 Columbia 30

Why Yale Won

The Elis made adjustments on offense in the 2nd half, and QB Nolan Grooms passed and ran Yale all over the CU defense. The Bulldogs also woke up on defense just enough to hold off the Lions.

Why Columbia Lost

The Lions blew several chances to put the Elis away in 2nd and 3rd quarter, then suddenly failed to defend against Yale's long passing game. The offense was strong, but ultimately couldn't keep up.

Key Turning Points

-With two minutes left in the 1st half, Columbia leading 17-6, and the Lions seemingly in control of the game. Drew Schmid's punt bounced in front of Yale returner Melvin Rouse at the Yale 14... and Rouse proceeded to speed along the home sideline for an 86 yard TD return. 

-Columbia seemed to be back in control of the game with a 23-14 lead and 8:55 left in the 3rd quarter. But Yale started a drive from its own 25 at that point and in just two plays, two long passes from Grooms to WR Melvin Tipton had the Elis on the CU 7. Two plays and a 2-point conversion later, it was 23-22, and the Lion control was gone. 

-Columbia missed a 40-yard FG attempt on the ensuing Lion drive, and Yale needed just 7 plays, including one key 4th down conversion, to score another TD to take the lead the Bulldogs never gave up.

Columbia Positives

-Lion RB Ryan Young rose to the occasion in the very rainy conditions and rumbled for 92 yards, including a 60-yard TD run and two other TD's of one-yard each. 

-LB Scott Valentas had his best game of the season, with 12 tackles and two sacks.

-The Lions did not commit a turnover.

Columbia Negatives

-The Lion pass defense, which looked very strong since week 3, fell apart against Grooms and his frequent long passes.

-Later in the game, Columbia could not contain Grooms as a runner as he made several key 1st downs. 

-Once again, the officials hurt Columbia's chances, with a number of questionable calls as Yale was grabbing the momentum in the game.

Columbia MVP

-Ryan Young's clutch performance was a high point of the day.

 

A Seat at the Table

Yale Bowl

Columbia Lions (5-1) at Yale Bulldogs (3-3)

Kickoff: 12 noon

Yale Bowl 

Gametime Weather Forecast: 66 degrees with rain and wind. Rain should end by halftime

The Line: Yale is favored by 1 1/2 points

TV/Radio: The game is available on ESPN+

Columbia Game Notes

Yale Game Notes

Leading Storylines

1) The Lions earned everyone's attention with the 19-0 stunner of a win at previously undefeated Dartmouth last week. Now, they will have to prove they deserve the attention, albeit again as an underdog at Yale. 

2) Which Yale team will show up? Will it be the mostly defensive-minded Elis, who slogged it out vs. Holy Cross, Dartmouth, and UConn, or the run and gun Elis who just won a shootout of sorts vs. Penn?

3) The weather plays tricks on games at Yale Bowl more than almost any other football venue I can think of. If the winds remain strong throughout the game, it could really turn the whole contest upside down.

Key Lions to Watch

-It seems like this game could be tailor-made for RB Ryan Young if a wet field makes it harder for outside running and better for an inside banger like him. Remember the ugly conditions at Wien Stadium three years ago played a role in Young's big game in a win for the Lions over Yale. 

-DBs Jordan Colbert and Seth Parker will likely have to step things up as senior S and team leader Ben Mathiasmeier will have to sit out for the 1st half due to the targeting call against him at Dartmouth. If LB Justin Woodley is indeed able to play, he will also be asked to fill Mathiasmeier's void. 

-WR/Returner Mike Roussos is starting to show signs of getting back to his game-breaking self. If WR Wills Meyer is out again for this game, Roussos becomes a more important part of the pass game.

Key Bulldogs to Watch

-QB Nolan Grooms had a super first career start last week. Can he make it two in a row?

-DL Clay Patterson leads the Ivies in sacks and he looks to add to his lead.

-WR Mason Tipton is looking like Grooms' favorite target.

Fan Looking for a Ride for Tomorrow

An Inwood-area Lions fan is hoping to share a ride up to New Haven for the game at Yale tomorrow. If anyone is going to do that drive, (I am actually leaving late tonight and can't do it tomorrow), please email me at roarlions2012@gmail.com and I will connect you with him. 

Week 7 Picks

 

I went 4-2 straight up last week and 4-2 against the spread. My season totals are now 33-11 SU (.750) and 26-16-2 ATS (.619)

Cornell +23 1/2 vs. Princeton (FRIDAY NIGHT GAME)

On a bad weather night, I expect the Big Red to keep this respectable. But could there be a repeat of 2006, when a high-flying Tiger team suffered their one Ivy loss at Ithaca? No.

Dartmouth +6 at Harvard

Gut-wrenching losses like the one the Crimson suffered at Princeton tend to deflate a team, not fire them up for the rest of the season. Also, I'm not sure about Harvard with one banged up QB and another who is erratic.

Brown +1 at Penn

The Bears will be too much for the oddly-favored Quakers.

Lafayette -7 1/2 at Georgetown

The Patriot League is hard to predict. Georgetown is impossible. I'll side with the Leopards. 

Merrimack -16 1/2 vs. CCSU

CCSU seems to have run completely out of gas. Merrimack is pretty good. 

St. Thomas pick 'em vs. Marist

The oddsmakers are giving no line, so I'm taking St. Thomas at pick 'em to win at home.

The Next Challenge

Kurt Rawlings scores against Columbia in 2019

Is this CU team better than the 8-2 Lions who came one messy loss to Harvard short of an Ivy championship? 

Well, on his Big Green Alert pay site, (which I continue to urge everyone to subscribe to... it's less than half a tank of gas for crying out loud... and you can't follow Columbia's run for an Ivy title fully without it), Dartmouth football chronicler Bruce Wood has some very interesting quotes from Big Green Head Coach Buddy Teevens about this Columbia team. Again, sign up and read them for yourself. 

Taking things one game at a time shouldn't be so hard for a program as hungry for every possible win as Columbia is. With that in mind, the game this weekend at Yale presents a lot of tough challenges. 

First off, even with its new fieldturf surface diluting part of the legendary Yale Bowl advantage I still think the Bowl is a very hostile physical environment. Winds do funny things there and the echoes are weird and the size of the place really hits you much more than similarly huge venues like Franklin Field. The locker room situation is terrible and even the very loud P.A. announcer makes the environment tough. 

Yale has been a very hot and cold team this year, keeping the erratic persona it's had during much of the Tony Reno era. If you're noticing that Yale seems to play well one week, and not so well the next, then maybe it's a good thing the Elis played so well -- at least on offense -- LAST week. 

On the other hand, Yale doesn't seem to have played all that well on defense. The fact that Penn scored 28 points in the game must come as a surprise to all the Lion fans who saw the Quakers at Homecoming vs. Columbia the week before. Yes, Penn made a change at QB. Freshman Aidan Sayin didn't have an All Ivy performance, but he showed some signs of effectiveness. We'll see if he improves over time, but this is truly a league where things can really change from week to week. 

Yale used junior Nolan Grooms as a starter for the first time and he did have an All Ivy-like game, especially as a runner. He'll be a handful for the Lions, who will hope to contain his running like they did vs. Dartmouth's Nick Howard and CCSU's Romelo Williams, (who passed well, but was harrassed all day on the ground). Reno still hasn't proved he can win a championship with a QB other than the graduated Kurt Rawlings.

Defensively, Yale sacked Sayin four times in the game and that has to be a big concern for a Lions pass protection crew that has performed very well all season and doesn't want to stop now. Penn RB Isaiah Malcome had a better day vs. the Elis than he did against Columbia, but overall Yale has done well against the run this year. 

Now to the weather. It's supposed to rain Friday and Saturday over the entire region, and that could play havoc with Columbia's outside running game. If the winds are strong, everything really is up for grabs. This could mean RB Ryan Young's inside power running game will be more needed than Dante Miller's outside attack. 

There are a lot of variables, but this should be a good battle and an opportunity for the Lions to prove last week's shutout win was no fluke. 

Ivy Power Rankings

 

1) Princeton

Maybe the Tigers got overly lucky to beat Harvard. Maybe they should have lost. But 6-0 is 6-0 and no one else is.

2) Harvard

The Crimson probably should have won the game in Princeton, and they may use that to tear through the rest of the league. But if Jake Smith is their QB for the rest of the season, I'm not so sure they can. 

3) Columbia

Going to Hanover and shutting out the previously undefeated Big Green is the most impressive single win in the Ivies this year... so far.

4) Dartmouth

These guys can make a case for #1 next week if they beat Harvard. Stay tuned.

5) Yale

The offense came to life against Penn. The Elis could be poised for a late-season run.

6) Brown

The Bears won against a good defense on the road.

7) Cornell

The Big Red is everyone but Princeton's favorite team in the Ivies this week as they host Princeton Friday night. It could get ugly.

8) Penn

Penn had been playing decent defense... until the Yale game.

Lingering Thoughts

Robin Harris

 -This was the first game of the season where Columbia truly dictated the pace and tone of the game. In every other game, its opponents set the tone. Teams typically can't have very successful seasons playing to the other guy's music.

-This was also the first win of the season without any serious nagging worries to go along with it. After the win over Marist, there was still real concern about CU's slow start. After the wins over Georgetown and CCSU, there were worries about how the Hoyas and Blue Devils made it too close. After the win over Penn, the Lions red zone offense and special teams looked suspect. This was just a strong win all around. 

-The postgame reports and especially the quotes from junior DT Mitch Moyer revealed a key change in strategy that may have made the difference in the game. Columbia used three DTs on its front four, instead of the usual two DEs and two DTs. Not only did this apparently disrupt the Dartmouth offense all game, it was truly an example of how far Columbia has come in recent years. DT is the hardest position to recruit in the Ivies. I can't remember a time when CU had two very good DTs at one time on the whole roster, let alone three the Lions could put on the field at once. 

-Columbia played the game without sophomore WR Wills Meyer, who has apparently become QB Joe Green's favorite target. Getting him back will help the Lions, but remember that the Big Green secondary is very good and it's not clear Green & Co. would have had a 250-yard+ game with or without Meyer. 

-In the midst of their no-huddle, high-powered offense days of early 1990s, Buffalo Bills Head Coach, (and Harvard graduate school alum) Marv Levy used to say: "In my 40 years of coaching football, I've always thought that if you can run the ball and stop the run, you'll win a lot of games. Nothing has changed." With that in mind, note that Columbia is now just a hair behind Harvard for the #1 team rushing spot in the Ivies, and 3rd in overall rush defense. So, there you go.

-This weekend's game at Yale will be a very tough challenge, but the Lions may have caught a break from the fact that the Elis made their big adjustment on offense this past week against Penn. Yale switched to sophomore QB Nolan Grooms as the new starter and he piled up 283 passing yards and 113 yards on the ground in a 42-28 win. At least Columbia will have plenty of video footage of Grooms to prepare for him in a way Penn could not. 

-It may seem like a stretch to consider Columbia a true contender for the Ivy title this year. But the fact remains; if the Lions win out they will likely at least share the title. How many opportunities like that after week 6 of the season has Columbia had over the last 50 years? The answer is four, (1971, 1996, 2017, and now). So, why the heck not? 

-Around the league, the abomination of a game called by the officials at the Princeton vs. Harvard game on Saturday seems to finally be the massive event that wakes people up to the refereeing problem in the Ivies. Naturally, it took a game involving two of the "Big Three" to do it. If I were Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris, I would convene a committee made up of some of the coaches and respected, retired refs from other conferences to fix this before someone gets seriously hurt as a result of missed calls or extreme frustration in response to them. 

Chopping Wood

 Columbia 19 Dartmouth 0

Why Columbia Won

The Lion defense played not only its best game of its season, but the best game of the Bagnoli era as it shut down the multi-faceted Big Green offense all night. Meanwhile, the offense was efficient enough, avoided turning over the ball, and came through in clutch moments.

Why Dartmouth Lost

Dartmouth''s offense looked off-kilter most of the night, with the usually deadly accurate QB Derek Kyler throwing a number of errant passes and the powerful running QB Nick Howard stuffed on run after run. Dartmouth also committed some crucial penalties to keep CU drives alive.

Key Turning Points

-With the score 0-0 and 3:42 left in the 1st quarter, it looked like a Columbia drive would stall with a 4th and 4 at the Big Green 37. But the Lions went for it, and QB Joe Green scrambled for five yards and a 1st down. Columbia's drive did eventually stall at the Dartmouth 15, but PK Alex Felkins hit a 33-yard FG and the Lions had a 3-0 lead. 

-With the score still 3-0 and 10:07 left in the half, Columbia faced a 3rd and goal at the 1 and decided to let wildcat QB Gabriel Hollingsworth run the ball. Even though Dartmouth's excellent LB Jalen Mackie hit Hollingsworth squarely behind the line of scrimmage, Hollingsworth dragged him into the endzone and the Lions led 10-0. 

-Now leading 13-0 and getting the ball for the first time in the 2nd half, the Lions began a drive at their own 40 after a 22-yard Dartmouth punt. Columbia then went on a nine-play drive that ended with a 25-yard, high arcing TD pass from Green to Mike Roussos for the score that would put the game out of reach.

Columbia Positives

-The Lions defense played its best game in years, holding a potent offense on the road to just 262 total yards, a 25% 3rd down conversion rate, and 0 for 3 on 4th downs. 

-While the defensive line provided a solid pass rush, much of Dartmouth's woes were mostly the result of incredible coverage by the Lion secondary. Kyler's receivers just never seemed to be very open all night. 

-Columbia's offense was far from lethal, but both RB's Dante Miller and Ryan Young had key runs on scoring drives. Green had two dangerous passes early but overcame that later on and was safe and efficient most of the night, with some clutch runs for 1st downs thrown in the mix. His TD pass to Roussos showed an excellent touch. 

-The CU O-line also kept Green protected almost all night, keeping Dartmouth's defense from harassing him with any regularity. 

-It was a very strong night for the Lion special teams, with a number of clutch punts by Drew Schmid and Felkins was a perfect 2-2 on FG's, including a 41-yarder. 

Columbia Negatives

-The Lions offense didn't exactly have a consistent night, but that's nitpicking in a game dominated by its defense.

Columbia MVP

No single player really stood out consistently for the Lions, but the Columbia secondary was the most impressive unit overall. And since that unit is led by S Ben Mathiasmeier, who also had a key interception, I give him the nod. Mathiasmeier was flagged for a questionable targeting call late in the game, which will hopefully be overturned when the league officials look at the tape in the coming days. 

Final Word

By going into Hanover and shutting out a scary 5-0 Dartmouth team, Columbia has registered its most impressive win of Head Coach Al Bagnoli's tenure at CU. The question now is will this Lions team take this momentum and make a serious run at the Ivy title. 

Northern Exposure

Memorial Field

Columbia Lions (4-1) at Dartmouth Big Green (5-0)

October 22, 2021 

Kickoff: 6:00pm

Memorial Field

Gametime Weather Forecast: 59 degrees and cloudy

The Line: Dartmouth is favored by 17 1/2 points

TV/Radio: The game is nationally televised on ESPNU

Columbia Game Notes

Dartmouth Game Notes

Leading Storylines

1) Dartmouth is a big favorite as its defense hasn't missed a beat despite some key graduations, and running QB Nick Howard is actually looking better than his predecessor Jared Gerbino in that role. Meanwhile the passing QB Derek Kyler is showing the same surgeon-like accuracy as he did in 2019. This may be a much better overall team than even the Princeton squad Columbia faced three weeks ago. 

2) Much of the 17 1/2 point spread may be coming from the fact that fans may be thinking of the Friday night game in Hanover in 2019 when Dartmouth crushed the Lions 59-24. But this is a very different Columbia team that sure seems a lot better than the 2019 version. 

3) There's a lot of talk about Dartmouth "looking ahead" to the Big Green's potential 1st place showdown with Harvard next week. I doubt there's anything like that going on, but you never know. 

Columbia Players to Watch

-Senior RB Dante Miller is obviously atop this list after two monster games in a row. Columbia will either have to get bigtime production from him again, or use the threat of him to get easier yards elsewhere. That could provide some opportunities for fellow senior RB Ryan Young, who has been quiet lately as the Lions have taken on a series of teams with stronger defenses up the middle. 

-Senior DB Jordan Colbert is one of the players who will likely be asked to contain Howard. But LB's Scott Valentas and Justin Woodely will also be in that mix. 

-Sophomore QB Joe Green may find that this game is the first one where he has to carry the offense more than ever. He almost rose to that challenge against Princeton, but couldn't quite do it. 

Dartmouth Players to Watch

-Junior QB Nick Howard is really hard to bring down when he runs and he seems like a better passer than Gerbino ever was. 

-Senior RB Zack Bair is an underrated catalyst for Dartmouth's offense.

-Senior CB Isaiah Johnson is a true shutdown corner and should get drafted into the NFL. If you see a number of passes thrown his way, either Columbia is desperate or someone made a mistake. 

Super Sophs

Ben Corniello on signing day

Don't look now, but for the first time since I can remember, an entire class of players from a single academic class is really making an impact all at the same time. 

I'm not going to write too much about the sophomore skill players on offense, because since they're all skill players they get a lot of attention as it is. But suffice to say that QB Joe Green, QB Gabriel Hollinsworth, WR Wills Meyer, WR Marcus Libman, and RB Ty'son Edwards are all looking like they are forming a nucleus of great talent. 

-Sophomore DB Seth Parker actually has received some ink on this blog a few times, but he has a great chance to be a dominant Ivy player for four seasons. He reminds me of Cameron Roane, who was a key ingredient in Columbia's 2017 near-championship season.

-Sophomore DT Ben Corniello seems to be getting more reps in every game. He has 17 total tackles, including three tackles for a loss with half a sack. He's a key reason why the D-line has overcome expectations this year. The 265-pounder from Madison, CT originally committed to Holy Cross and then switched his commitment to Columbia (a possible microcosm in the ongoing deterioration of the Patriot League vs. the Ivies). 

-Sophomore LB CJ Brown is 6th on the team in tackles and has three tackles for a loss. The Texas native is fast and his ability to get decent playing time with so many talented LB upperclassmen is impressive. He had a similarly impressive list of schools offering him out of high school. 

-Sophomore DL Reid Spachman is 11th on the team in tackles, with 3.5 TFL's and a sack. From the Kansas City area, he also had an impressive list of competing offers. 

Sophomore OL's Zach Mills and Braedon Bellmer are getting playing time on the O-line, which is impressive for underclassmen. 

With some exceptions, (like Green), all of these players are eligible to play four seasons for CU, which means three more after this season. If they keep developing and stay healthy, this would be a formidable group of players in 2023 and 2024.

Week 6 Picks

 

I went 7-1 straight up last week and 6-2 against the spread, bringing my season totals to 29-9 SU and 22-14-2 ATS

Princeton -3 vs. Harvard

The spread sounds about right.

Yale -12 1/2 vs. Penn

Yale will win this thing, but look for it to be low-scoring.

Brown +2 1/2 at Cornell

I think the Bears are getting better and they should win this one.

CCSU -11 vs. LIU

Blue Devils are getting into a better groove now. BTW, when can we play nearby LIU either at home or 10 minutes from MY home on Long Island?

Georgetown -3 1/2 at Bucknell

Should be a win for the Hoyas. 

Moorehead State +5 1/2 at Marist

I'm gonna hedge my bets here and pick Marist to win, but Moorehead to cover. If our buddy Holtsledge were at this game, I'm sure he'd be calling the visitors "Agnes" or "Bewitched" the whole time. 

Ivy Power Rankings

 

 

1) Princeton

I know, I know... the Tiger defense has looked bad the last two weeks and defense was supposed to be their strong suit. But these were two tough outs Princeton picked up on the road and their "beaten opponents" list is still very impressive overall.

2) Dartmouth

Routing UNH on the road is a big deal. Perhaps Yale's recent fall diminishes Dartmouth's accomplishments so far this season, but not by much.

3) Harvard

The matchup with Princeton this Saturday is truly a marquee game.

4) Columbia

It feels like there's a big chasm between the top three teams and everyone else. If so, the Lions appear to be the best of the worst.

5) Yale

Losing to UConn, even this year, is not so bad. But the way the Elis lost was something else. Reno has yet to prove he can make Yale elite without Kurt Rawlings at QB.

6) Brown

Nice showing against Princeton. Anybody else think this Brown team is reminiscent of the '82 Lions with Witkowski at QB?

7) Cornell

Good for the Big Red for beating Colgate. But anyone who saw that game knows the Raiders didn't come to Schoelkopf with much. 

8) Penn

QB problems here just like Yale. Priore may be under the gun.

Last Looks

Isaiah Malcome got away with a big penalty

A few final thoughts on the win over Penn at Homecoming 2021:

-The coaches and the players can't say it, but I can: The refs almost cost the Lions the game Saturday. The worst call by far was the pass interference on Brian Bell-Anderson that led to Penn's second and last score. He was absolutely clobbered by Penn's Isaiah Malcome on that play as Bell-Anderson was clearly going for the ball and the refs called the penalty on CU. They also really had a bad no-call on the 41-yard run by Dante Miller near the end of the game that ended in a clear horse collar tackle. It was so bad because it was clear even before the tackle started that the only way Miller could be caught on that play was with a horse collar play. For all the weak-kneed referring when it comes to calling targeting on so many minor hits, that very dangerous tackle went uncalled. Also, Penn clearly fumbled the ball away on a short pass in the 2nd half, and the refs upheld the bad incomplete pass call even after reviewing the play. 

-The #1 concern I've had since 2019 is the track record for Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach Mark Fabish and the way many of the players seem to respond to him. It would be unfair not to say that Fabish has indeed mixed up the play calling this year and to good effect. That was evident again on Saturday. He also deserves credit for giving Joe Green the starting job when personal loyalties apparently were all with Ty Lenhart for more than just the past year. But the overuse of the wildcat is stifling drives and taking away opportunities for Green when he's in a rhythm. If getting Gabriel Hollingsworth more experience is the argument for all his reps, it's not good enough right now. I much prefer saving the wildcat for situations when CU gets inside the 5 or so, or on 4th and short like we've done in the past. 

-Other than Fabish and the QB position, the two biggest concerns for the Lions coming into the year were the OL and the DL. Both have played much better than expected, even though there's still a lot of room for improvement. The difference maker on the DL has been Paul Akere, who would do well to take his extra year of eligibility next season and see how much more damage he can do in the Ivies. He had a very strong outing vs. Penn and the sack he made on Penn's John Quinnelly was the hardest hit I've seen on an opposing QB since Josh Martin '13 leveled Cornell's Jeff Mathews in the 2012 win over the Big Red.The O-line is getting good play from all the starters even though Zach Minch, the guy we thought was the best returning lineman, has been out. The run blocking hasn't been as consistent as the pass protection, but it's been generally pretty good. Against Penn, the outside run blocking was strong, but the blocking up the middle was challenged because of the massive size and skill of DL Prince Emili. 

-Green has a lot of tools and one can only wonder what he'd be able to do with a true and consistent WR threat. There were a couple of plays Saturday that he made happen on his own, especially the scramble and throw to his right for a 1st down on the Lions first series of the game. CU has good talent at WR, but no gamebreaker types like Josh Wainwright or Ronald Smith were in the recent past. Green does a good job improvising and rolling out when he needs to. and he's a better runner than advertised. I suspect he's throwing a little less than he should be because the coaches don't want to put too much pressure on the pass protection for him. But at some point, he needs to be able to throw it 30 times per game. 

-WR Wills Meyer's TD catch deserves some more attention. He was probably interfered with for one thing, (another no-call from the officials). But the second thing is that the defender on the play was Muhammed Diakite who had that big INT in 2018 to snuff out what looked like a winning CU drive at Franklin Field (after intended receiver Mozes Mooney fell down on the play). So that was a bit of sweet revenge. 

-Speaking of weapons, something is not right with WR Mike Roussos. He did have one good return Saturday and one nice reception where he extended his arms to haul in a pass going away from his body. But the Lions need him to stretch the field more. 

-Now that Miller's sweeps to the left are clearly a weapon no one's going to ignore, it's time to design some fakes to take advantage of all the attention he's going to get every time he heads in that direction. A fake handoff to him as he rolls left and then a short toss to Ryan Young just to the right should rack up nice yardage from time to time. 

-The defensive backs are really playing very well, but their height is a concern. Taller receivers can be targeted with a good chance for success even if they are well covered. Fara'ad McCombs was injured early in the game and emerged with a bandage on his left arm later in the game. As one of the few starting CU DB's with good height, the Lions will need him back soon. Meanwhile, Seth Parker is another tall DB who may need to step things up as the season goes on.

-Justin Woodley should be back for the Dartmouth game after missing this last contest. I wonder if CU's sack totals suffered because of his absence in particular on Saturday. 

-I agree with the fans who complain about our illegible scoreboard. Also the video board doesn't actually show video anymore, just graphics. It is time for an upgrade. 

-Dartmouth looks very good and has now reached the point under Head Coach Buddy Teevens that they seem to be able to reload much like Penn and Harvard did from the late 90s until recently. After struggling badly in his first five years during his second stint as the Big Green's head coach, (2005-2009), Teevens spent the next five years (2010-2014) developing into an outside chance contender to a team that has been a true championship caliber team every year since (except 2016). 

Dante's Inferno

Columbia 23 Pennsylvania 14

Why Columbia Won

RB Dante Miller rushed for 187 yards, including a 75-yard TD to power the offense, while the defense held Penn to just 6 of 25 passing and helped the Lions dodge almost every bullet provided by special teams miscues and the referees.

Why Penn Lost

The Quaker offense was unable to move the ball consistently, and could have been shut out without the help of a key CU turnover and two dubious calls from the refs. Meanwhile, the Penn defense allowed several big plays they couldn't overcome. 

Key Turning Points

-With the Lions leading 3-0 with 7:24 left in the half and dominating the Quakers on defense, Columbia gave Penn's offense a reprieve when Mike Roussos muffed a punt and the Quakers recovered at the CU 30. Six rushing plays later, Penn scored a TD on a QB keeper from the 5 and the Quakers suddenly had a 7-3 lead.

-The most important moment of the game came on the next play from scrimmage after Penn's kickoff for a touchback. Miller took the handoff and burst free alone the left sideline all the way to the south end zone for a 75-yard TD and the lead the Lions would never give up with 4:02 left in the half. 

-On Penn's ensuing possession, Columbia forced a three-and-out and a 23-yard punt return from Roussos gave CU the ball at the Quaker 43. After a short run by Miller on 1st down, QB Joe Green connected with a well-covered WR Wills Meyer along the same left sideline for a 41-yard TD and a 17-7 lead with 2:16 left in the half.

-The the refs got involved. On Penn's ensuing possession, the Quakers faced a 3rd and 10 at the CU 47 when Lion CB Brian Bell-Anderson was clobbered by Penn's Isaiah Malcome as he went for the ball... and the refs mysteriously called the penalty on Bell-Anderson. Three plays later Malcome burned the Columbia defense for a 30-yard TD on a counter player and it was a tight 17-14 Lion lead at the half.

-The 2nd half began with Penn's offense putting up two three-and-outs, sandwiching a three-and-out for CU's offense. But on Columbia's second possession of the half, the Lions got moving mostly thanks to a 49-yard bomb from Green to WR Ernest Robertson to the Penn 31. From there, the Lions switched to wildcat QB Gabriel Hollingsworth who ran for a 1st down on 4th and 2 and got CU as deep as the Quaker 13, but that's where the drive stalled and the Lions had to settle for an Alex Felkins 31-yard field goal and a 20-14 lead with 7:38 left in the 3rd. 

-With 6:35 left in the quarter, Columbia had an opportunity to build a two-score when the Lions took over at their own 38. Columbia mixed the run and the pass to get to the Penn 30, and again brought in Hollingsworth and the wildcat package. But on 3rd and 6 from the Quaker 26 Green came back in and threw an incomplete pass to force a 43-yard FG attempt by Felkins that went wide right and Penn dodged a bullet. 

-On the ensuing Quaker possession starting with 2:40 in the 3rd, Penn got a big 32-yard pass completion to the CU 42, but the Lion defense only allowed another yard and the Quakers lose a chance to get the lead.

 -Penn got another chance after Columbia went three-and-out on its next possession and the Quakers fielded the punt at their own 35 with 14:45 left in the game. Seven straight runs by Penn's full house backfield package got the Quakers to the CU 39, but on 4th and 6 Penn had to pass and the throw fell incomplete ending Penn's last best chance to take the lead. 

-After both teams traded possessions with no scoring, the Lions took over at the 50 with 6:26 left in the game. On 2nd and 8 from the 48, Miller ripped off another long run to the Penn 7. Columbia was able to get into the end zone, but a 20-yard FG by Felkins gave the Lions a two-score lead at 23-14 with 2:53 left. 

Columbia Positives

-Miller had an historic day, as Columbia clearly has developed a run blocking scheme to take advantage of his outside speed. But some of the other running plays worked at times as well, leaving the Lions with 244 total yards rushing on 5.4 yards per carry. 

-The Lions defense has now put together three straight stellar games. Columbia's pass defense was menacing, as the secondary knocked away and tipped throw after throw. Even when some if the DB's were beaten on routes, they often recovered while the ball was in the air to force incomplete passes.

-QB "Clean Joe" Green was again coolly efficient and didn't come close to making any real mistakes. He showcased his ability to throw the deep pass on several occasions and even had a gutty run or two. 

-The Columbia offensive line had some problems blocking Penn's very strong up-the-middle D-line on inside plays, but it was otherwise impressive and again did not allow a sack. 

Columbia Negatives

-The Lions are continuing to leave clusters of points on the board, often due to the momentum-killing use of wildcat offense at questionable times. 

-While the secondary had a stellar game, the Lion pass rush was not as strong as it had been the two previous games. CU did get two sacks, but Columbia will have to put more pressure on opposing QB's during the rest of the season. 

Columbia MVP

Dante Miller is truly now living up to the billing he received when he decommitted from FCS power James Madison to come to Columbia. He now has 550 yards rushing on the year and has a shot to become CU's second-ever 1,000-yard rusher. 

Upwardly Mobile?

 

Pennsylvania Quakers (2-2) at Columbia Lions (3-1) 

Columbia Homecoming

Kickoff: 1:30pm 

Kraft Field at Wien Stadium 

Game Time Weather Forecast: 75 degrees and cloudy (thunderstorms expected shortly after game concludes)

The Line: Columbia favored by 2 1/2 points

TV/Radio: The game will be broadcast live on SNY and NBC Sports Philadelphia

Columbia Game Notes

Penn Game Notes 

Leading Storylines

1) Columbia finally broke the Penn jinx with a win in 2017 after 20 straight losses to the Quakers. Since then, the Lions lost a close one to Penn at Franklin Field in 2018 and then destroyed them at home in 2019. Anytime Head Coach Al Bagnoli takes on his old program, it's a great narrative no matter how many years it's been since he left Philly. 

2) So far this season, Penn has fallen below expectations while Columbia has basically met them. Both teams come in with a lot to prove with six of their seven Ivy games yet to play. 

3) Columbia is hoping to build fan excitement for the rest of the season with a win at Homecoming.

Columbia Players to Watch

1) Dante Miller, RB 

After his explosive performance against CCSU, Miller is the #2 rusher in the Ivies coming into this game. His outside speed may be crucial vs. a Penn defense that has strength up the middle.

2) Joe Green QB

Green will need to test the suspect Penn secondary with more throws downfield. He'll face a tough Penn pass rush.

3) Cam Dillon LB

Penn's pass protection is suspect, leaving Columbia's new single-game sack record holder in a position to have another monster game. 

Penn Players to Watch

1) Ryan Cragun and Rory Starkey WR's

Penn's WR tandem is very talented, but the Quaker pass protection has made it hard for QB John Quinnelly to get the ball to them. If that changes, watch out!

2) Prince Emili DL

Penn's best player and a potential disruptor vs. the run and pass. 

3) Trey Flowers and Isaiah Malcome RB's

Penn abandoned its passing game vs. Lehigh last week and used a full house backfield with a running QB later in the game that produced massive rushing yards and a victory. Columbia will have to be prepared for Penn to switch back and forth from this formation and the usual spread offense look. 

Week 4 Picks

I went 6-0 straight up and 3-1-2 against the spread, bringing my season totals to 22-8 SU and 16-12-2 AGS

Cornell pick 'em over Colgate (Friday night game)

This is a tough one to call, as the pick 'em point spread would indicate. I'm not very confident about picking the Big Red but I am confident in saying that if they lose here, the alert sirens should start wailing. 

Brown +16 1/2 vs. Princeton

Tigers will win, but Brown plays it closer

UConn +3 vs. Yale

UConn will get up for this game at home and should pull out a win.

Dartmouth pick 'em at New Hampshire

Big Green will find a way.

Harvard -17 1/2 vs. Lafayette

The Crimson will probably win by 19 or 20. 

CCSU +10 1/2 at Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart will wim but that spread is too big. 

Georgetown +21 at Holy Cross

The shine is coming off the Crusaders armor. The Hoyas will make a game of it before losing in the end. 

Dayton -7 vs. Marist

Long trip for the Red Foxes.

Throwback Unis on Tap for Homecoming

The 1961 Lions

Columbia just released this hype video to announce that the Lions will be wearing throwback jerseys to honor the 1961 Ivy champs at Homecoming this weekend vs. Penn. 

Incidentally it was vs. Penn in '61 that the Lions clinched the Ivy title at Baker Field. 

The last time Columbia used throwback unis was in 2004, when they wore uniforms similar to the 1934 Rose Bowl champs to honor Columbia's 250th anniversary celebrations vs. Penn at Homecoming. 

Ivy Power Rankings

 

1) Princeton

The comeback win at Monmouth was impressive, and just the kind of adversity a top team needs to prove it can overcome.

2) Dartmouth

Because the CU-CCSU game wasn't plagued by too many media timeouts, I had a chance to watch much of the Dartmouth-Yale game on my phone. The Big Green's wins over Penn and Yale are much more impressive than Harvard's win over Brown and the Crimson's not-so-great performance against Cornell. 

3) Harvard

Still looking good, but not as great as 10 days ago.

4) Yale 

Good performance in Hanover, despite the loss. I think Reno's call on the 4th down play in OT was a bad one. 

5) Columbia

Close game at CCSU might make some folks nervous. But CU seems to be playing up or down to its opponents every week. 

6) Brown

The Bears are waking up just a bit. They won't be an easy out now.

7) Cornell

The Big Red defense is good enough to make games interesting from here on out. 

8) Penn

Penn does have a decent full house running attack it can lean on now, but that means sacrificing its great duo of starting receivers. The win against Lehigh last week was ugly. (Yes, I know it's bad luck to pick Columbia's upcoming opponent last... but that's the way I see it)

Close Call in Connecticut

Columbia 22 CCSU 20

Why Columbia Won

The Lion defense stayed in control for most of the game, with a furious pass rush that netted a team record eight sacks. The offense was inconsistent, but did just enough to hold the lead and eke out a win,

Why CCSU Lost

The Blue Devils spent most of the game unable to stop the CU pass rush, and the CCSU defense broke down just when the team needed key stops. 

Key Turning Points

-With Columbia leading 10-0 early in the 2nd quarter, CCSU began a possession on its own nine. From there, the Blue Devils went on a 15-play drive that included three 3rd down conversions and ended with a 15-yard TD pass from Romelo Williams to Jadd Dolegala. CCSU made it a tight game from then on. 

-On Columbia's ensuing possession, a brilliant grab by WR Ernest Robertson of a 44-yard bomb from QB Joe Green set the Lions up at the CCSU 26. But Columbia could only get to the 20 before having to try a 38-yard FG from PK Alex Felkins, which had plenty of distance and height but went wide right.

-Still leading 10-7, the Lions had another chance to add to their lead when Columbia forced a punt on CCSU's ensuing possession and took over at their own 45 with 2:46 left in the half. But after getting as far as the Blue Devil 43, Green threw his first interception of the season and CCSU got it back at its 25.

-Now it was CCSU's turn to blow an opportunity. After the Lions forced the Blue Devils to punt from their own 18, the ball rolled around at the CU 45 where it grazed off of an unsuspecting Ryan Rhoden who was tangled up blocking a CCSU player. The Blue Devils recovered at the Lion 38, but failed to get closer than the Columbia 32 before Williams was sacked for an eight yard loss.

-Early in the 2nd half, Columbia's LB Cam Dillon recorded one of his team record 5.5 sacks with a takedown of Williams in the end zone to give CU a 12-7 lead. But on the ensuing possession, the Lions could only get as far as the CCSU 37 before a sack and a dropped pass forced Columbia to punt away a chance to put the game away. 

-Still leading 12-7 and with 3:16 left in the 3rd quarter, Columbia took over at its 20 after a CCSU punt. Nine running plays and one pass later, the Lions had a 1st and 10 at the Blue Devil 17. But Columbia could get only five more yards and had to settle for a 30-yard Felkins FG and a 15-7 lead. 

-CCSU answered with a 13-play drive for 84 yards and a TD on 4th and 6 from the 16. But S Ben Mathiasmeier then made a great tackle to just deny Blue Devil WR Tyshaun James a 2-point conversion, and the Lions clung to a 15-13 lead. 

-After the CCSU TD, Columbia took over at its own 25 with 6:55 to go in the game. RB Dante Miller took over from there, rushing for eight, two, and then 65 yards for a TD down the left sideline to give the Lions a 22-13 lead. 

Columbia Positives

-The Lion pass rush, a major question mark before the season started and one that was far from answered well in the first two games of the season, added to the positive momentum from the Princeton game and exploded all over CCSU for the majority of the game. Dillon's performance was historic, but DL Paul Akere also stood out on the day. The return of senior DL Cameron Carter also helped, even though he did not register a sack on the day.  

-The Columbia rushing attack, after being stifled vs. Princeton, came back much stronger thanks to Miller's big day. Fellow RB Ryan Young was not as effective, but he did have two key runs during CU's long FG drive that stretched from the 3rd to the 4th quarter.

-Columbia's defense held CCSU to just 52 net yards rushing. 

-As Head Coach Al Bagnoli made clear in the post game news conference, Columbia allowed the game to get way too close and failed to put it away too many times. But longtime CU fans are all aware of multiple Lion teams in the recent past that would have lost a game like this, and that includes the Lions under Bagnoli during his first two years at Columbia. 

Columbia Negatives

-Lion failures to convert red zone visits into TD's are starting to really hurt.

-Even with WR Mike Roussos back in the lineup, it's clear that Columbia hasn't yet established a real deep ball threat. Green has the arm to do some damage, but his receivers are often not open enough or are literally dropping the ball too often. 

-Late in the game senior LB Justin Woodley went down with an injury and later emerged with a sling over his oft-dislocated shoulder. Columbia will need him back to remain competitive for the top spots in the Ivy League this season.

Columbia MVP

-With a well-deserved silver medal to Dante Miller and his 18-carry, 136-yard rushing performance and 65-yard TD, the MVP is clearly Cam Dillon for being a one-man wrecking crew in the CCSU backfield. We knew the Lion linebacking crew was deep and talented coming into this season, but it has more than met lofty expectations.