The team looked pretty healthy overall. Reports that star WR Bryson Canty would be held out of the game because of a sore knee turned out to only be partially true as he did get onto the field and even made a nice catch on a long pass from 5th year senior QB Caden Bell, (who, I have to say one more time, it's amazing to have him in spring camp... extremely rare for a 5th year).
The unofficial fan blog of Columbia University football. (My previous CU Lions blog ran from 2005-2011 at http://roarlions.blogspot.com/)
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Rambling Thoughts on the Spring Game
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Devastating News on Buddy
News broke Tuesday that the injuries Dartmouth Head Coach Buddy Teevens suffered in a bicycle accident earlier this year were much, much worse than all of us had hoped.
His wonderful wife Kirsten confirmed late yesterday that Buddy has lost a leg and sustained spinal cord injuries.
As I wrote here when the accident was first reported, Teevens has long been one of classiest and nicest people in Ivy League sports. As a former star QB for the Big Green, Buddy is a lifelong example of the best our league has to offer.
This news is very hard to bear, but I hope it will inspire league-wide support for Teevens and his family.
You can send an electronic message to Buddy and his family here.
Friday, April 14, 2023
Roster Updated
The 2023 football roster has now been updated, clearing up some questions about who is and isn't coming back this fall. These questions have always been a big part of the off season in Ivy League football, but COVID and the transfer portal have made the mysteries more numerous and difficult to unravel.
Here are a couple of quick takes:
GOOD NEWS
Senior WR JJ Jenkins, who had a breakout year for the Lions last year, is coming back. That gives CU a formidable returning wide receiving corps of Bryson Canty, Marcus Libman, Jenkins, and the oft-injured but sure-handed Wills Meyer also in the mix. Also keep an eye open for sophomore Edan Stagg in this group.
We already knew that QB's Caden Bell and Joe Green were returning, giving the Lions a rare level of depth at the game's most crucial position. But the videos of spring practices show that both Green and Bell are participating, which is a bit of a surprise for Bell because 5th year seniors usually have to take the spring semester before their final seasons off to remain eligible (this must be a result of special COVID rules).
NOT SO BAD NEWS
The 2023 offensive line will not be totally devoid of game experience. Zach Mills and Andrew Pruske both got on the field a lot last year and Pruske had some starts. Judge Niland played in one game. Braeden Bellmer made the travel team but did not play. Luke Painton is still listed as a TE, but I guess we're keeping his move to LT a "secret."
RB Nicolas Nesbitt has left the team, but Joey Giorgi, Ty'Son Edwards, and Malcom Terry are back, and Jake Langdon is recovered from his ACL tear last year.
NOT SO GREAT NEWS
DB Brian Bell-Anderson is not returning, leaving a hole in the secondary. But there is still a lot of experience among last year's backups along with the super-talented returning starters Seth Parker and Aaron Brebnor.
WHO KNOWS?
There are 33 returning seniors on the roster, and it's usually a very good sign to have 30 or more of those in Ivy ball.
... And we're still waiting on the official release on incoming freshmen.
Monday, April 3, 2023
Schedule Mystery 100% Solved
No, the Columbia athletics department has not yet released the 2023 football schedule.
But Marist just did.
And sure enough, the Lions will be hosting the Red Foxes on October 7th, week four of the season for the Lions and the fifth game of the season for Marist.
That confirms that Columbia has indeed canceled, or at least postponed, a once-scheduled road game at Wagner for that week. It also confirms that the Lions will have five home games in 2023.
Columbia has played Marist six times and won each contest. The Lions easily cruised past the Red Foxes in the CU season opener in Poughkeepsie last year, 38-3.