Sunday, October 22, 2023

What is the Color of Pain?

Dartmouth 20 Columbia 9


Why Dartmouth Won

After allowing the Lions to go 75 yards for a TD on the opening drive of the game, the Big Green defense did not allow any more points the rest of the way. The offense was inconsistent, but effective at key moments as well. 


Why Columbia Lost

The offense could never duplicate the intensity and effectiveness of its opening drive. The defense could not keep Dartmouth down all day.


Key Turning Points

There was really only one

-After Columbia jumped out to a 9-0 lead on the opening drive TD and then a safety on a bad snap play, the Lions took over on their own 30 after the free kick with 5:56 left in the 1st quarter. After Columbia went three-and-out, Dartmouth's Patrick Campbell blocked William Hughes' punt (after a bad snap), and Campbell recovered it in the end zone for a TD. Columbia never regained the momentum after that. 


Columbia Positives

-Joe Green put up some decent overall numbers and seemed more comfortable completing passes. 

-The Lion defense allowed just 13 1st downs.


Columbia Negatives

-The Lions failed to finish drive after drive, looking totally inept in the red zone. 

-The Columbia defense missed some key tackles. 


Columbia MVP


-LB Anthony Roussos had 12 tackles and a TFL. 



79 comments:

Roar Lion said...

The offense failed to finish drives all day but I was very surprised at two drives in the first quarter with 3rd and seven and 3rd and five where we opted to run the football. Joe is 4-4 passing at this point we've got one healthy RB and he's not 25. Does the OC have no confidence in his players?

Also, a total killer to have 1st and goal at the one and get nothing. A few years ago, we had Josh Bean who was terrific at scoring TDs out of the wildcat. And then Hollingsworth was good. But it has mostly been unsuccessful for the past five years and yet we keep trotting it out.

So, another fan second guessing coaching calls but it felt like play calls really hurt. And, truth hurts, kids have to execute basic plays to win college football games.

Shawn said...

Another frustrating loss. Not much else to say, I suppose.

Now, I'm not saying they should bring Fabish back necessarily. But, was reading some stories on Tim Murphy and went through his year by year records at Harvard. Started in 1994:
1994: 4-6 (2-5)
1995: 2-8 (1-6)
1996 4-6 (2-5)

Then 1997 they went 9-1. But even after that it was 4-6, 5-5, 5-5. Obviously there wasn't the internet like it is now but maybe Jake remembers if Harvard fans were calling for Murphy's ouster those early years. Probably a lot of frustrated former players and donors and even moms and dads saying "HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU HAVE TO SEE?!"

Again, not saying Fabish becomes Murphy. Just that it's also impossible to fully gauge someone based on six games.

Well, other than Mangurian...

At this point, only thing I guess I want out of the season is nice weather for final home games. Sitting in the rain for 8 hours and 57 minutes of the 9 hours they've played at Baker hasn't been too fun.

Anonymous said...

Remember that Murphy had been the Head Coach of Maine and then Cincinnati, before being picked by Harvard.

Anonymous said...

5 straight rain games. Incredible

Anonymous said...

Money talks. This coaching staff isn’t getting it done and with all certainties Alums who contribute big time $$ and other ways are making their feelings known that this season is unacceptable. Period.

Anonymous said...

Every team, even in the NFL, will likely have one bad loss every season. Three, in six games, warrants that questions be asked.

Anonymous said...

Play calling, bad snaps, whatever it is! It's this offense that is the problem. Anyone can see that when you are first and goal and in the Wild Cat you are in trouble. How about when Bagnoli used it at the 35! Where is the imagination? Look at Green's completions and check average yards. If we don't blame Fabish who do we blame? AND we are supposed to stay quiet and allow a second Engles?

Anonymous said...

You are right, house cleaning time

Anonymous said...

Jake called Surace the worst coach in the IL after his first season or two. We know how that turned out. Without our best WR and our best RB we were playing at a disadvantage. I think Fabish will turn out to be a very good coach if the geniuses on this blog don’t run him out of town first.

Anonymous said...

What has Fabish shown us for you to “think Fabish will turn out to be a very good coach”?
Did he prove to be innovative when he was the Offensive Coordinator from 2016 to 2022?
Does he offensive schemes make opposing team’s Defensive Coordinators lose sleep?
Does he maximize the talent he has?
Do not forget Bob Surace came to Princeton after eight years in the Cincinnati Bengals organization.
No one has answered the question, “what will Mark Fabish bring to the program that no other coach possibly could?”
As someone else properly pointed out, should he not be retained, what Division 1 school would hire him to be an Offensive Coordinator or Head Coach?

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who noticed the very strong play of our tight ends against Dartmouth? Columbia's tight ends played extremely well and the Lions got more production from their tight ends than they have had in years. Our new tight end coach. Augie Hoffman, who came over to Columbia in August from Rutgers, via St. Joe's in Montvale, NJ., is obviously a "Keeper."

Anonymous said...

Jake, how did you and others know that Green was going to be the starter for the Dartmouth Game? Was there an announcement? If so I missed it. Do have we any updates on our two star players, Bryson Canty and Joey Giorgi? My feeling is that we would have defeated Dartmouth if one or both of them had not been injured.

Anonymous said...

“I think Fabish will turn out to be a very good head coach.” Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Where is the evidence for this whopper? Thus far, I’ve seen speculation about what some posters think Fabish might have been able to do if everyone had been healthy. There was also a bit about how Surace had a tough first two years and then turned out to be a great coach (though nothing about the much more frequent phenomenon of coaches who had a bad first two years and turned out to be, you guessed it, bad). In other words, there’s been no positive evidence adduced for the claim that Fabish will be a very good head coach. On the basis of what we’ve seen so far, I have to conclude that Fabish is not our guy. I think we finish 3-7 at best and last in the Ivies. Not the kind of results we want to encourage.

PKNIGHT said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

No but I did notice that our LT played extremely well. He reminds me of O’Neill with the Vikings

Anonymous said...

Daddy gronk in the house! Hate to disagree but you may have noticed our qb writhing on the turf more than once. Cant believe no one has mentioned poor pass protection. Dart caused pressure with 3 rushers on more than 1 play

Anonymous said...

That is a bunch of bs

Anonymous said...

Watch O’Neill on Vikings tonight. Tell me if there is it a strong resemblance to our LT

Anonymous said...

I want to attempt to address a number of comments that have popped up in recent weeks here as frankly I think it comes across terribly to current or prospective recruits/families. Apologies for being long winded.

For anyone that played college level football 8-10+ years ago, I don't think there is an accurate understanding of the time commitment and dedication that a young man has to have in the present time. The expectations and commitment that is required of kids now is off the charts. Being a football player has consumed thousands of hours since at least 9th grade for these young men. It's not just about practice and a game on Friday night like the 'old days'. These kids now have practice/meetings 5-6 days a week, they go to speed trainers, they lift 5+ days a week, they have nutrition plans, they have physical therapy to take care of their bodies, playbooks are like taking another course, and lastly, they are taking 4-5 classes at one of the most rigorous universities in the nation.

The inherent expectations of success of each young man AND their family have increased and it's entirely acceptable and logical relative to the time and commitment that they are asked to give to the program. To dismiss the frustration of a "Dad" or family on here is unacceptable. These people know what their son has given to football and given up to play football. They should be extremely frustrated.

Anonymous said...

THIS sums it all up 100%. Thank you for posting this.

Anonymous said...

Dropped TD pass

Anonymous said...

True of most sports. Stop whining.

Anonymous said...

I remain befuddled by all of the negative comments. We have been in all three Ivy games and just as easily could have been 3-0 as opposed to 0-3. We have a first year HC and a first year OC. Will they make some mistakes? Of course. Will they be better at their jobs in 2 or 3 years? I would be on that. And does anybody think that we would be helping the program by cleaning house? I for one certainly think we need to stay the course. And because we all have the same good faith intention to see the program flourish, please stop badmouthing the coaches during midseason. It’s a tough job; don’t make it even harder.

Anonymous said...

Thank you and well said. This is what I have been saying. Keep the faith. This team is only going to get better under this staff.

Anonymous said...

Football players spend most of their time just standing around.

CC1974Bkb said...

University’s Giving Day, which was scheduled for Oct 25, has been canceled by the administration. That didn't say why, but my guess is they didn't want to subject volunteers to questions about why so many at the University seem to think that Israelis deserve to die as long as the State of Israel is allowed to exist. Does anybody think this issue will effect recruiting at Harvard, Penn, or Columbia?

Anonymous said...

If you cant agree pass protection has been a big issue with the offense you and I may not be watching same games. Qb was nearly cut in half by a free rusher. I will concede that one might have been a missed assignment but the pressure has come across entire line, even the left side

Anonymous said...

Absurd, ungrateful and entitled.

Your son was admitted because of football and gets a Columbia degree.

Anonymous said...

But daddy is mad because sonny is not playing, or not getting the ball, or …. Even if one played 30 years ago that was and still is lame!

Anonymous said...

In summary, you asking if cancelling Giving Day because it's inappropriate during a war will impact football recruiting. Get out of here!

Anonymous said...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Anonymous said...

Sounds like it’s all about how YOU feel Daddy. I would bet you a nickel that your son loves the brotherhood of playing with his teammates and will value this experience the rest of his life vs the wins and losses

Anonymous said...

Some of these comments clearly demonstrate the lack of understanding of the changes in the overall college football environment. Try for a second to stop being so combative and emotional with all of your 'daddy' comments and getting your feelings hurt. It's not about a parent or player being mad. It's not about someone being ungrateful or entitled or not getting the ball. It's about achieving success as a program and getting the maximum out of each player, each coach and staff member.

Every successful football program understands that to excel now requires a commitment and competence level (time, money, coaching, expertise, facilities, etc) which has elevated immensely over recent years and continues to grow.

For those that don't understand it or don't make it a priority by deflecting reality...enjoy being in the bottom of your league and continually looking forward to the possibilities of next year, every year.

Anonymous said...

Oh, so it is about changing coaches after 6 games? Of course all the effort is geared to winning. What is appropriate reaction when that doesnt happen right away. So many here seem to think successful coaches grow on trees. For me, if a coach can recruit and keep players “bought in” even throughout a disappointing season, I would err on the side of giving them time to figure out schemes/play calling etc

Feels like the emotion comes from those with past grievances about a coach and want to jump to cleaning house. Yeah, Columbia football has such a great history of making those decisions

Anonymous said...

The “grievances” are not past. No one at the start of the season wanted Fabish to fail. People may have been disappointed by his sudden, totally unexpected, elevation, based on his less than outstanding performance in recent years as the Offensive Coordinator.
No serious critic is discounting his ability to “keep players ‘bought in’”, but that is one of the most basic skills any head or position coach must have. One does not deserve the Nobel Prize in Economics because they are merely proficient in calculus.
People rightly had an expectation for the season, based on the team’s talent, visibke from the performance at the end of last season.
When the team was throughly moribund and unprepared against Lafayette, it was easy to say, “first game of the year”, “new coach.” Princeton might be explained by “the rain”, “the team has not yet jelled”. After Penn, it was harder to explain the deficiencies. Now, after Dartmouth, it is impossible to make plausible excuses for a third bad loss.
There are those who say, “it is not about the call, it is about the execution of the play”. Think about the number of trios into the Red Zone this year, that yielded no points. Your present head coach was an Offensive Coordinator. The two do not compute.
Criticizing a coach should not be prohibited simply because they possess one, or even a few, of the necessary traits any coach should have by the time they reach the college level. The question remains, is Fabish getting the results commensurate with the available talent on the team? If the answer is “yes”, he should be retained. If the annswer is other than “yes”, the search should begin for someone who will.

Anonymous said...

As pointed out earlier, check Troxell's second year at Lafayette. Coaches like that are out there! Ditch the 3 and Out and Mark Engles Fabish.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you aren't a big Jim Engles fan either. Could it be that both aren't the answer?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps our disconnect is your assessment of overall talent level. While coming in to this season it was rational to be optimistic will all offensive skill positions returning, but 4 Oline needed to be replaced

So, you may feel offensive woes are mostly coaching related. I on the other hand see constant pressure on qb, frustrating lack of movement on running plays after the first quarter, very few memorable plays made by highly touted receiving corp (along with more than a few drops) and inaccurate throws to open targets.

It sucks to be disappointed but that is where we are. None of this is to say there is no offensive talent. If Oline picks up blitzes and stunts a little better I think JG can pick apart defenses like Penns offense does with short passing game. Little improvements can produce big results with this group. Who is at fault? Coaches? Players? Yes.

Anonymous said...

Wow a dad with some youth coaching experience! I prefer to run singleback bunch PA boot slide in the red zone, instead of trios. Block your HB and do whatever you want with the inside TE. First read is a high point pass over the middle, second read is the post, you can either do a high point throw when the route breaks, or wait for him to settle and hit him with a high point

Others may prefer an alternative out of the singleback bunch. Toss if they don’t cover it. Verticals and stream the hb. Verticals with slot on a whip and te on a curl. Whip is usually open, but you can high point to the curl.

Should I share my expertise with Fabish, snowflake?

Anonymous said...

The left side of the o line has been great

Anonymous said...

Daddy grok!!

Anonymous said...


WOW! Your expertise does not impress anyone but yourself. Everyone has one, but we have one who behaves like one. Unfortunate since this is a public blog and comments will influence recruits and their parents, etc.

This started as a fun, somewhat informative forum; not so much anymore.

Sad

Anonymous said...

Lafayette better job

Anonymous said...

In all fairness to Coach Engles, he was successful in guiding the Columbia Men's Basketball Team to a 2-12 record in the Ivy League last season. That was twice as many victories as the Lions had under his astute leadership in each of the two prior seasons.

Anonymous said...

I honestly doubt many recruits read this blog spot. Very comical that you believe negative comments here would deter them from committing here. This isn’t twitter or X.

Anonymous said...

You need to focus on your real job, Ace. This is a bunch of nonsense.

Anonymous said...

Just noting that Bob Surace was 1 and 9 his first two years and had one winning season in his first six years.

Tim Murphy had one winning season in his first seven years at Harvard.
Buddy T is his second stint at dartmouth had losing seasons in first five years winning a total of seven games including an 0 and 10 season.
Dave Archer has been at Cornell ten years without a winning season.
And same with basketball teams - the Colgate basketball coach had little success his first five years and they have been to the NCAA the last three years.

Anonymous said...

Ray Priore at Penn is currently coaching in his eighth season of football. His first two teams won Ivy League titles. OK, maybe you can say he won with Al’s players. This year he can finish no worse than .500. Of the remaining seven years, not counting this season, he was .500 once, and had winning records, all but one year.
For those who, at this point in the season, believe Fabish should be retained, answer two questions:
-should he have done better with the talent on this team?
-what does he bring to the program that no other head coach would?
If he finishes the year 3-7, that would be a better record than 28 of the last 50 seasons.
On face that might sound commendable, but subtract wins against Georgetown and Marist, and how impressive was his performance?
Three bad losses in six games is hard to turn a blind eye to.
What did Fabian do, other than having Al step aside weeks before the start of the season, to deserve being the head coach of this team?
In all fairness, we ALL should stop posting about the coaches until the end of the season. But that should go for those in favor, and those opposed. Let’s all agree to reserve making Fabish the next Nick Saban, as well as the next Pete Mangurian.

Anonymous said...

How are losses to Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton “bad losses”. They are all 2-1 in the league with arguably better talent than us

Anonymous said...

When you have “goal to go”, and come away with no points, and that is the margin of your loss, that is a “bad loss”.

Anonymous said...

You're an idiot

Anonymous said...

If we had last year’s OL we would be undefeated. Absurd to think that 4 new OLs and a converted TE would have given us a seamless transition. Let’s see how we do now that they have had half a season to work together. They have decent size and some legitimate talent on the OL, so they should be able to come together.

Anonymous said...

And right after they did not get points on the goal to go vs Princeton, on the next series Princeton throws a pick six in part by being pinned back to their goal line. Everything is relative

Anonymous said...

Who is Fabian?

Anonymous said...

We’ll be lucky to win one more game this season. I’m thinking 2-8 unless we somehow upset Brown.

Anonymous said...

Even Al would have us at 5-5 and everyone would be genuflecting and telling what a great job he did to take us to the land of Mediocrity

Anonymous said...

35-35 is certainly mediocre but where will Fabish finish?

Anonymous said...

The vicious anti Jewish sentiment on campus along with the disgusting walkout and gutless conduct of the administration certainly does not create the atmosphere for a winning team.

Anonymous said...

The mere fact that you even attempt to make a comparison between columbia football and penn says a lot. Penn’s long history of sucess keeps the talent pipeline full. Columbia has not reached that stage yet.

Current coach represents the potential to continue on the path of the bagnoli program (for lack of a better term). I have no idea whether he will be successful. But if I were making decision i would think there is more upside for being patient with than not. Anyone calling for change just a few games in would seem to be driven by some other factor

Anonymous said...

Agree!

Anonymous said...

That was agree with the point about Oline. I have no projection for final record. I am just happy I will be dry on Sat watching this group go out and try to ruin the day of my least favorite IL football person!

Anonymous said...

Jagoff

Anonymous said...

Yes because the long excellence-filled tradition of Columbia’s football program simply can not allow for a seven year .500 record. The readers of this blog would never stand for such a record.

“But I donated money, I expect better.” Sorry, thats table stakes. If alumni/friends dont donate you dont even get to .500.

Anonymous said...

maybe not but the losing season is routing my son elsewhere and he has lost interest in Columbia

Anonymous said...

Oh no. Please dont go. Jagoff

Anonymous said...

Your son should transfer. You clearly don't understand what you signed up for. Team has been .500 over last 7 years which is a big improvement over historical performance. If your kid has lost interest after a 2-4 start and not enough snaps, please transfer. Columbia needs tough kids who can handle the work and not give in so quickly. Again, your kid should transfer at the semester. And make sure he takes his shine box with him.

SpuytenDuyvil76 said...

"Jagoff". Methinks I detect a Chicago accent?
The first, and only time I heard that expression (until I caught a few episodes of "Bear") was freshman year in Carman. The Windy city boys employed it often.

Anonymous said...

Jerk off

Anonymous said...

Agreed. Reno is the most arrogant a-hole in the league

Anonymous said...

Wait, yours may be the first comment in a long time that everyone can agree with!!

Anonymous said...

Sorry but this is starting to get funny. What would it be from down South?

A Nonny Muss said...

No chance we beat Yale in New Haven. None whatsoever.

A Nonny Muss said...

If it DOESN'T rain in New Haven tomorrow, the excuse from many on this board when we lose will be that we're not used to playing in good weather. Time to start looking for a new head coach, as I'd prefer not to have another Engles disaster.

Anonymous said...

There are no excuses. We will win tomorrow with Fabish leading us to victory. Start putting faith into this team.

Anonymous said...

5-5 seems a stretch to me. Who do we beat? In over his head, Uncle Mark!

Anonymous said...

Clown. Go cry some more in your beer

Anonymous said...

Get back to making the fries, pal.

Anonymous said...

Weakest in the league and hurting our offense

Anonymous said...

I echo your sentiments...this used to be a place to come to read constructive comments and now it's become like the Truth Social of football blogs