Columbia 34 Princeton 17
Why Columbia Won
The Lion offense moved the ball well all day, and finally started to convert that movement into TDs in the 2nd half. The defense overcame a slow start and snagged three turnovers to keep the Tigers out of a rhythm.
Why Princeton Lost
The Tiger defense had no consistent answer for Chase Goodwin, Joey Giorgi and the entire Columbia O-line. On offense, Princeton was inconsistent in the passing game and missed some prime scoring opportunities.
Key Turning Points
-With Columbia already trailing 7-0, the Lions turned the ball over on downs at the Tiger 40 with 6:44 left in the 1st quarter. But on 4th and 2 from the PU 48, QB Blaine Hipa's pass was tipped into the air and then intercepted by S Hayden McDonald to give the Lions the ball back at their own 49. Five plays later, PK Hugo Merry nailed a 39-yard FG to dodge a bullet and get some points besides.
-Now trailing 10-6, Columbia got the ball to open the 2nd half and again ended up turning the ball over on downs at the Princeton 49. But once again, the TIgers turned the ball right back over with a fumble three plays later that set the Lions up at their own 47. Columbia responded with a 12-play TD drive that included four 3rd down conversions, including a TD on 3rd and 7 from the PU 8 that featured Goodwin scrambling to extend the play and find WR Marcus Libman all alone on the end zone.
-After Princeton scored a TD in the first minute of the 4th quarter to narrow the Columbia lead to 20-17, the Lions began a crucial possession at their 15. On the first play of the drive, Giorgi went around the left side for a 34-yard run to get Columbia out of the hole and rolling again. Eight plays later, the Lions faced a 4th and 5 at the Tiger 14 and once again opted to go for it. This time, Goodwin rolled left and kept it for a brilliant TD run that essentially iced the game for CU.
Columbia Positives
-The Lion offense produced 479 yards with an amazing symmetry of 269 yards rushing and 280 yards passing (and 20 return yards). That included six yards per carry on the ground, no turnovers, and just two penalties.
-Goodwin returned after missing last week due to injury and resumed his accurate passing, effective running, and coolness under pressure.
-Columbia's receivers made numerous plays and showed their overall depth at the position. After senior Bryson Canty left the game early, his replacement sophomore Titus Evans kept getting open and made key catch after key catch. Junior Edan Stagg made some big catches as well, including an essential run after a catch for a 1st down in CU's second FG drive of the game.
-PK Merry continues to be perfect on FG tries, and nailed two longer range kicks with a tricky breeze blowing at Wien Stadium. He's also perfect on PATs.
Columbia Negatives
-It's not clear how serious the injuries are that took Canty and DL Justin Townsend out of the game. With a final non-conference game at Wagner next week, don't be surprised if both of them sit that contest out.
-One could quibble with how the defense played against the Tiger running game overall, but strip out the opening Princeton drive and things look a lot differently.
Columbia MVP
-Again, it is tempting to give this award to the offensive line as a unit. It would also be non-controversial to award it to Giorgi who had an impressive 157 yard rushing performance on 18 carries. But the true difference maker was QB Chase Goodwin, who directed the offense through a number of high pressure drives and showed plenty of athleticism to go along with that emotional leadership. Goodwin is looking like the best signal-caller Columbia has had for a long time.
57 comments:
Jake--Per usual, your analysis is spot-on. The key play of the game was the P'ton turnover that got us going in the second half. As in the Laf game, the team played with poise and patience, even when it took awhile for things to go the Lions' way, no doubt a testament to coaching and the players feeling their team is deep and special. Possibly the best second half of Ivy League football for the Lions since...well a long time.
Goodwin reminds me of a healthy Sean Brackett before injuries sidelined what would have been a tremendous career.
Or a healthy MA Oluwole before he was also sidelined by injuries.
Excellent comment that I am happy to second. We now have two great victories and one learning experience under our belt. This is a very talented Lion football team which is fun to watch.
Very impressive win today, Lions. Well played.
I'm only sorry our Princeton attendance was so anemic that there were not many orange-clad fans to see your well-earned victory.
Overall attendance of 4,111 for an Ivy matchup in beautiful weather was disappointing. Hope that changes as word gets out that the Lions are for real.
Sean Brackett, MA Oluwole and Mike Cavanaugh were all outstanding recent Columbia quarterbacks, with extraordinary running ability, so for Chase Goodwin to be compared to them this early in his Columbia career is quite an honor. However, what is really exciting is that Goodwin seems not only to be a very good running quarterback, but an exceptonal passer as well.
I called it at 34-14. Woe is me. Football features mistakes and lucky breaks. McFadden gets turned around in the end zone and Hipa overthrows. Third string QB comes in and fumbles.High throw and a tip = an interception. Combine these with some spectacular moves by Georgi and Terry and you have a ground game! Mis direction at the right time! Goodwin will only get better and better! Well done guys!
Anders Hill had a very good senior season.
I thought that this game was won in the trenches. The Columbia OL pretty much had its way in the second half against a good Princeton front four. On the other side of the ball, the Columbia DL was able to control the very excellent Princeton RB Volker. Poppe said that he tries to stop the run first to force the other team to become one dimensional.
Were there any position changes on the OL yesterday?
Fun to watch Goodwin. His calm under pressure is evident even from the stands. Two (constructive) critiques: please no more soft lob passes in the middle of field and look for running back when options 1 and 2 are covered - looked open for nice gain several times
I did see one pass play that I hate. A throw to the sideline by a WR behind the line of scrimmage which was thrown into the ground. A bubble screen without the bubble. I hate that play.
Meant to a wide receiver.
When was the last time we truly dominated a Princeton team up front ? With our excellent RB's ,Giorgi and Terry, it only took an inch of daylight and their excellent sense of timing to produce yardage. This took some of the pressure off Goodwin, who as a Sophomore, looks to be as polished as some of the QB's mentioned above. Worry about our pass rush with Townsend out, but hey. next man up ! Agree ,Inwood ,that 4K attendance on a glorious day is disappointing to say the least!
Yes, Hill was an excellent quarterback.
OL # 77, BIG and talented!
A Cornell friend from the West Coast advised me that this is the first time in Ivy League football history that Harvard, Yale and Princeton have all begun the season at 0-1. I have not fact checked that, but thank you, Brown, Cornell, and the Columbia Lions.
While it was a great game for the lions, I can’t help but point out this was the worst Princeton team I have seen in years; certainly worse than any team that Fabish had to game plan against. This was a great win for the lions however this was a Princeton team that lost to Lehigh earlier this year. Still a lot to prove before we fully buy into the Poppy era.
Somebody still digesting their sour grapes about Fabish…which allows me to practice my adjectives ……noisome, silly, irrelevant, petty….
I fully agree, although I am very supportive of Coach Poppe and his staff, this was one of the worst Princeton teams I can recall in my time watching games at Baker Field (CC ‘71). Many parts of the Lion program have improved since the days of Fabish, however, the team lacks the effort, energy, excitement, enthusiasm, and love that they played with under Mark’s guidance. I believe Poppe can restore this attitude in our young men, and I look forward to the results when he does. Hoping the 2024 campaign continues the momentum Coaches Bagnoli and Fabish built. Roar Lions!
Nobody care
And the Bagnoli System!
Fabish was awful. When will you people get that through your thick skulls? As for those saying Princeton is atrocious, did you watch the first half? This Princeton team isn't going to win the Ivies, but they'll be middle of the pack, perhaps 5-5 and around 3-4 in the IL. CC '71, I guess you missed the Princeton teams in Surace's first two years, each of which went 1-9 (2010 and 2011). Even last year's PU team was a pretty blah 5-5 and very pedestrian. I get it -- all the Fabish acolytes can't face the facts, but the reality is that this team (with largely the same personnel) is playing miles better than last year's. I remember when they scored 34 points against Princeton last year and had all those touchdowns on offense--oh wait, my mistake-- they scored 7 points total, and it was Townsend with a nifty pick-six that accounted for all of our points. :) I think Poppe will be at least 6-4 this year, possibly even 7-3, with an outside shot at 8-2. There's no getting around it: he's a very, very good coach! When the team has 6+ wins this year, will you Fabulists be saying the IL wasn't any good, Poppe got lucky, blah blah blah? We should beat Wagner next week, at which point we'll be 3-1. To go 3-3 in our remaining Ivy contests seems very doable, and I think we go 4-2 to finish 7-3.
For those of you who think the current coaches “still a lot to prove before we fully buy”, why not just go to Southern New Jersey and canonize your hero, the ever creative Mark Fabish, whose only job offer was from Peddie Prep. With all the available opportunities after last season, your wunderkind was hired where? So much for his extraordinary skills. And to anyone who does not believe these players are enthusiastic about this coach, why did the Fifth Year Seniors opt to return? Ah, must have been the NIL!
Enough looking at what was. Only a fool trips over what is behind them.
Cherish the moment or stay home and be quiet.
What is Fabish without Bagnoli? We got to see the Emperor with his clothes off. It was not pretty. How about all the Fabish Fan Club staying silent until Marvelous Mark gets his next college head coaching position.
Lay off Fabish; he is a good man who had a few bad breaks or else he would have had a few more wins. For Example, last year’s Princeton game was a game that slipped away when a pass to the Princeton TE which was pretty clearly trapped was called a catch. and the Penn game was also one stop away from another win. Look, I love Poppe and am glad that he is our coach, but Mark is a good man who does not deserve this abuse. With a few breaks Mark could have been 5-5 with wins against Brown (OT loss as I recall), Princeton and Penn.
If one did not know better, they would think the Lions got blown out by Princeton. Who actually thinks any player “plays for a coach”? You play for yourself first and then for your teammates. Newsflash, losing is no fun. The coaches get paid, players do not. I had a position coach who also was the coordinator for that side of the ball. loved the fellow and thought he was brilliant. So did others, because after Columbia, he ended up coaching in the NFL. But, on the field, I never thought of winning “for him”. As we used to say, “The alumni want to beat Princeton. The coaches want to beat Dartmouth. The players want to beat Harvard.”
Any discussion of the top Lions QBs from the past 35 years has to include Anders Hill. In my opinion he was the best. Also, 2017 was our best team since 1961.
Are we overlooking the Columbia football team in the mid-nineties that went 8-2 and had several outstanding players including the great Marcellus Wiley?
2017>1996 IMHO
Regardless, my point was specifically about the QB in 2017.
I gotta disagree with you game ball should be given to RB Giorgi he had two big runs that opened up the pass, that also led to TD’s. And also the defense is what is keeping them in the games.
Agree that the 2017 team was better than the 1996 team. The 1996 team won 5 of their 8 games by something like 5 points or less, and they lost to Dartmouth 40-0. Anders Hill was a phenomenally talented QB, and he had an awesome arm. Still remember seeing him gun it to Ronald Smith (just before the blitz came) for the winning score at Princeton. That was a great win by a great team.
Can we please take it for what it's worth? A win. A win over a league opponent.
The first half was not terribly promising. We could move the ball, but not in the red zone. Two FGs to their TD and FG. I had seen this movie before. Whether we could stay in contention frankly in doubt.
But then the coaching staff obviously made adjustments during halftime, and the boys responded, something I really can't recall from recent seasons past. The momentum shifted hugely. Both lines, especially O, played terrific. Running game excelled. The passing was good, and downfield; better than last year. The athleticism of the QBs in crucial moments key.
It was extremely fun to watch. Let's hope they stay healthy and continue to get their mojo workin', because the state of the league looks wide open.
Go Lions!
What was different for me was the dominant game by the OL, especially in the second half. Our #77 had a tremendous game, opening up running lanes over and over again. And the DL outplayed the Princeton OL; Big John Martin was back on the filed after missing the first two games, and he clearly made his presence felt in controlling Princeton’s running game.
I guess is just a shame that those who employed him did not quite see it the same way.
In the New York Metropolitan Area Quarterback Sweepstakes Derby, Daniel Jones of the Giants had his best game of the 2024 season yesterday which enabled him
to edge out Chase Goodwin for the #1 spot. However, Hall of Famer Aaron Rogers had a awful game against the Seatlle Seahawks so he dropped into third place behind Goodwin. Former Columbia running back Dante "Turbo" Miller was activated to the roster by the Giants but failed to see action as another rookie ahead of him had an outstanding day.
An extremely accurate post!
You must be a fan of the Bubble Screen... How does this year's offense compare with Fabish's or for that matter Bagnoli's?
Key operative word in the above, DOWN FIELD!
Great win all around. And now my yearly rant about our ridiculous non conference opponent this week in Wagner. No slight to Wagner but let's play opponents we recruit against-Fordham, Holy Cross and Lehigh come to mind here. The cynic in me thinks this was partly Bags driven to pad win stats ( see Central CT games under his regime)..any way let's hope no key injuries and we handle business in Staten Island while getting the 2's and 3's some meaningful reps.
You are right that John Martin made his presence felt on the defensive line, in terms of actual number of tackles made, but the Columbia Gamebook shows the team leaders in total tackles made were db Hayden McDonald 7, linebacker Scott Rosati 6, linebacker Jack Smiechowski 6 and db Carter McFadden 4. Of course, the Gamebook tackle measurement category has a built-in bias in favor of the defensive secondary and the linebackers.
The enrollment at Wagner is a shade under 2,000 students. Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, the reigning New York City Public School football champions (the alma mater of Al Davis, Sonny Werbin, Jerry Reinsdorf and numerous other notables), has an enrollment of 7,000. When the Bagnoli regime asked them for a schedule date, they claimed to have no availability.
Harvard and Dartmouth play Central Ct this year
DT is back tosolid depth even with loss of game 1 starter OT. DE will now be stressed. Good thing Knox is back in action. Others will need to step up. Liked what I saw at end of game while only rushing 3
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2024/10/princeton-sports-recap-tigers-football-loss-columbia-october-2024
On the topic of OCC opponents, does anyone remember the solid crowd, never mind teams, that Colgate used to bring to Baker Field? Home games were much more fun when the visitors' stands had fans. Last Saturday's Princeton turnout was almost non-existent.
Largely due to recent and current admissions criteria of Ivy League schools.
Princeton's turnout was especially bad, but attendance is bad throughout the league. There were five games at Ivy stadiums on a lovely fall Saturday but the average was well under 5,000. It averaged double that twenty years ago according to a 2006 NYT article.
Columbia doesn't even bother with concessions on the visitors side anymore, and most schools no longer bring their bands with them. (Princeton did, but the band was 1/3 the size it was a decade ago). Overall it's just a sad situation.
Attendance at football games has been steadily declining for decades. Admissions rates have also dropped during that time but that's not the sole reason.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP881Pdu7/
At least for Columbia, the better the team, the better the attendance. But back in the 60s, from ‘61 through ‘64, we must have averaged 20,000 a game.
That is in the stone ages, prior to internet, cell phones, etc;
We need to be realistic in our expectations for fan attendance.
The boys were fired up to see an energetic crowd. Keep winning and we will get more attendance
I remember we had great attendance before we watched “talkies.” Which is surprising, because at the time most folks did not own one of those newfangled automobiles.
All of our opponents...in league or not...have significant alumni numbers in NYC metro area. Once we become the team to beat, more of them will come.
Good observation, Spittin’.
Thanks Dietrich!
Bonhoeffer?
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