Prepare the Murder Rule

Columbia Lions at Monmouth Hawks

October 11, 2014

Location: Kessler Field

Kickoff Time: 1pm

Gametime Weather Forecast: 61 degrees, 80% chance of rain 

The Spread: Monmouth is favored by 34 points

Columbia Game Notes 

Monmouth Game Notes 

TV/RADIO

The game will be broadcast live and for FREE on the Monmouth Digital Network 

Maybe you can watch the video, turn down the sound, and tune in for the free audio and superior commentary from Jerry Recco and Sal Licata.

Lead Stories/Questions

-Another blowout and that would be five in a row for Columbia stretching back to last season. Even for the most ardent and delusional among us, the Mangurian Death Watch begins.

-Will the Monmouth Homecoming crowd push for the Hawks to run up the score?

Streak Watch

Columbia has now lost 14 games in a row, making this the longest losing streak since the record 44-game slide from 1983-88. Columbia has not won a game since 11/14/2009 or 669 days ago.

The Lions have also now lost 18 games in a row on the road. The last away win was over Cornell at Schoelkopf Field on Nov. 14, 2009. That was  1,792 days ago.

Players to Watch

Monmouth: RB Lavon Chaney has been filling in very nicely for star RB KB Asante, who is still out. Last week Chaney had 113 yards rushing on 22 carries and he scored two TD’s. QB Brandon Hill is starting to gear up after throwing for more than 330 yards last week.

Columbia: RB Cameron Molina tries to have his third straight good game. WR Chris Connors tries to make an impact despite a somewhat bum leg.

Columbia 3 Keys to the Game

1)      Find a way to leave Pete Mangurian and Jamie Elizondo back in NYC

Have the buses leave without them or something. 

2)      See if Chris Rippon and Chad Nice can also be left behind

See above.

3)      Order 15 pizzas to Dianne Murphy’s seat at halftime and see what happens.

The day shouldn’t be without any fun. 

Week 7 Picks

I had a perfect 7-0 week with my straight up picks, but another challenging Saturday against the spread going 3-3-1. One consolation was that I KNEW James Madison would beat Albany by exactly three points, but with no half-point in that 3-point spread I had to settle for a tie.

That brings my total record right now to 23-8 straight up and 15-14-1 against the spread.

On to this week's games:


Dartmouth +9 at Yale

This is such a big game for both teams that I think it will be close. Yale just seems like a real juggernaut right now and the Elis might even draw a nice crowd at the Bowl too. Yale to win, but the Big Green to cover.


Harvard -32 over Cornell

The Crimson are a bit banged up, but the Big Red will offer little in the way of resistance.


Fordham -24 1/2 over Penn

The Quakers look just plain lost, and now they have to take on the Rams in the Bronx.


Princeton -4 1/2 at Colgate

I think the Tigers woke up after that slow start against Columbia last week, and will finally be firing on all cylinders on Saturday. If not, the chances of a repeat title look pretty grim,


Brown + 2 1/2 over Holy Cross

The Bears will win by three or four.


Albany +9 vs. Richmond

The Spiders will win, but the Great Danes will make it close again.

BREAKING: Nelligan out for the Season

Connor Nelligan

The Columbia Spectator quotes Head Coach Pete Mangurian saying that the Lions top WR Connor Nelligan is now out for the entire season.

And so it goes... 

The Columbia two-deeps are now out for the game against Monmouth, and WR Chris Connors is getting the start. 

Also, it appears that Chris Schroer is out indefinitely after he was injured in the Albany game.

On the defensive side, it appears the solid play of Jared Katz in the game against Princeton is paying off as he is getting the start at corner over Trevor Bell. 

Monmouth Posts Game Notes/Preview Video

Monmouth has just released its game notes for Saturday's game and those notes include a special preview video along with an interview with O-lineman Sam Bell.

And yes, this is Homecoming for Monmouth just in case we needed to see even more evidence of how uphill a contest this will be for the Lions.

BREAKING: Penn's Countryman Charged with Assault

Penn junior WR Cameron Countryman, a talented and fast player I've written about for years, have been charged with assault and is suspended from the team.