Ivy Power Rankings

This was mostly a “push” week for the Ivies with the leading title contenders simply treading water. But we still learned some new things…

1)      Dartmouth

Homecoming or no Homecoming, playing a non-Ivy opponent at this stage of the game is a bit of a trap for any team. I’m a big fan of Tom Gilmore at Holy Cross anyway, so any win over his guys is generally nothing to ever be ashamed of in my book. The Big Green are still the team to beat.

2)      Harvard

The Crimson are still hobbled by injuries, but I’m not sure anyone will beat Harvard at home. Now the biggest test of the year so far comes for Harvard as Tim Murphy needs to prove he can win a big one on the road at Princeton this Saturday. We’ll learn a lot about BOTH teams after that one.

3)      Yale

They may be in 4^th place in the standings, but Yale is still better than Princeton in my book right now. That offense is just an arsenal that fires every down. The defense is iffy, but can still beat most Ivy opponents.

4)      Princeton

An injured Quinn Epperly didn’t slow Princeton down all that much in last Saturday’s win over Brown. Could it be that the Tigers are better without him? The Crimson will really want revenge over Princeton this Saturday, so the Tigers better have all their weapons firing. But in the end the game will be decided by how well the PU defense plays.

5)      Brown

This just isn’t Brown’s year, but I see a good future for the Bears very soon.

6)      Penn

I’m shocked at just how bad Penn is right now. This is the worst Quaker team since 1991, and still they beat Columbia by 24 points. Penn is due for a very bad beat down against Yale this weekend.

7)      Cornell

The Big Red just may be bad enough to lose to Columbia in 3 ½ weeks, but probably not. The offense is really punchless and the defense is just passable.

8)      Columbia

Why does a coach in his third year with a team not have a viable offensive or defensive line? Because it’s Columbia and the people who would care at every other school don’t care here. 

Sour 16

Penn 31 Columbia 7

Why Penn Won

After a slow start on both sides of the ball, the Quakers suddenly remembered that Columbia cannot stop straight-ahead running on defense and could not protect against the blitz on offense. The result was 276 yards rushing for the Quaker offense to just 20 rushing yards for the Lions. And once the blitz package was used, Columbia did not score again.

Why Columbia Lost

Columbia’s passing game could not sustain its opening success and the running attack was weaker than it’s been all season, which is saying something. Meanwhile, CU’s O-line committed a whopping 14 false start/motion penalties in what has to be a modern Ivy record. On defense, the Lions could not stop the simple runs up the middle even when everyone in Franklin Field knew they were coming. Columbia allowed more than five yards per carry on 54 Penn carries.

Key Turning Points

-With Columbia leading 7-0, Penn faced a 3^rd and 3 at the CU 27 with about 5 minutes left in the 1^st quarter. QB Alek Torgerson’s pass sailed high over Spenser Kulcsar’s head, but CU CB Trevor Bell knocked Kulcsar down on the play and even though the pass was clearly uncatchable, the refs are never going to ignore that much contact. The pass interference call gave Penn a 1^st down at the Lion 12. On the next play the Quakers scored the tying TD.

-With about 3 minutes left in the half and Penn ahead 14-7, Ray Pesanello recovered a Torgerson fumble at the Quaker 30. Columbia got as far as the Penn 19, but had to settle for a FG attempt that sailed wide and Penn dodged a bullet.

-Still leading 14-7, Penn was forced to punt after a three-and-out at their own 26. But Columbia roughed punter Hunter Kelly on the punt and Penn retained possession. 12 plays later it was 21-7.

Columbia Positives

-QB Trevor McDonagh was a clear upgrade and he showed decent poise.  The fact that he did not throw an interception was a big positive.

-It was good to see CU Tight Ends Garrett DeMuth and Zach Dansby make an impact as receivers.

Columbia Negatives

-The offensive line is a mess and a penalty machine. In addition to the bevvy of false starts, (mostly committed by Billy Lawrence), Kendall Pace was flagged for holding twice. The blitz totally flummoxed this group time and again.

-Double-teaming Niko Padilla equals destroying any chance of a CU run defense. This is a screaming problem.

Columbia MVP

-McDonagh

Lessons Learned

This is the worst Penn team I’ve seen since 1991, and still the Quakers were about to beat the Lions by four scores. Columbia keeps redefining the meaning of “hit bottom.” 14 motion penalties 8 motion penalties, and 3 holds on the O-line are inexcusable. And the lack of any kind of Lion rushing attack is just as bad. We were promised the O-line would be better this year, but I don’t see a bit of it. After all the machinations over the O-line that we’ve been through under Head Coach Pete Mangurian, it’s crazy that this is still the weakest unit on the team by far. The closer Mangurian gets to something, the more it stinks.

And to think, we could have saved ourselves from all of this by doing what everyone knew had to be done last year and letting Mangurian go. 

Columbia has now lost 16 straight, all by at least two scores. 

Gameday in Philly

Columbia Lions at Pennsylvania Quakers

October 18, 2014

Location: Franklin Field 

Kickoff Time: 1pm

Gametime Weather Forecast: 66 degrees and sunny

The Spread: Penn is favored by 21 points

TV/RADIO

The game will be broadcast on the Ivy League Digital Network

Make sure you get the audio and superior commentary from Jerry Recco and Sal Licata.

Lead Stories/Questions

-One of these two 0-4 teams will finally get into the win column today. 

-Columbia faces its first game of this season without senior captain Brett Nottingham even on the team. Will the team look like the wheels have completely come off or put up a decent effort?

Streak Watch

Columbia has now lost 15 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 676 days ago.

The Lions have also now lost 19 games in a row on the road. The last away win was over Cornell at Schoelkopf Field on Nov. 14, 2009. That was  1,799 days ago.

Penn has defeated Columbia 17 straight times, dating back to a 20-19 OT win for the Lions at Franklin Field in October 1996. 

Players to Watch

Penn: QB Alex Torgerson is talented, but interception prone. Will he get over his INT problem today? LB Dan Davis is salivating as he assays the CU O-line. 

Columbia: Can QB Trevor McDonagh put up good numbers against a first string defense? RB Cameron Molina had his first real quality playing time at Penn in 2012. He was brilliant in limited duty and will get a chance to repeat that.

Columbia 3 Keys to the Game

1)      Wound Penn's confidence with an early score

 

2)      Don't rely too much on screens 

Penn's LB's are very good and will be ready for that strategy. CU needs to try to throw it deep early.

3)      Let McDonagh run a bit

It's the last thing Penn will be expecting.

No Giving Day, No Ted Gregory

The new annual Columbia tradition of "Giving Day" is coming on October 29th.

I hate to make students and other divisions at Columbia suffer, but this is a chance for our voices to be heard on the mess in football and athletics in general.

I just can't see why anyone who is unhappy with the way this administration treats athletics, ignores the alumni, and truly hates and denigrates the fans would participate in this event.

There are so many good people and projects at Columbia who will miss out on added funds if this becomes some kind of wider boycott, but this unresponsive, defensive, and abusive administration has left us with no choice.

Not this guy


Stop the Gregory Campaign NOW

Another thing true supporters of Columbia Athletics need to do is make sure the wrong person isn't hired as the new A.D.

Two separate sources have now told me that former Lion football star and close Bill Campbell confidant Ted Gregory is pushing to get the job.

Mr. Gregory is a very nice person, but his failure in the Pete Mangurian hiring process alone should bar him for any decision making role at CU forever.

Remember, it was Gregory who supposedly assembled and led the search committee that clearly did not search and did not vet the candidates at all. They just rubber stamped Dianne Murphy's previously-made decision, all with Bill Campbell's urging.

Gregory is simply a crony of Campbell's as it is. His role would be to be Campbell's eyes and ears on the department, but this is a department that's already suffering from decades of cronyism as it is.

Bill Campbell is a great person and a giant of support for CU. This is not a personal attack. But the fact is, he's not a great judge of coaching talent and perhaps some of the people surrounding him don't have his best interests at heart.

Ted Gregory cannot be our next Athletic Director, period.

Week 8 Picks

Last week I went 4-2 straight up and 3-3 against the spread.

My overall record is now at 27-10 straight up and 18-17-1 ATS

There aren’t as many games to pick today because both Fordham and Monmouth are off. Plus, we have some more in-league games that also cut down on the inventory.

Princeton -6 vs. Brown

The Tigers have to wake up and wake up now. Brown will make it a game but lose by 7-10 points.

Harvard -18 vs. Lafayette

The Crimson are poised to finally break out after a few sluggish games in a row.

Colgate +7 at Yale

Yale will pull this one out, but Colgate got a taste of Ivy blood last week against Princeton and now they want more. This game feels like an Eli win by a FG.

Holy Cross +12 at Dartmouth

The Big Green will let down a bit and Holy Cross usually gets way up for this game. Dartmouth will still win by 7-10 points.

Lehigh -7 ½ at Cornell

Lehigh needs a nice win and the Big Red will give it to them.

Maine -5 ½ vs. Albany

The Great Danes seem to be running out of steam now, despite a big improvement from last season. The Black Bears will win by a TD.