Heavy Work Load

Maybe you’ve noticed that Columbia’s roster lists an incredible 16 players at the wide receiver position.

Yes, that’s a lot.

Last season, there were almost as many.

And that big load is yet another reason why Columbia fans should be very grateful for WR coach Wendell Davis. It’s also why I’m sorry I haven’t singled him out for special praise before.

Davis was a start receiver at LSU and a top draft choice by the Chicago Bears. He played well for Mike Ditka before injuries ended his career early.

Last season, Davis was a miracle worker as the Lions kept producer new receivers who played extremely well every time the guy in front of them went down with an injury.

First, Davis developed then-sophomore Connor Nelligan from a seldom-used target in 2011 to one of the top receivers in the Ivies and Columbia’s #1 go-to air target.

Then, Davis cultivated then-freshman Isaiah Gross and turned the raw recruit into a spectacular deep threat.

When Gross tweaked his hamstring Davis got another then-freshman, Chris Connors, ready to play and he ended up leading the receiving corps in TD receptions.

Transfer Jake Wanamaker was not really healthy enough to start the season, but Davis got him in playing shape and good enough to make an impact by the Yale game.

And there was even the improvement he helped Ryan Flannery make the leap to being a real contributor with the varsity.

Davis has his hands full again this offseason as he has a ton of receivers to get into shape for the season.

But this is really an embarrassment of riches for a team that was without any depth at all at WR and a little thin on talent after Austin Knowlin graduated.

Remember that after Mike Stephens was injured in week one of 2010, Columbia had to convert players from other positions to play receiver.

Now I count four very talented WR’s who could start on a lot of other Ivy teams: Nelligan, Gross, Connors, and Wanamaker. Plus, we have probably the best pass-catching TE in the league in Hamilton Garner and some very good looking reserve WR’s include Louis DiNovo and Flannery.

Just on paper, there are also 2-3 very promising freshmen WR’s that Coach Davis will have to evaluate quickly to see if they deserve to jump the line and get on the field early.

Based on size alone, I like the chances for Toure Douglas, Denzel Hill, and 6-6 TE Connor Spears may get into the receiving mix very early too. 

But when I look at the receivers, I see quality, depth and good coaching. And that's a real recipe for success.

Moment #29: Goal Line Stood Up

Beau Palin is back as the Elis captain for 2013

After the Ryan Murphy safety brought the Lions to within 7-5 in the week six home game against Yale, the Lions were unable to score on their possession following the Eli free kick.

But LB Mike Waller got Columbia right back in business on Yale’s ensuing possession when he forced Mordecai Cargill to fumble the ball away and DB Jeremy Mingo recovered at the CU 46.

The Lions took this second chance with gusto, rattling off a new gain of 53 yards in seven quick plays to set up a 1^st and goal at the Eli one.

But then things took a bad turn.

RB Marcorus Garrett was stopped for a two yard loss on 1^st down by Yale’s Beau Palin and Will McHale.  One the next play, Garrett could only get back to the one as he was stopped again by Palin and Kurt Stottlemeyer.

On 3^rd down the Lions went to the air, but the pass intended for TE Hamilton Garner fell incomplete.

With 4:15 left in the half, the Lions then made the very gutsy move to go for the TD.

But on 4^th and goal from the one, it was once again Palin and Stottlemeyer who stopped Garrett short of the goal and Columbia came up with nothing.

On the Field and on Camera!

In what is a really nice upgrade for the fans, the athletic department website has posted a video of some parts of Thursday's first practice complete with some general comments from Head Coach Pete Mangurian.

For those of you who have not memorized the roster and the player numbers, here's a shot-by-shot ID of the players who appeared in the video, (at least all of them who were not obscured in some way):


-At 18 seconds into the video, you see, (from left to right), Kendall Pace, Marshall Markham, and Joe Ghergurovich blocking against Dylan Leonard, Justin Aimonetti and Nathan Gibbs.

-45 seconds into the tape, Hunter Little begins the obstacle course with Niko Padilla and Nick Melka waiting behind him.

-55 seconds in, you get your first look at Brett Nottingham running a QB drill.

-1:03 into the video, Isaiah Gross makes a catch and moves along the sideline.

-1:06 in you see Malcom Thaxton in white racing with what looks like Chris Connors to his right as the meet Connor Nelligan in a coverage drill.

-1:14 in Nottingham talks with the coaches with RB Cameron Molina nearby and Connor Spears running into the quasi-huddle.

1:19 in Nottingham hands off to Alan Watson.

1:25 in Kelly Hilinski takes the snap and holds it for a keeper.

1:39 in Nottingham throws to Scooter Hollis and after the catch Keith Brady and Thaxton pursue.

Hopefully, we'll see more videos in the coming days!

BREAKING: DP Updates Marsh Story

Well, the Daily Pennsylvanian has now published this statement clearing up the Lyle Marsh situation:


"A previous request for info regarding Marsh's status to Athletic Communications went unanswered, but after following up again this morning, we have confirmed that Marsh will miss the 2013 season due to academic issues. He is not academically ineligible but is choosing to focus his efforts solely on academics in what is his final year of eligibility. 
We will continue to chronicle and weigh in on Penn's RB situation and other roster developments in-depth as the semester progresses."


I thank the DP for following up.

Repair Shop

I’ve already written a few posts about the personnel holes Columbia needs to fill and what I see as the top depth chart battles to be resolved in this training camp.

But as the team finally takes the field for real practices, I want to list what I see as the most crucial elements the Lions need to improve no matter who gets the starting slots.

My top concerns are all directly related to improving the overall offensive line, but I have others.

Here are my top eight:

1)      Pass protection (40 sacks allowed and almost constant harassment)

2)      Running production (only 3.0 yards per carry)

3)      Scoring TD’s in the red zone… or from anywhere (only 14 offensive TD’s)

4)      3^rd down conversion percentage, (last in the league at 31%)

5)      Pass completion percentage, (just 51.9% of passes completed)

6)      Edge defense (no real stat here, but opposing runners like Carlton Koonce and Tyler Varga killed us when they turned the corner)

7)      Interceptions (Columbia didn’t have nearly enough INT’s in 2012, only picking off 10 of 302 passes against)

8)      Defense against the bomb (the Lions allowed a hefty 7.3 yards per pass thrown and 11.9 yards per pass completed)

I know I’m missing some and I encourage everyone to weigh in with what you saw as key issues that need fixing in camp.

While the entire offensive line depth chart will be huge, Columbia’s need to defend the perimeter better this year leads to more than just a little curiosity about who will get the starting linebacker slots on either side of defensive team leader Zach Olinger.

In his notes about junior LB Vinny Pugliese, Head Coach Pete Mangurian praised his abilities along the edge so I wonder if #35 has a leg up on the competition. But that’s just one guess.

As far as completion percentage and 3^rd down conversions, the hope is that Brett Nottingham will give us a big upgrade on both. I still say Sean Brackett was the most talented overall QB Columbia, but injuries and questionable coaching choices got in the way.