Hearts of Lions

Columbia 17 Yale 10


Why Columbia Won

In a wind and rain swept game that hindered both of thr injury-depleted teams, the Lion special teams made the difference. K Chris Alleyne's 51-yard field goal, a blocked punt, and especially P Drew Schmid's incredible punts with and against the wind were the key elements in the CU victory.

Why Yale Lost

The Elis easily out-gained Columbia on offense, 428 yards to 160, but Yale consistently sputtered when it mattered most. Two turnovers and a missed field goal sealed the Eli's fate.

Key Turning Points

-With 5:02 left in the 1st quarter, Lion starting QB Ryan Suitt fumbled the ball on a scramble and it was recovered by Yale at the CU 49. But an Eli holding penalty downfield nullified the turnover and gave Columbia a 1st down at the Yale 44. Less than two minutes later Alleyne hit his 51-yard FG, the longest placement kick FG in Columbia history.

-With about 1:30 left in the 1st quarter and the Lions still ahead 3-0, Suitt was sacked and he fumbled the ball at behind the Columbia 40. With at least two Yale defenders very close the ball, OL Joseph Scowden came seemingly out of nowhere, lept in between the two defenders, and recovered the fumble that looked like an easy scoop-and-score for the Elis.

-With 6:09 left in the half and the score still 3-0, Yale's offense finally came to life with a 44 yard run by RB Alan Lamar on a left sweep. Five plays later, Lamar took it into the end zone from the 2 and the Bulldogs had suddenly grabbed the momentum.

-With 2:04 left in the half, Schmid pinned Yale at its own 4 with another perfect punt. But the Elis passing game got going with QB Jimmy Check completing 50 yards worth of passed and RB Zane Dudek getting clutch yards along the way. But after getting a 1st and goal at the CU 3 with eight seconds to go, Check's pass into the end zone fell incomplete and the Bulldogs had to settle for a 20-yard Alex Galland FG and a 10-3 halftime lead.

-With about 6:50 left in the 3rd quarter and Yale still ahead 10-3, LB Carson Powell blocked Galland's punt and the Lions took over on the Eli 30. What followed was Suitt's only truly effective passing series of the game, as he hit TE Casey Mariucci for a 15-yard 1st down pass on 3rd and 10 from the 30 and then threw a strike to Mariucci again two plays later for a 16-yard TD that tied the game.

-With about 1:30 left in the 3rd quarter and the score still 10-10, the DT Alex Robin stopped Lamar for a just a two-yard gain on a 3rd and 3 from the Yale 20. The ensuing Galland punt traveled just 23 yards, and the Lions took over on the Bulldog 45. But with Suitt now injured, the Lions began the drive with 5th string QB Matt Dame at the helm. Five plays later and the Lions facing a 3rd and 5 from the Yale 30, RB Ryan Young burst through the middle and scored even with an Eli DB hanging on his back for the final five yards. That gave Columbia the 17-10 lead with 14:12 left to go in the game.

Columbia Positives

-The special teams play was simply perfect. In addition to Alleyne's record-breaking FG, all of his kickoffs went for touchbacks, the Lion coverage teams never allowed any returns, and Schmid punted 11 times for a 44.7 average even though half of those punts were against a stiff wind.

-The Lion defense was dominating at times, but mostly stiffened up when Yale got into scoring range. DE Daniel DeLorenzi shook off an early 4th quarter injury and came back into the game to make a key late sack. DB Landon Baty returned from missing the three previous games to snag an interception and make a tackle for a 10-yard loss.

-It's hard to measure a team's heart, but with all the injuries already plaguing the team the Columbia spirits seemed high all day. When Dame was forced into the game by Suitt's injury, the team rallied around him quickly.

Columbia Negatives

-The injuries and the weather combined to mostly stifle the Lion offense against a Yale defense that has otherwise struggled all year.

-The Columbia defense allowed too many Eli receivers to get open in the middle of the field.

Columbia MVP

-This was more of a true team effort victory than I've ever seen at any level of football. A big standout among that crowd was RB Ryan Young, who's impressive TD and 91 yards on 19 carries would make him an easy choice.

But the game was ultimately put in Columbia's corner because the Elis consistently faced poor field position all day. That was primarily because of Drew Schmid, who is the rare punter to earn MVP honors.

War of the Wounded

Yale Elis (4-2) vs. Columbia Lions (3-3) 

October 27, 2018

Kickoff Time: 1:00pm

Robert Kraft Field at Wien Stadium

Game Time Weather Forecast: 50 degrees, rain, windy

The Line: Yale is favored by 6 points

TV/Radio: You can watch live on ESPN+ and on tape delay on the SNY Network. 

The Game Last Year: Yale 23 Columbia 6 

Columbia Game Notes

Yale Game Notes


Leading Story Lines

1) Both teams come into the game severely wounded.Columbia is starting 4th string QB Ryan Suitt and Yale is going with sophomore QB Jimmy Check.The Lions are also without their starting RB, top overall WR, starting MLB, both starting CB's, and a few starting OL's. Yale lost 2017 Ivy Rookie of the yeat RB Zane Dudek weeks ago. But Columbia will get S Landon Baty back.


2) The weather will be a major factor with rain and very high winds likely throughout the contest. 

3) Yale still entertains hopes of winning the Ivy title, Columbia is looking to renew a push for a winning season.

Ivy Power Rankings

1) Dartmouth

The Big Green have been the most consistent team all year.


2) Princeton

The Tigers haven't been as dominant lately. Perhaps that will change this week.


3) Yale

The chasm between the Elis and Princeton-Dartmouth is wider than ever with the loss of QB Kurt Rawlings. That said, Yale stayed in control against Penn even after Rawlings went down last week.

4) Cornell

Nice rebound for the Big Red last week.


5) Harvard

Harvard played well enough against Princeton to make a big jump on the list.

6) Penn

The Quakers just aren't looking strong enough on offense to threaten the big guys.


7) Columbia

The injury problems are piling up even MORE.

8) Brown

The Bears are still at rock bottom.

Week 7 Picks

I went 5-1 straight up and 3-2-1 against the spread last week, putting me at 35-11 straight up and 25-20-1 ATS for the year so far


Colgate -27 1/2 vs. Georgetown

Colgate feels like the only truly good team in the Patriot League. I'd love to factor in a very low scoring game for inclement weather, but I think poor elements make the superior team even more likely to romp.


Wagner +10 at CCSU

I think CCSU will win, but they seem too tentative to win my more than two scores.


Brown +14 1/2 vs. Penn

Penn will win by 10 or 11.


Princeton -19 vs. Cornell

The Tigers will be eager to go all out again after two subdued wins in a row.


Morehead State -4 1/2 vs. Marist

Marist is starting to run out of gas after a midseason surge.


Harvard +18 at Dartmouth

Dartmouth will finally get over that Harvard hump, but not by 18 points.

Salt in the Wounds

Dartmouth 28 Columbia 12


Why Dartmouth Won

The Big Green didn't consistently move the ball, but on their scoring drives the Dartmouth offensive line totally commanded the field. The Big Green defense wasn't as dominant as it had been in previous weeks, but it was good enough to stop the Lions on a number of possessions, especially ones where Columbia began in great field position.


Why Columbia Lost

The already badly injured Lion squad lost its first and second strong QB's, its top running back, and more during the course of the game. But even during moments of relative health, Columbia could not stop the Big Green on a couple of key drives.


Key Turning Points

-The Lions put together a brilliant opening drive with a mix of runs, passes, and trick plays that ended in an apparent TD pass from QB Josh Bean to TE Rory Schlageter. But the score nullified on an illegal substitution penalty and Columbia had to settle for a Chris Alleyne field goal.

-With one minute left in the half, Dartmouth ahead 7-6, and backup freshman QB Ty Lenhart in for the re-injured Bean, Lenhart marched the Lions all the way down to the Big Green 19 yard line. But on the next play, he forced a pass that Dartmouth's Ryan Roegge intercepted at the four yard line and preserved the Big Green lead into halftime and essentially for the rest of the day.


Columbia Positives

-When they were at relative full strength, the Lions held their own against what could be the best team in the Ivies right now. The defense did especially well through most of the game on 3rd down plays.

-Lenhart showed he had more abilities than just running the ball into the end zone from inside the 5. Putting the interception aside, he made some good completions.


Columbia Negatives

-RB Dante Miller was lost for the season with a knee injury. Bean and Lenhart's status are questionable after they were hit badly.

-Columbia's ability to stop the Dartmouth offense suddenly disappeared at key moments in the game. It's possible the Big Green was just not running at 100% the full game.


Columbia MVP

-WR Kaleb Pitts stepped into the role of top receiver with so many of the starters out of the game.