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Columbia 21 Brown 12 

Why Columbia Won

The Lions ran the ball with authority and had a potent if inconsistent passing attack to complement it. Freshman QB Caleb Sanchez had a strong first start, with three TD passes and no interceptions. Meanwhile the CU defense was stellar, never giving Brown easy paths to score.

Why Brown Lost

Brown's usually potent offense sputtered all day, and the defense was lucky to only give up 21 points considering Columbia's overall production. Several failed 4th down conversion attempts in their own territory were no help to the Bears either.

Key Turning Points

-With the game surprisingly scoreless and just 2:00 left in the 1st half, Columbia began a drive at its own 27. On the third play of the drive, Sanchez hit WR Bryson Canty for a 55-yard TD that featured two Canty stiff arms of Bear defenders and 7-0 lead.

-With the score 7-3 Lions and about six minutes left in the 3rd, the Lions went for a fake punt on 4th and eight from their own 34. DE Joshua Powell took the long snap and stormed 28 yards to the Brown 38. Two plays later, Sanchez hit WR Jordan Kelly with a 12-yard TD pass that Kelly did well to corral and give CU a 14-3 lead. 

-Brown started the 4th quarter in the middle of a drive that began at the Bear 20 and got as far as the Columbia 45 when Brown decided to go for it on 4th and 1. But LB Charlie Newton stopped Bear RB Matt Childs for a two-yard loss and the Lions took over at their 47. Three plays later Sanchez found Canty again, this time for a 52-yard TD and 21-3 CU advantage. 

Columbia Positives

-The Lion defense was excellent, giving the offense time to finally figure it out and start scoring. Columbia came into the game against a high-scoring Brown team giving up an Ivy League low 17-points per game and still managed to lower that average by the day's end. 

-Sanchez showed a lot of poise and never seemed to panic or make the worst errors.

-Canty had a dominant game, falling just shy of 200 receiving yards and jiving well with a third CU QB this season. 

-WR Ethan Hebb's slide down to forego a TD in order to make sure the Lions just ran out the clock was a classy and smart play. It reminded me of the MANY times on this blog and its predecessor that all of us openly whined about Columbia's opponents running up the score, (especially Yale). It's nice to not be in that position anymore and even nicer that no one can whine that way about us given the same opportunity, 

Columbia Negatives

-The Lions are still having some red zone TD-scoring problems, which cost them a number of opportunities to put this game away much earlier. 

-Columbia's return game was a bit of an adventure with a CU player who didn't get out of the way of a bouncing punt that led to a Brown score, and an almost disastrously bad kickoff return late in the game.

Columbia MVP

-Bryson Canty showed his mastery several times in the game and made the difference when it counted. 

HISTORY ALERT

-For only the second time in 63 years, Columbia goes into the final weekend of the season with a chance to get a share of the Ivy title, (a share was already clinched in 1961 going into the last game vs.Rutgers, but the Lions had a chance to win the title outright had Harvard lost to Yale that day. The Crimson won, 27-0). If the Lions beat Cornell this coming Saturday, and Yale defeats Harvard in The Game, the Lions will be co-champions for the first time since 1961.

-Columbia has already clinched its fifth winning season in the last seven seasons. Before this run, the Lions only had three winning seasons in the previous 46 years. 

-Jon Poppe has become the first Columbia Head Coach to post a winning season in his first year in the job since Lou Little did it in 1930... 94 years ago.

-Columbia has won the last four games at Brown Stadium, and thus haven't lost to the Bears in Providence in 10 years. 

 

Divine in Providence?

Columbia Lions (5-3) vs. Brown Bears (3-5)

November 16, 2024

Brown Stadium

Kickoff Time: 12:00pm

Providence, Rhode Island

Game Time Weather Forecast: 61 degrees and sunny

The Line: Columbia is favored by 5 points 

TV/Radio: ESPN+

Columbia Game Notes

Brown Game Notes

Leading Story Lines

-The Lions and Bears are trying to finish strong after being in the thick of the Ivy championship race earlier this season. 

-Brown this year is yet another offensive powerhouse, and will be taking on one of the Ivy League's best defenses.

-Columbia may be shuffling its QB situation before or during this game. 

3 Lions to Watch 

-QB Cole Freeman #4 may or may not start or complete this game. The Lions may go with freshman QB Caleb Sanchez #8 at some point.

-S Hayden McDonald #3 is Columbia's top ball hawking DB going up against a Brown QB that has thrown 11 interceptions already this year.

-WR Bryson Canty #2 is one of the the Ivy League's most dynamic receivers who will be going up against a Brown pass defense that's already allowed 18 TD passes. 

3 Bears to Watch

-DB Tim Malo #9 has been thrust into the lead defender role for Brown since the injury to NFL prospect Isaiah Reed.

-WR Mark Mahoney #88 is the top receiver in Brown's pass happy offense.

-QB Jake Wilcox #3 is of course in focus because he is the starting QB, but watch him closely and decide whether some of the hype about him as a possible NFL prospect is justified. 

Week 9 Picks

 

I went 3-1 straight up last week and 1-3 against the spread. My season totals are 37-14 SU and 23-28 AGS 

Dartmouth -10 at Cornell

This can be a tricky one, as Cornell has been a sticky opponent for the Big Green over the years. But I think the Dartmouth defense will rise to the occasion even as Jameson Wang plays his final home game. 

Harvard -6 at Penn

The Crimson has momentum, and so do the Quakers. But Harvard should cover. 

Yale -16 1/2 vs. Princeton

The Tigers just don't look good.

Georgetown +2 1/2 at Fordham

Patriot League games have been impossible this year. Taking the points blindly here. 

Wagner +15 1/2 at Duquesne 

I like the Seahawks to make this a game. 

Lafayette -21 1/2 vs. Stonehill

Stonehill seems like a Washington Generals like operation.

Ivy Power Rankings

 

Cooper Barkate

1) Harvard

The Crimson offense has been good all year, now the defense seems to be stepping up too. Bad news for the rest of the league.

2) Dartmouth

It just feels like the Big Green have dropped down a bit over the last few weeks. A strong defensive performance vs. Cornell could shake things up a bit.

3) Columbia

The Lions are still battling despite the injuries (and every team has injuries of course). How Columbia finishes up the season in two tough but winnable games will be crucial.

4) Yale 

The Elis are playing their best football of the season, and must be kicking themselves over their earlier close losses to Dartmouth and Columbia.

5) Penn

Like the Elis, the Quakers woke up too late this season. 

6) Brown

The Bears just don't seem to be able to put a defense together. 

7) Cornell

The Big Red is fighting a terrible war on defensive football. Luckily, it's fun to watch their offense every week. 

8) Princeton

The Tigers will be a fascinating rebuilding project over the next year or so. I still think Princeton has the strongest overall package to present to recruits and non-athletes alike. 

Hitting the Wall

Harvard 26 Columbia 6

Why Harvard Won

The Crimson played their best defensive game of the year, especially when the Lions got into Harvard territory. The offense played mistake-free football and eventually wore down Columbia's defense.

Why Columbia Lost

The Lions couldn't finish drive after drive, thanks to turnovers and inconsistency. The defense played as well as any team has against the Crimson all year, but finally wilted without the support it needed from the offense. 

Key Turning Points

-After Harvard scored a FG thanks to a punt return that set them up at the Lion 12, Columbia responded with an impressive drive that spanned 53-yards and brought CU a 1st and 10 at the Crimson 20. But on that play QB Cole Freeman forced a pass into double coverage in the end zone that was intercepted. Harvard then responded with an 80-yard TD drive and a 10-0 lead. 

-With the score still 10-0 Harvard and about 10 minutes left in the half, Freeman apparently completed a 44-yard bomb to WR Ethan Hebb to the Crimson 10 yard line. Replay video seemed to confirm Hebb made the grab, but the referees stuck with their incomplete pass ruling. Five plays later, Freeman threw his second interception of the game.

Columbia Positives 

-Columbia's linebackers put on a show, especially Jack Smiechowski and Charlie Newton who had 14 and 10 tackles, respectively. 

-WR Marcus Libman had five catches for 109 yards.

-Freshman QB Caleb Sanchez hit the field for the first time and looked impressive in CU's one scoring drive. 

Columbia Negatives

-The Lions almost never put pressure on Harvard QB Jaden Craig, which was a shame because every time he was forced to move in the pocket his passes were woefully off the mark.

-Harvard's defense hasn't had a very strong season, but they looked like the Crimson of old for most of this game. Columbia's mistakes helped make that happen. 

Columbia MVP

While there were so many defenders who had standout games against Harvard, Jack Smiechowski stood out the most.