The unofficial fan blog of Columbia University football. (My previous CU Lions blog ran from 2005-2011 at http://roarlions.blogspot.com/)
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Blowout in the Bronx
Fordham 52 Columbia 7
Why Fordham Won
After a slow start in the 1st half, the Ram offense meticulously moved down the field and also took advantage of several Lion miscues. Meanwhile, the defense harassed Columbia QB's at will and created numerous scoring opportunities including a defensive TD that opened the flood gates on the 3rd quarter.
Why Columbia Lost
The Lions truly looked like a team that hadn't played in 308 days. The offense looked rusty and totally unprepared for the Ram blitzes. QB Brett Nottingham also looked like a man who had never faced that kind of pressure in his life, and he probably hasn't. Meanwhile, Columbia turned the ball over too many times to have a chance.
Key Turning Points
-With Fordham up 7-0 late in the 1st quarter, the Lions started a drive at their own 15. For four straight plays, Nottingham looked brilliant, completing passes on each play, the most impressive a 25 yard rainbow to WR Connor Nelligan. But on the next play, a 1st and 10 from the Ram 13, Nottingham threw an ill-advised pass that was picked off in the end zone to end the threat.
-Trailing 10-0 early in the 3rd quarter, the Lions faced a 2nd and eight at their own 18 when Ian Williams leveled Nottingham with a sack that forced a fumble that Fordham recovered for a TD. The game essentially ended right there.
Columbia Positives
-Not many, but the Lion defense played a very good 1st half, forcing two Michael Nebrich fumbles, (both recovered by LB Brian East), and RB Marcorus Garrett looked sharp most of the game, getting 89 yards on just 15 carries. Finally, the starting WR's Ryan Flannery and Nelligan did their jobs well. Flannery had six catches for 108 yards and a TD and Nelligan seven grabs for 59 yards.
Columbia Negatives
-Besides looking totally unprepared on offense most of the game, the Lions made some spectacular special teams mistakes and the Fordham receivers all seemed wide open all the time. Also, while it does not seems serious, DL Seyi Adebayo clearly re-injured his knee very early in the game.
Also, Columbia's coaches fell into the same stupid trap every other team that's played the Rams have fallen for: they didn't run the ball enough. The Ram run defense was shaky again today, but Columbia came out passing way too much. This was a failure game plan by OC Jamie Elizondo and Head Coach Pete Mangurian.
But the main problem was the lack of pass protection, last year's biggest problem as well. The lack of improvement in that area is egregious, UNLESS Fordham is basically an FBS team and this wasn't a fair test of the OL.
I haven't been one of those fans calling for Columbia to drop Fordham from our schedule, but I may have just converted today.
Columbia MVP
-Ryan Flannery was the most consistent Lion weapon all day, and it was fitting that he scored the lone TD.
Final Takeaways
-The players need to shake this one off, and fast. The whole season can't be lost because of this one really bad loss.
-If the OL doesn't get better at pass protection, the season IS lost. But if they improve slowly, it would be a good idea to try to keep our QB's alive with some more running plays for Garrett.
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80 comments:
There was a time when dropping Rutgers from Princeton's schedule was inconceivable. You had over a century of history going back to the very first intercollegiate football game, a state-wide rivalry (NJ having no other top-level football schools at the time), and all sorts of lore involving the stealing of cannons and such by students (Princeton's fight song is "The Cannon Song", named after a PU-RU incident).
But they reached that point in 1979 when the ugly business of modern college sports interfered. Rutgers was playing Alabama and Penn State by that point as a full-scholarship school and Princeton had not had a winning Ivy record for a decade. Rutgers had just beaten Columbia 69-0. So Princeton killed college football's oldest rivalry and requested that Rutgers be dropped from the schedule and Rutgers agreed.
Columbia-Fordham is now at a similar juncture. Drop it, and find someone else to play with a more similar approach to athletics -- a New York state school like Colgate, say. Rutgers will find a FBS school to put on their schedule. It's in everyone's interests.
Very ugly second half with Fordham scoring 42 points and several injuries to our exhausted players who had to deal with Fordham's hurry-up offense. Hopefully, this nightmare of a game did not destroy the morale of the players. Only a fool would argue that Columbia should continue to play Fordham. Next year, Fordham will be even stronger as it takes on Army. For the sake of the Columbia players, this series must be cancelled NOW. Let Fordham go pick on someone else.
Holy crap- a team crushes us so let's cancel them from the schedule. God forbid we decide to make a commitment to the sport and hire a coach who is actually good and has his kids prepared and has a system that lends an edge.
Do any of the guys who consistently support the administration ever get tired of the excuses and losing?
Campbell has been overly generous with CU football and that has hidden a ton of errors, but now it is time for the administration and coaches to stand on their own.
The problem isn't Fordham...the problem is ColumbiA
Football is one of those sports where physical mismatches results in injuries. That's what happened today. Today's game never should have taken place. In 2009, when Fordham announced its intention to give athletic scholarships, Columbia should have cancelled the series as of 2011. Everyone who understands college football knew what was going to happen. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the Columbia Administration failed to grasp the very obvious. Let's not forget that Columbia has the choice of playing any non-Ivy opponent it wants. That's not the case with Ivy League opponents. As the InwoodTiger has noted, some college football rivalries must be cancelled for the sake of the players when things get ugly. I would't expect the Columbia Athletic Administration to announce its intentions publicly, but I would be shocked if Dr. Murphy doesn't place a call to her counterpart at Fordham in the next few days notifying that person of Columbia's decision to cancel this rivalry effective immediately.
My question to "Holy Crap" is how do you prepare for a college football opponent that is much bigger and faster than you, has sixty or more players on athletic scholarships, runs a no huddle offense and has already played three games. I agree with you that part of the winning equation in college sports is "commitment," but the reality is the best coach in the world is not going to overcome a marked disparity in size, speed and time spent on the practice field when you are playing athletic scholarship schools like Fordham.
Canceling Fordham is the wimp's way out. Yale plays Fordham soon...wanna bet the Bulldogs win or at least make a close game of it? I agree with the poster before last, the problem is Columbia, not Fordham. Did Fordham call for us to pass on first down from the 13-yard line when we were behind by only seven points?? Some may say "easy to say in hindsight," but when the same thing happens far too often you know it's the coaching. Assistant AD Ray Tellier must understand...he had enough creativity and moxie as head coach to get us our 8-2 season in '96. The current coaching regime is plagued by predictability, lack of imagination and bad decisions. Can we ever get the right coach at Columbia? Sure, why not. We get the athletes, amazingly enough.
Maybe if CU drops those meanies from Fordham we can schedule the School For The Blind because Colgate would also crush the team that was out there today, as would Lafayette, Lehigh....and we'll see about Monmouth, won't we? (Winner today as we all know over Holy Cross, which would also have crushed CU today.)
When a player tries to field a punt inside the ten, something is very wrong.
Anyone could see that Fordham was going to be tough. A very solid team and we were playing our first game. Now the Monmouth game is a must-win, for the season and for the program. I believe CU should win and I think CU will win. If not, um.....
I'll bet anyone a box of Twin Donut donuts (inedible, but still) that Yale and other Ivies will stop playing Fordham after this year.
My comment was not about winning or losing. Who cares if Colgate is a better team than the Lions at the moment -- that wasn't the point. The point is that you want to be playing teams that are in the kind of league that is compatible with the Ivy League. Patriot schools used to be this competition, but now that they have limited scholarships the Ivies are trending towards Pioneer schools or playing oddball West coast games (Yale vs Cal Poly? Harvard vs San Diego?) that basically serve as west coast alumni events. Columbia will be playing in California soon enough...
Fordham is now a mismatch in terms of what kind of football program they will be running going forward. You wouldn't schedule Columbia against Rutgers these days, or U Conn, or even Stony Brook. And you should drop Fordham. What I meant to say in the last line of my original comment was the Fordham will probably fill the slot in their schedule with an FBS game but I confused them with Rutgers. Freudian slip.
Maybe you were thinking that Fordham would schedule Rutgers? (not!)
Isn't this the same group that was predicting a CU win against Fordham?
So because they offer scholarships, after 3 years Fordham is this much better than Columbia? Ok, so I am to believe that it is all the scholarships because God forbid it is the coaching or any other thing that passes as coaching.
How did Princeton's basketball team beat all those scholarship schools for years? Maybe we should just play Kennedy high school, oh wait they probably give the kids lunch money, so we would lost there as well. If I am not mistaken isn't our starting qb a scholarship kid from Stanford?
Every year it is excuses, one after another. Don't you all get tired of the same excuses year after year?
Great pic, Jake, really sums it up.
According to reports on the Monmouth-Holy Cross game, Monmouth dominated, looks too strong for us unless we improve quickly. Each of their two top running backs ran for over 100 yards.
You know, this game report is all too familiar. Granted, Fordham is a powerhouse this year but the lack of pass protection, the misfired offensive game planning, the inability to consistently generate your own pass rush is the same game report we always see every year.
I'm not going to beat the drum to get rid of Mangurian. Though, it was obvious he was not the right choice from the beginning. To win at CU you need to be able to effectively game plan and find recruits that can control the LOS. If not for Marcorous, there would be no run game at all. The OL did nothing to help him get those yards. That is why they did not plan for a run game.
Dear Bill Campbell, Hot Dog Committee, and AD(s)- Guess what? You guys are 0-6 in selecting coaches (as far back as I go) and we are the ones who suffer!
Pete's bullying style of coaching, “doing it ‘HIS’ way…” (no JV team to develop kids, not allowing all players to dress for home games, and his belligerent attitude toward alums who challenge him) is enough! This defiant attitude is fostered by the AD and her minions. Remember how Pete was hired... Basically in secrecy. I'm glad that we had the Hot Dog Committee and Ted Gregory's Executive Search firm vet him… Somehow they missed calling Pete's ex-players from Cornell. I know I did, as well as other alums. You didn't have to be The Great Kreskin to see what was coming. My fear is that this guy gets a contract renewal next year, or the year after. I’m not positive, but was this part of Pete’s 4-year plan (that has not been published).
Let’s not make excuses for the Fordham game, we simply were not prepared! This staff does not know how to coach! We took two steps backwards yesterday. Would Murphy lose this badly? I think not! It’s amazing what Tony Reno has done at Yale. Weren’t they “behind” us two years ago? What is the difference? Coaching and a competent AD.
Now Pete the AD will be looking for more money to support the program and turn it around. I have had enough!
BREAKING NEWS: Our illustrious Football Committee (the people that we have entrusted the leadership of this program) have just received corporate sponsorship approval from Nathan’s Hot Dogs. Going forward, the Committee will now be known at “The Nathan’s Football Committee of Columbia University”. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed but alums can rest assured that future of our program is in great hands. Oh, and all future events will also include Grey Poupon as well.
Fordham brought in a new president four years or so ago. A Fordham trustee told me that there were reservations on the Fordham Board about going scholarship but the new president argued that the only way to restore Fordham to some degree of prominence is through football. So they made a conscious decision to go scholarship, all the way. When they announced it, I wrote to Dianne that we should drop the series attaché earliest practicable date. Fordham can pay for players. It can admit kids we couldn't touch. And this was their fourth game. They were in mid-season form. I thought we gave it all we had for the first half. Then by the middle of the third quarter we were just out of gas. They were bigger, stronger and faster. We started making boneheaded mistakes and then ran us into the ground. We started getting hurt. In a sense, it was predictable. Maybe if we had a game or two under our belts we would have put up a better game. But that isn't the point. This is a school with which we have nothing in common, and we should drop them now. We have a choice with our non-league games. My suggestion is that people write to Dianne and urge her to drop Fordham now. One final word. Marcorus Garrett is a man. He played the game hard , and he made some hard yards with precious little help. Why we didn't continue to run the ball early on and try to shorten the game is beyond me.
Depth on the roster is extremely important in football. Our kids are entitled to the AD providing a schedule that "balances the playing field".
Playing a team with 60 football scholarships and on their fourth game against our first is not a level playing field. Time to wish our gracious hosts of the 2013 Libery Bowl best of Luck on their drive to 1A football. They decided to move on and we have to decide to move on, too.
Great insight (again) OldLion! However, it doesn't seem like any of the other Ivies will be dropping scholarship schools like Fordham, UCSD, Butler, or even Georgetown in the near future. In addition, does that mean that we drop all Patriot League schools because they are all adding scholarships (http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Resources/Latest+News/2012/March/Patriot+League+adopts+football+scholarship+model ). I don’t think so?
What concerns us the most? The margin of the loss? How ill prepared we were for the game? If that were the case, should we drop Harvard? They are bigger, stronger, and faster than us; are they not? Weere we not equally enmbarrassed by Pete and his game preparation in cambridge last year? The difference, in my opinion (as well as others who are more knowledgeable than I am), is the coaching. They simply don’t understand these kids. The talent is there (except maybe on the offensive line). Pete’s NFL approach to this program is clearly not working. I hope that the new Nathan’s Committee is looking at this…
After last season, and the start of this year (anticipating more of the same), what other school would put up with this? … Nor should we! Cut ties after this season and let's move on!
Relax, one game does not a season make. Hold your fire until after the Princeton game.
I watched the Princeton Lehigh game on NBC Sports channel yesterday. Princeton look really good against 18th ranked Lehigh.
I watched the Princeton Lehigh game on NBC Sports channel yesterday. Princeton look really good against 18th ranked Lehigh.
You guys are as soft as tissue paper. Quit playing teams because you lose? Take your ball and go home? Your sending a great message of "run and hide" to these young men. It's the first game for Columbia. Give them a chance! The first half was very competitive. Columbia moved the ball, made stops, forced turnovers and were not afraid. The offensive line is much improved from last year and many of the sacks were on the QB for not recognizing the unblocked rusher or blitzer in the scheme. The team will be fine. The other team is very good and was in midseason form. Garrett ran hard and the team played hard. Period
There are some really good points here that Pete and/or the AD should consider... Most notably, we need the JV team back so that these kids can develop. One would think that after last year's debacle on the O-Line that there would be some changes??? Hard to believe that they got worse.
Nathan's comment, nice!
The first half competitive? Were you watching the same game we were? The only competition was on the Fordham Defensive Line... and who could sack the quarterback first!
Don't forget that CU has a policy of full rides for families with less than $60K incomes, and liberal grants up to $100K. So much of the football team is on scholarship. The ones that aren't can afford it. And someone who would pick a Fordham degree over one from Columbia probably isn't coming to CU anyway. It's academics and administrative emphasis, not scholarships, that's the problem. Which schools in FCS, not in the Ivies, have comparable academic requirements for football players and administrative support? That's the question.
Also, Fordham no doubt is very strong his year. Time will tell if they can sustain this level. There will be push-back from faculty and athletic spending questions. After all, Fordham still has only 7,000 seats at home, and larger stadiums are very expensive to rent.
So I wouldn't drop Fordham yet. But I would try to schedule them later than the first game.
There is too much over-reaction to one opening game. The team was playing a scholarship team that bested an FBS team on the road. This is what the boys live to do, play top competition. They will do fine when the ivy schedule starts and that's what the ultimate goal is. And don't forget there were far worst losses and margins of victory this weekend where both teams are on scholarship and in midseason form and where both are FBS and/or FCS.
10-0 at the half is not a blowout especially when you consider if not for an interception deep in the red zone the score could have been 10-7 or 10-3. And blame the pick on the offensive line because the QB only had forever to throw the ball and even had time to pump fake it twice! Garrett ran well because he had sustained blocks. I only wonder if Seyi had not gotten hurt, would the pass rush been better.
Too many people that post on this site no very little about football and then spew ignorant observations and attempt to down the program and coaches. These posters have an unlimited supply of baby's to throw out with the bath water.
Or "know" very little, not no very little
Auto correct OR auto correct
Let's not forget that these young men are on the practice field at 5:30 AM most days. Then go to classes. Do home work and then get to sleep at who knows when. They looked tired out there. Lack of sleep can cause the type of mental and physical distress seen on the field yesterday.
More time with the present schedules should enable them to be better prepaired for Ivy competition.
All you bloggers that live vicariously through the Columbia football program should start following Alabama or Green Bay. Get off the soap boxes and start supporting the program win or lose.
Well said. We are the 4th ranked academic institution in the country and 10th ranked in the world. These boys are the truest form of student-athlete. They compete. They will be fine and eventually thrive.
Several thoughts.
1) The first half WAS competitive.
2) Critical comments about coaching after a 52 - 7 loss should be repressed?
3) Shoop begat Wilson who begat Mangurian. Polar opposite coaching styles and personalities pre-exist even those three. Our football players have been denied Just what kind of coaching "understanding?"
4) Let's hope for a quick ascent up a steep learning curve.
Leonlion
Are you kidding me with these excuses? Remember who makes the practice schedule... If the 5:00 am thing isn't working (duh), then guess what? Change it! No excuses please!
As far as the O-Line is concerned, that is indefensible. We should all feel bad for Nottingham and Garrett. There were far too many dropped balls. Even so, he wasn't the best QB out there. Maybe Pete will start more Freshmen (again) to get them more experience? Seems like that's his M.O..
If you weren't there you aren't in a very good position to comment. I was. The story was pretty simple. They have a dynamic pass offense, a stout pass rush, and a mediocre run defense. Our QB has a great arm. He was very rusty, and it showed. He held the ball too long and didn't throw it away when he should have. But some of his throws were excellent. His pass protection was poor. I don't know if the cause was the Fordham pass rush or our very shaky and undersized OL. We also self destructed, and badly, with false starts, dropped passes, blown coverages, special teams fiascos, and things got out of hand in the third quarter. But I still think we should say goodbye to Fordham. This is no longer a rivalry which makes any sense. One question: where was Chris Connors? I thought he was our best WR toward the end of last year, and I don't recall seeing him on the field. PS, I would not trade our RB for theirs. Garrett was outstanding, and I can't say that too many times.
Leolion- The only competition was finding parking in the first half. Seriously, Fordham should have had 10 MORE points that they let go. The score clearly didn't reflect what could have really happened.
Food for thought... Combined Harvard/Fordham loss 121-7. Just think about that!
I know that I'm blogging with some of the smartest people on the planet but I think the common sense is lacking. Teams get blown out on occasion especially when they are growing with a new coach, new system and playing against scholarship athletes. Harvard might as well be a scholarship school because their name alone allows them to get a multitude of players whom could have played high level D1. Have you seen Harvards basketball team? Just be patient. It's not gonna happen overnight. It's his second season guys.
Seriously we are now saying Harvard has such a name to draw scholarship athletes...did I not just read a plethora of accolades for Columbia?
We would really get a lot of academic accolades if we had a School of Excuses because we have certainly mastered that art.
Write a grant proposal and I'll submit it.
You can'te be anonymous for a grant proposal.
No, we're NOT that smart... The Nathan's Hot Dog Committee and several ADs have picked consistant losers. And by the way, LAST YEAR Pete was a new coach, so he got a pass (even with his dictatorship). This year, he's just a bad coach and its coming to light.
You guys are unbelievable! Most of you know very little about the game of football and the preparing and planning of the games. Columbia has great kids who have worked very hard this past year to turn this thing around. They really want to win. Coach wants to win. Do you think he enjoys losing like yesterday after all of the preparation he and the staff have put into this. Fordham should be removed from the schedule or at the least be moved to later in the season. It is rediculious to have to play a team like that and get players hurt for the rest of the season. Why all of this hate towards Mangurian? It seems like you are never satisfied with any of the coaches who have been here. Columbia has been losing for 50 some years. You act like he is the first one to lose a game. CALM DOWN. Be supportive of the team.
Finally someone with some perspective.
If you were a h.s. player, or his parent, who had the choice of playing at a number of Ivies, which would you choose? One with a number of championships and a stable coaching situation or one that hadn't won a championship for a long time and a part of whose alum fan base was calling for the coach's resignation a year and a half after he was hired?
We can't do anything about our past record, but we can do something about the present, namely, stop being stupid. How is it helpful to the program to call into question whether a football or basketball coach should have been hired, as some of our fans have done on this and the BB board? How is it helpful to the program to question a head coach's competence? Everyone is obviously free to think and say whatever they wish, but there is a time and place for everything, and we seem to have forgotten that or never have learned it. There also seems to be a grossly inflated sense of competence. I've watched, followed and read about FB for over half a century, but I never played organized FB, and I have not had an opportunity to be present at the team's practices and meetings etc. I therefore have no illusion about knowing how good or bad some strategy or approach that our coaches have adopted is. And unless you have a chance to be there on a consistent bases, you don't know either. And if someone needs catharsis, go see a shrink or go out on your balcony and yell into the wind.
Re yesterday's game, which I attended, I though at the half that we might be able to come back. That obviously didn't happen. From my perspective, yesterday's game was a mini shit storm: Fordham is obviously very good with better overall team speed, particularly at the DB position; it was out first game; we made some boneheaded plays. It happens. I also agree with those who suggest that it won't be until we have played two more games that we'll have some real sense of what we have.
-Dr.V
We start playing our nonconference games too late in the season to be competitive with teams playing their week 4 game. These other teams have been practicing since early August. Maybe we should only play other Ivy teams and forget about the rest. Our Ivy championship team never competes in the national tournament anyway.
Dr. V is obviously intelligent.
Of course the players and coaches work hard and want to win. Let's not dig up the past coaching hires, just look at the rationale for the Mangurian hire. The guy does have Ivy and NFL experience. He certainly is a hard nosed type of guy who can coach. The question is, what would be the right fit. The bully approach will always fail. That should be evidence right there it was a bad hire. Having a "only tough guys play here", military 5AM or whatever approach only is effective with a certain type of program. Like other posters have said, CU athletic leadership needs a clearer perspective of what is necessary to really build and sustain player faith in the program. I don't think Pete will have a contract renewal. If these games were close, it could happen. Not with blowout losses. Only a 5-5 season can save Pete.
We are #1 in excuses, that's for sure! Let me see, in week two and week four what will we say? Monmouth and Leigh have scholarships, so we need to cancel those games too. I don't know who I am more embarrassed for, the kids or this Blog! It is NOT ridiculous to play Fordham. The entire Patriot League will be on scholarships, so prepare better, play harder, and stop whining!
Boo-hoo, the coaches try real hard. Great! You’re terrible at what you do, but you try really hard! What does that mean? Contract extension! Why are we so down on Pete? Because he promised us a Cadillac and what we have is a Hyundai. I’m glad he was so secretive with his two-deep roster, otherwise Pete could have topped his 69 point loss at Harvard.
Stop making excuses (again) about we need to keep this coach for the sake of keeping future HS recruits. Give me a break! That’s what prolonged Norries’ career. If he’s bad, get rid of him! If not, keep him (and continue to lose). It’s simple! These kids were not prepared to play. Who’s fault is that?
In reference to watching the team practice and see what’s going on, you can’t. Pete has closed everything. Very alumni friendly!
Maybe we should open up the game planning and decision making to all of the alumni because we all know so much about running a football program. Have you ever thought that maybe he is not being a bully but a strong leader? It takes courage to try and change things that haven't been working for 50 plus years. Sometimes when I read these posts they sound like they are from some school who doesn't have any bright people at it.
Nothing but loud mouth back seat drivers on this blog. Let the coaches coach and the players play. Nothing will improve for the team with the lack of support they get from you guys. A bunch of fair weather fans.
I would really like to know who the anonymous people are behind these posts! Probably just a very select few who are unhappy they are not being given enough attention from someone. Why don't you go back to your jobs and blog anonymously about your bosses and co workers and see how far that gets you. This blog is suppose to support the team not rip it apart each week.
Go Loins!! We are behind you all of the way !!!
Go Lions!! Today, Tomorrow and Forever!
Wow! I never read so many vitriolic posts after the first game of the year. Am I disappointed? Duh! Of course, but the last guy was one and nine in his SIXTH year.
So, I will attend home games and yell loudly and try not to trash the coaches and staff here as well until we see what the next nine Saturdays bring.
Go Lions!
http://youtu.be/4BSiRKSrjos
Of course these clips are heavily biased, compiled and posted by Fordham atheltics but looks like bad special teams preparation, a QB who was never trained what to do under pressure, very weak OL, extraordinarily bad tackling, low confidence, low morale.
There are blow outs all over the nfl today and those are professional athletes. Arm chair QB's on this blog want a raid on the Bastile because of one loss. UNBELIEVEABLE!
Just looked at the video and I can tell you know nothing about football.
The Blog was set up to express our feelings of the team, not to say how great peter is after the harvard loss and now this...
I believe that we were all expecting more out of the team, regardless of who we played. They simply looked lost out there! Catching the ball inside the 10 yard line is coaching plain and simple. Yes mistakes happen and the coaches are not on the field, however, the product that we were promised (and expecting) was inferior to last year; even with a Div. I qb at the helm. Is that cause for Pete's resignation? Probably not, however, a 3-7 season means that we are not going in the right direction. If that's the case, cut ties and move on.
"you know nothing about football" is the generic phrase/reply used in self-defeat, when the intellect fails. None of us know anything about prophylactics either except that the good ones work as designed.
Well explain where you saw low morale on the field? Low confidence? You sound stupid. Where did the offensive line in that video not give the QB time to make two reads? You don't know a football from a hand grenade
Wingman, I bet prophylactics and self defeat are a major part of your world.
Main problem with the team was summed up in the decision to pass on first down from Fordham's 13-yard line. Our running game was going fairly well (minus the sacks), so let Garrett take a shot or two at it, you don't have to be a genius to figure that out. But you have to be incompetent to do what we did, sorry.
Looking at the video posted by Fordham, that corner blitz was missed by Garrett and the quarterback paid the price. Who fields a punt in their own 5 yd line and then muffs it? I even saw a pick that hit the hands of the receiver. What I didn't see was overt Dline pressure on our quarterback. He had ample time to throw. All correctable.
Brett,Abayo (sp?) out for season, say Spec, KCR
Columbia Spectator reporting Seyi and Bret are out for the season. That's awful to lose our QB and DE.
Sad thing about Internet blogs like this one is that everyone can hide behind the "anonymous" tag so that there is no way of knowing who the blogger is and how many comments he or she is making. For all we know, the many negative comments posted today are being made by one or two persons. Hiding behind an "anonymous" tag seems cowardly to me so I would like to propose that effective immediately anyone posting on this blog give his or her name and Columbia affiliation, if any. Surely, the overwhelming number of persons reading Jake's blog are devoted Columbia Football Fans whose only interest is supporting the players. I, for one, intend to state my name and school whenever I post in the future. Maybe there is some reason for someone else to post anonymously but that does not go for me. I wonder how others feel. Am I right? Or am I wrong? Go Lions!!!!
Stan Waldbaum, '62C, 65L
It is too bad for the two kids. Hope they get well soon.
I am not affiliated with Columbia, but hope you guys keep putting out the same product.
You are not affiliated with Columbia??? Does that mean you are from another IVY school ? Does that mean you are a disgruntled ex coach? Does that mean you are spying on our program and trying to create havic amongst the alumni? Think about this everyone ?? All of these negative comments. From what I see and hear from people in the university,everyone is behind the program and what they are trying to accomplish.
I doubt all the people are behind the program. I mean, isn't that statistically impossible? Just saying.
I would figure that what they are trying to accomplish is winning, but that certainly hasn't happened as of yet.
I think the kids are great and for the most part the alumnae are supportive in their own way, but I think the university and the legion of doom are clueless and just feel they need to field a program. Sure, argue with me, but this was the case with Al Paul, Reeves, and Murphy. We just aren't good at picking our leaders.
And I have yet to see a successful program where the head coach was so anti alum and it worked in his favor. Look at the big programs and all the coaches know they need the support of the alumnae to get the program moving in the right direction.
To Stan Waldbaum, everyone has the right to publish their name and everyone has the right not to (for whatever reasons they may have). I seriously doubt that there are many incidences of malicious repetition hiding behind the "anonymous" option.
It looks like Brett was not destined to be our savior, not this year, anyway. We have three more pretty good QBs on board, maybe one or two of them will come through and surprise us all.
Again, I have no opinion on the team or the coach, I was just pointing out that I had seen this movie before, as had many other Ivy alumni, in the need to change the schedule when the local rival changed conferences or became more mismatch than match. (Didn't Ivy schools regularly still play Army and Navy up till the 80s?) And while the whole Patriot league scheduling may be falling apart (after three decades of being rock-solid opponents - at Princeton in the 90s we played 3 Patriots a year like clockwork), Columbia is not doing its attendance numbers any favors by playing Marist or Monmouth instead. Put St. Mary's back on the schedule, or play a HBCU like Princeton now occasionally does, and get some western and southern alumni-drawing games would be my recommendation.
As for the comment that brought up basketball, well, that's a different sport and for a number of reasons not as prone to having to drop rivalries. (Princeton still plays Rutgers every year in basketball at least). Gridiron is different.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but this will be a brutal home season for attendance. Only three home Ivy games, and no Cornell to boost the numbers. Monmouth is the free-tickets-for-anyone-who-lives-in-Upper-Manhattan game as otherwise I'm sure they would draw under 3,000. Two of the home games are in November, including a bone-chilling Nov 23 date. And now this rough start on the road. Ugh. Living closer to the endzone than anyone else who reads this blog, I enjoy a good crowd more than anyone. Hope people still come to see the team this season despite all these obstacles.
I'm not going to put Fordham today at the same level as Rutgers in the late 1970s. But I do agree with InwoodTiger's general point. You can play a BCS team in basketball and only suffer a 50-point blowout. In football, those 50-point blowouts tend to come with injuries.
At some point, and again I don't know if CU-Fordham is there yet, but at some point you just have to acknowledge that playing too far over your head in football doesn't prepare you for the rest of the season, it costs you players for the rest of the season.
Awful, I was there and it was awful. Fordham showed a ton of school spirit -- lots of students, alumni and fans, all excited from 90 minutes before kickoff. Columbia was outmatched from the start and it felt as if they didn't want to even be there.
I'm just tired of supporting a team and a program that doesn;t show the same vigor and enthusiasm. Supporting Columbia, after 40 years, suddenly feels like a waste of my time. I won't be back to a game this fall, it's pointless. And I envy the spirit of Fordham.
The spirit of Fordham? It was homecoming or did you not get the memo? They are on a win streak and beat an FBS team. I think that will motivate a fan base. EdB you won't be missed. Fake friends of the program are negative. Your either a part of the solution or ...
I think if a guy/girl has supported the team for 40 years you all owe him a sense of gratitude and shouldn't dismiss him as a foe.
Yes, there are people who criticise thr program and people who support it, both should be respected. However, you are the worst of all fans dismissing a long time supporter. You give the program the worst kind of reputation. I don't think you can call 40 years a fake friend.
I'm a parent of a player and it makes me really sad that EdB can no longer support the team. 40 years is a very long time. I can only imagine how you must feel thinking every year might be ....The Year. I agree Fordham showed so much spirit and enthusiasm ( homecoming or not)). I have yet to see this at Columbia with our fans and supporters. It would be a shame to loose you EdB, my son and the rest of his teammates need your support, you and all the other long time supporters of the football program.
EdB- thanks for the 40 years! I too am frustrated. See you at homecoming!
Imam a fifty year supporter. If anything I will now double down on my support. The players deserve it and so do their families. We will move forward.
It is a disgrace that this coach puts players in the stands instead of allowing them to stand beside their teammates and cheer them on, giving them support and encouragement. They work hard too and deserve better. Just shameful!
Imam a fifty year supporter. If anything I will now double down on my support. The players deserve it and so do their families. We will move forward.
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