Top 10 Games of the Decade #7: It all Comes Together in Providence

 

November 19, 2016

Columbia 31 Brown 13

As Al Bagnoli's second season as Columbia's head coach was wrapping up, it was clear he had turned the Lion program back from the brink. But CU was still not showing many signs of becoming a contending team anytime soon. All the Lions had were a few standout performers, but little track record of being able to put all of its best features together even for just one game. 

At 2-7 going into the final game of the year at Brown, Columbia had won those two games against sub-par opponents Wagner and Dartmouth, (the Big Green were in a rebuilding year). Both of those wins had been very close and not that convincing. 

But following the win against Dartmouth, the Lions looked more impressive. That was especially true in the 28-21 squeaker defeat at Harvard. 

A maddening 42-40 loss to Cornell followed the loss in Cambridge, and that left fans wondering if Columbia would ever get all of its ducks in a row even for one week. 

Things didn't start out too well at Brown Stadium when the Lions got one 1st down on their opening possession and then had their punt blocked and recovered by the Bears at the CU two yard line. 

But two Columbia tackles for a loss and a penalty killed Brown's chances of getting a quick TD, and the Bears settled for a 42 yard FG and a 3-0 lead.

Spurred by the great defensive effort, junior QB Anders Hill engineered a 14-play, 80-yard TD drive that featured the run and the pass. 

The two teams traded scoreless possessions after that until with 11:25 left in the half, Hill started another 80-yard TD drive that ended with a 46 yard scoring pass to freshman WR Josh Wainwright. 

Just before the half, Hill found Wainwright again to end a 71-yard drive with a 16-yard TD pass. 

The pieces were clearly starting to come together. 

But the game was not to be a cakewalk. Brown closed to within 21-13 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. 

That's when Hill and Co. came through in the clutch and executed a short but crucial drive to set up a 31-yard Oren Milstein FG to essentially ice the game. 

The exclamation point came a few minutes later when senior RB Alan Watson ripped off a 69-yard TD, notching a spectacular play for the last time he touched a ball in his collegiate football career. 

Brown came into the game with every expectation of winning. The Bears had a shot to go .500 for the year and 4-3 in Ivy play. But all the ingredients that would make up CU's magical 2017 season boiled to the surface in Providence that day. 

It was a delightful inkling of what was to come.