Top Ten Games of the Decade #5: Magic Mike

Columbia 24 Cornell 21

November 17, 2018

Coming off the groundbreaking 8-2 2017 season, 2018 was something of a disappointment even though it did end in a winning season for the Lions, (and the team's first back-to-back winning season since 1961-62). 

But to scratch out that 6-4 finish, Columbia put together a number of exciting wins, including three out of four to finish the season. 

None was more exciting than this contest against Cornell, which combined amazing individual play with plenty of twists and turns to the final seconds. 

The Lions looked like they were going to dominate the game when they jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks mostly to a 91 yard punt return for a TD by freshman Mike Roussos. Columbia was driving for another score when a penalty killed the drive and the Big Red snuck back into the game. 

The most drama of the game seemed like it would come midway in the 4th quarter with Cornell now up 14-10. That was when the Lions marched 75 yards on a nailbiter of a drive led by another freshman, QB Ty Lenhart. The most dramatic play of that drive was a prayer of a pass on 3rd and 14 from the Columbia 21 that WR Kaleb Pitts somehow came down with. There were two more 3rd and long passes that Lenhart completed later in the drive as well. (One has to believe that the extreme confidence the Lion coaches continue to show in Lenhart was probably born on that drive). 

After Kyle Castner finished his college career by scoring the two-yard TD to give the Lions a 17-14 lead with 6:46 to go, no longtime Columbia fan believed the game was over. But when Cornell's initial attempts to get back into Lion territory failed, perhaps some of the Light Blue faithful were willing to breathe a sigh of relief.

They shouldn't have.

Because with 2:50 left and the Big Red backed up at their own 22, the Columbia secondary finally faltered and allowed a wide open WR Owen Peters to make a 48 yard grab. Cornell took a 21-17 lead with just 58 seconds to go a few plays later. 

Then one of the greatest plays in Columbia history ensued. Despite going for a the "safe" squib kickoff, Roussos scooped the ball up and wound his way through tacklers in the middle of the field for a stunning and spectacular 87-yard TD. 

But it still wasn't over.

Because of a celebration penalty called on Roussos, Columbia had to kick off from its own 15 and Cornell took over at its own 45 with 45 seconds left. But this time, the Lion secondary held and the game was over. 

I wrote immediately after the game that the contest was the most miraculous Columbia win I had ever seen. 

It still is.