Princeton 10 Columbia 7
Why Princeton Won
The Tigers defense was stingy, especially in the 2nd half, while the offense put together one long and gutsy drive that was good enough to win.
Why Columbia Lost
The Lion offense struggled most of the night and blew two golden scoring opportunities early in the game. The passing game especially never got on track.
Key Turning Points
-With just under 7 minutes left in the 1st quarter, Columbia began a 16-play drive that relied mostly on strong running from Malcom Terry and Joey Giorgi that covered 61-yards and set the Lions up with a 22-yard FG try. But a bad hold doomed the kick and the Tigers held on to their 3-0 lead.
-With 8:21 left in the half and the score still 3-0, Columbia's Ethan Hebb blocked a Princeton punt that helped set the Lions up with the ball at the Tiger 45. Once again, Columbia used mostly the running of Terry to get inside the Princeton 5, but this time the Lions decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from the 3 rather than try another FG. On that play, QB Caden Bell was unable to gain any yardage and the Tigers dodged another bullet.
-With Columbia leading 7-3, Princeton took possession at their own 19 with 12:14 left in the 4th quarter. The Tigers proceeded to put together a 20-play drive that included two successful 3rd down conversions and three successful 4th down conversions, including a 4th and goal at the 1 that resulted in a John Volker TD that just crossed the goal line.
Columbia Positives
-Until the final drive, the Columbia defense played extremely well, capped off by an extraordinary interception and TD by DE Justin Townsend. The Lions gave up just 80 net rushing yards.
-Terry and Giorgi made up a formidable rushing combo for most of the game, combining for 102 yards on 23 carries.
-P William Hughes had a clutch game, averaging 43 yards a punt and nailing two inside the 20.
Columbia Negatives
-The Lion passing game is just not getting the yards, consistency, or accuracy that it needs and this game was the biggest example with Bell going just 11 for 26 for 71 yards.
-The final drive was brutal as Columbia missed some key tackles and couldn't stop the clutch plays time after time.
-The two missed red zone opportunities were a combination of the bad weather and bad decisions.
Columbia MVP
-Thanks to his amazing TD, a big TFL for a nine-yard loss, and the pressure he put on the Tiger O-line most of the night, the game MVP is Justin Townsend.
64 comments:
On the final drive the key play for me was the juggling 4th down catch by the Princeton TE. I still don’t know if he secured the ball or not. But that game was ours to win with even a mediocre passing game.As much as I like Bell’s overall game and his huge heart, I still believe that against good teams we need more from the QB position and a healthy Green gives that to us. I saw an agitated Canty on the sideline, which I think might have had something to do with a few long balls in which he had enough separation to have made a play had the pass been thrown with some more air under it. I suppose most of us will have nightmares over the final Princeton drive when they made 3 4th down conversions. Likewise our two muffed chances inside the 5 in the first half.
People have chosen to single out the linebacking play as the deficiency on the third of the three fourth down conversions on the final drive. Unfortunately, the isolation play exposes the linebacker. However, the culprit in that final drive was the defensive back play. Two of the three conversions were on passes, and none were short enough yardage where a run, other than a draw play, was in the offing. The defensive backs were not aggressive and did not challenge any of the wideouts. Large cushions have been a hallmark of our defensive backfield for some time, well before Friday night. It is glaring. Friday night saw significant separation between defenders and receivers, and not because of pump fakes, or stop and go routes. They were slant routes where the defensive backs did not catch up with the receivers. Fortunately, Princeton only hit one long one of those, and the defense held fast after that. Despite what Jack Ford may have said about face guarding not being called as much as in the past, we dodged one on that pass breakup in the end zone on the long play, that more often than not is flagged. Getting hit in the back with the ball, and not being turned around, is not quality defensive back play.
The front seven have been solid in recent years, and have carried the defense. They cannot be expected to do that, particularly against strong throwers.
Townsend is an absolute monster. He better get strong consideration for Bushnell honor if he keeps playing this way
Should Townsend be playing middle linebacker instead of DE? I know that he is a phenomenal pass rusher from the DE spot but wonder if he might be even more effective at middle linebacker.
We whuz robbed! That fourth down juggling catch, where he rolled and appeared to catch the ball between his legs, I don't think was a catch. If you look at it carefully it appeared the ball hit the ground, but it wasn't a close angle and was the only angle they showed. At the least it should have been reviewed, like the Princeton touchdown.
The announcers to me seemed to have a Princeton bias and didn't notice it, apparently because they didn't want to.
Maybe we should not have been in that position in the first place.
Maybe we should have had points from being “goal to go” twice.
Maybe the defensive ahould have been up tighter on the receiver, twice on their last drive.
Maybe there should have been a more assertive offense in the second half.
Maybe we should not be making excuses.
Maybe we got lucky on the “punt block” where we never got any ball, and crushed the kicker.
Maybe we got lucky on what easily could have been PI in the end zone.
Maybe we should write this one off and hope what we saw is a “one off” and not typical of this team and this staff.
I thought that the Princeton TE juggled the ball and did not have possession and was surprised when it wasn’t reviewed. But overall I thought the refs called a pretty good and even game and perhaps overlooked a few potential penalties on us. My major concern coming out of last night is the lack of a credible passing offense. While the pass protection was decent, and the conditions probably favored a tall QB like Princeton’s guy, either our QB just cannot make all of the throws or our receivers cannot consistently find seams. Next week will not tell us much, but I would like to see Green worked into the lineup.
The armchair QBs on this site kill me. Oh, let’s shake things up and switch the best DE in the league to LB! Ridiculous
Let’s be crystal clear about the play where Princeton scored the TD. The RB ran OVER our Will LB (no names). This happened because the LB was standing straight up as he hit the hole and the RB. RB had leverage and ran over the LB and put him on his butt in the end zone. There is zero debate about what happened on this play. Armchair fans can say the kid made a mental mistake. Bottom line - it cost us the game.
Watch the video…I have multiple times.
Our Will Linebacker is a beast. If you watch all his tackles - he brings it. One tackle doesn’t define the player.
With the game on the line, Princeton wanted it more. Period.
Agreed. Great player
Let us be clear, The Columbia players wanted it more, the OC coach and Head Coach did NOT.
If Columbia does not play Green, and spread the offense, they will be the Ivy joke of the season, if they are not already. Fabish is not stepping Columbia when needed, when his coaching staff is not doing their parts. It is a joke at this point.
Ugh. Everyone behind the scenes knows that Green is not 100% which is why he is not playing
NOT true
Spot on
Once the had a lead, the coaches played “not to lose”. Never a winning strategy. Just ask the Atlanta Falcons.
It's seems ridiculous that no information has been disseminated yet regarding the status of Joe Green at this point in the season. Unless there is a medical issue that is preventing him from throwing the ball in a satisfactory manner, clearly Green should be our starter against Marist in Game 4 this weekend. If Green is unable to start, then the Lions should start Caden Bell in his place, but go asap to the #3 and #4 guys on the depth chart to see what they can do. Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't all this obvious.
Would think Jake would have the inside scoop on Green’s health
This x100. Coaches had the team playing not to lose, as though we should have considered ourselves lucky to be ahead. Not the mindset that successful teams have.
Need a whole new offense, one that is more modern. Sorry Bagnoli lovers but the control the clock, Hurry up and Wait, short and extra short passes don't cut it. Did work well in the 90s though. Now is not the time to implement a new system BUT changes are mandatory. Two back sets at times, deeper drop by the QB, fake punts, more misdirection, power sweeps with pulling guards. Who agrees?
Oops I forgot vertical passes
If you had deeper QB drops wouldn't you be better able to throw screens ? Instead of throwing 20 yards horizontally in the bubble screen!
Success in most sports is dependent on “Situational Awareness”, part of which, in football, translates into recognizing what is being presented by the opposing team, particularly when you are offense. After the half, Princeton was convinced Fabish was not going to throw the ball over the middle or deep. They went to man coverage, and brought their linebackers in tight. They often had no safety back deep, and sometimes, particularly on early downs played with only three defensive backs.
Look at the play selection for the second half. No motion, no challenging the corner, no jet sweeps, no throwbacks, no quick slants.
All play calls that are used when people stack the box gains the run.
As a defensive player, one of the first things you are taught, is after a turnover, look for the offense to try and go long, particularly over the top.
Go back and look at the plays called on the second series in the second half, after the recovered muffed punt. No attempt to strike, to go for the jugular. Just run it between the tackles. Then a quick screen to the sideline and then a qb pressure. Three and out.
(Have we ever tried a quick pass to the sideline to the back side off motion?
Maybe Fabish was held back for years playing offense, “Bagnoli’s way”, but, on Friday night, did he not see what we all saw? Maybe he is not comfortable watching the game from the field level? Maybe he is overwhelmed by hearing the play call in his headset, rather than making it?
He is coaching for his job and he should be, He may well be great head coaching material several years down the road, but he may not get that chance here. The truth be known, if this past game is the best he has, he is not our guy. You would have to think there are a host of talented young head coaches out there at small schools, who would have won this game.
Couldn't have said it better! Very insightful comment that sums it up and corroborates all negatives assigned to the disciple of the Bagnoli system
Boy, I wish you guys were coaching instead of Fabish. Just brilliant insight!!
To plagarize from the classic movie Billy Madison - we are all dumber for having read comments on this blog
How we can go from the offense we showed against Georgetown to this tepid display is mind-boggling, and shows that there is likely a problem on a deeper, metaphysical level.
The weather dictated the game plan and the strategy. So we didn’t have the whole play book. It isn’t easy to complete a long pass in a driving rainstorm. This is a game that we could just as easily have won but Princeton improbably converted on 3 4th down plays, including a questionable catch/trap. So withhold judgment on this staff until the end of the season, in the name of fairness.
Can we maybe face the truth here?
Princeton won, because they know how to win.
We lost, not because of the weather, not because of a possibly trapped ball, and not because the “improbable” happened.
We did not win because we failed to score twice, when it was “goal to go”. Which by the way happened well before the weather turned foul, the supposed trapped ball, and before the “improbable”
Mark Fabish and his coaches lost a very winnable game.
There is no coach on the planet who has not lost a winnable game.
So yes, he deserves some latitude, and should not be hung in effigy or run out of town, just yet.
But at the same time, he does not deserve a pass.
When you want to play in the big leagues, do not whine that pitchers throw 100 mph fastballs.
Cutting to the chase, the loss was inexcusable, for any coach.
Of the “Bagnoli Disciples”, Mark Fabish started coaching in 1997, Mike Elko in 1999 and Kevin Stafanski in 2005.
Your honor, I rest my case.
Maybe Fabish is not the pick of the litter.
Maybe we should have the players dads coach the team?
Can we all agree that it is in our collective best interest to give the staff our support during the remainder of the season. They are working hard to put a winning product on the field, and they are also working to prove that they should all be retained. So what possible good does it do to second guess every decision that they make?
Sorry, but Fabish and this coach staff are effectively interviewing for their jobs. Their decisions have to be called out.
Let’s dispense with the hyperbole. First of all, no one is “second guess[ing] every decision [of this coaching staff].” We are, however, questioning playcalling and decision making that many of us believe does not give us the best chance to be successful as a team. I want what’s best for the team and the program. That may or may not be a future with Fabish at the helm, but either way, there’s no reason that constructive criticism should be off limits. If the head coach’s performance (or that of his staff) isn’t up to par, I’m not sure how it helps anyone to give the coach a free pass. Results matter, especially for an interim coach. When we tolerate mediocrity and underachievement, we act in a way that’s antithetical to the Columbia ethos.
I’m certainly not advocating for Fabish to be dismissed after three games. But neither should his critics be muzzled or misrepresented when they make fair and valid comments about the playcalling. To my mind, Fabish has the rest of the season to make the case that he should be head coach. The Lafayette and Princeton games were steps in the wrong direction, but all is not lost. That said, he now has much less margin for error.
We’ll see where we go from here. Hopefully, we right the ship and rack up some good wins in the next few weeks. I really hope we turn things around so that I can put off for as long as possible having to think about the Engles nightmare that is men’s basketball. I feel really sorry for those kids.
When Green was playing poorly last year all the arm chair QBs on this site did not want any other qb to get a shot. Now that the shoe is on the other foot all of you are screaming to sideline Bell. What’s the deal here? As one of you said last year, “obviously Green is the best at practice that is why he starts”. Well obviously Bell has beaten Green out preseason and now at practice. That is why he is playing and not Green.
NJ Lion is spot on again. How about his take on men's hoop!
MBB just got even worse—Senior forward Murphy is finished at Columbia due to injuries and incoming front court player Nweke is finished for the season also due to injuries. Snake bitten ever since Engles took over. I think Fabish has a good chance to succeed and will not be another Engles.
NJ Lion already gave his take on Columbia men's hoops. He called it a "Nightmare" and that "I feel really sorry for those kids." I agree with the NJ Lion's description of the Columbia Men's Basketball Program as a "Nightmare" given that the team's record under Coach Engles in the last seven years is something like 45 wins and 117 losses overall including only 4 wins against 38 losses in the Ivy League the last three seasons. Engles is very fortunate that he is still coaching the Columbia Men's Basketball Team. He probably would have been terminated by any other Ivy League School three or four years ago, but apparently some rich alum bequeathed a large sum of money to Columbia on condition that Engles be retained as Columbia's head coach for as long he wanted. Columbia players and fans be damned!!!
The way Bell has played through three games is not as good as Green played when healthy. It is also true that CU coaches have sometimes been very slow to change personnel - witness our terrible punting last year until finally they switched to Hughes and he turned out to be all-world. It took seven games to switch from a kid who averaged 25 yards to one who averages 40+! And obviously, they stuck with Green for a long time last year when it turns out he was hurt.
The questions are why Bell (and several WRs) seem to have regressed? Is Green healthy? If we had normal coverage of the team, those questions would be asked by reporters rather than anonymous fans. But they are legit questions.
I am sure Bell has played better in practice, which is why he's starting. But I can't help but wonder whether the coaches are stubborn/loyal or whether Green is just not healthy. Hopefully, Bell turns it around soon.
FWIW I am not down on Fabish. They mostly played well on Friday and made few mental mistakes. The idea that PU wanted it more is dumb. Something you say when you have no idea what you are talking about. Also, when the QB overthrows receivers by 10 yards on vertical throws, it's not really credible to bash the coach for not calling for more vertical throws.
Much too generous to describe Engles as "snakebitten," because of player injuries. Engles has repeatedly failed to recruit a sufficient number of players to be successful as a college basketball coach, yet he's still Columbia's head basketball coach after seven miserable years. It will probably take something very embarrassing to happen before he finally gets dumped by whoever is calling the shots in the Columbia Administration.
Anonymous
We lost because we didn't score points. We need to stop making excuses and make touchdowns and field goals instead. The defense played well except for one drive which would not have been a problem if we had an offense capable of scoring points. We have a good rushing game which would be even better if we had any sort of an aerial attack. Yes, we beat Georgetown and will probably easily beat Marist and claim that we have turned things around, however, they are solely on the schedule to ensure at least another mediocre 5 and 5 or maybe a 6 and 4 season. Other Ivy teams may be concerned about playing Columbia but are never afraid of us. We need a whole new football culture. Our women's basketball program has bought into a new winning culture. Why can't our football program do the same? Culture changes start at the top. Ask Meg Griffin's or Coach Prime's players.
My guess is if the offense keeps stalling Mark will start calling the plays again instead of Joe, who is a good position coach but may not be ready to be an OC since he was a former offensive lineman and may not have the overall vision of the offense at this point in his career.
this is the whole truth
I think they would do a better job personally
this is very possible, or at least I hope
I am still available.
—Pete Mangurian
Wish folks would establish an identity otherwise this blog becomes a tower of Babel, because for all practical purposes, we don't know which 'Anonymous' posted
what point of view. Many good points - some ridiculous. I think that calling for the coaches head at this stage of the season is absurd. Coach deserves the chance to develop the talent he inherited and there is much here. To suggest that somehow our guys are less motivated than Princeton is equally absurd.Or that we lost because of a single 4th down play at the goal line. The major focus has to be how to get our Offense, which is blessed with a cornucopia of skilled athletes, to score points against good opponents. Our offensive game plan was stale on Friday night and we failed to adjust to Princeton's stacking the box. These adjustments will determine whether the interim moniker gets removed from Coach Fabish's resume.
One should not confuse “knowing how to win”, and “wanting to win”.
Everybody “wants to win” not everybody, “knows how to win”.
When you have not historically won, when you find yourself winning in a situation where no one has predicted you to win, you begin to question what is happening. “Am I really in this position?”
When you know how to win, and you are losing, you say, “we have got this. No way we are going to lose!”
Think Tom Brady down 28-3 to Atlanta.
Unless you have won, it is difficult to learn how to win.
You want to have faith that your coaches know how to win.
Fabish is new to this game, but he has much to learn, and not much time to learn it.
I am sure Clemson fans have been quick to criticize Dabo this year. I would suspect Alabama fans have been quick to chastise Nick Saban this season. And these coaches have won multiple National Championships. What do people think the LSU faithful have had to say about their coach this week?
What has Mr. Fabish done to deserve that we reserve our opinions?
Maybe it's time to get a couple of the back-up quarterbacks on the field and see what they can do. Perhaps we will find another Sean Brackett. If I remember correctly, Brackett started and starred for us beginning with the sixth or seventh game of his freshman season. However, our fourth game against Marist seems like the perfect game to play Green, Bell AND TWO OTHERS
Amen, If JG doesn't get multiple series vs Marist, I would be shocked.
OMG, if Murphy and Nweke are both out for the season with injuries how will Columbia match up in the frontcourt with its Division One opponents. Coach Engles only recruited two frontcourt players-Nweke and Arop and while Arop is super talented he's only weighs 185 pounds. There are so many dumb things that Engles has done at Columbia, but only recruiting two big men this year may be the dumbest.
Jack Rohan must be beside himself looking down on what is this abomination known as “Columbia Basketball”.
Is there something in the water in Morningside Heights? Is there any other Ivy League school that has performed so dismally in both Football and Men’s Basketball during the last half century?
On MBB, it seems that Engles got shut out in recruiting. We ended up with three guys, all coming off of PG years at prep school, and all announced very late. One of the three averaged 10ppg for his boarding school, which would not seem like a D1 prospect. I guess the silver lining is they're older?
Back to football, if Green does not play this week, I will presume he is hurt. And I hope we throw a lot of vertical passes. Bell needs to figure it out and this is the last chance to work on things before it gets a lot harder. On backup QBs beyond Green, didn't Jake report that the backups mostly performed poorly in the D3 scrimmage?
I have given up on MBB and actually have come to believe that a wealthy benefactor put a provision in his will to pay Engles’s salary so long as he chooses to remain as head coach. Maybe he will shock me and the rest of the world by winning a few more IL games.
Check the MBB schedule and note the many DIII teams. Cupcake wins.Did Bagnoli have a hand in this?
Does anyone think that Congressman Gaetz would be satisfied with Coach Engles' record? Bummer that he was able somehow to take down a really good man in Kevin McCarthy. If Engles were smart he would try to replace the two big players he just lost to injuries with a couple of our 6'5" 285 pound linemen who played basketball in high school prior to coming to Columbia. Of course,I'm thinking about the great George Starke who played tight end for us and the Washington Redskins, and center on the Columbia Basketball Team.
Kevin mccarthy is a bad guy, just like Yale’s Reno. Hey this is fun
Might we not be better served with a Charlie Ward, who was a basketball player with a fair inkling as to how to play quarterback?
Isn’t Reno the guy who refused to loan Buddy a kicking tee a few years ago when Dartmouth was playing at Yale?
Michael, is that you?
I'll take the Dads, we have quite a few that would be phenomenal!
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