Lafayette Leopard (2-1) vs. Columbia Lion (0-0)
September 21, 2024
Kickoff Time: 12 noon (NOTE EARLIER TIME)
Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
New York, NY
Game Time Weather Forecast: 75 degrees and partly sunny
The Line: Columbia is a 7 1/2 point underdog
TV/Radio: The game will be shown live on the SNY regional sports cable channel and also on ESPN+
Leading Story Lines
-This is the debut for Columbia's young new Head Coach Jon Poppe and his mostly very young staff. 'nuff said.
-Lafayette is one of the best teams in the FCS, with a varied offense and a tough defense. This quite simply seems like the toughest opponent Columbia will face all season.
-In the face of several months of very well-deserved bad publicity for Columbia and the Ivy League in general, getting back to football could provide a respite from all the campus ugliness.
3 Lions to Watch
-Sophomore QB Chase Goodwin #15 gets his first collegiate start and will work to justify his winning the spot over Northwestern transfer Cole Freeman #4.
-Senior DL Justin Townsend #36 begins his final season of what's already been an excellent career for the Lions. The question now is if he will take his game to another level and get the eye of NFL scouts.
-Senior WR Bryson Canty #2 returns at full strength after a disappointing injury-riddled 2023 season. Canty was a 1st Team All Ivy WR as a sophomore in 2022.
3 Leopards to Watch
-Junior RB Jamar Curtis #5 is one of the best backs in the the FCS and he tore the Lions up at Lafayette last year. How he matches up against Columbia's experienced front seven may decide the game.
-Junior QB Dean DeNobile #16 is one of the best QB's in the FCS. He and his favorite target WR Elijah Steward #1 will be a major concern all day.
-Sophomore DL Jaylon Joseph #93 was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year for 2023 and will likely be the man most sorely testing new CU QB Chase Goodwin's debut nerves.
53 comments:
Two very talented teams will be competing tomorrow. Lafayette is nationally ranked, but the Columbia Lions will win tomorrow.
A healthy Bryson Canty is the best player in the Ivy League and a high draft pick.
Lions got this.
Lions by 3!!
Go Lions!
I am happy our Lions have brought back the tradition of Friday walk thru on Friday's on campus. That has been greatly missed.
Pilling, Get off your behind and schedule earlier!
Let’s get over the Pilling thing and focus on the season. Tomorrow we start a new era at Columbia. The Lions 24 and Lafayette 14. Bleed Columbia Blue!! Let’s go men!!
You all better turn out! See you at ye olde Baker Field and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Wien Stadium with Kraft Field.
Here is an observation. Lafayette is favored by (only) 7.5 points. Lafayette is ranked in the top 20. Lafayette has already played three games. Lions picked dead last for the Ivy League this season. The above does not add up. The oddsmakers obviously see Columbia as much stronger than did the media people who picked us for last.
We have some really good fifth year seniors. Bryson Canty is a difference maker on offense and Justin Townsend will face double teams all day, freeing up another rusher on passing downs.
And what does that tell you?
The 48-0 prediction looking more ridiculous by the minute. This will be a winnable game.
I heard that our ends are outstanding----big, strong and very fast!
If the Lions can keep this game competitive, this should bode well for the rest of the season.
48-0 will be the score
Jake, thanks for the clue. My guess is that 6-6, 240 defensive end Ayden Baker is the defensive lineman you said had an outstanding camp. Baker is on the two deep and hails from West Virginia, home of some great Columbia student-atthletes. Baker is not only very tall, but stands out for wearing number 14
Our new starting quarterback Chase Goodwin and three of the wide receivers on our "Two Deep" are from the Great State of Texas. Good Luck to all of them from this Columbia Alum who considers Houston his second home.
The AD has no responsibility for the late start of the season. It is an Ivy League rule.
So much for 48-0. What an impressive opening game for Poppe and the boys
I think we're looking at a special season. We have two quality QBs and a host of experienced players. The aggressive passing offense is such a welcome change.
And to think they did it without a single bubble screen, or spending the entire game barking at the officials. I even saw an animated head coach, one who interacted with the players, as opposed to speaking into a head set the whole game. We are so lucky those in power did not listen to the group who said, “Fabish earned a chance to prove himself on his own with a full year to prepare.” Good riddance to the past. A hearty welcome to our new coach and his staff. The only sad note, the Seniors from last season, who were saddled with the “anointed one”. Go Lions. Remember, “Only a fool trips over what is behind them!”
What a fun game. The opening drive alone provided more enjoyment than last year's offense. Obviously some near-disasters: the playcall at end of the half that led to the turnover (lucky to hold them to 3); the secondary inexplicably getting beat deep when up three and two scores. But just a solid game all around--with some spectacular catches and a superb INT thrown in--and Columbia looked like the better team throughout. Fantastic game no matter what, but especially enjoyable when it bodes so well for the start of the new regime.
Yup we hired the right guy.
Let it rest. Time to move forward.
Throwing the ball down field! Consistently! Opening the offense up with a perfect mix of run pass. Love the comment, no Bubble Screen and no barking the whole game at the officials. Kudos to both lines, line backers... Still not a Carter Mc Fadden fan... Took still another risk with an unwise punt return. Got beaten time and time again as they threw at him consistently. Yet an intercept. Lots of rotating players , which looked extremely good.. Eldo and Fabish? Forgetta bout it!
2024 Lions are a talented and exciting team! Any update on the injury status of Chase Goodwin?
To think this team is more or less the same roster than last year… goes to show how atrocious leadership/coaching was. This looked like an entirely different football team. Roar Lions!
Excellent game. Great performance by the team. Terrific weather. 41 cheerleaders and dancers. Even the reformulated pep band was ... well, they were at least there.
Only downside was the terrible attendance on such a nice day for a home opener against a quality opponent with a good alumni base. 3,500 is not a good result, especially when this was the free game for half of Manhattan (Northern Manhattan Neighbor Appreciation Day).
What are the chances that somewhere, right now, there is a 71 year old graduate of Central Connecticut State University, who is telling anyone who will listen, “Those folks at Columbia never appreciated me. I taught this Poppe guy all he knows when he used to work for me. If I hadn’t hired him at Columbia, he would have never gotten that job. They should put up a statue for me.” Ah! “Six degrees of separation”
Give it a rest. Today is about a great victory. Today.
If we win, they will come!!!
Stfu
Well done Lions. Outstanding!
The game had passed by a former Hall of Famer. .....New offense, new day, new coach! Coach Poppe, congrats! Also Situ Smith and all the rest of the staff. Grind it out ,clock control, sideline antics BE GONE
Terrific victory over a quality opponent! Congratulations to the Lions!
No question that Bryson Canty is an outstanding wide receiver . Did you see those catches? Fantastic.
We need to tighten up against the deep ball. We got beat long and we will be tested now until we fix it. Canty is going to have a great season.
Lafayette's qb was excellent, but he only beat us long once and then was intercepted by Carter McFadden. Overall, I thought our db's played very well against a strong receiving corps.
It was a glorious day in every respect. That opening drive was incredible and set the tone for the entire game. Congratulations to the players and the staff for a most enjoyable and exciting Columbia football game. Looking forward to the coming weeks.
Anyone else not that impressed with Poppe? I don’t see much difference between that team and the team lead by Fabish. Think that was a bad Lafayette team, don’t forget how dominate we looked against Georgetown last year…
Agree 100% a win is always nice but let’s not get ahead of ourselves he still has a lot to prove. This was a .500 Lafayette team. If you would have given Fabish a full spring to game plan I don’t think the outcome would be that different.
Did you see the game?? That was one of the greatest wins in CU history. What a difference from last year. This team will go 8-2 this year. Ivy champs in a couple. Poppe has turned this program around. Can’t wait for the future. Hope he stays. Could see him moving to a mid major in 2-3 years and then a power 5.
Don’t count your eggs before they hatch, saw a lot of mistakes made that Lafayette failed to capitalize on, such as the interception before halftime. That could’ve easily turned the momentum going into half and the 2nd half could have turned out differently. A seasoned offensive mind like Mark Fabish wouldn’t have made that play calling mistake. Not counting Poppe out yet, but he needs to show improvement.
Are you on crack?
You Fabish flunkeys are hilarious. He was awful, and he couldn’t win. His offense was extremely limited, boring, and predictable. We put up 31 points today, and looked like a completely different team. Poppe is 1-0, and he’s only getting started. Step aside.
A couple above comments now deteriorating. Give me a break. No one is “counting eggs before they hatch”. This was an impressive opening day victory against a favored opponent. Of course some mistakes. The end of first half interception was tough. But very bold to make the call. Defense limited them to the FG. Expect more bold calls throughout the season. And the play calling today was impressive. A great mix. Of course, just the first game. Likely a couple clown comments come from the same who called for Lafayette to win 48-0. Savor this and look for further improvements throughout the season.
You are all missing the major issue - how could Poppe decide the team should not serenade the fans after a win! Outrageous! Transfer portal for my bambino. What a tyrant!!
Oh, well come to think of it a pretty good win against a ranked opponent. Loved the confidence the staff had in CF letting him throw the ball when he entered game. Oline gets game ball. Anyone notice how calmly they picked up line stunts?
This defense must play better and they will. As someone reminded me the Laf RB is an all-american
Great win for the Columbia Football Lions… looking like the team is back in 1934 Rose Bowl Champion form #RLR
OL was excellent. Over 200yards on the ground and in the air.
Some of these Fabish guys sound like Trump and the 2020 election....having a hard time accepting that your guy was fired ! Move on and embrace the new coach who took ostensibly the same team and impressively beat a ranked opponent and last years patriot league champ
Lions have a great pair of running backs in Malcolm Terry and Joey Giorgi. Terry's 50 + yard sprint sealed the victory for the Lions.
Our wide receivers and tight ends were outstanding today. Bryson Canty is the best player in the Ivy League and a certain draft pick. It's only a question of which local pro team (Jets or Giants) picks him first. Ethan Hebb comes over from defense and makes TD catch. Jordan Kelley looks like dynamite. And, finally, Braden Daugherty, who scored our first TD today, is a 6'5" 240 lb tight end with very good speed. Attendance at the home games will pick up if our Athletic Department publicizes the Columbia Football teams stars.
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