Soldier On

Trevor McDonagh


Of all the valleys Columbia football fans have had to endure over the last 50 years, this one feels especially low.

Losing an opening game to a stellar Fordham team by 45 points was not easy, but the possibility had to be expected considering how strong a team the Rams had become.

But losing Brett Nottingham, the most significant transfer ever to come to the Lion program, for the remainder of the season seems especially tragic, even cruel.

Throw in the loss of Seyi Adebayo and it's hard for even the most ebullient optimist to find a silver lining.

But we do have a lot of questions.

Nine games of our 10 game season remain. All seven Ivy games remain. Even without Nottingham and Adebayo, is this an 0-10 team? So far, all seven other Ivy teams and the two remaining non-conference opponents all look decidedly better than CU. Can the Lions prove that to be wrong?

Trevor McDonagh is now the starting QB. Can the Columbia O-line learn to protect him?

Will the coaches adjust their game plans based on these personnel losses?

Will the fans show up in any decent numbers this Saturday vs. Monmouth?

I'll still be at all the games of course. As much as I always want us to win and cannot tolerate those who are okay with losing, the decision to go or not go to CU games for me is never decided based on whether the Lions are expected to win or not.

It's about supporting true student athletes, and watching football in a safe, friendly environment.

I don't expect that to ever change.

The athletic administration be damned. The academic administration be damned. No one comes out to the games to root for them. Whether they realize it or not, it's not about them.

So, play on.

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.

Let's Get it Started

The Lions last hoisted the Cup in 2009


Columbia Lions at Fordham Rams

Liberty Cup XII

September 21, 2013

Location: Jack Coffey Field 

Kickoff Time: 1pm

Gametime Weather Forecast: 76 degrees and partly cloudy

The Spread: The latest line favors Fordham by 20 ½ points

Columbia Game Notes

Fordham Game Notes

How to Get to the Game

Directions are here, and I highly recommend using the Bronx River Parkway route. Also remember that Fordham's campus is directly across the street from the New York Botanical Gardens. So any directions and signs to that location are good too.

If you are in Manhattan this weekend, the best choice is to take the Metro North to the Fordham station. 

Here is the Metro North schedule for the trains to Fordham from Grand Central Terminal for this Saturday morning. 

TV/RADIO

Free video, (but subscription required): Patriot League Digital Network

Columbia audio with Jerry Recco and Sal Licata: Ivy Digital Network

The Columbia student station broadcast is on WKCR at 89.9 on your FM dial.

Lead Stories

-Fordham is just about the hottest team in FCS football at 3-0 and coming off a win at FBS Temple last week. The offense looks unstoppable with an All American RB, a super accurate passing and running QB, and more than a handful of receivers who can burn a defense. Fordham is now in year four of a football athletic scholarship program meant to elevate the team, the school's name, and I'm convinced, get the Rams a home game or two at nearby Yankee Stadium in the coming years.

-Columbia boasts the single biggest FBS transfer to FCS football this off season in new starting QB Brett Nottingham from Stanford. Many fans will be watching very carefully to see if the former 4-star high school recruit will live up to the hype.

-Fordham comes in as a huge favorite, the Lions are an unknown to the pundits, but they're erring on the side of disrespecting CU as much as possible. 

-In their defense, Columbia hasn't won a road game since 2009, a 12 game losing streak right now. 

Columbia Keys to the Game

1) Don't be Afraid to Shoot it Out!

Fordham can score a million different ways and in a hurry. The defense needs to at least make the Rams work for it. But if the offense just tries to slow things down every time it gets the ball it could backfire. Columbia has a great passer and lots of great receivers. Go for it. A few quick strikes might make the crowd a little less into the game in what will be a spirited atmosphere on Rose Hill. 


2) Defend the Edges

With new starters at the outside linebacker positions, I expect the Rams to attacks Columbia's edges with lots of runs by Carlton Koonce to the outside and lots of passes to the outside as well. Brian East and Vinny Pugliese need to have solid games for Columbia to have a chance. 


3) Test the Ram Run Defense

Fordham is giving up 230 rushing yards per game and that's not because of just one bad game; all three Ram opponents have run well against them. With everyone focused on Nottingham and his passing skills, (especially if the Lions come out throwing), Columbia may have an opportunity for a little misdirection by running it a lot too and not just with star RB Marcorus Garrett, but with some of the backups like Cameron Molina and Alan Watson as well. 

Videos and Pictures

Head Coach Pete Mangurian has some super positive things to say about QB Brett Nottingham in this video released last evening.


Nottingham himself speaks out in this video put out by the Columbia Spectator.

Fordham Head Coach Joe Moorhead is interviewed here.

Fordham will be wearing special patriot uniforms for the game, (see above).

So now the Lions will have to beat the super hot home team on Homecoming, AND the good old Red, White and Blue.

What's next, motherhood and apple pie?

Week 4 Picks

Last week, I went 1-1 straight up and 0-2 against the spread to bring my overall record to 5-2 straight up and also 5-2 against the spread.

On to this week with a whopping EIGHT games to pick:

Brown -16 over Georgetown

Don’t expect too many cobwebs in the Bear offense as QB Patrick Donnelly is back for his 5^th year and he’s throwing to a big WR he’s been playing with since high school. Georgetown looks really weak right now and Brown usually plays very well in the early season games.

Colgate -11 over Yale

I expect Yale to improve a bit this year, but Colgate really needs this game at home and I think they’ll play their best game of the year so far.

Cornell -3 over Bucknell

This will be the Big Red’s best chance for a win all season, and new Head Coach David Archer knows it. Jeff Mathews also begins his final campaign for NFL attention. It’s a big homecoming weekend for Cornell.

San Diego +12 vs. Harvard

I still think Harvard will win this game, but the Crimson have a few kinks to work out before I can say they’ll beat USD by more than 10 points on such a long road trip. Harvard to win, San Diego to cover.

Lehigh +3 ½ at Princeton

Lehigh is hurting a bit after those player suspensions and some actual injuries. But I still think this team is better than the Tigers. I like the Mountain Hawks to win.

Dartmouth -7 at Butler

I really like the Big Green this year and this game should prove it. They may start slow after making the long trip, but I think Dartmouth wins by 10 or so.

Lafayette +11 at Penn

The Quakers never seem to play very well against Lafayette and I think the offense will have some issues to work out early in the season just like last year. BUT the Leopards are weaker than usual this season and I think Penn will pull it out. Penn to win, Lafayette to cover.

Holy Cross -7 ½ over Monmouth

I’m a big believer in Crusader Head Coach Tom Gilmore. This is a 10 or 11 point win for Holy Cross.