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Pennsylvania Quakers (2-2) at Columbia Lions (3-1) 

Columbia Homecoming

Kickoff: 1:30pm 

Kraft Field at Wien Stadium 

Game Time Weather Forecast: 75 degrees and cloudy (thunderstorms expected shortly after game concludes)

The Line: Columbia favored by 2 1/2 points

TV/Radio: The game will be broadcast live on SNY and NBC Sports Philadelphia

Columbia Game Notes

Penn Game Notes 

Leading Storylines

1) Columbia finally broke the Penn jinx with a win in 2017 after 20 straight losses to the Quakers. Since then, the Lions lost a close one to Penn at Franklin Field in 2018 and then destroyed them at home in 2019. Anytime Head Coach Al Bagnoli takes on his old program, it's a great narrative no matter how many years it's been since he left Philly. 

2) So far this season, Penn has fallen below expectations while Columbia has basically met them. Both teams come in with a lot to prove with six of their seven Ivy games yet to play. 

3) Columbia is hoping to build fan excitement for the rest of the season with a win at Homecoming.

Columbia Players to Watch

1) Dante Miller, RB 

After his explosive performance against CCSU, Miller is the #2 rusher in the Ivies coming into this game. His outside speed may be crucial vs. a Penn defense that has strength up the middle.

2) Joe Green QB

Green will need to test the suspect Penn secondary with more throws downfield. He'll face a tough Penn pass rush.

3) Cam Dillon LB

Penn's pass protection is suspect, leaving Columbia's new single-game sack record holder in a position to have another monster game. 

Penn Players to Watch

1) Ryan Cragun and Rory Starkey WR's

Penn's WR tandem is very talented, but the Quaker pass protection has made it hard for QB John Quinnelly to get the ball to them. If that changes, watch out!

2) Prince Emili DL

Penn's best player and a potential disruptor vs. the run and pass. 

3) Trey Flowers and Isaiah Malcome RB's

Penn abandoned its passing game vs. Lehigh last week and used a full house backfield with a running QB later in the game that produced massive rushing yards and a victory. Columbia will have to be prepared for Penn to switch back and forth from this formation and the usual spread offense look. 

Week 4 Picks

I went 6-0 straight up and 3-1-2 against the spread, bringing my season totals to 22-8 SU and 16-12-2 AGS

Cornell pick 'em over Colgate (Friday night game)

This is a tough one to call, as the pick 'em point spread would indicate. I'm not very confident about picking the Big Red but I am confident in saying that if they lose here, the alert sirens should start wailing. 

Brown +16 1/2 vs. Princeton

Tigers will win, but Brown plays it closer

UConn +3 vs. Yale

UConn will get up for this game at home and should pull out a win.

Dartmouth pick 'em at New Hampshire

Big Green will find a way.

Harvard -17 1/2 vs. Lafayette

The Crimson will probably win by 19 or 20. 

CCSU +10 1/2 at Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart will wim but that spread is too big. 

Georgetown +21 at Holy Cross

The shine is coming off the Crusaders armor. The Hoyas will make a game of it before losing in the end. 

Dayton -7 vs. Marist

Long trip for the Red Foxes.

Throwback Unis on Tap for Homecoming

The 1961 Lions

Columbia just released this hype video to announce that the Lions will be wearing throwback jerseys to honor the 1961 Ivy champs at Homecoming this weekend vs. Penn. 

Incidentally it was vs. Penn in '61 that the Lions clinched the Ivy title at Baker Field. 

The last time Columbia used throwback unis was in 2004, when they wore uniforms similar to the 1934 Rose Bowl champs to honor Columbia's 250th anniversary celebrations vs. Penn at Homecoming. 

Ivy Power Rankings

 

1) Princeton

The comeback win at Monmouth was impressive, and just the kind of adversity a top team needs to prove it can overcome.

2) Dartmouth

Because the CU-CCSU game wasn't plagued by too many media timeouts, I had a chance to watch much of the Dartmouth-Yale game on my phone. The Big Green's wins over Penn and Yale are much more impressive than Harvard's win over Brown and the Crimson's not-so-great performance against Cornell. 

3) Harvard

Still looking good, but not as great as 10 days ago.

4) Yale 

Good performance in Hanover, despite the loss. I think Reno's call on the 4th down play in OT was a bad one. 

5) Columbia

Close game at CCSU might make some folks nervous. But CU seems to be playing up or down to its opponents every week. 

6) Brown

The Bears are waking up just a bit. They won't be an easy out now.

7) Cornell

The Big Red defense is good enough to make games interesting from here on out. 

8) Penn

Penn does have a decent full house running attack it can lean on now, but that means sacrificing its great duo of starting receivers. The win against Lehigh last week was ugly. (Yes, I know it's bad luck to pick Columbia's upcoming opponent last... but that's the way I see it)

Close Call in Connecticut

Columbia 22 CCSU 20

Why Columbia Won

The Lion defense stayed in control for most of the game, with a furious pass rush that netted a team record eight sacks. The offense was inconsistent, but did just enough to hold the lead and eke out a win,

Why CCSU Lost

The Blue Devils spent most of the game unable to stop the CU pass rush, and the CCSU defense broke down just when the team needed key stops. 

Key Turning Points

-With Columbia leading 10-0 early in the 2nd quarter, CCSU began a possession on its own nine. From there, the Blue Devils went on a 15-play drive that included three 3rd down conversions and ended with a 15-yard TD pass from Romelo Williams to Jadd Dolegala. CCSU made it a tight game from then on. 

-On Columbia's ensuing possession, a brilliant grab by WR Ernest Robertson of a 44-yard bomb from QB Joe Green set the Lions up at the CCSU 26. But Columbia could only get to the 20 before having to try a 38-yard FG from PK Alex Felkins, which had plenty of distance and height but went wide right.

-Still leading 10-7, the Lions had another chance to add to their lead when Columbia forced a punt on CCSU's ensuing possession and took over at their own 45 with 2:46 left in the half. But after getting as far as the Blue Devil 43, Green threw his first interception of the season and CCSU got it back at its 25.

-Now it was CCSU's turn to blow an opportunity. After the Lions forced the Blue Devils to punt from their own 18, the ball rolled around at the CU 45 where it grazed off of an unsuspecting Ryan Rhoden who was tangled up blocking a CCSU player. The Blue Devils recovered at the Lion 38, but failed to get closer than the Columbia 32 before Williams was sacked for an eight yard loss.

-Early in the 2nd half, Columbia's LB Cam Dillon recorded one of his team record 5.5 sacks with a takedown of Williams in the end zone to give CU a 12-7 lead. But on the ensuing possession, the Lions could only get as far as the CCSU 37 before a sack and a dropped pass forced Columbia to punt away a chance to put the game away. 

-Still leading 12-7 and with 3:16 left in the 3rd quarter, Columbia took over at its 20 after a CCSU punt. Nine running plays and one pass later, the Lions had a 1st and 10 at the Blue Devil 17. But Columbia could get only five more yards and had to settle for a 30-yard Felkins FG and a 15-7 lead. 

-CCSU answered with a 13-play drive for 84 yards and a TD on 4th and 6 from the 16. But S Ben Mathiasmeier then made a great tackle to just deny Blue Devil WR Tyshaun James a 2-point conversion, and the Lions clung to a 15-13 lead. 

-After the CCSU TD, Columbia took over at its own 25 with 6:55 to go in the game. RB Dante Miller took over from there, rushing for eight, two, and then 65 yards for a TD down the left sideline to give the Lions a 22-13 lead. 

Columbia Positives

-The Lion pass rush, a major question mark before the season started and one that was far from answered well in the first two games of the season, added to the positive momentum from the Princeton game and exploded all over CCSU for the majority of the game. Dillon's performance was historic, but DL Paul Akere also stood out on the day. The return of senior DL Cameron Carter also helped, even though he did not register a sack on the day.  

-The Columbia rushing attack, after being stifled vs. Princeton, came back much stronger thanks to Miller's big day. Fellow RB Ryan Young was not as effective, but he did have two key runs during CU's long FG drive that stretched from the 3rd to the 4th quarter.

-Columbia's defense held CCSU to just 52 net yards rushing. 

-As Head Coach Al Bagnoli made clear in the post game news conference, Columbia allowed the game to get way too close and failed to put it away too many times. But longtime CU fans are all aware of multiple Lion teams in the recent past that would have lost a game like this, and that includes the Lions under Bagnoli during his first two years at Columbia. 

Columbia Negatives

-Lion failures to convert red zone visits into TD's are starting to really hurt.

-Even with WR Mike Roussos back in the lineup, it's clear that Columbia hasn't yet established a real deep ball threat. Green has the arm to do some damage, but his receivers are often not open enough or are literally dropping the ball too often. 

-Late in the game senior LB Justin Woodley went down with an injury and later emerged with a sling over his oft-dislocated shoulder. Columbia will need him back to remain competitive for the top spots in the Ivy League this season.

Columbia MVP

-With a well-deserved silver medal to Dante Miller and his 18-carry, 136-yard rushing performance and 65-yard TD, the MVP is clearly Cam Dillon for being a one-man wrecking crew in the CCSU backfield. We knew the Lion linebacking crew was deep and talented coming into this season, but it has more than met lofty expectations.