Around the League: Week 3

Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, and Lafayette survived to grab wins during a tense weekend around the league, while #6 New Hampshire rolled over Dartmouth.

Harvard and Brown led off a mostly tight Ivy League weekend with a thriller in Cambridge last Friday night. Trailing by ten with under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Brown began a furious comeback attempt when versatile wideout Bobby Sewall caught an eight yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero. The Bears (0-2, 0-1) were able to recover the ensuing onsides kick, eventually setting up three failed passes to the end zone from the Harvard 25 on the game’s final three plays. Junior quarterback and first year starter Collier Winters was the standout for the Crimson (1-1, 1-0), accounting for all three Harvard touchdowns in the 24-21 win and earning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

There was more late game drama on Saturday in the Yale Bowl, as Cornell held off Yale on the road for a win in a game that aired nationally on Versus. Cornell (2-0, 1-0) scored on their first offensive play of the game with a trick play, as senior wide receiver Stephen Liuzza hit Bryan Walters for an 81 yard touchdown pass. Yale (1-1, 0-1) dominated the rest of the game statistically, completing 15 first downs to Cornell’s 3, and running 35 more offensive plays than did the Big Red. Yet, Yale quarterback Patrick Witt’s first of three fourth quarter interceptions was returned for a touchdown by Ivy League defender of the week Anthony Ambrosi, stretching Cornell’s second half cushion to 14-6.

Witt was almost able to make amends in the final moments, as Yale gained possession with 1:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. The sophomore quarterback marched the Bulldogs into the red zone, and scored on a third and goal run with no time remaining. But the two point conversion try to tie the game fell incomplete, ruining the home debut for Yale head coach Tom Williams, and sending the Bulldogs to a 14-12 defeat.

Penn also nearly succeeded in their comeback effort Saturday, scoring two unanswered third quarter touchdowns to force overtime against Lafayette in Easton, Pa. Penn senior Kyle Olson threw for 83 yards and two touchdowns in the third quarter to lead the response while junior linebacker Zach Heller had 13 tackles (3.0 for a loss) and 1 sack to hold the Leopards.

In overtime, Penn (0-2, 0-0) kicker Andrew Samson missed his second 42 yard field goal of the game, allowing Lafayette (2-1) to convert on their first OT possession with a 28 yarder to seal a 20-17 victory.

Princeton also visited a Patriot League opponent this weekend in Bethlehem as the Tigers picked up their first win of the year against Lehigh. Despite losing reigning Ivy League rushing champion Jordan Culbreath early with an injury, Princeton was able to hold an early lead to edge out a 17-14 victory.

Lehigh (0-3) starting quarterback JB Clark was replaced after two interceptions, as the Mountain Hawks’ sloppy play prevented them from capitalizing on their possession advantage. Lehigh out-possessed Princeton (1-1, 0-0) by over twelve minutes and ran 28 more offensive plays in the losing effort.

The game was decided for Princeton on two big first half plays: quarterback Tommy Wornham’s 67 yard touchdown dash and linebacker Steven Cody’s 77 yard interception return for a touchdown.

The only game on the Ivy slate that ended in a rout was Dartmouth’s matchup with #6 New Hampshire. The Big Green (0-2, 0-0) stayed in the game early, out-possessing nationally ranked New Hampshire (3-0) by four and a half minutes in the first half and trailing by just six at half time.

However, 3 fumbles lost and 2 interceptions caught up with Dartmouth, who faced a second half onslaught and were outscored 24-0 over the final two quarters en route to a 44-14 loss.

Sophomore tail back Nick Schwieger rushed for 119 yards and senior quarterback Alex Jenny was 20-29 with 166 yards and two touchdowns for Dartmouth in the loss.

Culbreath Questionable

The Columbia Spectator's Matt Velazquez is reporting that Princeton's standout running back, senior Jordan Culbreath, sustained an injury in Saturday's win at Lehigh and is questionable for this weekend.

The reigning Ivy League rushing champ's absence would significantly lighten the load on the Columbia defense, which allowed 325 yards rushing against Central Connecticut State this weekend.

Rush defense, specifically containing scrambling quarterbacks, has been an early weakness for the Lions, who will encounter another mobile signal caller in Tommy Wornham this Saturday in Princeton.

Culbreath's status could be an x-factor for the Tigers, who would carry a dangerous advantage in the ground game with a fully healthy backfield.

Princeton and Columbia will do battle at 3 PM this Saturday. Coverage can be found at 89.9 FM in New York, and online at WKCR.org, where yours truly will provide the play by play.

My Special Teams Meltdown

You have to feel sorry for the Columbia defense this week. After allowing 325 yards rushing en route to a home-opening loss against Central Connecticut State, the Light Blue defensive unit now feels the pressure of a second underwhelming week despite high expectations.

But honestly, who could blame them? Just look at the first quarter they had to endure on Saturday.

It actually started out well, as the unit first jogged onto the field with a 7-0 lead and plenty of positive momentum still abuzz from the Liberty Cup victory. The energy was evident as the Lions defense held the Blue Devils on their opening drive after just 4 plays.

On the ensuing offensive possession, Ray Rangel broke a 49 yard run and the Lions looked set to put the game away early. However, the drive stalled and, in a disappointing turn of events, Columbia’s field goal attempt was blocked.

By the time the Lions defense jogged onto the field for the second time, CCSU had been rejuvenated by the stop and blocked kick.

But the defensive unit held strong and forced CCSU into a three-and-out.

On the proceeding punt, a Lion was charged with holding before the punter had kicked the ball, and thus the Blue Devils were awarded with ten yards and kept possession for a first down. It was another momentum shift for the defense to fight, and come through they did, getting another stop to force yet another punt.

Upon receiving the punt, the Light Blue offense failed to move the ball, and was forced to kick it again, this time from a dangerous position inside the Columbia ten. The kick was easily blocked by the Blue Devils, who recovered at the two yard line.

Junior Marc Holloway then stepped up, getting in on three of the four consecutive goal line stops that kept the score at 7-0 heading into the second quarter. To cap it off, the Lions defense opened the second frame by dramatically stopping star Blue Devil James Mallory again on fourth down to force a turnover.

Despite the blame this week, the Columbia defense was terrific to start the game. Unfortunately, the energy expended to minimize the early special teams damage would prove to have severe consequences in the second half.

Switching gears away from Saturday, there are certain things sports fans expect when rooting for their high-level athletic teams. One expects his pitchers to throw strikes, the same way he expects his star forward to convert a penalty kick during a soccer game, or his starting point guard to hit a majority of his free throws. Using this same progression, a football fan expects not to have to hold his breath every time his team attempts a point after or a punt.

This is because the special teams unit carries with it the minimum expectation of executing critical plays with consistency. Because this minimum expectation exists for all competing football teams, a squad finds itself at a true advantage when special teams play exceeds expectation. Think back to the excitement that surrounded Dante Hall’s kick returning abilities for the Chiefs in the early part of the decade and his appropriate nickname: “the x-factor.”

In much of the same way that a special teams threat can dramatically enhance one team’s chances, a special teams deficiency can have the opposite effect. This was evidenced during the Lion’s home-opener on Saturday.

In fact, poor special teams play has been a common theme for the Columbia football team for the past two seasons. Last week, a missed extra point had the Lions holding on to a vulnerable six point lead at Fordham when freshman punter Matt Williamson saved the game by scooping up a bad snap inside his own thirty yard line and still delivering a solid punt.

On Saturday, the Lions had a punt blocked, a thirty yard field goal blocked, an extra point blocked (and returned for two points), and a first down given up for a penalty while receiving a punt.

Aside from the possible six point swing these mistakes cost Columbia, the special teams meltdown hindered the Light Blue in a less hypothetical way. Mistakes in kicking and punting killed the offensive momentum in the first half while overexerting a defense intent on keeping the Blue Devils off the scoreboard.

In the second half, the offense continued to be out of rhythm despite the hot start, and the special teams unit continued to struggle. When all was said and done, the Light Blue were out-possessed 21:23 to 8:37 in the second half, as efficient CCSU coaching continued to call run plays against a battered defense, who never got a rest of more than two minutes and fifty six seconds of game time in the final two quarters.

I never said I was going to be an optimist every week, and sometimes the factors of a loss need to be thoroughly scrutinized to yield improvement. Last week, special teams unacceptably cost Columbia a victory, an experience that will hopefully prove beneficial to an up-and-coming team seeking to learn how to win.

On Saturday, they learned their first lesson: you cannot win if you beat yourself.

The Columbia D prepares for another big season

The true stars of the Columbia football team are no longer secrets. At least not to opposing Ancient Eight coordinators, who surely spent the summer planning a way around the Lions’ two defensive standouts, Alex Gross and Lou Miller.

Any good coordinator would, as the pair emerged as the two most dominant defensive players in the Ivy League last season while leading an upstart Light Blue defense whose obvious potential has many Columbia fans eager for opening day.

However, this is not the first time in recent years that a Columbia defense has been hyped entering the season. Just three years ago, the Lions excited supporters by finishing second in the Ivy League in total defense, due in large part to an adventurous and innovative 3-3-5 formation. Big things were expected for the following season, but Columbia’s 2007 defensive performance failed to match the hype, as the Lions allowed nearly a hundred yards per game more than the previous season and finished the year with a total defense ranking of sixth in the league.

The weakness of the 2007 Light Blue defense was stopping the run. The Lions were last in the league in rush defense by a large margin, a fact that forced head coach Norries Wilson to consider a major defensive overhaul.

The 3-3-5 defense was designed to utilize an undersized defense through frequent blitzing and complex coverage schemes. Ultimately, the plan in such a formation is to avoid a smash mouth battle against an oversized offensive line by creating chaos with added defensive backs.

What Wilson realized after the 2007 season was that he no longer needed to attempt to organize chaos. Consecutive solid recruiting classes had evolved the Lions roster by the start of the 2008 season and now gave Wilson a defensive group with added talent, depth, size, and options.

Thus, the switch was made to a more traditional 4-3 setup for the 2008 season, a move that immediately paid off for the Lions. Columbia’s D managed to shave 72 yards per game off of the total from the previous season, and its stars shined in the new system.

Then-sophomore Alex Gross led the Ancient Eight in tackles by nearly a full tackle per game last term while junior Lou Miller held the league lead in sacks and tackles for loss by season’s end. Together, they form the core of a Columbia defense which expects to make headlines in 2009.

Yet, there is more to the highly touted defense than its two stars. Take, for instance, junior Adam Mehrer, the playmaking free safety who led the team in interceptions with four last season. “We definitely want to be the best defense in the Ivy League. … We’re going to set the bar high,” Mehrer stated on Media Day last Saturday. Hardly the only Lion with such lofty goals, Mehrer is part of a secondary led by fourth year starter Andy Shalbrack that will face much scrutiny in the season’s opening weeks.

The secondary weathered some criticism last season for its propensity to allow big plays, as was highlighted in the homecoming loss to Princeton. Much of these troubles were blamed on a lack of experience, as Calvin Otis, a sophomore, was featured alongside Kalasi Huggins, a freshman, as the starting cornerbacks last season.

This year, experience will play a positive role for this group, or at least that is the hope of strong safety Andy Shalbrack, who explained last Saturday that “experience is something that’s invaluable going into the season.” Good thing the Columbia secondary now has plenty.

All four starters are back this year, as Otis and Huggins showed much improvement over the course of the 2008 season and Mehrer and Shalbrack return to their roles as the starting safeties. The safeties will be backed up by two talented and experienced juniors, Augie Williams and Dan Myers, who exemplify the impressive new depth of this Columbia defense.

Another position in which the Lions seem to be particularly deep is the linebacking core, a group led by the ever-present junior Alex Gross, Columbia’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Like Shalbrack, Gross voiced his confidence in the Lions’ experience last Saturday, saying, “When you look around the league and look at the experience this team has, this has got to be the year that Columbia football really turns things around.” To make that turn around happen, Gross has to demonstrate his own experience, as he gets set to replace graduated senior Drew Quinn as the leader of the linebackers.

Despite the loss of Quinn, the Lions still have multiple legitimate options to line up alongside Gross. Junior Matt Moretto returns from injury this season and should compete with senior Corey Cameron for time on the outside, while fellow junior Marc Holloway made a sizable impression on the coaching staff this summer and could earn a starting spot at middle linebacker over senior Josh Williams. Add senior Clark Koury to the mix and you have six veteran players to fill three positions.

Despite the plentiful depth and talent among the seven rear positions of the defense, the real key to the Lions’ success lies up front on the defensive line. Two seasons ago, Columbia’s rush defense ranked eighth in the league as the Light Blue allowed a staggering 231.1 yards per game on the ground.

In 2008, a defense rededicated to stopping the run finished third in the Ancient Eight in rush defense and allowed only 104.3 yards on the ground, a remarkable improvement over the previous campaign. Much of this turnaround could be accredited to Owen Fraser, the 280 pound super-recruit whose size at nose tackle gave the Lions a legitimate defensive anchor on the line. His presence coupled with the lightning-quick pass rushes of All-Ivy defensive end Lou Miller gave the Lions a successful dynamic in the trenches last season, a dynamic the Lions will look to keep intact this year.

Unfortunately, opposing coaching staffs will be looking to ensure just the opposite, as this season, Columbia’s aggressive new defense will no longer be the Ivy League’s best kept secret.

The Long Road to Optimism

Somehow, I find myself feeling optimistic about the upcoming year in Columbia athletics. I say somehow because the horrific taste left in the mouths of Lions fans by the football, basketball, and baseball squads still lingers. And for good reason, as Columbia fans were treated to three of the most comically brutal season conclusions imaginable last year.

The fat lady made her first proverbial appearance last year in Providence to announce the end of the football campaign. I remember the game well, as I was sitting in the press box on that frigid afternoon doing color commentary for WKCR. In my pregame analysis, I excitedly pointed out the fact that the Lions were 2-2 with M.A. Olawale at the helm, and played up the fact that his big-play ability gave the Lions a chance to end Brown’s bid to capture their share of the Ivy League title.

Just as I optimistically predicted, Olawale broke a seventy yard run in the first quarter to tie the game at seven, and Columbia looked set to play spoiler. Then I watched in horror as it all fell apart. Three straight scores gave Brown a comfortable 24-7 lead. Then, Olawale was knocked out of the game with an injury at the same time that his backup quarterback forgot which team he was on, leading to two prompt turnovers to start the second half. As the game ended and Brown celebrated another conference championship, I remember thinking to myself, “What did we do to deserve such a devastating end to this season?” Unfortunately, the worst had yet to come.

Many more Columbia fans were in attendance for the second season-ending shocker of the year in Levien Gymnasium. The back-story for this one was even more intriguing, as the Lions had emerged during the course of the season to become perhaps the best home team in the Ivy League, sitting at 5-1 in Manhattan entering the final day of the season. Excited fans packed Levien that night, as they had all year, ready for the completion of an epic Princeton-Penn sweep that would give the basketball program its first season above .500 since the late seventies.

Now let’s fast forward to 0:03 of the second half. Noruwa Agho is at the line with one free throw attempt left and the Lions lead by 2. Agho misses, allowing Penn to gain possession and call timeout with 1.9 ticks left. The ensuing inbounds pass finds Penn senior Kevin Egee who proceeds to launch the last jump shot of his collegiate career from 35 feet out and SWOOSH! The crowd watches in shock as the Quakers celebrate and the silence in the gym is filled by the incessant moans of some overweight woman, sitting behind the Penn bench, belting Fight on, Pennsylvania. Apparently, the fat lady does not always sing opera.

Yet, perhaps the most disappointing of all the anticlimactic season conclusions occurred on the final weekend of the baseball season. Columbia, the defending champs of the Ancient Eight, actually had a chance at gaining a birth to the Ivy League Championship Series entering their four game set with lowly Penn despite underperforming for most of the year. The Lions needed to take all four games from the Quakers and to have Cornell and Princeton split their series, a scenario that seemed extremely possible. After confidently taking the first game of the set, however, the Lions tanked, losing the second game of the home doubleheader and getting swept in Philadelphia the following day. Interestingly, the Quakers won more Ivy games that weekend (3) than they had during the entire rest of the season (2). To add insult to injury, Princeton and Cornell split, making this season-ending catastrophe the first of the year to have championship implications for the Lions.

Agony aside, looking back on the past athletic season has allowed me to see why it was so uniquely painful: the presence of hope. The football team was transformed when Olawale took over at quarterback, and the team was 2-1 at home in the league this past year. The basketball squad was a miracle away from its best season in thirty years, and the baseball team could have (and honestly should have) secured a chance to play for its second consecutive Ivy League Championship with a strong performance on the final weekend. Now how many Columbia classes have witnessed such promise in a single athletic year?

This brings me back to my excitement toward this year’s athletic endeavors, beginning with the imminent football season. The Lions have an advantage this season over their four toughest Ivy opponents (Penn, Yale, Harvard, Brown), as they get all four at home. Combine this with the fact that Columbia’s three league road trips will all be winnable games (Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth), and you are potentially looking at a full slate of competitive Ancient Eight contests for the Lions.

Am I predicting an Ivy League championship? Of course not. But with M.A. Olawale, a favorable schedule, and perhaps the most talented defense in the league, four league wins are certainly within reach. Now that is something to get excited about.