Football
OPENING DRIVE
• The Lions suffered its first Ivy League defeat last week, falling 24-21 to No. 22 Dartmouth. After falling behind 17-0, the Lions rallied with a pair of late touchdown catches by Bryson Canty but could not recover an onside kick to complete the comeback.
• Columbia’s scoring defense (17.3 points/game) leads the Ancient Eight and checks in at No. 9 in FCS. The Lions are also tops in the Ivy League in interceptions (7) and first downs allowed (104).
• The Lions lead the Ivy League in third down conversion rate, moving the chains at a 46 percent clip.
DARTMOUTH LEFTOVERS
• William Hughes set a program record with an 80-yard punt in the first quarter, breaking the previous mark of 77 set by Bill Reed at Dartmouth on November 7, 1970. Hughes finished the day averaging 49.8 yards on five attempts.
• The Lions allowed a season-high 271 rushing yards.
• Columbia was held without a defensive turnover for the first time since week two at Georgetown.
• Columbia announced a crowd of 12,642, the highest attendance at Wien Stadium since 2017 (13,081).
A COLUMBIA WIN WOULD…
• Snap a four-game losing streak against Yale.
• Give the Lions their first night victory since 2021.
• Be Columbia’s first-ever home victory on a Friday night (0-4)..
SERIES HISTORY
Columbia and Yale will meet for the 102nd time in a series that dates back to 1872. The Bulldogs are 72-22-2 all-time against the Lions, have won four straight and are 21-4 in the last 25 matchups.
Yale has won the last two contests by an average of 26.5 points.
Columbia’s last victory over Yale was a 17-10 triumph at Wien Stadium on October 28, 2018.
LAST YEAR’S MATCHUP
Yale’s Nolan Grooms threw for 234 yards, gained 109 yards on the ground and scored twice to lift the Bulldogs past Columbia, 35-7.
Columbia was held to 194 yards of total offense. Yale racked up 459 yards, the most allowed by the Lions’ defense all season and were 9-of-15 on third down to keep the ball for 37:44 of game time.
Safety Jayden Marshall led all players with eight tackles, while Cobe Crews picked off a pass in the fourth quarter for the first takeaway of his career. Tight end Jack Larsen caught a 17-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter for the Lions’ lone score.
YALE’S STATUS
• Yale is coming off a 31-10 victory over Penn. Quarterback Grant Jordan finished 24-of-30 with four touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to their first Ivy League victory of the season.
• Yale finished last season with a 7-3 record, going 5-2 in Ivy League Play and earning a share of the Ivy League Title. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back Ivy League championships and have claimed four titles during Tony Reno’s tenure.
• Yale’s offense is ranked second in the Ivy League in points per game (32.7), yards per game (404.8) and touchdowns (25). Josh Pitsenberger is tied for second in rushing touchdowns (4), third in rushing yards per game (83.8), and fourth in total rushing yards (419). David Pantelis is tied for second in receptions (34), third in receiving yards (478), and third in receiving yards per game 79.7.
• Yale’s defense leads the Ivy League in forced fumbles (8) and is tied for the lead in fumbles recovered (5). Abu Kamara leads the Ivy League in solo tackles (43), is tied for the lead in total tackles (51), and is tied for second in tackles per game (8.5). Joshua Tarver is tied for the Ivy League lead in interceptions (3).
•Yale is second in the Ivy League in yards per kickoff return (21.0).
LIONS IN PRIMETIME
Columbia is 8-19 all-time when playing night games. The Lions’ last primetime victory came against Dartmouth, a 19-0 triumph, in Hanover on October 21, 2021. On Fridays, Columbia is just 2-9 and has never won a home game at Wien Stadium on a non-Saturday. This week’s matchup will be the third-night contest against Yale, with the previous meetings coming in 2016 and 2022, both victories for the Bulldogs.
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