NEW YORK -- Columbia's defense scored two touchdowns and held Iona to minus-16 yards rushing as the Lions defeated Iona, 24-0, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The victory marked the Lions' first shutout since a 24-0 win over Harvard in the opening game of the 1998 season and the first time the Lions are better than .500 after four games since starting 6-0 in 1996.
In a near carbon copy of the Fordham game, the Columbia defense pounced on a fumble in the end zone, then later picked off a pass for a touchdown to seal the game in the fourth quarter.
With 9:52 left in the third quarter, sophomore linebacker Drew Quinn burst through the Iona offensive line to hit Gaels' quarterback Matt Biehl as he was attempting a handoff out of shotgun. The fumble riccocheted from the three-yard line just over the goal line. Senior defensive end Darren Schmidt pounced on the ball as it came to a stop to give Columbia a 17-0 lead.
Just over 15 minutes of play later, junior cornerback Chad Musgrove put the game out reach when he snagged a Biehl pass up the Iona team sideline and dashed 75 yards to complete the scoring.
If the second half was the Columbia defense's half, the first half belonged more to the offense.
"The kids pass-blocked better and were better on third downs today," noted head coach Norries Wilson.
Columbia closed the opening two quarters with point-producing plays. Craig Hormann found Austin Knowlin for a one-yard touchdown with 11 seconds on the clock in the first quarter. Knowlin's third receiving touchdown of the season capped a six-minute, 72-yard drive. Hormann was 6-of-7 on the drive, including three completions for 46 yards to senior wide receiver Nick DeGasperis, who finished the day with seven catches for 84 yards.
On the last play of the first half, Jon Rocholl kicked a 42-yard field goal to give the Lions a 10-0 lead at the half. Rocholl had a string of six consecutive made field goals to start the season snapped when he missed a 44-yard attempt into the wind in the first quarter. The Lions had moved the ball 29 yards in under a minute to set up Rocholl's successful field goal. A 10-yard completion to Adrian Demko and 12-yard reception for Jordan Davis keyed the drive.
At the half, Hormann was 15-of-23 for 143 yards; he would finish the game with 215. Davis carried 18 times for 64 yards.
Iona played the game without its head coach Fred Mariani, who was hospitalized yesterday (Friday, October 6) after complaining of dizziness. Defensive coordinator Ed Lynett served as the Gaels' acting head coach. During the game, Mariani was released from the hospital in New Rochelle.
The Lions swarmed the Gaels' backfield for much of the game. Columbia had six sacks; Iona had yielded just 10 through its first five games. Adam Brekke had 10 tackles and two sacks. Justin Nunez had eight tackles and Tad Crawford had seven. Both players had a tackle for a loss.
"Their secondary has great speed," Lynett noted. "They put a lot of pressure on our quarterback."
The Lions, who had the second-best turnover ratio in Division I-AA entering the game, had three takeaways and just one turnover. Eugene Edwards had the team's other interception.
"The defense went out and played hard and shut them down," Wilson said.
Iona managed just 139 yards of total offense and never had the ball closer than the Lions' 38-yard line. Both of the Gaels' drives with the best field possession -- Columbia's 39 and 38 -- ended in interceptions.
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Surprisingly, the Lions' -16 rushing yards allowed is not a school record; Lehigh rushed for negative 30 yards in 1998.
Columbia takes to the road for the first time in 346 days next Saturday, when the team faces Penn in Philadelphia, where the Lions have not won since 1996. The game kicks off at 1 p.m.