NEW YORK ? Although Columbia's defense posted its best performance of the year, holding a strong Lafayette team to 13 points, 12 below the Leopards' per game average, its offense was unable to capitalize, scoring just three points as the Lions dropped a 13-3 decision before 2127 sun-drenched fans at Robert K. Kraft Field. Columbia fell to 0-4 on the season while the Leopards improved to 4-1.
Handicapped by the absence of starting running back Jordan Davis, who was held out of the contest after suffering an injury in practice during the week, Columbia amassed just 201 yards of offense. All but 30 yards of those were via passes, with Lafayette limiting the Lions to 30 net rushing yards in 28 attempts.
Columbia was able to generate only two drives of 40 yards or more. The longest, a 10-play, 48-yard drive at the beginning of the second half, resulted in Columbia's only points, an 18-yard field goal by Jon Rocholl.
Lafayette's kicker, Davis Rodriguez kicked a career-best 46-yard field goal on the Leopard's opening drive. The drive spanned 57 yards in seven plays.
DeAndre Morrow put Lafayette up 10-0 when he ran the ball four consecutive times deep in Columbia territory in the second quarter. He totaled 27 yards of the 80-yard drive, including a seven-yard run for the touchdown.
Columbia picked up its only points of the game as the second quarter came to a close. After the Columbia defense pinned Lafayette deep in its own territory in a three and out possession, Columbia got the ball back on the Lafayette 49-yard line.
Mike Stephens and Austin Knowlin caught passes of eight and 17 yards, respectively, to open the drive and put Columbia on the Lafayette 24 yard-line. The Lions picked up another another first down when Shane Kelly connected with Taylor Joseph for an 11-yard gain, giving Columbia first-and-goal at the Lafayette one-yard line. The Lions had two rushes for no gain and Kelly's third-and-one pass was incomplete. Jon Rocholl kicked the field goal as time expired to cut the lead to seven, 10-3, at the half.
Defense ruled the day at Kraft Field, as neither team made a significant threat to score until the fourth quarter. Both teams got big defensive plays when needed, with Columbia and Lafayette going 3-of-16 and 4-of-16 in third-down conversions, respectively.
The Leopards iced the win with a field goal late in the fourth, but Lafayette not only put points on the board, they also ran the clock, hitting the field goal after a 12-play, 70-yard drive that spanned almost seven minutes.
Columbia linebacker Drew Quinn will continue among the nation's leaders in total tackles, after a 13-tackle performance against the Leopards marking his fourth consecutive game with more than 10.
Andy Shalbrack had a solid game with 10 total tackles, including a pass break-up and 1.5 tackles for a loss, for eight yards. Corey Cameron had six tackles, a sack for five yards and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Alex Gross finished with nine tackles, including a team-leading five solo tackles.
Columbia returns to Ivy League action next week, when it travels to Penn for a 1 p.m. kick off on Saturday, October 18.
