NEW YORK ? Columbia will resume Ivy League action this Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1:30 p.m. when the Lions host Penn on Homecoming Weekend. Both teams won their Ivy League openers two weeks ago ? the Lions defeated Princeton on the road, 38-0, while Penn also picked up a road win at Dartmouth, 30-24.
Tickets for the game are available online or by calling the Columbia ticket office at 888-LIONS-11.
Can You Hear Me?
Every Columbia game can be heard on gocolumbialions.com with Jerry Recco (play-by-play) and Jake Novak (color) calling the action. Student radio can be found on WKCR 89.9 FM with Destin Jenkins providing play-by-play and Tom DiBenedetto on color commentary.
The Series
This is the 88th all-time meeting between the two teams in a series that began in 1878, a game that ended in a scoreless tie. Penn has won 12 straight in the series, dating back to 1996, a 20-19 Columbia victory in overtime at Franklin Field.
Last Time Out for Columbia
The Lions dropped a hard-fought 24-21 game at Lafayette. The Leopards took their first lead of the game with 13 seconds left on a two-yard touchdown run by Maurice White.
Last Time Out for Penn
In a defensive battle, Penn pulled away from Bucknell, 21-3, with two fourth-quarter touchdowns at Franklin Field. The Quakers had held a 7-0 lead since midway through the first quarter.
High Honors
At Lafayette on October 10, senior WR Austin Knowlin set the all-time record for career receptions, surpassing a 25-year record held by Don Lewis ?84. Knowlin now has 180 catches in his Columbia career. He also has 2,141 receiving yards, which ranks third all-time in a career. The senior wideout needs 67 yards to move past Lewis into second place all-time and 244 yards to set the all-time record, currently held by Bill Reggio ?84 with 2,384 yards in his great career.
Ray of Light
Columbia senior RB Ray Rangel currently leads the Ivy League in rushing and is 14th in the Football Championship Subdivision in yards per game. Rangel currently has totaled 398 yards on the ground over his first four games for an average of 6.2 yards per carry.
Columbia Homecoming Weekend
This weekend marks the 2009 Columbia Homecoming weekend, marked by a number of events, beginning with the re-dedication of Chrystie Field House on Friday, Oct. 16. In a ceremony on campus prior to Saturday's game, the Wazevich Football Classroom is to be dedicated in honor of former Lion WR Bill Wazevich ?70. At halftime of the game, Columbia also will welcome back a number of its All-Ivy League stars from the 1980s.
Matchup of 1-0 Ivy League Teams
Columbia and Penn both come into the game at 1-0 in the Ivy League, two of three teams without a league loss early in the season (Harvard, 2-0). The last time these two teams met at 1-0 in the Ivy League was in 2003. Columbia is looking for its first 2-0 start to an Ivy League season since 1996.
Lions Make Some Noise Nationally
Columbia ranks fourth in the FCS in turnover margin (+2 per game), 25th in rushing offense (164.8 yards per game), 29th in scoring offense (28.0 points per game) and 34th in scoring defense (18.5 points per game).
