NEW YORK -- Sophomore quarterback Sean Brackett accounted for 284 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as Columbia won its third straight game, 42-28, over Lafayette at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Brackett went 15-for-20 for 179 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and rushed for 105 yards and a score on the ground as the Lions move to 3-1 on the season.
Senior Alex Gross had 11 tackles to once again lead the Columbia defense, and had a big interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. With the Leopards leading 10-7 and driving in Lion territory, Gross stepped in front of a pass by Lafayette's Ryan O'Neil and rumbled 69 yards to swing momentum into Columbia's favor.
After Lafayette got on the board first on a 32-yard field goal by Davis Rodriguez, Columbia reponded with a touchdown after gaining positive field position at its own 42-yard line. Brackett capped the drive by passing to a wide open Kurt Williams down the near sideline for a 28-yard strike to put Columbia ahead 7-3.
Lafayette answered quickly, when Ryan O'Neil found Kyle Hayes on a play-action pass to put the Leopards ahead, 10-7 near the end of the first quarter.
Lafayette appeared poised to score again on its next drive but Gross stepped in front of Lafayette tight end Kevin Doty and streaked down the far sideline for a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown to put Columbia ahead 14-10.
Despite the turnover, O'Neil continued to attack through the air, capping an eight-play drive by finding running back Jerome Rudolph for a 24-yard touchdown as the score seesawed back to Lafayette's favor, 17-14.
Field position swung the game again, as Craig Hamilton returned the kickoff 54 yards into Lafayette territory, to the Leopards' 36-yard line.
Columbia gradually moved the ball toward the goal line, ultimately scoring when a scrambling Brackett threaded a pass through a pair of defenders to Zack Kourouma to give the Lions a 21-17 halftime advantage.
It took Columbia just three minutes into the third to tack another score on the board as Hamilton returned the opening drive 38 yards to the Columbia 43. After five consecutive rushes, Brackett found Kennedy for a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-17 after Luke Eddy's PAT.
Lafayette added a field goal after Columbia stalled a 57-yard drive at the Columbia nine, cutting the lead to eight with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter.
Columbia answered with yet another score, when Columbia's combination of Brakett, Ivery, Nathan Lenz and Kourouma combined for 65 yards rushing before Brackett kept an option left for a four-yard touchdown. Columbia held Lafayette to a three-and-out and led 35-20 when Lafayette started its drive with 41 seconds remaining in the third.
Lafayette picked up a quick first down when Alan Elder rushed up the middle for 12. On third and four at the Lafayette 32, Gross laid a big hit on Mitchell Bennett after a short pass, and Josh Martin recovered Bennett's fumble and returned the ball deep into Lafayette territory, but a holding penalty on the play put Columbia back on the 41-yard line with 13:55 left to play.
After two first downs, a holding penalty pushed Columbia back to the 39 but Ivery gained eight on first and 20, and Brackett found Kourouma on a screen for a gain of 24. Ivery scored on a one-yard run, capping Columbia's six-play 41-yard drive, to make it 42-20 with just under 11 minutes to play.
Lafayette added a touchdown with 3:56 remaining, when Jerome Ruldolph took the snap, flipped to Ryan O'Neil and hit Mitchell Bennett deep for a 69-yard gain on the flea flicker. The Leopards went 74 yards on three plays in 38 seconds and then made the two-point conversion to make it 42-28.
Columbia's 84 points in consecutive games is the most for the Lions since 1946. It is the Lions' first win over Lafayette since 2000, and Columbia's first three-game winning streak since 1997.
"The increase in our effort in the second half got us over the hump," said Norries Wilson, Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football. "These guys are hungry to play and they're enjoying playing.
"It's easy to start thinking you're good, but to beat Penn we need to play a lot better than we did today. We have to keep getting better."
Columbia had 239 yards rushing to Lafayette's 150. Hamilton totaled 135 yards in kick-off return yardage. Neil Schuster added 10 tackles on defense for Columbia.
"We love playing with each other and playing for each other," said Gross. "It's just about winning the game - nothing more than that."
Columbia heads to Penn for its first road game of the season, on Saturday, October 16 at Franklin Field.
