October 31 | 12:30 p.m. | Yale Bowl | FOX College Sports Atlantic
Columbia
Yale
NEW YORK - Columbia will travel to Yale on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. contest with the 4-2 Bulldogs, aired live on FOX College Sports Atlantic and FOX Sports GO. Fans looking to watch the game can check it out on Dish Network channel 446, or DirecTV channel 608.
HISTORY LESSON
Yale holds a 71-20-2 edge in the series history against Columbia. The Bulldogs took home a win a season ago at Wien Stadium by a 25-7 margin a season ago.
BAGNOLI vs. RENO
Saturday will be the third meeting between Columbia head coach Al Bagnoli and Yale head coach Tony Reno. Bagnoli holds a 1-2 all-time record against Reno, who's Bulldogs knocked off Penn, 43-21, when the two last met in 2014. For his career, Bagnoli is 17-6 against Yale.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions had a chance to take a lead in the fourth quarter of a 13-9 game at No. 25 Dartmouth, but a fourth down interception with under a minute to play sealed the deal for the Big Green. Dylan Weldon grabbed his first career touchdown in the third quarter from Skyler Mornhinweg and the Columbia defense sacked Ivy League Player of the Year candidate Dalyn Williams six times, limiting him to a career-low -25 yards rushing.
YALE'S STATUS
The Bulldogs will have had an extra day to prepare for Saturday's game, as Yale played in a Friday night game at Penn last week. After the Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-0 lead, the Quakers scored 20 points in the second quarter, helping them to a 34-20 win. Yale sits at 4-2 (1-2 Ivy League), earning a 33-26 win over Cornell on Sept. 26 and falling to Dartmouth, 35-3 on Oct. 10.
ON THE DEFENSE
Columbia's opponents are averaging 22.3 points per game, which is the lowest total through six games since 2010. In that span, the Lions have held the opposition to 13 points or less on three occasions, which is the fist time that has been achieved in a season since 2008.
SACK LUNCH
Columbia is currently second in the Ivy League and 26th in the FCS in sacks per game with 2.67. The Lions dropped Dartmouth's quarterback six times this past Saturday, let by Hunter Little's 2.5 sacks. The senior class of defensive linemen have combined for 29 career sacks, which includes Toba Akinleye with 8.5 in his career, Niko Padilla with 6.5, Chad Washington with 5.5, Little with 5.0 and JD Hurt with 3.5.
HANG TIME
Punter Cameron Nizialek ranks 11th in the FCS and second in the Ivy League in punting, booming punts at a 43.3 yard average. The junior has a long of 65 on the season and has placed 11 punts inside the 20.
DID YOU KNOW?
The series on the gridiron between Columbia and Yale is one of the oldest in the history of College Football, dating back all the way to 1872. Yale is considered only the second ever opponent for Columbia, who played Rutgers in the second ever college football season of 1870. The Bulldogs were able to top the Lions in the first matchup of the two teams, 3-0.
ON YOUR HONOR
Cameron Molina and Hunter Little earned a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll after strong efforts in the loss to Dartmouth. Molina ran the ball 22 times for 56 yards and added another 36 yards on receptions, while Little finished the game with 2.5 sacks. Molina earned the honor for the second time this season, as the pair join Skyler Mornhinweg, Max Keefe, Dominic Perkovic, Scooter Hollis, Matthew Cahal and Alan Watson, who represented Columbia previously this year.
A REUNION OF SORTS
Bagnoli was among four members of the Columbia staff that coaches against a former team against Penn. Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers Coach Mark Fabish won two Ivy League titles as a player at Penn in 1993 and 1994, before spending 2009-14 on the Penn staff. Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Jon McLaughlin spent nine years in Philadelphia from 2006-14 as the offensive coordinator and coach of the offensive line. Tight Ends Coach Joe D'Orazio won two Ivy League titles as a player at Penn in 2009 and 2010.
THE SAFETY DANCE, PART II
Columbia tallied a safety in back-to-back weeks against Wagner and Princeton. When the Seahawks brought out a kickoff after the Lions built up a 24-0 lead, the ball went into the end zone after it had been brought out, and taken down for a knee, giving Columbia two points. The Lions earned another safety the week before at Princeton, after Max Keefe blocked a third quarter punt into the end zone.
NEW ERA
The 2015 season marks the first for Al Bagnoli as the Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football. Bagnoli comes to Columbia after 23 years at Penn. The winningest football coach in the FCS, Bagnoli comes into 2015 with a 232-91 record, while his Quaker teams claimed nine Ivy League titles.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
The current staff of Columbia coaches have combined to win 43 conference championships, including 22 from the Ivy League.
THE CAPTAINS
Running back Cameron Molina, tight end Nick Durham and defensive lineman Chad Washington were voted as the 2015 team captains.
SEE HIM ON TV, ANY GIVEN SATURDAY
When the Ivy League announced its most expansive national television coverage in conference history, Columbia came through as the beneficiary. The Lions will be featured on television twice more this fall. Columbia takes on Yale on FOX College Sports this Saturday, followed by a Friday, Nov. 20 contest with Brown will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
WNYC'S "THE SEASON”
The Season is a weekly podcast presented by Ilya Marritz and Matt Collette of WNYC, where the pair follow Columbia's football team over the entire 10-game season. Archived podcasts can be found at www.wnyc.org and on iTunes, with new episodes being released every Thursday.
WHAT ARE YOU, NEW?
A total of 25 athletes joined the Columbia football team this fall. Along with 22 first-year players, three transfers made up the incoming class.
HE AIN'T HEAVY
Two more transfers will be featured for the Lions in 2015 when Jackson and Christian Conway suit up. The twins are currently juniors, as Christian will line up as the teams rover, while Jackson will be featured at fullback. Senior Max Keefe played alongside his brother John Keefe '15CC a season ago, as did sophomore Turner DeMuth, brother of Garrett DeMuth '15CC and junior Keith Brady, brother of John Brady '15CC.
#TEAM125
This year marks the 145th anniversary of Columbia's first intercollegiate football game against Princeton in 1870. It is the 125th competitive season of Columbia Football.
CAA TAILGATE
The Columbia Alumni Association will be hosting a pregame tailgate starting at 10:30 a.m. and running up until kickoff. Tickets to the tailgate are $15, or you can buy a ticket to the tailgate plus a game ticket for $25. Visit the CAA Website to get your ticket today!
