NEW YORK - Columbia and Wagner will meet for the first time ever on the gridiron this Saturday, in a 6 p.m. game at Wien Stadium.

LAST TIME OUT
During a constant rain storm at Princeton Stadium, the Tigers were able to hold on to defeat Columbia, 10-5, in both teams' Ivy League Openers. Running back Cameron Molina tallied 141 yards of total offense, and linebacker Max Keefe blocked a punt that led to a safety for the Lions in the loss.

WAGNER'S STATUS
First-year head coach Jason Houghtaling has yet to see his first win in the Wagner Green and White, as the Seahawks have opened up 2015 at 0-4. Wagner dropped a 56-16 contest at Rice in the season opener, before falling at Monmouth (31-16) and Lafayette (35-24). The Colonials of Robert Morris knocked off the Seahawks, 9-6, in last Saturday's Northeast Conference opener.

THE SAFETY DANCE
Max Keefe was named the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the hard-fought 10-5 loss to Princeton. In the third quarter, Keefe came through on a Princeton punt with a block that sent the ball into the back of the endzone for a safety. The Shalimar, Florida, native also tallied three tackles in the game.

ON YOUR HONOR
Cameron Molina and Dominic Perkovic landed a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll after their efforts this past week. The pair join Scooter Hollis, Matthew Cahal, Alan Watson and Skyler Mornhinweg, who represented Columbia on the week one and two Honor Roll's.

SOLID IMPROVEMENTS
On both sides of the ball, Columbia has seen drastic improvements from 2014 to 2015 through three games. Here's a look at a few categories where the Lions have seen a numbers boost.

TAMING THE TIGERS
The Lions held one of the top offenses in the FCS to just 10 points and 183 total yards at Princeton last Friday night. Columbia got to the quarterback for three sacks and added six tackles for a loss. The Tigers cames into the game No. 1 in the Ivy League in third down conversions, but went just 4-of-15 against Columbia.

BAGNOLI VS. HOUGHTALING
This will not be the first time that Coach Bagnoli and Coach Houghtaling have stood on opposing sidelines, as the current Wagner Head Coach served as Cornell's Offensive Coordinator in 2013. Bagnoli's Penn squad was bested by the Big Red, 42-41 on Nov. 23, 2013, a week after Houghtaling helped Cornell knock off Columbia, 24-9.

NOW YOU'RE IN NEW YORK
The meeting with the Seahawks will be only the third school from New York City that Columbia has ever played. The Lions have combined to go 19-16-1 all-time against Fordham (11-13) and NYU (8-3-1).

UNDER THE LIGHTS
Columbia will play its first night game at Wien Stadium in 11 years, as the Lions hold a 3-2 record in “primetime” at home. Wien Stadium has seen some dramatic games under the lights, including four that were decided by one posession or less. Here's a list of the previous night games:
Sept. 16, 2000: Columbia 43, Fordham 22
Sept. 15, 2001: Bucknell 23, Columbia 20 (OT)
Sept. 21, 2002: Columbia 13, Fordham 11
Sept. 27, 2003: Columbia 19, Bucknell 16
Sept. 18, 2004: Fordham 17, Columbia 14

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. “I think the kids did a good job of taking the captaincy seriously,” said Bagnoli. “In the end, they chose three kids that exemplify what we are looking for - great effort guys that lead by example. Overall, we are very happy with the selections and all three will be a tremendous asset to the coaching staff.”

PRESEASON HONORS
Three members of the football team found a place on the American Football Networks preseason All-American team this past summer. Seniors Niko Padilla, Cameron Molina and Toba Akinleye all earned the honor after impressive junior campaigns. The trio along with Billy Lawrence and JD Hurt went on to earn preseason All-Ivy League honors by College Sports Madness.

FRIDAY'S ON THE LAWN
Throughout the season, Columbia will continue to keep its Friday walkthrough on the South Lawn, including one this Friday at 3:15 p.m.

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 will take on Yale on FOX College Sports on Saturday, October 31 at 12:30 p.m., 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 will 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 in the defensive backfield, 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.

BEVERAGE SERVICE
A reminder about FREE beverage service at home football games! All beverages, including water, soft drinks and beer, are complimentary beginning 90 minutes prior to kickoff and ending 30 minutes before kickoff in the pre-game picnic area. Beverage service at home football games reflects the University's alcohol policy. Complimentary food is provided to all guests, and one alcoholic beverage per hour (over a total of two hours) may be consumed by fans 21 years of age and over. Please drink responsibly.