September 26 | 1 p.m. | Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium
Georgetown
Columbia
PRESENTED BY
NEW YORK - The second game of the Columbia football season will take place this Saturday at 1 p.m., when Georgetown visits Robert K. Kraft Field.
WEEK TWO FOR LOU
The Lions and the Hoyas will battle for the Lou Little Trophy, a game honoring the former Georgetown and Columbia head coach. Little spent six seasons on the sidelines with the Hoyas from 1924-29 before serving as head coach of the Lions from 1930-56. Arguably the biggest win for Little came in the 1934 Rose Bowl, when Columbia defeated Stanford, 7-0.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lions own a 2-0 record all time against the Hoyas. The two teams first met on the gridiron in 1901 with Columbia earning an 18-0 victory. It took 105 years for Georgetown and Columbia to play again, when the Lions earned a 23-21 win on Sept. 23, 2006 in New York.
LAST TIME OUT
Columbia battled hard, but eventually fell in the season opener at No. 18 Fordham, 44-24. Quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg tallied two touchdowns on the ground and Alan Watson scampered for a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown in the loss.
GEORGETOWN'S STATUS
After a 31-10 loss to Dartmouth at home last Saturday, Georgetown comes into the contest with a 1-2 record. The Hoyas fell in their season opener at Saint Francis (PA), 48-20, before earning a home win in week two over Marist, 34-7.
ON YOUR HONOR
Three players earned a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll after week one. Making the list were senior safety Matthew Cahal who made 10 tackles and had a first quarter interception, Alan Watson, who returned a kickoff 98-yards and Skyler Mornhinweg, who went 21-for-25 with 187 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
NEW ALBANY, OHIO'S, OWN, MR. ALAN WATSON
Earning his first career start at running back, Alan Watson had an active day against Fordham. Aside from running the ball seven times and catching two passes out of the backfield, the sophomore returned a second-half kickoff 98-yards for a touchdown. The Watson return was the first for a touchdown since Prosper Nwokocha took a kick 94-yards to the house against Fordham on Sept. 17, 2005.
TWO QB SYSTEM
Florida transfer Skyler Mornhinweg got the start at quarterback in week one, while Anders Hill also saw time behind center. Mornhinweg went 21-for-25 passing with 187 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Hill completed 8-of-15 passes for 56 yards and added 45 yards on the ground as the teams leading rusher.
BEST OF THE FCS
With week one in the books, Columbia is the top team in the FCS and Ivy League in several statistical categories. Mornhinweg has the nations top completion percentage at 84.0%. The offensive line protected the two quarterbacks well, not allowing a sack, which is tied for the best in the country. The defensive line produced five sacks, which is the most per game in the FCS. Matthew Cahal is tied for the lead in two categories with 10.0 tackles per game, and one interception.
COLUMBIA vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Lions hold a 36-79-4 all-time record against teams currently in the Patriot League, after the most recent loss at Fordham. Columbia's most common opponent is Lafayette, who the Lions have faced 42 times. Columbia's last win against a Patriot League foe came back in 2010 when they topped Lehigh, 42-28.
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 has posted a career record of 232-91, 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
The Lions held their first practice of the season on campus this past Friday. Throughout the season, Columbia will continue to keep its Friday walkthrough on the South Lawn.
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 three times this fall, first at Princeton on Friday, Oct. 3 on NBC Sports Network. On Saturday, October 31, Columbia and Yale will kickoff on FOX College Sports at 12:30, p.m. while the Friday, Nov. 20 contest with Brown will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
WNYC'S “THE SEASON”
The season is a new 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.
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.
