NEW YORK—Columbia rallied from a 10-7 deficit, scored the game's final 10 points and junior defensive back Ben Mathaismeier intercepted a pass in overtime to secure the Lions' first win over Harvard in 16 years, 17-10, Saturday afternoon at Robert K. Kraft at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.
Columbia tied the game and sent it into overtime when first-year placekicker Alex Felkins converted a 26-yard field goal with 1:45 left in regulation. The Lions received the ball first in overtime and converted a third-and-11 play on a 25-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Ty Lenhart to senior tight end Rory Schlageter. Sophomore Mike Roussos punched the ball in from the one-yard line to give Columbia its first lead of the game, 17-10.
On its first offensive play of overtime, Harvard quarterback Luke Emge was flushed out of the pocket and sent a deep pass toward the front corner of the end zone. Mathiasmeier was there to pick it off, reaching up near the sideline and keeping a foot in bounds to start the celebration. Mathiasmeier jumped up and started running down the field as the entire Columbia bench followed him and mauled him in joyous celebration.
Columbia (3-5, 2-3 Ivy League) defeated Harvard for the first time since Nov. 8, 2003. With two games left in the season—vs. Brown (Nov. 16) and at Cornell (Nov. 23)—Columbia has an opportunity to register a winning season in Ivy League play for the second time in the last three seasons.
"This win is a testament to our players," Columbia's Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Al Bagnoli said. "I felt our kids played their tails off, and they didn't leave anything on the field. We probably caught Harvard at a good time after having lost in devastating fashion last week. Our kids played their tails off. We talked all week about effort and what it was going to take to get a win today: great effort. We couldn't control who we don't have available to us, but we could control our effort and our energy. I thought that came into fruition today."
"It was a really good win. I'm happy for our kids, who have played exceptionally hard recently and have had very little to show for it. Congratulations to them and I couldn't be more happy for them."
Columbia's defense limited Harvard to just 200 yards of total offense, 63 rushing yards, and just 10 first downs. The Crimson converted just three of 13 third downs and was 0-2 on fourth down. The Lions outgained Harvard 307-200 in total offense, registered 20 first downs to the Crimson's 10 and outrushed the Crimson 154-63 in yardage. The Lions also converted nine of its 18 third downs and controlled possession for the majority of the game (38:46 to 21:14). Harvard entered the contest leading the nation in sacks (4.50 per game), but the Lions allowed just two sacks on the day.
After Harvard recovered a Columbia fumble on a four-down-and-one play, the Crimson drove 55 yards in four plays for a 7-0 advantage just under two minutes into the game. The Crimson scored when quarterback Jake Smith connected with James Batch for a 22-yard touchdown pass. A 27-yard pass from Smith to Cody Chrest set up the score.
Columbia tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter when Lenhart found sophomore Mozes Mooney wide open in the back on the end zone for a four-yard touchdown reception. A diving Mooney caught the pass one-handed in the back corner of the end zone. The 12-play, 75-yard drive was keyed by a 20-yard pass from Lenhart to junior tight end Casey Mariucci, a nine-yard run by sophomore Ryan Young and two eight-yard passes from Lenhart to sophomore Mike Roussos and senior Josh Wainwright. The Lions also used a 14-yard pass interference penalty on Harvard, which gave it a first-down and goal from the four-yard line.
After Columbia failed to convert a fourth-down-and-one play late in third quarter, Harvard took possession and drove 52 yards in nine plays to take its 10-7 lead on a 25-yard field goal by Jake McIntyre. A 26-yard pass from Emge to Ryan Reagan and 24 rushing yards from Aiden Bourquet, including a 10-yard run on a third down play, fueled the drive.
On the ensuing possession, Columbia drove 45 yards, but Harvard's Max Jones intercepted a pass at the two-yard-line.
Columbia's defense forced Harvard into a three-and-out and the Lions got the ball back with 5:24 left in the game. The Lions drove 39 yards in 11 plays, using an 11-yard pass from Lenhart to Mooney and a 13-yard run by Young to advance inside Harvard's 10-yard line. With 1:45 to play, the Lions settled for Felkins' 26-yard field goal, which sent the game into overtime.
Lenhart led the Lions with 203 yards of total offense including 153 yards passing on 17 of 25 completions and 50 yards rushing on 19 carries. Young led the Lions in rushing with 76 yards on 22 carries, while Roussos caught six passes for 39 yards and Mooney caught four passes for 37 yards and touchdown. On defense, Columbia was led by first-year linebacker Scott Valentas, who made a game-high 10 tackles, sophomore linebacker John Harris, who finished with eight tackles and a sack, and Mathiasmeier, who intercepted his second pass of the year.
Next Saturday, Columbia hosts Senior Day when it hosts Brown at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET for an ESPN+ broadcast.
