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Columbia University Athletics

Lions Open Season at Saint Francis, Pa. on Saturday

Columbia begins its quest for a third straight winning season on Saturday when it travels to Saint Francis, Pa.; Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET at DeGol Field.

9/18/2019 3:34:00 PM


GAME 1 • SEASON OPENER
COLUMBIA (6-4, 3-4 Ivy League in 2018) at SAINT FRANCIS, PA. (2-1, 0-0 NEC)
Saturday, September 21, 2019 • 1 p.m. ET • DeGol Field • Loretto, Pa.
 

THE FACTS
 
Television/Streaming: NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh and Jay Roberts). Watch Live
 
Columbia Online Radio Network: Alex Oberweger and Ted Gregory. Listen Live
 
Live Stats: www.sfuathletics.com Live Stats Link
 
Coaches: Columbia- Al Bagnoli, 5th year at Columbia (19-21), 37th year (254-119). SFU- Chris Villarrial, 10th year at SFU (42-60), 10th year overall (42-60).
 
Series: Columbia and SFU meet for the second time. SFU claimed a 13-9 victory over the Lions at Robert K. Kraft Field on September 17, 2016. That game was also a season opener for Columbia. Columbia opens a season against an Northeast Conference opponent for the fourth straight year and has a three-game win streak vs. NEC foes.
 

GAME NOTES
 
NEW YORK—Columbia (6-4, 3-4 Ivy League in 2018) opens its 149th anniversary year, 129th season of college football, and 2019 season when it travels to Loretto, Pa. to play Saint Francis, Pa. (2-1, 0-0 NEC) on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
 
NEC Front Row will stream the game live with Pat Farabaugh (play-by-play) and Jay Roberts (color commentary) calling action. The live feed is available for free. Alex Oberweger and Ted Gregory will call action on the Columbia Football Radio Network available at www.gocolumbialions.com.
 
TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES
 
  • Columbia begins its quest for a third straight winning season for the first time since 1945-47.
  • Columbia enters a season coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1961 and 1962. With 14 wins combining the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Lions have set a program-record for most victories in consecutive seasons since joining the Ivy League in 1956.
  • Columbia Head Coach Al Bagnoli enters the 2019 season as the nation's winningest active college football coach (all divisions) with 254 wins.
  • Columbia has won eight of its last 12 games and 15 of its last 21 contests dating back to the 2016 season.
 
ABOUT THE LIONS
 
On a two-game win streak following back-to-back season-ending victories over Brown and Cornell, Columbia opens its 2019 season after registering back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1961 and 1962. The Lions return 15 starters (eight on offense and seven on defense) and nine total All-Ivy League selections from a program that has won 14 of its 20 games over the last two seasons (8-2 in 2017 and 6-4 in 2018).
 
Last year, Columbia endured a season that saw it suffer injuries to over 25 of its key players. It started four different quarterbacks and won with all of them, lost its top two running backs and top two receivers to injuries and still registered a winning season.
 
The Lions play their first game of the 2019 season, while SFU plays its fourth. Columbia recently completed its preseason training camp which began on August 24.
 
COLUMBIA PRESEASON NOTES
 
  • At Columbia, Bagnoli and staff have completed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football history. The Lions ended a 24-game losing streak from Nov. 17, 2012-Oct. 10, 2015 just three games into Bagnoli's arrival. In Bagnoli's third year at Columbia in 2017, he completed one of the nation's top one-year turnarounds as he guided a 3-7 team in 2016 to an 8-2 overall and 5-2 record in the Ivy League in 2017, then followed that up with a 6-4 season in 2018 that saw injuries to 25 players.
  • Despite suffering injuries to over 25 key players, Columbia completed its 2018 season with a 6-4 overall and 3-4 Ivy League record.
  • In 2017 and 2018, Columbia registered back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1961 and 1962.
  • Columbia has amassed 14 victories over the last two seasons (2017 and 2018), its highest win total in consecutive years since the institution joined the Ivy League in 1956. In addition, Columbia's six overall victories in 2018 rank among the top-five season win totals at Columbia since 1956.
  • In 2019, Columbia returns a veteran, experienced and talented team as nine Lions return who have earned All-Ivy League honors over the past three seasons including WR Josh Wainwright, PK Oren Milstein, OL Parker Coogan, DB/KOR Will Allen, DL Daniel DeLorenzi, LB Michael Murphy, WR Ronald Smith, P Drew Schmid, and kickoff/punt return specialist Mike Roussos.
  • Columbia enters the 2019 season on a two-game win streak (wins over Brown and Cornell) and after having won eight of its last 12 games and 15 of its last 21 contests dating back to the conclusion of the 2016 season.
  • Columbia also enters the 2019 season on a school-record seven-game non-conference win streak. The Lions have been a perfect 3-0 in non-conference play in each of the last two seasons: 2017 and 2018.
  • College Football celebrates college football's150th anniversary in 2019. As the third oldest college football program in the nation, Columbia will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year as the program began operation in 1870.
  • Columbia Head Coach Al Bagnoli enters the 2019 season as college football's active winningest coach at any level with a 254-119 overall record in 36 years as a head coach. Bagnoli, who begins his fifth year at Columbia in 2019, is also ranked No. 2 in the Ivy League coaching history in league titles (9), Ivy League wins (123), Ivy League games coached (268), games coached vs. Ivy League teams (189) and seasons in the Ivy League (27) and No. 3 in overall coaching wins in the Ivy League (167).
  • Columbia adds two new members to its coaching staff in 2019: quarterbacks coach Ryan Larsen and wide receivers coach Jerry Taylor.
 
ABOUT SAINT FRANCIS
 
SFU enters its fourth game of the 2019 season with a 2-1 overall record after registering a 42-14 home win over Merrimack. The Red Flash defeated Lehigh 14-13 on the road in their season opener, then dropped a 44-7 loss at No. 2 ranked James Madison.
 
Quarterback Jason Brown has completed 56 percent (50-89) of his passes for 665 yards and six touchdowns through SFU's first three games. His favorite targets are EJ Jenkins (8-206, 3 TD), Ra'Shaun Henry (15-166, TD) and Terrell Johnson (6-84, TD), while Chris Wells leads the rushing attack with 124 rushing yards on 36 carries and one touchdown.
 
SFU's defense is led by Foray Mar, who has totaled 23 tackles (18 solo) and three forced fumbles, Da'Jon Lee with 18 tackles, 4.5 TFL and 1.0 sack and Gio va Sanders with 15 tackles and two interceptions.
 
SFU was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Northeast Conference poll.
 
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