GAME 2 • HOME OPENER AND FIFTH ANNUAL LOU LITTLE CUP
GEORGETOWN (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League) at COLUMBIA (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League)
Saturday, September 28, 2019 • 1 p.m. ET • Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium • New York, N.Y.
 

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THE FACTS
 
Television/Streaming: ESPN+ (Lance Medow and Shawn FitzGerald; Producer: Sol Steinberg) | Watch Live
 
Columbia Online Radio Network: Simulcast with video broadcast | Listen Live
 
Live Stats: www.gocolumbialions.com | Live Stats Link
 
Coaches: Columbia- Al Bagnoli, 5th year at Columbia (20-21), 37th year (255-119). Georgetown- Rob Sgarlata, 6^th year at GU (18-41), 6^th year overall (18-41).
 
Series: Columbia and Georgetown meet for the seventh time in series history. Columbia holds a 4-2 advantage including wins in the last two matchups. Columbia won a 35-14 victory in New York in 2017 and 23-15 at Georgetown last year. The series began in 1901 and was named the Lou Little Cup prior to the 2015 meeting.
 

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GAME NOTES
 
NEW YORK—In search of its fourth straight win and third consecutive 2-0 start to a season, Columbia (1-0  in 2019 and 6-4, 3-4 Ivy League in 2018) plays game two of its 149th anniversary year, 129th season of college football, and 2019 season when it hosts Georgetown (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium for the fifth annual Lou Little Cup. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.
 
ESPN+ will stream the game live with Lance Medow (play-by-play) and Shawn FitzGerald (color commentary) calling action. The live feed is available on ESPN+ (subscription required). Columbia will also provide an audio only broadcast on its website: gocolumbialions.com.
 
TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES
 

• Columbia and Georgetown meet in the Lou Little Cup for the fifth consecutive season. Columbia has won each of the last two matchups.
• A win would give Columbia a 2-0 record for the third straight season. The Lions are currently on a three-game win streak.
• Columbia is 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 has won nine of its last 13 games and 16 of its last 22 contests dating back to the 2016 season.

 
ABOUT THE LIONS
 
Columbia opened its season on Sept. 21 with a convincing 31-14 win at Saint Francis, Pa. Mike Roussos totaled 149 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns including a 56-yard punt return score, Ryan Young ran for a 65-yard touchdown and the Lions took advantage of a superb special teams performance as Columbia scored 24 unanswered points to claim a 17-point season-opening win over SFU.
 
On a three-game win streak following the season opener at Saint Francis, Pa. and 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 second game of the 2019 season, while Georgetown plays its fourth. Columbia recently completed its preseason training camp which began on August 24.
 
LIONS AIM FOR THREE STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS
 
Columbia is seeking a third straight winning season for the first time in 72 seasons. Should Columbia finish with a winning season in 2019, the Lions would put together three straight winning seasons for the first time since it joined the Ivy League in 1956.
 
It would be the first time Columbia has achieved three straight winning seasons since 1945, 1946 and 1947. Columbia went 8-1 in 1945, 6-3 in 1946 and 7-2 in 1947.
 
LIONS SEARCHING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT 2-0 START
 
A win over Georgetown would give Columbia its third straight 2-0 start. The last time Columbia began three straight seasons with a 2-0 start was in 1949, 1950 and 1951.
 
COLUMBIA AND GEORGETOWN MEET FOR FIFTH ANNUAL LOU LITTLE CUP
 
Columbia and Georgetown will compete in the Lou Little Cup for the fifth year. The rivalry game was established in 2015. The game's winner earns the right to take home the Lou Little Trophy. Columbia has claimed each of the last two meetings. Last year, Columbia took a 23-0 lead then held off Georgetown 23-15 in Washington, D.C. for its second straight win in the series. In 2017, Columbia won the Lou Little Trophy for the first time with a 35-14 victory over the Hoyas at Robert K. Kraft Field in New York. Georgetown claimed the first two games in both 2015 and 2016.
 
The Cup's namesake, Lou Little, served as the head football coach at both institutions. Little coached at Georgetown from 1924-30 and helped bring Georgetown football into the modern era. Little recorded a 41-12-3 record over six seasons, while also serving as athletics director. His .759 win percentage is still the highest among Georgetown head coaches who have coached more than 20 games on the Hilltop.
 
Little took over at Columbia in 1930 and continued his Hall of Fame career until 1956. At Columbia, he posted 110 victories and is the school's all-time winningest coach. His most notable win at Columbia came in the 1934 Rose Bowl, when Columbia upset Stanford 7-0. Overall, his teams won 149 games, lost 122 and tied 11.
 
ABOUT GEORGETOWN
 
Georgetown enters the weekend with a 2-1 overall record and on a two-game win streak after back-to-back home wins over Marist (43-3) and Catholic (69-0). The Hoyas dropped their season opener at Davidson (27-20) on Aug. 31. Georgetown did not play last weekend.
 
Averaging 404.7 yards of total offense through three games, Georgetown has outscored opponents 132-30, has outrushed its opponents 714-399 yards and registered 1,214 total yards to its opponent's 797.
 
Quarterback Guther Johnson has completed 58.4 percent (24-41) of his passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Three players have over 100 yards rushing including Herman Moultrie (177 yards on 40 rushes and three touchdowns), Joshua Stakely (142 yards on 18 carries, one TD) and Johnson, who is averaging 10.3 yards per carry (13-134, 2 TD).
 
Johnson's favorite targets are Joshua Tomas (seven catches for 131 yards, 2 TD), Cameron Crayton (11 catches for 107 yards) and Michael Dereus (six catches for 103 yards, 3 TD). Tomas also has a 66-yard punt return for touchdown.
 
On defense, Cameron Deen leads the squad with 16 tackles and one interception, Xavier Reddick (2.0 TFL and 1.0 sack), Justin Fonteneaux, and Owen Kessler (1.5 TFL, FR) each have 15 tackles. The Hoyas have recovered four fumbles in three games.