NEW YORK—This is the fifth feature in a #CUFootball150 series on Top-10 Historical Lists for Columbia Football. Below is a list of Columbia Football's all-time Top-10 Individual Defensive Game Performances. Criteria for these top individual defensive performances include numbers and significance of performance from a defensive perspective only. We will chronicle top all-around, and special teams performances in other stories.
 
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26. Josh Martin | Cornell, Nov. 10, 2012
Columbia shuts down Cornell in the second half, ties a career-high with 3.0 sacks, forces a fumble, and makes five tackles in a 34-17 win at Robert K. Kraft Field.

 
25. Daniel DeLorenzi | at Brown, Nov. 10, 2018
Columbia's all-time sacks leader tallies a career-high 2.5 sacks to help Columbia register a 42-20 comeback win over Brown in Providence. DeLorenzi leads the Columbia defense to a school-record 10 sacks in the contest as the Bears are shutout in the second half. Columbia's offense scores 28 unanswered points for the victory.
 
24. Galen Snyder | Bucknell, Oct. 28, 1989
Snyder totals 25 tackles, including 18 solo and one tackle for loss in a 27-12 loss to Bucknell. The 25 tackles are the 12^th most in FCS game history.
 
23. Vincent Pelini | Penn, Oct. 3, 1981
In a 20-9 win over Penn at Baker Field, Pelini finishes with a game and career-high 24 tackles and 10 solo tackles. The total ranks as the 19^th most in FCS game history.
 
22. Alex Gross | Cornell, Nov. 13, 2010
In a 20-17 win over Cornell in New York, Gross finishes with 14 tackles (nine solo) and three pass breakups.
 
21. Lou Miller | Penn, Oct. 17, 2009
Miller finishes with a team-best 10 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in a 27-13 loss to Penn at Baker Field.
 
20. Tad Crawford | at Penn, Oct. 14, 2006
Crawford is all over the field as he totals a career-best 22 tackles (eight solo) in a 16-0 loss at Franklin Field.
 
19. Des Werthman | at Dartmouth, Nov. 7, 1992
Makes 24 tackles (17 solo), recovers a fumble, and scores three touchdowns on four short runs in a 38-19 loss to Dartmouth.
 
18. Philip Murray | at Harvard, Nov. 4, 2000
Murray is a force on defense as he intercepts three passes and leads the Lions with nine tackles at Harvard. He also accumulated 43 interception return yards in a 34-0 loss. Murray is tied for the school-record with 16 interceptions.
 
17. Louis Kusserow | at Navy, Oct. 4, 1947
Kusserow leads Columbia to a 13-6 victory over Navy in Annapolis with three interceptions. He scored one touchdown on a run and threw for another score. Kusserow concluded his career with a school-record 16 interceptions.
 
16. Rory Wilfork | Dartmouth, Nov. 4, 1995
Wilfork tallies 17 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, and forces a fumble in a 43-27 loss to Dartmouth in New York.
 
15. Des Werthman | Brown, Nov. 17, 1990
Werthman makes 24 tackles including 19 solo and registers four tackles for loss (three sacks) in a 17-0 loss vs. Brown. The 24 tackles rank as the 19^th most in FCS game history. Werthman has seven of Columbia's top-11 game tackles performances.
 
14. Dick Carr | Harvard, Oct. 17, 1953
The quarterback Carr is dominant on defense as he intercepts three Harvard passes and throws the game-winning touchdown in the second quarter to Robert Mercier to key Columbia's 6-0 victory at Baker Field.
 
13. Marcellus Wiley | Lafayette, Oct. 19, 1996
In one of the lowest-scoring games in school history, a 3-0 Columbia victory, Wiley finishes with 11 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery. Matt Linit kicks a 24-yard field goal in driving rain and 20-30 miles per hour wind to give the Lions the victory. The two teams combined for just 11 first downs and 194 yards.
 
12. Josh Martin | Towson, Sept. 25, 2010
Martin is the Towson backfield all day long as the defensive end ties a school-record with three sacks, registers four quarterback hurries and finishes with 4.5 total tackles for loss and six total tackles. He leads the Lions to a 24-10 home win over Towson. Calvin Otis also contributes two interceptions for the Lions.
 
11. William Olson | Rutgers, Sept. 25, 1948
Before a record-opening day crowd of 28,000 and new Columbia President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Olson fuels Columbia's 27-6 victory over Rutgers with three interceptions on defense. He finished the day with 103 return yards. Two of the interceptions set up Columbia touchdowns. Columbia, which finished with four team interceptions on the day and saw Louis Kusserow rush for three touchdowns, earned the victory on the 25^th year anniversary of Baker Field.
 
10. Bob Paschall | Cornell, Nov. 12, 1988
Made a career and game-high 15 tackles, four tackles for loss (one sack), and recovered a fumble in a 42-19 loss to Cornell. Paschall was named the Sports Illustrated National Defensive Player of the Week. He followed that performance up with a 14-tackle, two-tackle for loss performance vs. Brown.
 
9. Allison Butts | at Yale, Oct. 14, 1961
In a defensive-oriented game, Butts intercepts two passes, scores a touchdown and adds a two-point conversion to lead Columbia to an 11-0 shutout at the Yale Bowl. The victory was Columbia's second victory of the 1961 season, which the Lions finished in first place in the Ivy League with a 6-1 record.
 
8. Louis Kusserow | Yale, Oct. 13, 1945
Kusserow intercepts a school-record four Yale passes as he leads the Lions to a 27-13 Homecoming victory before 30,000 fans in New York. Kusserow also scored on a run sweep. Kusserow intercepted four of Columbia's five passes on the day. Columbia goes 8-1 in 1945.
 
7. Michael Murphy | Penn, Oct. 14, 2017
With 12 tackles, a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss (one sack) and two fumble recoveries, Murphy led the defensive effort in a 34-31 overtime win over Penn before 13,081 fans on Homecoming. A sophomore linebacker, Murphy was seemingly in Penn's backfield all day long as his 4.5 tackles for loss totaled 24 yards. On Penn's first play of overtime, he read a play perfectly and tackled a Penn receiver for a seven-yard loss. The play held Penn to a field goal and Columbia went on to score a walk-off touchdown for the victory. For his performance, Murphy was named the STATS/FCS National Defensive Player of the Week. The victory gave Columbia a 5-0 record for the first time since 1996.

 
6. Chris Tillotson | Cornell, Nov. 14, 1998
In a 22-10 win over Cornell, Tillotson scores the game-winning touchdown on a 70-yard fumble return for touchdown in the third quarter. On the day, Tillotson is dominant as he intercepts two passes, recovers and forces the fumble, deflects four passes, and finishes with eight tackles. After trailing 10-0, Columbia scores 22 unanswered points to claim the win. The 70-yard play still ranks as the longest fumble return in school history.
 
5. Ed Backus | Lafayette, Sept. 25, 1976
In leading Columbia to a 38-31 victory over Lafayette at Baker Field, Backus sets a school-record with two interception returns for touchdowns. Backus' final 29-yard interception return for touchdown puts the game out of reach and gives the Lions a 38-17 third quarter lead. He gives Columbia a 7-0 lead with a 23-yard touchdown off interception return. The Lions intercept four Leopards passes in the victory.
 
4. Paul Kaliades | at Cornell, Oct. 30, 1971
Kaliades makes nearly 20 tackles, most of them head-to-head with All-America running back Ed Marinaro despite playing with his left arm taped to his chest due to separated shoulder. He also recovers a fumble and kicks three extra points in a 24-21 loss in Ithaca. For his effort, he was named the Eastern Player of the Week.
 
3. Marcellus Wiley | Cornell, Nov. 12, 1994
In leading Columbia to a 38-33 win over Cornell, defensive end Marcellus Wiley totals a sack, forces and recovers a fumble, intercepts a pass and scores a touchdown as a running back while playing on both sides of the ball. He finishes the game with six total tackles. Wiley's four-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes to play put the game out of reach. For his performance, he is named Sports Illustrated National Defensive Player of the Week.
 
2. Des Werthman | Penn, Oct. 12, 1991
Werthman makes an Ivy League record 26 tackles (16 solo) in leading the Lions to a 20-14 win at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. He also totals two tackles for loss and forces a fumble. Werthman's 26 tackles are the eight-most in FCS history. Solomon Johnson scores a game-winning touchdown on a 49-yard touchdown run.
 
1. Mike Quarshie | Fordham, Sept. 18, 2004
Quarshie sets an NCAA FCS national record for most tackles for loss in a game (8.0) in a 17-14 loss to Fordham. Quarshie also totaled a game-high 11 tackles (seven solo) and costs Fordham 41 total yards on his tackles for loss. The 8.0 tackles for loss also rank as the No. 6 all-time overall figure over all NCAA Divisions.