GAME SIX: ESPNU NATIONAL BROADCAST
COLUMBIA (4-1, 1-1 Ivy League) at No. 25 DARTMOUTH (5-0, 2-0 Ivy League)
Friday, October 22, 2021 • 6:00 p.m. ET • Memorial Field • Hanover, N.H.
 
THE FACTS
 
Television: ESPNU (Play-by-Play: Eric Frede; Color Analyst: Jack Ford) | Watch Live on ESPN+
 
Columbia Online Radio: audio-only broadcast (Alex Oberweger) | Listen Live
 
Live Stats: https://dartmouthsports.com/ | Live Stats
 
Coaches: Columbia- Al Bagnoli, 7th year at Columbia (26-29), 39th year overall (261-127). Dartmouth- Buddy Teevens, 22^nd year at DC (110-93-2); 31^st year overall (144-170-2).
 
Complete Game Notes: Click here.
 
Series: Columbia and Dartmouth meet for the 91st time in a series that began in 1899. Dartmouth holds a 70-19-1 advantage in the series. Columbia has claimed two of the last four meetings, but the Lions are 38-5 in games played in Hanover.
 
GAME NOTES
 
HANOVER, N.H.—Columbia (4-1, 1-1 Ivy League) travels to Hanover, N.H. for its sixth game of the 2021 season against Dartmouth (5-0, 2-0 Ivy League) on Friday, Oct. 22. Kickoff is 6 p.m. for a nationally-televised contest on ESPNU. The two schools meet for the 91st time overall and 78th consecutive year in football.
 
TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES
 

• Riding a two-game win streak, Columbia enters its sixth game of the 2021 season with a 4-1 record for the second time in the last four years.
• Columbia is in position to register its third winning season in the last four years.
• A victory on the road would give Columbia its third win over Dartmouth in its last five games of the series.
• Columbia Head Coach Al Bagnoli entered the 2021 season as the nation's second active winningest coach throughout all NCAA divisions. He is the nation's winningest active coach at the FCS level. He won his 261st career game vs. Penn.

 
ABOUT THE LIONS
 
The Lions begin the second half of the 2021 season with a 4-1 record (1-1 Ivy League) for the second time in the last four years after evening their Ivy League record with a 23-14 Homecoming win over Penn. The Lions have won two straight after Oct. 9's 22-20 win at Central Connecticut State, a closer-than-the-score indicates 24-7 Ivy-opening loss at Princeton, a 35-24 win vs. Georgetown, and a 37-14 season-opening win over Marist.
 
Before 11,054 fans, Columbia celebrated its 80th Homecoming Game with a 23-14 win over Penn. Running back Dante Miller rushed for a career-best 187 yards and a go-ahead 75-yard touchdown to earn the John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game Award. Quarterback Joe Green threw for a career-high 182 yards and one touchdown on 12 of 22 completions, and Alex Felkins contributed a career-high tying three field goals in the victory. The Lions defense limited Penn to only 83 yards passing, 267 total yards, and yielded only 4-15 on third down conversions.
 
On Oct. 9, Columbia claimed a 22-20 decision at CCSU to wrap up non-conference play with a perfect 3-0 record for the third time in the last four years. Columbia totaled 338 offensive yards including 174 rushing, finished with eight sacks, and senior linebacker Cam Dillon set a school-record with 5.5 sacks and a safety in the victory. Dante Miller rushed for a career-high 136 yards on 18 carries and a game-clinching 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, quarterback Joe Green completed 14 of 24 passes for 165 yards passing, and quarterback Gabriel Hollingworth scored his second career touchdown and ran for 30 yards on 10 carries to key the Columbia offense. On defense, Dillon led the Lions with a big day that included eight tackles, a single-game school-record 5.5 sacks, a safety, and two forced fumbles, while Justin Woodley contributed seven tackles.
 
At Princeton, the Lions dropped a tightly-contested, low-scoring game after Princeton running back Colin Eaddy scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to give the Tigers a 24-7 lead. After Princeton took a 10-0 halftime lead, Columbia cut the deficit to 10-7 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joe Green to Luke Painton. The Lions had several other opportunities to score in the contest but fell to 0-1 in Ivy League play.
 
Columbia went 3-0 in non-conference play with wins over Marist (37-14) and Georgetown (35-24).
 
The Lions continue to trend upward as they have registered winning seasons in two of their last three campaigns. Seventh-year Head Coach Al Bagnoli guided Columbia to an 8-2 record (second-place Ivy finish at 5-2) in 2017 and 6-4 record (3-4 Ivy) in 2018. In 2019, Columbia went 3-7 and finished sixth in the Ivy League with a 2-5 conference record.
 
HOT STARTS
 
With its 4-1 record, the last time Columbia began a year at 4-1 or better after five games was in 2017 (5-0). The Lions finished 8-2 in 2017. Prior to that year, the Lions went 5-0 to start the 1996 season and then the previous 4-1 start came in 1946 (4-1). Overall, in the history of Columbia Football, the Lions have registered 24 seasons where they began a year with either a 4-1 or 5-0 record after five contests.
 
DANTE MILLER LEADS IVY LEAGUE IN RUSHING
 
Over the last two games, senior running back Dante Miller has accumulated 323 rushing yards and two touchdowns (75 yard TD, 65-yard TD) on 23 attempts for a phenomenal a 9.5 yards per carry average. The 323-yards in two games ranks as the third-best total for rushing yards in consecutive games ever at Columbia.
 
With the back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances, Miller now leads the Ivy League in rushing yards (550) and rushing yards per carry (7.97). His 187 yards vs. Penn ranks tied for the 11th highest single-game total in school history and his 11.7 yards per carry ranks as the eighth-best mark in school history.
 
The two-game stretch is the first-back-to-back 100-yard rushing performance in 26 games for Columbia.
 
Miller has flair for the big play as he has run for plays of 75 yards, 65 yards, 63 yards and 41 yards on the year.
 
The last time Columbia had a player lead the Ivy League in rushing was Cameron Molina in 2015.
 
LIONS SPORT TOP RUSHING ATTACK
 
Through five games, Columbia has rushed for 193.8 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. Ten of Columbia's 14 touchdowns on the year are rushing scores with six players contributing at least one touchdown.
 
In school records, the 193.8 yards per game would rank as the fourth-highest total in school history and the 4.6 yards per carry would establish a new single-season school-record.
 
The Lions have rushed for 200 or more yards in three of five games this year with a team season-high of 311 yards in the season-opener vs. Marist.
 
LIONS DEFENSE STRONG
 
Columbia has displayed a stingy defense as it ranks among the top-25 FCS statistical leaders in six categories. Columbia has yielded only 111.0 yards rushing per game, 2.9 yards rushing per carry, and 324.8 total offensive yards per game. The rushing totals would rank among the school's top four totals in those respective categories.
 
Other key numbers on defense through five games include 17 sacks, 37 tackles for loss and 26 pass breakups.
 
COLUMBIA, LIONS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
 
Through five games, Columbia is ranked among the nation's top-25 FCS teams in 13 different team statistical categories:

• No. 1 in passes had intercepted (1).
• No. 4 in turnovers lost (4).
• No. 7 in fourth down conversion percentage (78%).
• No. 8 in sacks (3.40).
• No. 12 in kickoff returns (25.4).
• No. 14 in first downs defense (92).
• No. 16 in team passing efficiency defense (111.06).
• No. 16 in fourth down conversion percentage defense (29%).
• No. 21 in tackles for loss (7.0).
• No. 23 in scoring defense (19.2).
• No. 23 in rushing defense (110.8).
• No. 23 in fewest sacks allowed (1.20 per game).
• No. 25 in rushing offense (193.8).

 
Individually, the Lions rank among the top-25 national statistical leaders in nine different categories:

• Ernest Robertson, No. 2 in yards per reception (24.40).
• Wiil Allen, No. 2 in kickoff return touchdowns (1).
• Dante Miller, No. 3 in rushing yards per carry (7.97).
• Cam Dillon, No. 5 in sacks (1.40).
• Alex Felkins, No. 10 in field goals per game (1.60).
• Cam Dillon, No. 14 in tackles for loss (1.6).
• Dante Miller, No. 22 in rushing yards (550).
• Bryan Bell-Anderson, No. 22 in passes defended (1.2)
• Will Allen, No. 25 in passes defended (1.2).
• Drew Schmid, No. 25 in punting (41.4).

 
COLUMBIA IN IVY LEAGUE STATS
 
Several Columbia Lions are ranked among the top-5 Ivy League leaders in several statistical categories:

• Will Allen: No. 1 in kickoff return touchdowns (1); No. 3 in combined kick returns (167); No. 3 in passes defended (1.2).
• Bryan Bell-Anderson: No. 1 in passes defended (1.2).
• Cam Dillon: No. 2 in sacks (1.40); No. 2 in tackles for loss (1.60);
• Alex Felkins, No. 1 in field goals per game (1.60); No. 5 in field goal percentage (57%).
• Joe Green: No. 4 in passing efficiency (124.2); No. 4 in completion percentage (61%); No. 5 in completions per game (14.6);
• Ben Mathiasmeier: No. 2 in interceptions (0.4).
• Dante Miller: No. 1 in rushing yards (550); No. 1 in rushing yards per carry (7.97); No. 2 in rushing yards per game (110.0); No. 4 in all-purpose yards (115.0).
• Ernest Robertson, No. 1 in yards per reception (24.40).
• Drew Schmid: No. 3 in punting (41.4).

 
RECAPPING SATURDAY'S 23-14 HOMECOMING WIN VS. PENN
 
Following are some notes from Saturday's Homecoming game vs. Penn:

• The win improved Columbia to 4-1 on the year and 1-1 in the Ivy League.
• The win also gave Columbia its second straight win vs. Penn, gave Columbia its 400th win in program history and gave Columbia its fourth win in its last five Homecoming games.
• Columbia outgained Penn 426-267 in total offensive yards.
• Penn was held to just 83 passing yards on six of 25 completions, 4 of 15 on third downs.
• Columbia rushed for over 200 yards for the third time this season. The Lions finished with 244 yards on 45 carries for 5.4 average yards per carry.
• Columbia improved to 4-0 on the year when leading at halftime.
• Columbia won back-to-back games against Penn for the first time since the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
• The last time Columbia began a season at 4-1 or better was in 2017 (5-0). The Lions finished 8-2 in 2017. Prior to that year, the Lions went 5-0 to start the 1996 season.
• Senior Dante Miller was named the John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game. He is the second consecutive offensive player to earn the award.
• Senior Dante Miller registered his third career and third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 187 yards on 16 carries for an 11.7 yards per carry average. He also ran for a 75-yard touchdown, the 10th longest run in school-history, and longest run of the year. The last time a Columbia player ran 70 yards or more was Miller on Nov. 15, 2018 at Central Connecticut State, 23 games ago. His 187 yards rank tied for the 11th most yards in a single-game in school history. His 11.7 yards per carry ranks No. 8 in school history in most yards per carry in a single game.
• With his 187 yards on 16 carries, Miller rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games. With his 136-yard game at Central Connecticut State, he has rushed for a combined 323 yards in the last two games. The 323 yards rank as the third-most yards in back-to-back games in school history.
• Dante Miller's two consecutive 100-yard rushing games rank tied for No. 3 in school history. The record is six by Johnathan Reese (2000), and Tom Haggerty had three from Nov. 4-18, 1961.
• Dante Miller now has three 100-yard rushing games this year. He ranks tied for No. 6 in most 100-yard rushing games in a season with a record of seven by Johnathan Reese in 2000.
• The last time a player rushed for 150 yards or more in a game was Chris Schroer at Cornell on Nov. 11, 2017 (183 yards). That was 26 games ago.
• Sophomore quarterback Joe Green threw for a career-high 182 yards and one touchdown while completing 12 of 22 passes.
• Green connected with sophomore Wills Meyer for a 41-yard second quarter touchdown pass. It was Green's third touchdown pass of the year and Meyer's first touchdown reception of his career.
• Meyer led the Lions with 54 receiving yards on three receptions and registered his first touchdown of the year
• Senior defensive lineman Paul Akere registered his fourth sack of the season on a five-yard loss in the second quarter. He finished the day with six tackles (four solo), 1.0 sack for five yards and 2.0 tackles for loss for nine yards.
• Senior wide receiver Ernest Robertson caught a 49-yard pass from Joe Green in the third quarter.
• Junior placekicker Alex Felkins led the Lions with 11 points on three field goals and two point after attempts. He converted 3-5 field goals on the day on distances of 32, 31, and 20 yards. He also registered touchbacks on all six of his kickoffs. He barely missed on field goals of 52 yards, which would have tied the school record for longest field goal and 44 yards.
• Junior linebacker Scott Valentas made his first start of the season and led the Lions with a game and career-high tying 12 tackles (eight solo) with a pass breakup. It marked his third career double digit tackle game. He has now played in three games this year.
• Senior linebacker Cam Dillon followed up his National Player of the Week performance with seven tackles and a quarterback hurry.
• Columbia's Homecoming crowd of 11,054 ranked as the ninth largest Homecoming crowd in school history.
• The Columbia-Penn matchup was the 100th in a series that began in 1878.

 
LIGHT BLUE JERSEYS
 
Columbia wore throwback Light Blue jerseys with white pants and white helmets with blue numerals on Oct. 16 vs. Penn. The last time Columbia wore numerals on helmets was on October 18, 2003. Columbia wore the blue jerseys and blue numerals to honor the 60th anniversary of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League Championship. The Light Blue jerseys were brought back for the first time since the 2014 season.
 
ABOUT DARTMOUTH
 
Dartmouth enters Friday's game with an undefeated 5-0 record and 2-0 Ivy League record. The Big Green is ranked No. 25 in this week's Stats Perform FCS national poll.
 
Dartmouth is led by quarterback Derek Kyler, who has completed 72.6 percent of his passes (77-106) for 958 yards and nine touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception this year.
 
Kyler's top targets are Paxton Scott, who has caught 26 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns, Isaac Boston, who has 10 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, and Zach Bair, who has nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Nick Howard leads the Big Green in rushing with 449 yards and nine touchdowns on 67 carries and Bair has 335 yards and two touchdowns on 54 carries.
 
On defense, Dartmouth is led by Jalen Mackie, who has 41 tackles (23 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack and an interception. Tanner Cross has 29 tackles (14 solo), an interception and fumble recovery, Isaiah Johnson has 29 tackles, and John Pupel, 26 tackles with two tackles for loss and an interception.