GAME ONE: SEASON OPENER
MARIST (4-7, 4-4 Pioneer Football League in 2019) at COLUMBIA (3-7, 2-5 Ivy League in 2019)
Saturday, September 18, 2021 • 1:05 p.m. ET • Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium • New York, N.Y.
 
THE FACTS
 
Television: SNY/ESPN+ (Lance Medow, Josh Martin; Producer: Sol Steinberg) | Watch Live on ESPN+
 
Columbia Online Radio: None.
 
Live Stats: www.gocolumbialions.com | Live Stats
 
Coaches: Columbia- Al Bagnoli, 7th year at Columbia (22-28), 39th year overall (257-126). Marist- Jim Parady, 30th year at MC (142-152-1), 30th overall (same).
 
Complete Game Notes: Click here.
 
Series: Columbia and Marist meet for the fifth time in series history. Columbia holds a 4-0 advantage over Marist in a series which began in 2007. In the team's last meeting, Columbia claimed a 34-24 victory over the Red Foxes in New York. The Lions are 3-0 vs. Marist in games played at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.
 
GAME NOTES
 
NEW YORK—Columbia (3-7, 2-5 Ivy League in 2019) plays its first game 664 days as the Lions open their 2021 season, 151st anniversary year and 131st season of college football when it hosts non-conference opponent Marist (4-7, 4-4 Pioneer Football League in 2019) on Saturday. The contest will be played on Saturday, Sept. 18 at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.
 
Today's season opener also marks Columbia's annual Northern Manhattan Neighbors Appreciation Day promotion. The Lions will also have this promotion for next week's Georgetown game.
 
TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES

• Columbia Football plays its first game in exactly 664 days as the Ivy League canceled the 2020 football season.
• Marist and Columbia meet for the fifth time in football with Columbia owning a 4-0 advantage since 2007.
• Both teams open their season on Saturday. For the first time in 22 years, the Lions meet an opponent also playing in its first contest (Harvard, 1999).
• Columbia enters the 2021 season after winning each of its last three season openers beginning in 2017.
• Columbia's Al Bagnoli enters the 2021 season as the nation's second active winningest coach throughout all NCAA divisions. He is the nation's active winningest coach at the FCS level.

 
ABOUT THE LIONS
 
Columbia returns to the gridiron for the first time since the 2019 season finale on November 23 at Cornell. The Ivy League Council of Presidents canceled the 2020 football season in July 2020 due to the COVID-19  pandemic. The Council announced during spring 2021 that sport competition would begin in the fall.
 
Because all of Columbia's students were attending classes virtually during the 2020-21 academic year, the Lions did not have the benefit of having spring practice sessions. Columbia was the only Ivy League football program to not hold spring practice drills.
 
Over 90 players of Columbia's players were on campus this summer to prepare for the 2021 season.
 
Columbia returns 14 total starters from its 2020 roster, including six on offense and eight on defense. The Lions also return a variety of players who suffered season-ending injuries during the 2019 campaign. A total of 72 lettermen return to the squad and the Lions add 62 student-athletes from the sophomore and first-year classes who have never attended a class on campus. In addition, nine fifth-year players are back to compete for the Lions. Columbia does not have a graduate student on the roster.
 
The Lions are trending 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.
 
LIONS LOOKING FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN IN A SEASON OPENER
 
Columbia opens the 2021 season searching for a fourth consecutive win in a season opener. Dating back to 2017, the Lions are on a three-game win streak on opening day. The streak began in 2017 when the Lions defeated Wagner 17-14 on a game-ending field goal by Oren Milstein. Columbia registered a 41-24 win at Central Connecticut State in 2018, and followed that up with a 31-14 victory at SFU in 2019.
 
LIONS EXPERIENCE SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
 
Columbia has won eight of its last 10 non-conference games. A 24-10 loss to Georgetown on Sept. 28 ended Columbia's school-record non-conference win streak at eight games. The streak began at Wagner on Oct. 8, 2016. The previous record was four straight non-conference wins from Sept. 28, 1996-Oct. 4, 1997.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS SELECTED
 
Columbia selected four captains for the 2021 season: quarterback Ty Lenhart, defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier, offensive lineman Stew Newblatt, and linebacker Justin Woodley. The captains were announced on August 9, 2021.
 
Columbia's team captains are a tradition that goes all the way back to its first team in 1870.
 
SEASON OPENER AND GEORGETOWN GAME DUBBED NORTHERN MANHATTAN NEIGHBORS APPRECIATION DAYS
 
Saturday's game vs. Marist will be the first of two Northern Manhattan Neighbors Appreciation Day. All residents of the Inwood and Washington Heights community may receive complimentary tickets. To redeem tickets, contact the Athletics Tickets office at 888-LIONS-11 or visit the Northern Manhattan Neighbors table at the game. All residents must show proof of address to redeem the tickets.
 
11 LIONS EARN PRESEASON ALL-IVY LEAGUE HONORS BY PHIL STEELE MAGAZINE
 
Led by preseason Third Team All-America punt returner Mike Roussos and First Team honorees Ben Mathiasmeier, and Alex Felkins, 11 Columbia football players were named to the 2021 Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy League Team, the magazine and online organization announced. The magazine also released its annual All-America teams.
 
Roussos, who previously earned preseason Third Team All-America honors from StatsPerform as a punt returner, garnered four preseason All-Ivy League honors including First Team accolades as its all-purpose player, kickoff returner, and punt returner, and Third Team as a wide receiver. Joining Roussos as an All-Ivy League First Team selections were senior defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier and junior placekicker Alex Felkins.
 
Earning preseason Second Team honors were senior defensive lineman Cameren Carter, junior linebacker Scott Valentas, senior linebacker Cam Dillon, senior defensive back Will Allen, senior tight end Casey Mariucci, and senior long snapper Parker Lefton.
 
In addition to Roussos as a wide receiver, other Columbia Third Team All-Ivy League picks were senior running back Ryan Young and senior punter Drew Schmid.
 
Columbia had at least one honoree listed among all six special teams awards.
 
ABOUT MARIST
 
Marist will play its first game of the 2021 college football season on Saturday. The Red Foxes' season opener against Georgetown, originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4, was canceled by the Hoyas due to a COVID-19 related issue. Ironically, Columbia is scheduled to host Georgetown next week on Sept. 25.
 
In Marist, Columbia will meet a team playing its first game of a season in 22 years. The last time Columbia played a team competing in its first game of a year was in 1999 when it played at Harvard in 1999.
 
Coached by Jim Parody, Marist went 4-7 overall and 4-4 in Pioneer Football League play in 2019. The Red Foxes' 2020 season was canceled.
 
In the Pioneer League preseason poll, Marist was picked to finish ninth out of the 11-team league. Two Marist players- defensive end Aaron Acosta and safety Kyle Fleitman- were named to the preseason All-Pioneer League team.  
 
COLUMBIA, LIONS RETURNEES AMONG 2019 NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
 
Columbia concluded the 2019 season ranked among the nation's top-25 FCS teams in 11 different team statistical categories in 2019. According to the NCAA statistics, Columbia ranked:

• No. 3 in first downs defense (176).
• No. 5 in punt returns (17.3).
• No. 9 in fewest penalties (54).
• No. 9 in blocked kicks (5).
• No. 15 in kickoff returns (22.93).
• No. 20 in fewest penalty yards (503).

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

• Will Allen, No. 3 in blocked kicks (3).
• Mike Roussos, No. 2 in punt return touchdowns (1).
• Mike Roussos, No. 3 in punt returns (17.3).
• Mike Roussos, No. 4 in combined kick returns (907).
• Mike Roussos, No. 19 in all-purpose yards per game (130.8).

 
COLUMBIA MOURNS LOSS OF THREE LIONS IN 2021
 
The Columbia Football family has lost three prominent individuals in 2021: current student-athlete Jackson Coker, recent graduate Parker Coogan, and former head coach Frank Navarro.
 
In March 2021, first-year wide receiver Jackson Coker (Austin, Texas/Westlake H.S.) died tragically in an automobile accident in Austin. He was spending his second Columbia semester attending classes virtually in his hometown. To honor Coker, Columbia is displaying two stickers on its helmets, a state of Texas and circle with the No. 16.
 
In late April 2021, graduate Parker Coogan '20 (Kingswood, Texas) suddenly passed in his hometown of Kingswood. Coogan was a two-time All-Ivy League selection as an offensive lineman in both 2018 and 2019. He played in 32 career games with 30 consecutive starts at center and guard, was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District and Fall Academic All-Ivy League honoree.
 
In June 2021, former Columbia football coach Frank Navarro also passed. He served as Columbia's coach for six years from 1968-73. Most notably, Navarro guided Columbia to a 6-3 overall record and second place finish in the Ivy League in 1971.
 
NEXT MAN UP FOR COLUMBIA
 
The start of a new season in 2021 brings great optimism at Columbia, which has experienced an unprecedented rash of injuries over the previous two seasons. The Lions return many players in 2021 who have been sidelined due to season-ending injuries.
 
In each of its last two seasons (2018 and 2019), Columbia has experienced an unexpected rash of injuries, but has still found a way to win. The program has adopted a "Next Man Up" mentality.
 
In 2018, Columbia played without its top three quarterbacks, its top two wide receivers, its top two running backs and without nine other players who had started games, along with 25 total players out with injuries. Bagnoli has depth built on three straight top-25 recruiting classes. Amazingly, Columbia won six games that season in 2018 using four different starting quarterbacks. Columbia has won at least one game in which each of the four started.
 
The 2019 season saw the Lions lose a variety of players including its starting quarterback, its top four wide receivers for some games, one of its starting tight ends, two starting offensive linemen, two starting linebackers and several starting defensive linemen.
 
STATISTICS TO WATCH FOR

• Senior return specialist/wide receiver Mike Roussos needs one more return touchdown to hold the school-record outright for most combined career return touchdowns. He needs one more play of 50 yards or more to tie the record for career 50-yard plays.
• Senior quarterback Ty Lenhart currently holds the school record for highest completion percentage in a career (60 percent).
• Senior running back Ryan Young is approaching the 1,000-yard career milestone. He currently has 823 career rushing yards. Also, should Young lead the Lions in rushing, he would become the first rusher to lead the Lions in rushing in three consecutive years since Jonathan Reese (1999-2001).
• Senior defensive back Will Allen needs just three more blocked kicks to set a new Columbia career record for blocked kicks. He has five in his career and the record is seven, held by Mark Calveric (1991-93).
• Should senior defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier see action in all 10 games this season, he would tie a school-record for most games played in a career with 40. Only six players have played in 40 career games at Columbia.
• Junior Alex Felkins has already kicked two 50-yard field goals. Should he convert a one more 50-yard field goal, he would become the only kicker in Ivy League history to achieve that distinction.

 
BEN MATHIASMEIER NOMINATED FOR WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY
 
For the second consecutive year, senior defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier is Columbia's nominee for the prestigious National Football Foundation's 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy. Named in honor of William V. Campbell '62CC, a former Columbia football coach and player and former chairman of Columbia's Board of Trustees, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation.
 
The NFF will announce semifinalists later in the year for and finalists in October with each finalist receiving an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 64th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 64th annual NFF Annual Awards Dinner, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.