NEW HAVEN, CONN. – The Columbia football team will play its second straight road game Saturday at Yale as the Lions are looking for their first win in New Haven since 2015. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at the Yale Bowl. The game will be streamed through ESPN+. Fans can also listen to the game live on gocolumbialions.com.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
• Yale enters the contest leading the Ivy League in team tackles for loss, team passing efficiency and defensive touchdowns. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank 4th in team TFL, 12th in team passing efficiency and 6th in defensive touchdowns.
• The Yale offense has also found success on third down and in the red zone with a third down conversion rate of 45.5% that ranks second in the Ivy League and 16th nationally. The Bulldogs have a 90% success rate in the red zone, which ranks second in the league and 21st nationally.
• Columbia's top ranked red zone defense will be in for a test trying to limit the Bulldogs in the red zone. The Lions have allowed opponents an average success rate of 34% on third down and will be looking to get the Yale offense off the field.
• The Yale defense is allowing an average of 21.5 points per game. Columbia is averaging 13.7 points per game and will be looking to establish its presence on offense.
 
NOTES TO KNOW
• Columbia leads the nation in red zone defense and scoring defense, allowing just 12.3 points per game.
• On special teams, the Lions lead the nation in kickoff return defense, allowing just 12.3 yards per return.
• Carter McFadden is No. 9 in the country in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards per return. McFadden is also No. 17 in the nation in kickoff return yards per game with an average of 25.8 yards.
• The Columbia offense has struck fast this season with six of 14 scoring drives last less than three minutes.
• Six players have earned takeaways this season for the defense. Aaron Brebnor and Rocco Milia lead the way with two each.
• Nine different receivers registered a reception in the game at Dartmouth.
• Columbia's safety in the Dartmouth game was the team's first since October 9, 2021 at Central Connecticut State.
• Columbia had a season-best 254 passing yards in the Dartmouth game.
• First-year Quarterback Chase Goodwin compelted two passes at Dartmouth in the third quarter to secure the first two completions of his career.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Lions and Bulldogs meet for the 101st time Saturday.
• Yale has won the past three matchups in the series and the past three games played in New Haven.
• Columbia's last win in the series came in 2018 at Wien Stadium with a 17-10 victory.
• Yale leads the series overall, 76-22-2 and is 40-10-2 at home.
 
YALE'S STATUS
Yale is coming off a 27-17 loss to Penn last weekend in New Haven. Penn's passing attack was on full display as Aidan Sayin threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Quakers to the win. Yale's quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for two touchdown passes as he now has 14 on the season. Grooms also rushed 12 times for 61 yards. Joseph Vaughn finished with 12 tackles, including 10 solo and a sack to lead the Yale defense. Hamilton Moore also added nine tackles.
 
Yale will be another tough test for the Lions this weekend as the Bulldogs have excelled in different areas offensively and defensively. The Yale defense has stepped up to lead the Ivy League and rank No. 4 in the nation in team tackles for loss with an average of 7.8 per game. The defense has also scored two defensive touchdowns this season, which leads the Ivy League and is No. 6 in the country. The Yale offense has also shined this season with the team holding a third down conversion rate of 45.5%. The offense ranks 16th in the nation in third down conversion. Quarterback Nolan Grooms has played well and has helped the team achieve a passing efficiency rating of 155.6, which ranks 12th in the nation. Yale has performed well in the red zone, ranking 21st in the nation in red zone offense.
 
DARTMOUTH LEFTOVERS
• Joe Green led the passing effort with 25 completions for 239 total yards.
• JJ Jenkins hauled in five receptions for 94 yards, including a long reception of 40 yards.
• Malcolm Terry II led the Columbia rushing effort with 17 attempts for 62 yards.
• Nine different receivers registered a reception in the game at Dartmouth.
• Columbia's safety in the Dartmouth game was the team's first since October 9, 2021 at Central Connecticut State.
• Columbia had a season-best 254 passing yards in the Dartmouth game.
• First-year Quarterback Chase Goodwin completed two passes at Dartmouth in the third quarter to secure the first two completions of his career.
• The Lions played in rainy conditions for the fifth consecutive game.
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Nine Lions registered at least one reception in the game at Dartmouth. JJ Jenkins, Malcolm Terry II, Jack Larsen, Wills Meyer, Edan Stagg, Braden Dougherty, Titus Evans, Marcus Libman and James Miller each earned a spot on the stat sheet. Jenkins led the way with five receptions for 94 total yards. Terry II tallied a game-high six receptiosn.
 
THE ROUSSOS WAY
Anthony Roussos leads the charge for the Columbia defense with 57 total tackles this season, including 37 solo tackles. He has also tacked on 8.0 tackles for loss and a sack. Roussos led the way with 10 tackles against Penn and has double-figure tackles in three games this season. He now leads the Ivy League and ranks No. 12 in the country with an average of 5.8 solo tackles per game.
 
CAN'T GET CARTER
Carter McFadden has been a weapon for Columbia in both punt and kickoff returns. The senior currently leads the Ivy League and ranks No. 9 in the country in punt returns with an average of 13.3 yards per return. He also ranks No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 17 in the country in kickoff returns with an average of 25.8 yards per return.
 
BILLY BIG FOOT
William Hughes was named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 46.8 yards on four kicks last week against Marist in windy and rainy conditions. Earlier this season, he was selected to the FedEx Ground FCS National Honor Roll after a strong season opener at Lafayette. Hughes averaged 47.8 yards on four punts and pinned the Leopards inside the 20 three times. He also had three kicks that went beyond 50 yards, including a game-long 56-yarder. Last season, Hughes stepped up as Columbia's starting punter for the final four games and averaged 43.6 yards per attempt on 16 kicks to earn All-Ivy League honors.
 
After five games, Hughes leads the Ivy League and is No. 8 in the country in punting with an average of 44.4 yards per punt. He has boomed nine punts over 50 yards, including his season long 71-yarder against Marist, which is also the fifth-longest in program history. Hughes has the knack for pinning opponents deep with 12 punts inside the 20 this season.
 
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