NEW YORK – Columbia will wrap up the 2023 season this Saturday, November 18 at Cornell in the annual Empire State Bowl. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Schoelkopf Field in Ithaca. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
• The Lions dropped a heartbreaker, 21-14, in overtime to Brown to spoil their senior day last weekend.
• Columbia has now fallen in five-straight.
• The Lions and Bears went to overtime for the second consecutive year with the teams splitting those last two contests.
CORNELL'S STATUS
The Big Red will be in search of its first win since October 21 after dropping its third-straight at Dartmouth, 30-14, in Hanover. Cornell has been held to 14 or fewer points during its skid.
On offense, quarterback Jameson Wang is a two-way threat. He has racked up 280.7 total offensive yards per game, which tops the Ivy League and ranks No. 11 in FCS. Special teams have been a strength for Cornell, who boast a reliable field goal kicker in Jackson Kennedy (77.8 percent) and Davon Kiser in the punt return game, who is averaging 11.3 yards per attempt, putting him third in the Ancient Eight and No. 15 in the nation.
THE EMPIRE STATE BOWL
Columbia and Cornell compete against each other annually in the Empire State Bowl. The rivalry took on the name in 2010, emblematic for Ivy League football supremacy in New York State. The teams have each earned the trophy six times since its inception.
Each year's winner earns the right to take home the Empire Cup. The two schools have been playing on the gridiron since 1889. The rivalry ranks as the 15th all-time most played series in the history of college football. The two schools have played in 100 consecutive years, which ranks as the third longest uninterrupted series in FCS football.
Since 2018, the game has been the final contest on both team's schedules.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Lions and Big Red will meet for the 110th time Saturday.
• Columbia has won four of the last five meetings, including a 45-22 win on Kraft Field last year.
• Cornell's last win came in 2019, a 35-9 triumph in Ithaca.
• The Big Red lead the all-time series 66-40-3 and is 38-13-2 at home.
A LOOK BACK..
• Columbia earned a 45-22 victory over Cornell to retain the Empire State Bowl to end the 2022 season on a three-game winning streak.
• The Lions posted 397 yards of total offense.
• Joey Giorgi racked up 91 rushing yards on 17 carries with a touchdown.
• Columbia took the lead midway through the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the way.
• The 45 points were the most the Lions have scored in an Ivy League game since 2000 (49 vs. Dartmouth).
NOTES TO KNOW
• On special teams, the Lions lead the nation in kickoff return defense, allowing just 12.9 yards per return.
• Columbia also leads the Ivy League in red zone defense (67 percent).
• William Hughes is now the Lions' all-time leader in yards per punt (43.7) after meeting the minimum of 60 attempts.
• The Columbia offense has struck fast this season with nine of 21 scoring drives lasting less than three minutes.
• Seven players have earned takeaways this season for the defense. Aaron Brebnor and Rocco Milia lead the way with two each.
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