EASTON, Pa. – The Columbia football team will travel to Pennsylvania to get the season started with a tilt at Lafayette on Saturday, September 16. This will be the first meeting between the Lions and the Leopards since 2010 when Columbia posted a 42-28 win at home. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Columbia will begin its 153rd season on the gridiron when it heads to Lafayette Saturday in the first meeting between the schools since 2010.
 
• Mark Fabish make his debut as the Lions' interim head coach after Al Bagnoli announced his retirement prior to the start of training camp in August. He has served as an assistant at Columbia since 2015 and was the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the past seven seasons.
 
• Columbia has won five season openers in a row, dating back to 2017. Last year, the Lions downed Marist, 38-3, on the road.
 
A LOOK BACK
• Columbia secured its fourth winning season in the past five years after ripping off three consecutive wins to close out the 2022 campaign to finish 6-4 overall.
 
• The Lions tied a program record with four road victories and went 3-0 in non-conference play.
 
• Columbia brings back six All-Ivy League recipients, including wide receivers Bryson Canty (first team), JJ Jenkins (honorable mention), running back Joey Giorgi (second team), defensive lineman Justin Townsend (second team), punter William Hughes (second team) and defensive back Seth Parker (honorable mention).
 
• Defensively, the Lions ranked fifth in FCS and led the Ivy League in rushing defense (98 yards per game) and scored three defensive touchdowns, which led the conference and set a program record.
 
• On offense, Columbia boasted its best statistical season since 2000 after averaging 26.5 points, 362.5 yards per game and scored 34 touchdowns. The Lions return a pair of senior quarterbacks in Joe Green, the 2021 Ivy League Rookie of the Year who missed the final five contests due to a shoulder injury, and Caden Bell, who led the Lions on their three-game win streak to close 2022.
 
LAFAYETTE AT A GLANCE
• Lafayette is coming off a 42-7 loss at Duke last Saturday.
 
• The Leopards went 4-7 in 2022, including a 3-3 mark in the Patriot League.
 
• Head coach John Troxell is 4-8 overall at Lafayette in his second season leading the program
• The Lafayette rushing attack has shined early in the season for the Leopards. Lafayette totaled 223 yards to score three rushing touchdowns in a 19-14 win against Sacred Heart to open the season. Last week at Duke, Lafayette rushed for 126 yards.
 
• The Lafayette defense capitalized in the backfield with 10 tackles for loss and three sacks in the season opening win over Sacred Heart. The Leopards registered three tackles for loss at Duke last weekend.
 
• Lafayette has not attempted a field goal this season, but opponents are 0-3 on field goal attempts against Lafayette. Jakob Trestik is averaging 36.63 yards per punt and 51 yards per kickoff.
 
SUPER SENIORS
Columbia has six student-athletes who opted to take a semester off in order to return for a "fifth season" with the Lions. The group features quarterback Caden Bell, defensive lineman Drew Davis, punter Andrew Donovan, wide receiver JJ Jenkins, offensive lineman Luke Painton and offensive lineman Andrew Pruske. They have been a part of 16 victories in their three-plus seasons with Columbia. The Ivy League does not grant red shirts or permit graduate students to participate in varsity athletics, so in order to preserve eligibility, student-athletes must temporarily withdraw from school for a semester to retain their undergraduate status.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS
Linebacker CJ Brown, quarterback Caden Bell, offensive lineman Luke Painton and defensive lineman Patrick Passalacqua were named team captains for the 2023 squad prior to the start of the season following a team vote. Passalacqua is the first junior to be named a team captain since Alex Gross '11CC in 2009.
 
PAINTON ON THE BLIND SIDE
Luke Painton, who spent the previous two seasons as the Lions' starting tight end, bulked up to 310 pounds in the offseason to switch to the offensive line where he is projected to be Columbia's starting left tackle. Last year, Painton racked up 35 catches for 253 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score at Harvard.
 
TOWNSEND-ING A MESSAGE
Junior defensive lineman Justin Townsend emerged as a major force last year. He totaled six sacks last season. Against Princeton, he had a season high 4.5 TFL and three sacks. Towsend ended the season ranked third in the Ivy League and 38th in the nation with 0.6 sacks per game. He sits sixth all-time in program history for sacks in a single season.
 
ONE IVY
As Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens continues to recover from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident in March, the eight Ivy League schools have banded together to wear a decal with his initials on their football helmets this fall to demonstrate their continued support of Coach Teevens, his family and the Dartmouth community.
 
BUY TICKETS FOR UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.gocolumbialions.com/tickets or calling 888-LIONS-11.

FOLLOW THE LIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the Columbia football team, follow @CULionsFB on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
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