NEW YORK — Columbia quarterback
Cole Freeman launched a 44-yard touchdown pass to
Bryson Canty late in the fourth quarter, electrifying the home crowd and lifting the Lions to a dramatic 13-10 win over Yale on Friday night at Robert K. Kraft Field.
Down 10-6 with just under five minutes left, Freeman engineered a 96-yard drive, capped by his pinpoint throw to Canty, who eluded Yale defenders to dash into the end zone. Hugo Merry's extra point pushed Columbia ahead as the Lions' defense held firm in the final minutes, stifling the Bulldogs' last-ditch attempts at a comeback.
The game saw Yale (4-4, 1-4 Ivy League) control the early scoring, with Grant Jordan's 24-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Denney in the second quarter and Conforti's 38-yard field goal in the third giving the Bulldogs a 10-3 lead. But Columbia (6-2, 4-1 Ivy) chipped away at the deficit behind Merry's field goals — a 22-yarder in the second quarter and a 43-yarder in the fourth — setting up the decisive scoring drive.
"I think the first half flew by today's standards," said Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Jon Poppe. "There were four possessions, so that means the ball is in play a lot, and both offenses moved the ball effectively for the most part. We just didn't finish on our first drive (after a fumble). That can sometimes happen because of Cole's (Freeman) aggressive nature, but we bounced back, and stuck to the plan. We went a little heavier packages and wore down defenses front, led by Cole and Joey (Giorgi) and Malcolm (Terry II) and Griffin Johnson, and then Bryson (Canty) had some huge catches."
Freeman finished 12-of-20 for 156 yards and added 82 on the ground. Canty had five catches for 107 yards for his second 100-yard receiving game of the year.
Columbia's defense anchored the comeback, with linebacker Anthony Roussos tallying a game-high 12 tackles and defensive back Hayden McDonald adding seven tackles and an interception. On Yale's side, defensive back Abu Kamara recorded eight tackles, including a forced fumble that briefly halted the Lions' momentum in the first half.
The Lions held Josh Pitsenburger to 52 yards rushing and the Bulldogs to just 151 passing yards.
The Lions are back in action on Saturday, November 9, when they face Harvard. Kickoff is set for noon ET on ESPN+.
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POSTGAME NOTES
- Joey Giorgi rushed for 48 yards to give him 1,795 for his career - moving him up to third on Columbia's all-time rushing list.
- Canty now has 1,395 career receiving yards, which is No. 10 in program history.
- The Lions snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, dating back to 2018.
- Merry's 43-yard field goal was a season-long for the sophomore.
- Columbia's 96-yard scoring drive was its second drive of 95+ yards this season, the first coming at Georgetown on Sept. 28.
