NEW YORK – Columbia football (5-3, 3-2) will face Brown (3-5, 2-3) in its final road game of the season on November 16. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. in Providence and the contest can be seen on ESPN+.
OPENING DRIVE
• The Lions fell to No. 24/25 Harvard, 26-6, on Saturday to fall a game behind first place in the Ivy League standings.
• First-year cornerback Carter McCray earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for the second consecutive week.
• Columbia's defense has allowed the fewest points in the Ivy League (17.5 PPG), which also puts them 10th in FCS. The Lions lead the conference in passing defense, holding opponents to 205.9 yards per game.
• Individually, Hayden McDonald leads the Ancient Eight with four interceptions and is No. 3 nationally in interceptions per game. Carter McFadden ranks No. 5 in FCS and leads the Ivy League in passes defended (13).
HARVARD LEFTOVERS
• Marcus Libman posted his second career 100-yard receiving game and first since 2022.
• First-year quarterback Caleb Sanchez made his collegiate debut in the fourth quarter, going 3-for-5 with 69 yards.
• Three players posted double-figure tackles (Charlie Newton - 14, Jack Smiechowski - 10, Carter McCray - 10)
• Columbia fell to 0-3 when not forcing a turnover.
A COLUMBIA WIN WOULD...
• Clinch a winning season overall and in Ivy League play.
SERIES HISTORY
Columbia and Brown will meet for the 88th time in a series that dates back to 1902. The Bears are 54-31-2 all-time against the Lions. However, Columbia is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
The last three matchups have all been decided by six points, with the previous two needing overtime to determine a winner.
A LOOK BACK...
The Bears took a 21-14 overtime decision over the Lions to spoil Columbia's senior day in 2023.
With the score tied 14-14 with 5:50 on the clock, Columbia had a chance to win the game in regulation. The Lions drove to the Brown 33 but were stopped on fourth down, and the game went to overtime.
Brown got the ball to start OT, and Jake Willcox found Graham Walker for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Bears in front for good. Columbia's offense went four and out to give the Bears the win.
BROWN'S STATUS
• Brown is coming off a 56-34 loss to Yale. The Bears totaled 459 yards of offense, with 343 of those yards coming via the passing attack. Quarterback Jake Wilcox took sole possession of second place on Brown's all-time passing yards list (6,858).
• James Perry is in his sixth season leading the Bears after playing and graduating from Brown in 2000. Before his tenure at Brown began, Perry served as offensive coordinator at Princeton and head coach at Bryant.
• Brown's offense leads the Ivy League in yards per game (425.8), passing yards (2,245), and total yards (3,406). Jake Wilcox is fifth in the nation in completions per game (25.3) and second in the Ivy League in passing yards (2,137). Mark Mahoney is tied for fifth in the Ivy League in receiving touchdowns (5).
• Brown's defense is third in the Ivy League in sacks (15) and Caleb Moorhead is third in the Ivy League in TFLs (9.5).
INJURY BUG HITS THE LIONS
Columbia has lost six starters to season-ending injuries. It began with defensive tackle Owen Thomas in the opening game against Lafayette. Two weeks later, two-time All-Ivy League defensive end Justin Townsend suffered his injury against Princeton. Left tackle Ryan Carr exited the game at Penn and will not return this season. Starting quarterback Chase Goodwin went down in week six against Dartmouth, while linebacker Rocco Milia and center Mark Chapman were injured against Yale on November 1.
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