NEW YORK – Columbia football will battle Cornell for the Empire State Bowl and a share of the Ivy League title with a win and some help on Saturday, November 23. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. on SNY and ESPN+ with Lance Medow and Shawn FitzGerald '80CC on the call.

OPENING DRIVE
• The Lions used an explosive passing attack and a solid defensive performance to earn a 21-12 victory at Brown last weekend to keep their Ivy League title hopes alive.
• Columbia can clinch a share of its first Ivy League Championship since 1961 with a victory and a Harvard loss to Yale.
• Saturday marks the 14th edition of the Empire State Bowl. The Lions are 7-6 against Cornell since the trophy's inception in 2010.
• The Lions will honor the 34-member senior class before the game.
• Wide receiver Bryson Canty was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, while quarterback Caleb Sanchez picked up Rookie of the Week honors.
• Columbia leads the Ancient Eight and ranks No. 6 in FCS in scoring defense (16.9 PPG).

POSTGAME NOTES - BROWN
• Bryson Canty is up to 1,621 receiving yards, which puts him fifth on Columbia's all-time list. He also moved to fourth on the career receiving touchdown list (17) with two more TD catches at Brown.
• Caleb Sanchez became the first true first-year quarterback to start a game since Ty Lenhart in 2018. He is the first Lion quarterback to throw three touchdown passes since Joe Green in 2022.
• The Lions racked up a season-high 315 passing yards after A.J. Simpkins added 74 yards through the air.
• Columbia is 6-0 when recording at least one takeaway.

WHAT'S THE SCENARIO?
Columbia trails Harvard (5-1 Ivy) by one game in the Ivy League standings heading into the final week of the regular season. The Lions can clinch a share of their second conference title, and first since 1961, with a victory and a Harvard loss to Yale on Saturday. Dartmouth (4-2 Ivy) can also earn a portion of the championship with a win over Brown and a Crimson loss.

SENIOR DAY
Before Saturday's game, Columbia will honor the 34 senior class members. The Lions' Class of 2024 includes Aaron Brebnor, CJ Brown, Will Butz, Bryson Canty, Pat Colicchio, Ben Corniello, Reid Englert, Raleigh Erwin, Joey Giorgi, Austin Grier, George Hawkins III, William Hughes, John Iannuzzi, James Knox, Jake Langdon, Jack Larsen, Marcus Lenz, Marcus Libman, John Martin, Hayden McDonald, Carter McFadden, Rocco Milia, James Miller, Lucas Mireur, Pat Passalacqua, Shawn Riley, Scott Rosati, Anthony Roussos, Aidan Shinfeld, Reid Spachman, Jalen Smith, Malcolm Terry II, Justin Townsend, Matthew Werd. Depending on individual circumstances, several of these student-athletes could return to the Lions for the 2025 season. They have been a part of 22 victories in their three-plus seasons with Columbia.

A COLUMBIA WIN WOULD...
• Keep Ivy League title hopes alive.
• Give Columbia five Ivy League wins for the first time since 2017.
• Give Jon Poppe the most victories for a first-year head coach since 1899.

SERIES HISTORY
Columbia and Cornell will meet for the 111th time in a series that dates back to 1889. The Big Red are 66-41-3 all-time against the Lions. However, Columbia has won three in a row and five of the last six matchups.

LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
Columbia jumped out to a big lead and held off Cornell to finish the 2023 season with a 29-14 victory over Cornell. With the win, the Lions retained the Empire State Bowl Trophy for the third consecutive season.

Columbia picked off four passes, including a 71-yard pick-six by Hayden McDonald, to seal the victory in the fourth quarter. The Lions racked up a season-high 247 rushing yards, led by Malcolm Terry II's 90, and held the Big Red to just 33 yards on the ground.

The Lions led 22-0 before a pair of second-half scores from Cornell before McDonald's interception iced the game in the fourth.

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.

Since 2018, the game has been the final contest on both team's schedules.

CORNELL'S STATUS
• Cornell is coming off an upset 39-22 victory over No. 24 Dartmouth. Jameson Wang scored three touchdowns, and Allen Zhao kicked four field goals to tie a program record in a strong win for the Big Red.
•Dan Swanstrom is in his first season leading the Big Red. Previously, Swanstrom served as the offensive coordinator at Penn from 2022-23. 
• Cornell's offense is second in the Ivy League in yards per game and passing yards. Jameson Wang leads the Ivy League in passing touchdowns and is second in passing yards (2370. Samuel Musungu leads the Ivy League in receptions and receiving touchdowns. Musungu's 8.3 receptions per game and 75 receptions are good for second and third in the nation, respectively. 
• Alan Zhao is tied for the Ivy League lead in field goal percentage after going 10-10 in field goal attempts thus far.  

TICKETS
Tickets start at just $20. Click here to purchase game tickets or call 888-LIONS-11
 
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