EASTON, Pa. — Columbia Football begins its 155th season Friday night when the defending Ivy League co-champions head to Lafayette for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Fisher Stadium. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Gary Laubach, Mike Joseph, and Megan Caffrey on the call.

OPENING DRIVE
• Columbia is coming off its first Ivy League Championship in 63 years. The Lions finished last season 7-3 overall and 5-2 in conference play, sharing the Ancient Eight crown with Harvard and Dartmouth.
• Jon Poppe enters year two with Columbia and returns his entire staff, who garnered Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024.
• The Lions have a wealth of experience returning, including five defensive starters, seven on the offensive side and two specialists. Within that group, four have earned All-Ivy League honors at least once in their careers.
• Columbia has won six of its last seven season openers, dating back to 2017.

A COLUMBIA WIN WOULD...
• Be the first win for the program in Easton.
• Improve the Lions to 20-4 against non-conference opponents since 2016.
• Be the 46th win for the program against a Patriot League school.

SERIES HISTORY
Columbia and Lafayette will meet for the 45th time with the Leopards holding a 29-13-2 advantage in the series. The Lions have won two of the last three meetings in 2010 and 2024, but are 0-14-1 when playing in Easton.

A LOOK BACK...
Columbia opened the Jon Poppe era with a 31-20 win over No. 14/18 Lafayette, the Lions' first victory over a ranked foe since 2019 and a top-15 opponent since 1995. Quarterback Chase Goodwin shined in his first start, going 16-of-19 for 180 yards and two touchdowns, both to Bryson Canty, who finished with six catches for 95 yards. Malcolm Terry II's 53-yard run set up another score, while the defense forced two late turnovers to seal it. Hayden McDonald posted 10 tackles.

LAFAYETTE'S STATUS
• Lafayette is coming off a 42-37 victory over Georgetown last weekend. Lafayette has won two contests in a row (Stonehill and Georgetown) after dropping their season opener to FBS Bowling Green.
• Lafayette's offense is averaging over 400 yards per game. They lead the Patriot League in rushing touchdowns (10), rushing yards (667) and yards per carry (6.2). The Leopards are second in touchdowns (13), points (91), and points per game (30.3).
• Running back Kente Edwards is leading the nation in rushing touchdowns (7) and yards per carry (10), while leading the Patriot League in those categories plus rushing yards (409).  
• Lafayette's defense is allowing over four touchdowns per game, while giving up 353 yards per contest.  
• Lafayette's special teams lead the Patriot League in kickoff return yardage (270), while Jack Simonetta is a perfect 13-13 in PAT attempts. 

COLUMBIA/LAFAYETTE CONNECTIONS
• Lafayette head coach John Troxell spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Columbia (1994-96) under head coach Ray Tellier. In 1996, Troxell oversaw a secondary that recorded the third-best passing defense in the country. Troxell helped Columbia to its first winning season in 23 seasons in 1994. An 8-2 mark and the program's best finish in 15 years followed in 1996.
• Columbia defensive coordinator Justin Stovall is a 2007 Lafayette grad. He played linebacker and was part of three conference titles with the Leopards.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Friday marks the first of four Friday night games for the Lions. Only NIU and Ohio (five) have more non-Saturday games than Columbia among NCAA Division I programs in 2025. The Lions will be featured three times on ESPNU in conference play (Oct. 3 at Princeton, Oct. 24 at Dartmouth and Nov. 7 vs. Harvard).

LIONS IN PRIMETIME
Columbia is 9-19 all-time when playing night games. On Fridays, Columbia is just 3-9. The Lions will look for their second consecutive Friday night win after a 13-10 triumph over Yale last season. 

NON-CONFERENCE ROARING
Columbia went 2-1 in non-conference games last season and is 19-5 in its last 24 non-conference contests. The Lions have gone a perfect 3-0 four times in the previous six years and have not been under .500 against non-conference opponents since 2016.

STARTING ON THE RIGHT FOOT
Columbia has won six of its last seven season openers, dating back to 2017 and is 4-1 when debuting on the road during that span.

THE CAPTAINS
Upon the conclusion of the last season, senior defensive end Justin Townsend, senior linebacker Jack Smiechowski, senior center Mark Chapman and junior quarterback were named team captains for 2025. The quartet was selected by a team vote. Smiechowski is a second-generation captain. His grandfather, Tom O'Connor, was a running back on Columbia's first Ivy League Championship squad in 1961 and served as captain in 1962.

CHAPMAN NOMINATED FOR WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY
Senior offensive lineman Mark Chapman was Columbia's nominee for the William V. Campbell trophy. It is awarded by the National Football Foundation to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. It is considered by many to be the "Academic Heisman" and nicknamed as such. Chapman, an Economics major, is a three-year starter at center.