EASTON, Pa. — The Columbia football team fell to Lafayette, 38-14, inside the Fisher Stadium on Friday night. The Lions (0-1) trailed for the entirety of the game, a second-half turnover and missed opportunities on fourth down limited Columbia's ability to close the gap.

"Lafayette executed and we didn't," said Patricia and Shepard Head Coach Jon Poppe. "They controlled the line of scrimmage in their run game and pushed us around and showed a seasoned team and a veteran team, and we showed our youth. We've got to do better as coaches to put our guys in successful positions. We will just change up more in the scheme, whether it is offense teams or special teams, we were way too stagnant."

Offensively, first-year running back Michael Walters was responsible for 63 of Columbia's 91 yards on the ground. Junior wide receiver Titus Evans recorded a game-high of 58 yards in the air. Defensively, Junior linebacker Charlie Newton led the Lions with 12 tackles, while sophomore defensive back Caleb Solomon followed with a career-high of 11 stops. 

Lafayette's (3-1) running back Kente Edwards dominated the ground game with 151 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

In the first quarter, the Leopards scored 10 unanswered with a field goal from 37 yards and a 13-yard rushing touchdown to an early lead.

After the Lions' first two drives stalled, they finally gained some momentum after a pair of rushes by Walters to put Columbia in Lafayette territory. Junior quarterback Chase Goodwin connected with sophomore wide receiver Hutch Crow for a 17-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 2:28 left in the opening frame.

Lafayette extended its lead early in the second quarter as Edwards capped off a short drive with a 3-yard rush, and just crossed the plane to push the score to 17-7 with 12:57 remaining in the half.

The Lions responded late in the second quarter with an 11-play, 74-yard drive. Sophomore Griffin Johnson concluded the series with a 4-yard rushing touchdown. Junior kicker Hugo Merry completed the extra point to bring Columbia within three with under a minute in the half.

Edwards found the endzone again to cap Lafayette's first drive of the second half to make it a two-score game once again.

Columbia's offense looked like it was picking up momentum on its next possession, as Goodwin found Johnson for a short gain to midfield. But the drive came up empty when the Leopards intercepted Goodwin's next pass. The Lions' defense battled to keep the Leopards out of the end zone, with stops from Solomon and junior defensive back Levi Robins, but the Leopards put away another touchdown in the quarter to extend the lead, 31-14 as the clock struck 6:45. 

Lafayette took advantage on a turnover on downs deep in Columbia territory to extend its lead to 38-14 with a 1-yard touchdown run from Ethan Weber and never looked back.

"The way the kids fought, there was no quit," said Poppe. "There was no give in. We put the defense in a tough situation to make it 38 but we were still trying to win the game at that point and doing what we felt was best. I wish that didn't happen, but it is what it is and we will learn from it."

The Lions will unveil the 2024 Ivy League Championship banner ahead of its home opener against Georgetown on Saturday, September 27, at Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. on ESPN+.

Tickets are available starting at $13. To purchase, click here or call 888-LIONS-11.

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POSTGAME NOTES

• The matchup marked the 45th time the Lions and the Leopards met with Lafayette leading the all-time series 30-13-2. The Lions have yet to defeat the Leopards in Easton.
• This is the first time Columbia allowed 30+ points since Nov. 4, 2023 against Harvard (38)
• Hugo Merry made both of his extra point tries, and has hit 37 in a row dating back to the 2023 season, to set a new program record.