Columbia
Yale
10/28/2026 2:00:00 PM | Football
The Lions and Bulldogs will face off Saturday at 12 p.m.
OPENING DRIVE
• The Lions will look to snap a two-game home skid when they host Yale on Saturday to close out October.
• Columbia fell to Dartmouth, 38-18, on Homecoming last Saturday.
• Wide receiver Bryce Coleman set a program record by catching a touchdown pass in his sixth consecutive game against the Big Green. He was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the third straight week and fourth time overall.
A WIN WOULD...
• Be the second straight home win over Yale.
• Even the Lions' Ivy League record at 2-2.
• Snap a five-game home losing streak in conference play
DARTMOUTH LEFTOVERS
• Dartmouth totaled 419 yards and forced three second-half turnovers in the victory.
• Griffin Johnson rushed 15 times for 73 yards and was named the John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game.
• AJ George led the defense with 10 tackles, setting a new career-high.
YALE'S STATUS
• Yale enters the matchup 3-3 through its first six games of the season. The Bulldogs are averaging 29.3 points and 441.3 yards of total offense per game, ranking second in the Ivy League in scoring offense and first in total offense.
• Yale's offense is averaging 272.8 passing yards and 168.5 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Dante Reno has thrown for 1,393 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading the Ivy League in passing touchdowns. Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni leads the rushing attack with 766 yards and five touchdowns. Jaxton Santiago leads the receiving corps with 103.7 yards per game and eight touchdowns.
• Yale's defense is allowing 27.0 points and 302.8 yards per game, ranking third in the Ivy League in total defense. The Bulldogs are allowing 181.7 passing yards and 121.2 rushing yards per game. Phoenix Grant leads the team among nationally ranked players with 8.3 tackles per game, while Osize Daniyan leads the nation with 0.50 forced fumbles per game. Yale also ranks first nationally in first-down defense (91) and third in third-down conversion defense (26.0%).
• On special teams, Reese Keeney averages 41.2 yards per punt, ranking third in the Ivy League. Noah Piper has converted 77.8% of his field goal attempts, ranking second in the conference. Lucius Anderson leads the Ivy League with 26.6 yards per kickoff return, while Jaxton Santiago leads the conference with 12.5 yards per punt return.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
Yale broke open a tight contest with two third-quarter scores to win 24-10 over Columbia. The Bulldogs recorded five sacks, while 10 penalties hampered the Lions. After a scoreless first quarter, Dante Reno connected with Jaxton Santiago for two touchdown passes. The Lions ran a near-perfect two-minute drill when Chase Goodwin hit Titus Evans across the middle for a six-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-7 at the half.
Both teams traded empty possessions to open the second half before Yale added a 40-yard field goal to make it a two-score game at the 5:35 mark of the third. Columbia then went three-and-out, and the Bulldogs put the game away when Wilhelm Daal squeezed through the line and sprinted 81 yards for a touchdown, putting Yale up 24-7 just under two minutes later.
SERIES HISTORY
• Saturday marks the 104th meeting between Columbia and Yale all-time. The series started in 1872 with a 3-0 Yale win.
• Columbia trails Yale 78-23-2 in the series after a 24-10 loss at the Yale Bowl in 2025.
• Saturday will be the 46th game of the series played in New York City.
COLUMBIA/YALE CONNECTIONS
Yale co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Paul Rice spent two seasons at Columbia from 2022-23, where he coached linebackers and served as special teams coordinator. With the Lions, he developed First Team All-Ivy linebacker Anthony Roussos and unanimous First Team All-Ivy punter William Hughes.
RETURN OF THE CAP
Senior linebacker and co-captain Charlie Newton made his season debut at Penn after missing the first four games of the season due to injury. Last week against Dartmouth, he entered the starting lineup and had nine tackles.
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