Columbia
1-0 , 0-0
Lafayette
1-2 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 34 |
| Columbia | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 40 |
Robinson's Walk-Off TD Lifts Football Past Lafayette, 40-34
9/19/2026 4:58:00 PM | Football
MD Awe intercepted Lafayette on the first play of overtime to set up the winning score.
MD Awe intercepted Daniel Lipovski on the first play of the extra period, setting up Goodwin's game-winning throw on the next snap.
"It's obviously great to be 1-0, but we have a lot to clean up," said Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Jon Poppe after the game. "(There's) a lot to be excited about. A lot of guys in their first start are trying to figure out what they can do really well in live action, and I think we learned some of that today."
First-year Bryce Coleman led Columbia with seven receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate debut. Robinson had four catches for 70 yards, including the winning score. Griffin Johnson ran for 124 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and added 37 receiving yards.
Goodwin threw for a career-high 342 yards as Columbia finished with 524 yards of total offense, its first 500-yard game since Nov. 10, 2018, at Brown.
Columbia took a 17-10 halftime lead after marching 75 yards on its opening drive. Xander Menapace, who checked in at quarterback, threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Coleman after Columbia drew pass interference penalties in the end zone on targets to Coleman and Robinson.
Lafayette answered with a 40-yard field goal and later pulled within 14-10 on Zane Wooldridge's 16-yard touchdown catch. Columbia added a field goal in the closing seconds of the half.
Lafayette tied the game at 17 on Jakyre Henley's 24-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. Columbia regained the lead on Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run and extended it to 31-17 early in the fourth on Goodwin's 15-yard touchdown pass to Coleman.
The Leopards responded with Carson Persing's 14-yard touchdown run, then tied it at 31 on a defensive score when Joey Shimko forced a fumble on a strip sack and Sean Curtis returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.
The teams traded field goals to make it 34-34, and regulation ended with Columbia going three-and-out in the final minute.
For Columbia, Caleb Solomon had 10 tackles. Jeremiah Douglas added eight tackles and a sack. Awe finished with three tackles, two pass breakups and the overtime interception.
Lafayette fell to 1-2.
Columbia plays at Georgetown on Sept. 26 in Washington, D.C., in the Lou Little Cup. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE LIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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POSTGAME NOTES
- With his two field goals, Merry moved into third place in program history with 26 career makes.
- Griffin Johnson has rushed for over 100 yards in two consecutive games dating back to the last game of the 2025 season.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
LAF 0, COL 7
COL - Coleman,Bryce 2 yd pass from Menapace,Xander (Merry,Hugo kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:37
LAF 3, COL 7
LAF - Simonetta,Jack 40 yd field goal 8 plays, 43 yards, TOP 03:18
LAF 3, COL 14
COL - Menapace,Xander 1 yd run (Merry,Hugo kick), 6 plays, 30 yards, TOP 03:16
LAF 10, COL 14
LAF - Wooldridge,Zane 16 yd pass from Lipovski,Daniel (Simonetta,Jack kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:25
LAF 10, COL 17
COL - Merry,Hugo 25 yd field goal 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 00:49
LAF 17, COL 17
LAF - Henley,Jakyre 24 yd run (Simonetta,Jack kick), 9 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:34
LAF 17, COL 24
COL - Johnson,Griffin 1 yd run (Merry,Hugo kick), 8 plays, 89 yards, TOP 04:28
LAF 17, COL 31
COL - Coleman,Bryce 15 yd pass from Goodwin,Chase (Merry,Hugo kick) 7 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:02
LAF 24, COL 31
LAF - Persing,Carson 14 yd pass from Lipovski,Daniel (Simonetta,Jack kick) 10 plays, 66 yards, TOP 04:33
LAF 31, COL 31
LAF - Curtis,Sean 23 yd fumble recovery (Simonetta,Jack kick)
LAF 31, COL 34
COL - Merry,Hugo 21 yd field goal 8 plays, 72 yards, TOP 03:49
LAF 34, COL 34
LAF - Simonetta,Jack 31 yd field goal 11 plays, 61 yards, TOP 03:17
LAF 34, COL 40
COL - Robinson,Beckett 25 yd pass from Goodwin,Chase () 1 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
