Yale Football Blog

The Ivy League announced last week that all fall sports have been canceled in 2020 due to the continued risk posed by COVID-19. While the League left open the possibility of allowing fall sports to compete in the spring, Coach Reno’s email to the football association only referenced looking forward to the fall 2021 season. Whether this was intentional or not remains to be seen.

If football is in fact delayed until the fall of 2021, there will inevitably be turnover on the roster. What will the roster and depth chart look like next fall? Have we seen the last performances from stellar athletes such as Lamar? Will our top coaches turn down potentially lucrative offers from FBS schools to stick around? Only time will tell.

With the focus now shifting solely to strength and conditioning, Yale must shore up its offensive and defensive lines by developing players that can physically dominate at the point of attack. Let’s pack some serious muscle onto our quarterbacks while we’re at it as no Ivy League defense has shown the ability to tackle strong quarterbacks with speed!

With the recent announcements that Bowdoin and Williams will be canceling all fall sports, the status of the fall football season remains in jeopardy for the Ancient Eight. Ivy League Presidents have been actively discussing the possibilities of an outright cancellation, a shortened Ivy-only fall season or a spring Ivy-only season. We are eagerly anticipating an official announcement from the Ivy League as to what the future may hold this fall.

The Patriot League has already placed restrictions on their out of conference contests, so don’t hold your breath for the Fordham at Hawaii matchup this season.

The Yale Bowl offers quite possibly the most social distancing friendly atmosphere in the entire country given the ample space and limited crowds for non-HYP contests. While the risk to the fans might be low, the true dangers would be for the coaches and Yale employees who interact with the diverse student body on a daily basis (assuming the players have adequate immune systems to fight the virus).

All we can do at this point is to hope and pray to see the Bulldogs in 2020.

After the cancellation of remaining winter and spring sports, the NCAA has announced a ban on in-person recruiting until at least April 15th.

We have not seen an official announcement regarding the cancellation of Spring Ball, but with students not returning to campus this semester and the closure of Payne Whitney Gymnasium, there is simply no hope of seeing the Bulldogs in the Bowl this spring. Some SEC schools have been hosting football practices, although the conference will not allow spring games.

The loss of spring practices is devastating to the 2020 Bulldogs as we needed all the time possible to improve timing between our quarterbacks and receivers given the graduation of Yale’s terrific trio. The offensive line, defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs had to fill holes and develop young talent to compete. Now, this will simply be a year of stunted growth.

Other Ivy foes such as Harvard and Dartmouth will not be as affected as Yale by the loss of spring practices. Both Harvard and Dartmouth return key components of their offenses and you know Buddy will find creative ways to roll out an All-Ivy roster of 5th year seniors.

Following in the footsteps of Florida State University, Yale’s Men’s Basketball program should urge Connecticut legislators to declare Yale as the 2020 National Champion.

Mitchell Tyler, 6’5”, 240 lbs., Defensive End, McKinney (McKinney, TX)

Connor Halverson, 6’4″, 270 lbs., Offensive Tackle, Westlake (Austin, TX)

Bennie Anderson, 6’3”, 273 lbs., Offensive Guard, Westminster Christian Academy (St. Louis, MO)

Teo Falk, 6’7”, 255 lbs., Defensive End, Sweden

Joe Gonzales, 6’3”, 185 lbs., Safety, Lake Stevens (Lake Stevens, WA)

Devyn Suggs, 6’4”, 195 lbs., Quarterback, Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, IL)

Kade Barnes, 5’10”, 170 lbs., Cornerback, Cy Ridge (Houston, TX)

Charles “Ceejay” Thompson, 6’2”, 190 lbs., Wide Receiver, Trinity Christian School (Cedar Hill, TX)

Ryan Lindley, 5’10”, 160 lbs., Wide Receiver, Westlake (Austin, TX)

Ejiro Egodogbare, 6’3”, 270 lbs., Defensive Tackle, Roxbury Latin (West Roxbury, MA)

Ben Mann, 6’4”, 230 lbs., Defensive End, Manheim Township (Lancaster, PA)

Tre Peterson, 5’10”, 178 lbs., Wide Receiver/Cornerback, Columbus (Columbus, GA)

Gabriel Sleenhof, 6’4”, 260 lbs., Offensive Line/Defensive Line, Ravenswood (Brentwood, TN)

Kiran Amegadjie, 6’5”, 275 lbs., Offensive Tackle, Hinsdale Central
(Hinsdale, IL)

Dean Shaffer, 6’1”, 230 lbs., Linebacker, Smithtown East (Smithtown, NY)

Zion Dayne, 6’3”, 240 lbs., Defensive End, South County (Lorton, VA)

Shaun Gold, 6’3”, 185 lbs., Wide Receiver, Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)

Wyatt Raymond, 6’4”, 225 lbs., Tight End, Enfield (Enfield, CT)

Shamus Florio, 6’3”, 195 lbs., Punter/Kicker, Andover (Andover, MA)

Jacob Saffold, 5’10”, 190 lbs., Running Back, Norfolk Academy (Norfolk, VA)

Ryan Belk, 6’5”, 205 lbs., Tight End, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, FL)

Nathan Puletasi, 6’3″, 265 lbs., Defensive Tackle, Choate (Wallingford, CT)

Grant Jordan, 6’2”, 195 lbs., Quarterback, Jesuit (New Orleans, LA)

Jack Karhu, 6’4”, 250 lbs., Offensive Tackle, Independence (Frisco, TX)

Sean Guyton, 6’0”, 175 lbs., Cornerback, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA)

Chase Nenad, 6’3”, 200 lbs., Wide Receiver, Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)

Zack Haaland, 6’3″, 185 lbs., Quarterback/Athlete, Dallas Christian (Dallas, TX)

Damian Anderson, 6’1″, 165 lbs., Cornerback, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

Nathaniel Campbell, 6’3″, 200 lbs., Outside Linebacker, Oswego East (Oswego, IL)

Cole Hagen, 6’2″, 180 lbs., Quarterback, Corner Canyon (Draper, UT)

The 9-1 Bulldogs were ranked 24th and 25th respectively by the FCS Coaches Poll and the STATS FCS Final Top 25.

Kurt Rawlings was a late edition to the East-West Shrine Bowl and will be playing for the West. Check out this interview with Kurt from yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD_phz1-V3o

The Shrine Bowl will air on the NFL Network on Saturday at 3 PM ET.

Rawlings isn’t the only Bulldog who will be playing in front of fans and scouts on Saturday. Dieter Eiselen was selected to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and will play at the historic Rose Bowl. That game will air after the Shrine Bowl at 7 PM ET on the NFL Network.

Kurt Rawlings was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year as well as New England Football Writers Association’s Player of the Year.

Several Bulldogs were honored on the All-Ivy Teams:

Dieter Eiselen, OL, First Team All-Ivy

Kurt Rawlings, QB, Unanimous First Team All-Ivy

JP Shohfi, WR, First Team All-Ivy

Reed Klubnik, WR, First Team All-Ivy

Sam Tuckerman, K, First Team All-Ivy

Sterling Strother, OL, Second Team All-Ivy

Zane Dudek, RB, Second Team All-Ivy

Spencer Matthaei, DL, Second Team All-Ivy

Ryan Burke, LB, Second Team All-Ivy

Malcolm Dixon, CB, Second Team All-Ivy

Cameron Warfield, OL, Honorable Mention All-Ivy

Rodney Thomas, LB, Honorable Mention All-Ivy

Melvin Rouse, CB, Honorable Mention All-Ivy

Here are the known commits:

Mitchell Tyler, 6’5”, 240 lbs., Defensive End, McKinney (McKinney, TX)

Connor Halverson, 6’4″, 270 lbs., Offensive Tackle, Westlake (Austin, TX)

Bennie Anderson, 6’3”, 273 lbs., Offensive Guard, Westminster Christian Academy (St. Louis, MO)

Teo Falk, 6’7”, 255 lbs., Defensive End, Sweden

Joe Gonzales, 6’3”, 185 lbs., Safety, Lake Stevens (Lake Stevens, WA)

Devyn Suggs, 6’4”, 195 lbs., Quarterback, Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, IL)

Kade Barnes, 5’10”, 170 lbs., Cornerback, Cy Ridge (Houston, TX)

Charles “Ceejay” Thompson, 6’2”, 190 lbs., Wide Receiver, Trinity Christian School (Cedar Hill, TX)

Ryan Lindley, 5’10”, 160 lbs., Wide Receiver, Westlake (Austin, TX)

Ejiro Egodogbare, 6’3”, 270 lbs., Defensive Tackle, Roxbury Latin (West Roxbury, MA)

Ben Mann, 6’4”, 230 lbs., Defensive End, Manheim Township (Lancaster, PA)

Tre Peterson, 5’10”, 178 lbs., Wide Receiver/Cornerback, Columbus (Columbus, GA)

Gabriel Sleenhof, 6’4”, 260 lbs., Offensive Line/Defensive Line, Ravenswood (Brentwood, TN)

Kiran Amegadjie, 6’5”, 275 lbs., Offensive Tackle, Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale, IL)

Dean Shaffer, 6’1”, 230 lbs., Linebacker, Smithtown East (Smithtown, NY)

Zion Dayne, 6’3”, 240 lbs., Defensive End, South County (Lorton, VA)

Shaun Gold, 6’3”, 185 lbs., Wide Receiver, Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)

Wyatt Raymond, 6’4”, 225 lbs., Tight End, Enfield (Enfield, CT)

Shamus Florio, 6’3”, 195 lbs., Punter/Kicker, Andover (Andover, MA)

Jacob Saffold, 5’10”, 190 lbs., Running Back, Norfolk Academy (Norfolk, VA)

Ryan Belk, 6’5”, 205 lbs., Tight End, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, FL)

Nathan Puletasi, 6’3″, 265 lbs., Defensive Tackle, Choate (Wallingford, CT)

Let us know who is missing and we will update the list!

The Yale Bulldogs won the 2019 Ivy League Championship with a stunning double overtime victory over the Harvard Crimson.  Congratulations to the players and coaches of Team 147 on an unbelievable season to remember!

The offense came out swinging with a 51 yard passing play to Sandifer on the first play from scrimmage.  Harvard’s stout defense clamped down on the Elis forcing a field goal on that possession and limiting Yale to just 3 points until the second half.  With Harvard up 22-3 in the third quarter, the Yale offense responded to the pressure by simply slicing apart the Crimson defense.  Rawlings’ quick feet and golden arm were on display as he avoided pressure, chewed up yardage in the ground game and delivered perfect strikes through the air.  Rawlings finished with 417 passing yards, 62 yards rushing, 3 touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.  Shohfi and Klubnik cemented their status as the best Yale receiving duo of all time.  Shohfi battled through an injury all day and caught every ball remotely close to him.  Klubnik roasted defensive backs and racked up much needed yards after the catch.  The two-headed monster of Shohfi and Klubnik combined for 244 receiving yards and a touchdown, but even that gaudy stat line doesn’t begin to show how clutch these players were down the stretch.  Herring, Tipton and Sandifer had their best performances of their careers when we needed them most.  The offensive line had some early struggles against Harvard’s defensive line, yet the Bulldogs wore them down and were able to provide Rawlings with nice protection in the second half and overtime.  Tribble suffered a serious injury and was carted off of the field.  Cepalia stepped in and the offense didn’t miss a beat.  Dudek had nifty runs to keep the chains moving and a stellar overtime touchdown, while Lamar was phenomenal catching balls out of the backfield.

Poor tackling and even worse open field angles allowed Harvard’s freshman running back Borguet to rush for 269 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Harvard scored very quickly on drives giving much needed time for the Yale offense to operate in the second half.  The defensive line and linebackers harassed Smith for much of the day with sacks from Sampleton, Goodyear and Burke.  Rouse was spectacular with an interception and numerous big hits.  In the second overtime, Dean made a crucial tackle on 3^rd down forcing Harvard into a do-or-die fourth down attempt.  Harvard opted to put the ball in BJ Watson’s hands, however, Burke and Thomas read the play perfectly and each got a shot on Watson as he fell short of the first down marker.  The defense stepped up to the challenge in critical moments to seal the victory.

Sam Tuckerman will go down as the best onside kicker in Ivy League history.  We saw his skill in that department versus Richmond, but no onside kick was bigger than the one Klubnik recovered in The Game.  Harvard actually executed their onside return scheme effectively with the front line acting as blockers, however, they didn’t account for a better receiver from Texas stepping in front of their Texan wideout.  Bosman averaged over 35 yards per punt and delivered excellent hang time on the punt that Harvard dropped. 

The Curse of Cozza lives on!

The Harvard Crimson travel to New Haven this weekend for the 136^th playing of The Game on Saturday at noon.  The Game will be aired on ESPNU, but you really don’t want to miss the last chance to see Rawlings, Shohfi and Klubnik play in the Bowl.

Harvard’s roster is stacked with talent thanks to bringing in the top-ranked recruiting classes year over year.  Junior quarterback Jake Smith leads Harvard’s offense and has improved tremendously from his freshman season.  Smith has thrown for an average of 223 yards per game with 17 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.  Coach Murphy commented earlier in the season that Smith was finally developing into the quarterback that they believed he could be when they recruited him.  He’s very nimble in the pocket with a strong arm, but occasionally suffers from poor decision making.  Senior wide receiver Cody Chrest is Smith’s favorite target with 612 receiving yards (15.3 yards per catch) and 4 touchdowns on the season.  Senior wideout Jack Cook sat out last week with an injury, but plans to play this week versus the Bulldogs.  Cook leads the team in touchdown receptions with 5 and averages 16.6 yards per catch.  Junior BJ Watson is a former running back that converted to receiver this season.  Watson might be the most explosive receiver of the corps and is difficult to tackle in the open field.  Harvard always features a top-notch tight end in their offense and junior Ryan Reagan is no exception.  Junior running back Devin Darrington is a fast and powerful back that breaks arm tackles with ease.  Darrington was very difficult for the Bulldogs to contain a year ago and is infamous in Ivy League circles for his decision to run out of bounds against Dartmouth that proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Crimson in their upset bid.  Freshman running back Aidan Borguet has had a stellar freshman season rushing for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The offensive line has opened huge holes for Darrington and Borguet in the running game and is above average in pass protection.  Yale must control the line of scrimmage this week to emerge victorious.

Harvard’s defense has been the strength of the team all season.  The Crimson defensive line was the only unit that dominated Dartmouth’s offensive line.  Senior defensive lineman Brogan McPartland has racked up 33 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks over 9 games.  Harvard may be without their talented sophomore defensive end Truman Jones who suffered an injury weeks ago, although Nasir Darnell, Jacob Sykes and Anthony Nelson are all powerful defensive linemen that can keep Harvard’s defense from missing a beat.  Harvard’s corps of linebackers is experienced and deep.  Senior linebacker Cameron Kline and junior linebacker Jordan Hill each have 49 tackles on the season.  Senior linebacker Joey Goodman is another defender to keep an eye on with 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, half a sack and and an interception.  Senior safety Cole Thompson leads the defense in total tackles with 51.  Junior safety Max Jones is the top pass defender in the secondary with 3 interceptions and 7 pass breakups.  Cornerback and captain Wesley Ogsbury was an All-Ivy selection a year ago who is a lockdown corner when healthy.  Junior cornerback Isaiah Wingfield is coming off an impressive 10 tackle performance last week versus Penn.

Senior kicker Jake McIntyre is 8 of 14 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 42 yards.  McIntyre has not missed a single extra point.  Sophomore punter Jon Sot is averaging 42.5 yards per punt and has placed 6 punts inside the 20 yard line.  BJ Watson is the top kick returner averaging 19.3 yards per return.  Harvard has not found consistency at the punt returner position with 8 different players combining for just 3.1 yards per return on average.

The Bulldogs will have to stay focused and play their best game of the season this week to secure an Ivy League title.  Winning the turnover battle, controlling the clock and eliminating mental mistakes in the secondary will be key in this clash.

Go Bulldogs!