Yale Football Blog

Yale reached a recent program low with a 10-13 loss in New York City against Columbia on Friday night on national television. The Bulldogs are tied for last place in the Ivy League despite favorable matchups against backup quarterbacks for the Big Green and Lions.

Jordan was off target in the passing game for most of the night and was not aided by the awful play calling. Jordan finished with just 151 passing yards as overthrows and poor pass blocking doomed the Elis in the contest. Pitsenberger and Peterson combined for 100 rushing yards but were often swarmed by tacklers at the line of scrimmage. Peterson tripped up with open grass ahead of him on what could have been the longest rushing play of the evening. The offensive line failed to get to the second level in the running game and allowed Columbias linebackers to freely wreak havoc. Facing a 3-man defensive front from Columbia, it’s simply inexcusable to not have hands on the linebackers on all running plays. St. Aubyn had a backbreaking holding call on the final drive and the line failed to pick up a blitz on 3rd down with the game on the line. Columbia only recorded one sack on Jordan, yet he was never fully comfortable in the pocket. Yale’s lone touchdown came on a 24-yard pass to Denney in the second quarter and the Bulldogs were only able to add 3 points in the second half as drives quickly stalled out. Pantelis led the receiving corps with 6 catches for 52 yards but dropped a first down after a big hit. Shipp couldn’t hold onto a long diving grab and finished with just 2 catches for 20 yards. Felton was a bright spot with 5 catches for 39 yards. Overall, it was a giant step backwards in performance from the offensive line, quarterback and coaching staff that led to this defeat.

Despite the low score, the defensive performance was also a letdown. Columbia was able to run and pass at will with second stringers at various positions. Gonzalez, Guyton, Tarver and Webster were torched often in coverage, and Guyton gave up the winning score on a long throw to Columbia’s Canty. The defensive line was pushed around in the running game and the linebackers were easily neutralized by the Lions as they averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Columbia’s quarterback rushed for 82 yards as the Bulldogs have yet to find a way to slow quarterbacks in the running game. Yang returned from an injury but failed to make much of an impact as he wound up being pancaked by a tight end on a long quarterback run to seal the game. McDonough was one of the lone bright spots with 6 tackles and a sack. The Bulldogs were fortunate that Gonzalez forced a fumble early on that stopped a Columbia drive at Yale’s 11-yard line.

Conforti missed a 42-yard field goal that came back to bite the Bulldogs and has really struggled on field goals longer than 40 yards all season. Punt coverage was lackluster and gave Columbia great field advantage on two occasions. Unfortunately, the highlight of the game was Florio’s 58-yard punt.

The Bulldogs travel to the Big Apple this week for another Friday night contest at Columbia. Kickoff is slated for 7 PM ET and the game will air on ESPNU.

Columbia enters the contest with a 4-2 record (2-1 Ivy League) with close losses to Georgetown and Dartmouth. Dartmouth defeated Columbia by a score of 24-21 last week in New York but the Lions prevailed versus the Tigers and Quakers earlier in October.

Junior QB Cole Freeman (6’0”, 205 lbs.) will make his second start of the season after sophomore QB Chase Goodwin (6’2”, 215 lbs.) suffered a knee injury last week. Freeman has played in all six contests this season for the Lions and has completed 55.1% of his passes for 447 yards, 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Freeman is a dual threat transfer from Northwestern who leads the Lions with 2 rushing touchdowns. Senior RB Joey Giorgi (5’10”, 205 lbs.) has played very well this season averaging an astounding 6.1 yards per carry. Senior RB Malcolm Terry II (5’9”, 210 lbs.) is a former Navy transfer who gives Columbia a solid second option out of the backfield. Senior WR Bryson Canty (6’2”, 205 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Ivy selection in 2022 and has dominated opponents with 28 catches for 387 yards and 6 touchdowns. Junior WR Edan Stagg (6’1”, 180 lbs.) is also heavily targeted with 24 catches for 277 yards and a touchdown. Our linebackers and safeties will need to keep an eye on sophomore TE Braden Dougherty (6’5”, 245 lbs.) who has scored twice on receptions. Columbia’s offensive line averages 308.0 lbs. across the board and has been very efficient in run blocking with the Lions averaging 4.8 yards per carry as a team. Pass blocking is one area of weakness for Columbia as the Lions have given up 13 sacks on the season. Dartmouth was able to slow Columbia’s rushing attack to just 2.4 yards per carry and force Columbia into obvious passing situations which allowed the Big Green to rack up 4 sacks. Yale will need another great performance out of the front seven to stymy Giorgi, Freeman and Terry in the rushing game while limiting the mental errors in the secondary against a deep unit of receivers.

Columbia’s defense is led by senior LB Anthony Roussos (5’11”, 225 lbs.) who was a 1^st Team All-Ivy performer in 2023 and is second on the team in tackles with 43. Senior LB Rocco Milia (6’2”, 225 lbs.) leads the team with 44 tackles and has been equally impressive in pass coverage with 3 pass breakups. Columbia’s defensive line is a notch below Dartmouth’s defensive line in terms of talent but does a tremendous job of keeping blockers off of the linebackers. The defensive line is led by senior DL Patrick Passalacqua (6’2”, 295 lbs.) who has 22 tackles and a forced fumble on the season. Senior DL Justin Townsend (6’1”, 255 lbs.) notched 13.5 sacks a year ago but has not been seen in recent weeks due to an injury. The Lions’ secondary limited Dartmouth’s aerial assault to just 70 yards a week ago. Columbia’s defensive backfield features 3 returning starters from 2023 and has intercepted opposing quarterbacks on 7 occasions. Senior DB Hayden McDonald (5’9”, 180 lbs.) has had a stellar season thus far with 41 tackles and 3 interceptions. Senior DB Carter McFadden (5’11”, 180 lbs.) was an honorable mention All-Ivy selection last year and has 3 interceptions with 7 pass breakups. Senior DB Aaron Brebnor (6’1”, 195 lbs.) has seen action since his freshman season and has 22 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and an interception. Getting blockers on Columbia’s talented linebackers will be crucial in this contest to establish the running game. Jordan will need to shy away from heaving balls into tight coverage against the experienced defensive backs who have an aptitude for intercepting passes.

Sophomore K Hugo Merry (6’2”, 190 lbs.) has made 8 of 10 field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards. Senior P William Hughes (6’0”, 175 lbs.) was a unanimous 1^st Team All-Ivy selection in 2023 and is averaging an impressive 41.3 yards per punt. McFadden is a dangerous punt returner who always seems to be one tackle away from breaking a punt return loose for a touchdown.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Lions!

The Bulldogs put together their most complete game of the season with a 31-10 victory over Penn at Franklin Field. Yale moves to 4-2 on the season with a tough Friday night matchup at Columbia this week.

Grant Jordan got back into rhythm completing 80.0% of his passes for 289 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception. Pantelis had some of the most impressive receptions in Yale’s history on his way to 123 receiving yards and a touchdown. Shipp and Nenad were both banged up at times but fought through injuries with 7 catches for 70 yards and 4 catches for 36 yards respectively. Nenad displayed surprising power on his touchdown reception as he bowled his way through defenders at the goal line for a score. Santiago and Felton added another 54 receiving yards combined while Belk, Mermans and Foster filled in admirably for the injured Yates at tight end. The offensive line had another great outing as they paved the way for 5.9 yards per carry and did not allow a sack against a tough front from Penn. Lewis had a false start and missed a few blocks, but overall, the linemen continue to build momentum as the season progresses. Pitsenberger led the squad in rushing with 83 yards and broke tackles with ease. Peterson ripped off 80 rushing yards on just 10 carries while Jordan had impactful rushes for 25 yards. Yale averaged 7.6 yards per play and was able to dominate the time of possession as the Bulldogs held the ball for over 34 minutes. There’s still room for improvement on 3^rd downs where Yale struggled with just 5 conversions on 12 attempts. With 497 yards of total offense though, the staff and players deserve tremendous praise for an excellent week of preparation.

Despite the absence of Gulley, Yang and Shaffer, the Bulldogs limited Penn to under 200 yards of total offense. Hosley was kept in check in the ground game as he posted just 3.7 yards per carry. After Pantelis’ special teams blunder gave Penn the ball in great field position, Kamara changed the entire trajectory of the contest with a strip sack of Sayin that injured the talented signal caller. Kamara led the defense in tackles with 7 to go along with a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. Having Kamara, Daniyan and Tarver on the field at the same time did wonders for the defensive scheme. Biggs had his best performance of the season with 5 solo tackles and Ayo-Durojaiye played more at the inside linebacker position than we’ve seen previously. Phoenix Grant played well at linebacker and combined with Egodogbare for a touchdown saving tackle on a goal line stand. Egodogbare was a dominant force at the defensive tackle position with 6 solo tackles and a tackle for loss. Yale’s pass rush was finally able to make an impact with Tyler posting 1.5 sacks, McDonough notching a sack, and Jourdain adding another half a sack. Yale rotated defensive linemen often to keep the front seven fresh and saw great performances out of Jackson-Bass, Tate and Cave. Aside from a few mental mistakes, coverage was solid as Penn completed just 40.0% of passes. Richardson was held to only one catch for 11 yards after torching the Bulldogs a year ago. The quarterback rushes are still a concern moving forward as Penn’s backup Liam O’Brien rushed for 4.7 yards per carry and a touchdown.

Conforti was perfect on PATs and made his only field goal attempt on a 22-yard try in the 4^th quarter. Florio averaged 37.0 yards per punt, placed one punt inside the redzone, and had a nice tackle. Outside of Pantelis’ error on the punt return, execution was much improved on special teams.

The Bulldogs travel to Philadelphia to square off against the Penn Quakers in a nationally televised Friday night game. Kickoff is slated for 7 PM ET and the game will air on ESPNU.

Penn enters the contest with a 2-3 record after dropping close games to Dartmouth (17-20) and Columbia (17-23).

Penn’s offense has yet to hit its stride despite overwhelming talent at the skill positions. Senior QB Aidan Sayin (6’2”, 210 lbs.) shredded the Bulldogs for 364 passing yards a season ago but has not been as accurate this season with just a 60.6% completion rate with 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Sophomore RB Malachi Hosley (5’10”, 205 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Ivy performer in his freshman season and has the talent to start at most FBS programs. Hosley is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has reached the endzone 5 times in 5 games. Sophomore RB Jamal Bing, Jr. (5’9”, 190 lbs.) has also excelled this season rushing for 4.9 yards per carry and a touchdown. The Quakers’ receiving corps could be the one of the most talented units across the FCS. Junior WR Jared Richardson (6’2”, 215 lbs.) could not be covered by Yale in 2023 and leads Penn in receiving yards with 331 yards on 22 catches. Senior WR Julien Stokes (5’7”, 180 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Ivy receiver in 2022 and leads the Quakers in receptions with 25. Junior WR Bisi Owens (6’4”, 215 lbs.) is yet another dangerous receiver who has racked up 201 receiving yards and a touchdown. Senior WR Josh Casilli (6’0”, 190 lbs.) is a team captain who had a 32-yard reception at Yale a year ago. Senior TE Bryce Myers (6’3”, 230 lbs.) was an honorable mention All-Ivy player in 2023 and is the most active tight end in the passing game that we’ve seen this season. Penn’s offensive line averages 303.0 lbs. across the board and always seems to pose a problem for Yale. Columbia was able to stuff Penn’s running game by winning battles up front, so the Bulldogs’ defensive linemen and linebackers will need to have their best game of the season to mimic this blueprint. Penn’s receiving corps is too deep to simply double cover a player such as Richardson. Generating pressure on Sayin and not letting any receivers get behind the secondary will be keys to a successful outcome.

Penn’s stingy defense is led by a trio of standout linebackers. Junior LB Kadari Machen (6’0”, 205 lbs.) leads the Quakers in tackles with 41. Senior LB Jack Fairman (6’1”, 225 lbs.) was a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist in 2023 and is second on the team in tackles with 38. Junior LB John Lista (6’1”, 215 lbs.) has 33 tackles on the season and was difficult for the Bulldogs to contain in 2023. Senior S Shiloh Means (5’11”, 205 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Ivy defender and leads the team with 5 pass breakups. Senior S Julian Talley (5’9”, 180 lbs.) has played well as he leads the secondary in tackles with 32 and is also tied for the team lead in sacks with 2. Penn’s cornerbacks are not as accomplished as their safeties which should give Yale favorable matchups in the passing game. Senior DL Sam Carlson (6’4”, 270 lbs.) has been the most productive defensive linemen for the Quakers with 18 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Junior DL Carter Janki (6’5”, 285 lbs.) has performed well with 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Penn’s defensive line is on par with Dartmouth’s in terms of talent, although the Quakers seem to have a deeper rotation. The Quakers’ front seven have stuffed the Bulldogs over the past two seasons, so Yale’s greatest challenge offensively will be finding ways to spring Pitsenberger and Peterson loose. Jordan will also need to get back into the rhythm in the passing game to keep Penn from stacking the box.

Junior K Sam Smith (5’10”, 185 lbs.) is 6 of 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards. Senior P Albert Jang (6’2”, 200 lbs.) has been exceptional with a punting average of 43.0 yards with 3 punts greater than 50 yards. Stokes is a very dangerous kick returner averaging 30.6 yards per return.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Quakers!  

The Bulldogs concluded their non-conference play with a 38-23 victory over Lehigh at home. Yale moves to 3-2 on the season with an unblemished non-conference record, but the pressure is now on for a 5-0 run to finish the season.

The offensive line was the star of the contest as the linemen paved the way for 6.5 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns. Peterson finally found some open space in the running game and was able to rush for 98 yards on just 12 carries. Peterson’s 57-yard touchdown late in the third quarter was a dagger to Lehigh. Pitsenberger added 68 yards and a touchdown while Denney was solid as well with 46 yards. Jordan was not sacked and was very elusive when scrambling and rushing. The passing game never hit its stride with Jordan throwing an ugly interception early on and forcing too many passes deep into coverage. Shipp, Felton, Nenad and Pantelis all performed with the limited opportunities given. Yates was unfortunately injured and Luke Foster filled in at tight end. The offensive line combination of St. Aubyn, Sullivan, Smith, Charron, and Bennett seems to be giving Yale more push up front than we saw earlier in the season. Sophomore Quinton Lewis has also rotated in often at guard giving the Bulldogs an experienced core for the future. If Yale can sharpen up the play calling and execution in the passing game while continuing to improve in run blocking, it will be tough for Ivy defenses to slow the Bulldogs down.

Shaffer and Yang did not participate due to injuries and Gulley appeared to be injured after a harsh landing into the turf. Lehigh gashed the depleted run defense with 6.8 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns. The front seven failed to get off blocks and fill gaps leaving the safeties to make touchdown saving tackles if possible. The defense kept Yale in control by producing 4 turnovers. Kamara stripped a running back after a long dash and Da’Quan Gonzales returned a poorly placed pass for a touchdown. Tarver could be the highest performing defender through the first five games and picked off two passes to go along with 8 tackles. Guyton struggled early on with a pass interference penalty and wasn’t seen later in the contest with Thompson and Gonzales manning the corner spots. Gonzales was burned for a possible touchdown but luckily the pass was dropped by Lehigh. Egodogbare and Jackson-Bass were difficult for Lehigh to contain at times. The linebackers continue to be a problematic position producing just 4 solo tackles out of the starting trio on Saturday. The defense will need to have its best week of practice this week as Penn features the best quarterback, running back, and wide receiver that Yale has faced all season.

Conforti nailed a 40-yard field goal on his only attempt and was 5 of 5 on PATs. Florio had a 38.8-yard punting average with one punt placed inside the redzone. The kickoff team remains an area of concern as Lehigh’s top returner averaged 27.2 yards per kick return.   

The Bulldogs host the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Saturday at the Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 12 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

Lehigh enters the contest with a 3-2 record with losses to Army and Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks are 1-0 versus Ivy League opponents as they defeated Princeton by a score of 35-20 in Bethlehem.

Lehigh utilizes two pocket passing quarterbacks in freshman Hayden Johnson (6’1”, 195 lbs.) and senior Dante Perri (6’3”, 205 lbs.). Johnson has had an impressive season for a first year with a 75.5% completion rate, 437 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Perri has a fairly strong arm but has struggled with accuracy completing just 51.0% of his passes for 387 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Freshman QB Matt Machalik (6’0”, 200 lbs.) has also entered games as a power rusher on short yardage situations. The offensive star is sophomore RB Luke Yoder (5’11”, 200 lbs.) who is very fast and displays the power of a much larger running back. Yoder averages 5.5 yards per carry and likes to run over linebackers and safeties. Freshman RB Jaden Green (5’9”, 175 lbs.) gives Lehigh a nice 1-2 punch out of the backfield with his dynamic athleticism. Lehigh’s offensive line averages 291.0 lbs. across the board and is a veteran unit with all five starting offensive linemen having previous starting experience in 2023. The line is led by fifth year senior C George Padezanin (6’3”, 285 lbs.), a 3-time team captain. The front has paved the way for 170.6 rushing yards per game and opened up large holes against Princeton’s defense. Lehigh leans heavily on the rushing attack which has enabled them to control the clock against opponents with an average time of possession of 32.14 minutes per game. The offensive front does have some vulnerability against the pass rush as they have allowed 8 sacks on the season. Sophomore WR Mason Humphrey (6’4”, 210 lbs.) is a matchup problem for cornerbacks and has the ability to haul in tough catches. Junior WR Geoffrey Jamiel (5’8”, 180 lbs.) is likely the quickest wideout the Bulldogs have faced to date this season and has 20 catches for 246 yards and 5 touchdowns. Junior TE Nick Williams (6’5”, 255 lbs.) is primarily used as a blocker with just 2 catches on the season. The key for Yale is keeping the Mountain Hawks out of the redzone as they have been very efficient scoring touchdowns on 14 of 17 redzone trips. The Bulldogs must force Lehigh into uncomfortable 3^rd and 4^th down situations where they have struggled to date with just 45.7% efficiency on 3^rd downs and 36.4% efficiency on 4^th downs. Yale will be without McDonough at defensive end for the first half and could be missing Yang after his injury last week, so finding a way to control the line of scrimmage while shorthanded will be critical.

Lehigh’s defense is led by 2^nd Team All-Patriot League senior LB Mike DeNucci (6’0”, 225 lbs.) who has 37 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss through 5 games. Junior LB Brycen Edwards (6’0”, 220 lbs.) is another returning starter who has played well with 29 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. The defensive line has been very productive led by junior DL Matt Spatny (6’2”, 245 lbs.) who has racked up 21 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Junior DT TJ Burke (6’2”, 300 lbs.) has been difficult for opponents to block and has surprising speed for a defender of his size. Junior S Nick Peltekian (6’0”, 210 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Patriot League defender in 2023 and is second on the team in tackles with 34. Lehigh plays very aggressively on defense as they like to blitz often and force errant throws. The defense has racked up an impressive 7 interceptions on the season but there have been opportunities in the passing game for opponents if they are able to withstand the pressure. Princeton’s top wideout Luke Colella was able to haul in 5 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown on the Mountain Hawks, so finding creative ways to get Pantelis, Shipp, Felton, Nenad, Santiago and Yates the ball should yield success. Lehigh has allowed 148.6 rushing yards per game and has been susceptible at times to power rushing attacks. The Bulldogs will not want to find themselves in 3^rd and long situations as the Mountain Hawks have limited opponents to just 38.3% efficiency on 3^rd downs.

Freshman P Connor Poole (6’3”, 180 lbs.) averages 38.7 yards per punt and has had 5 punts that have been longer than 50 yards. Junior K Nick Garrido (5’8”, 200 lbs.) has only attempted one field goal all season which he missed. Jaden Green is a dangerous kick returner with a long return of 49 yards on the season.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Mountain Hawks!

The Bulldogs fell to the Big Green 43-44 in painful fashion on Saturday at the Bowl.

With Jackson Proctor inexplicably out of the lineup and a slew of mishaps on special teams for the Big Green, it seemed like a golden opportunity for Yale to earn its first Ivy League win of the season. Jordan had a tremendous day through the air with 32 completions for 412 yards and 5 touchdowns. Pantelis was dominant with 8 catches for 117 yards and 3 touchdowns. Felton burned the Big Green for a 71-yard touchdown reception and Nenad had his top performance of the season with 6 catches with one touchdown. Shipp, Santiago, Yates, Pitsenberger and Foster all played great in the passing game. The only true weakness for the Bulldogs offensively was along the offensive line where Dartmouth was able to shut down the running game and constantly harass Jordan on passing plays. Jordan was very elusive and was only sacked one time but was often running for his life. Yale’s play calling left much to be desired in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters as drives stalled without burning much time off of the clock and allowed the Big Green to have just enough time to mount a historic comeback. Two-point conversions have been disastrous all season for the Bulldogs, so it was a baffling decision to put the game on the line in the first overtime. The play call itself was decent as Pantelis had some space on a defender, but clearly Jordan did not have the muscle memory in place to complete the pass in the pressure filled moment.

Yale’s defense held strong for the first two and half quarters before completely melting down. McDonough was cited for a targeting penalty that forced him out of the contest, while Yang was injured and did not return. With half of the starting defensive line out, Dartmouth was able to run and pass at will in the second half and overtime. The defensive line was manhandled while linebackers could not get off blocks or provide support on cutbacks often leaving a lone safety to make a touchdown saving tackle. Kamara did not wrap up a tight end who took a short throw for a 32-yard touchdown. Guyton was beat for a touchdown and struggled with pass interference. Daniyan appeared to be injured early on and played through the pain but was often out of position leading to a touchdown reception on him and a terrible pursuit angle on a QB scramble that cost the Bulldogs another touchdown. The Bulldogs did not respect Paxton Scott enough at wideout leaving Shaffer in deep coverage against him that led to a long reception. With no ability to pressure quarterbacks or cover simple routes, the defensive schemes need to be completely overhauled. Tarver has outplayed Daniyan by a large margin through the first four games at safety, so the coaches need to consider sitting Daniyan until he can improve physically and mentally. Haaland was a bright spot for the Bulldogs with a pair of crucial tackles.

The performance of the Bulldogs’ special teams units needed to be perfect to secure a win and unfortunately fell flat. Yale was fooled by an onside kick that gave Dartmouth all of the momentum and a later score. If Conforti would have made just 1 of his 2 field goal attempts, this contest would have had a happy ending. Conforti’s attempts were long, but he was aided by a strong wind at his back. Florio averaged just 26.0 yards per punt as a horrible 9-yard punt brought this average way down.