Columbia Preview

The Bulldogs head to the Big Apple to square off against the Columbia Lions this Saturday for a Halloween showdown. Kickoff is slated for noon, and the game will air on ESPN+.

Columbia enters the contest with a 4-2 (1-2 Ivy) record, with blowout losses to Princeton and Dartmouth but a nail-biting win over Penn after the infamous kicking fiasco. This contest seems like it could follow a similar path to that Quaker game with a single play deciding the victor.

Columbia senior QB Chase Goodwin (6’2”, 223 lbs.) seems like he’s been around for an eternity and has completed 56.3% of his passes for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s developed into a dangerous passer but can struggle with accuracy and is not the most mobile out there. Senior RB Griffin Johnson (5’11”, 200 lbs.) has been stellar with 559 yards (4.7 YPC) and 3 touchdowns. Freshman WR Bryce Coleman (6’4”, 190 lbs.) has taken the league by storm with 529 receiving yards and a whopping 9 touchdowns as he appears a lock to win Ivy League Freshman of the Year. Goodwin can simply lob up deep balls to Coleman, who easily boxes out small corners with his frame. Junior WR Hutch Crow (6’1”, 192 lbs.) has been very effective with 35 catches for 442 yards as teams heavily tilt coverages towards Coleman. Senior TE Braden Dougherty (6’5”, 246 lbs.) is targeted frequently in the passing game with 15 grabs and was an Ivy League Honorable Mention selection two years ago. Columbia’s offensive line is lighter than most at 292.0 lbs. across the board and returns just one starter from a year ago. Fourteen sacks have been surrendered with 3.6 yards per carry on average. Columbia will be salivating at the thought of Coleman running freely through the secondary, so we can’t just throw a single corner or safety his way as we’ve seen how that played out versus Rhode Island. The Elis need solid play up front to limit Johnson from moving the chains. Columbia typically wins the time of possession battle (32:14 average) and has the top passing offense in terms of yardage in the conference, so it’s a well-rounded unit that’s another tough matchup for our defense, which is still finding its way.

The Lions’ defense is led by senior LB AJ George (6’1”, 220 lbs.), who has been making plays all over the field with 42 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Sophomore LB Drew Burmeister (6’2”, 223 lbs.) returns after he posted 8 tackles versus Yale a year ago. Junior DL Keller Patterson (6’1”, 290 lbs.) is very strong at the point of attack and has blown up opponents on his way to 24 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks. Sophomore DL Julius Patton (6’4”, 260 lbs.) is another force at the line of scrimmage with 17 tackles and a sack. Junior DB Jeremiah Douglas (6’2”, 192 lbs.) has played well this season with 31 tackles and a sack. Sophomore DB Md Awe (6’0”, 180 lbs.) has a crazy 9 pass breakups and an interception as a ballhawk in the secondary. Junior DB Carter McCray (6’0”, 178 lbs.) is a returning starter with 20 tackles and a pick through six games. Columbia’s defense has allowed 4.9 YPC, 7.5 yards per passing attempt, and is ranked last in scoring defense in the Ivy League. Yale has to find a way to limit the turnovers and put points on the board. When you see HDK as the top rusher in league statistics along with Santiago and Anderson as 1 and 2 in receiving, Yale should not be 1-2 in league play, but all the yardage has not translated to enough touchdowns. The Elis cannot force balls to Santiago or Anderson as teams will really cling onto the strategy of building the coverage around these two threats at the expense of a softer run defense. FCS referees can never be relied upon, especially not in the modern sports gambling era.

Senior K Hugo Merry (6’3”, 186 lbs.) is a perfect 5 of 5 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards. Junior P Tommy Sleeman (6’2”, 231 lbs.) averages 41.2 yards per punt and has pinned opponents inside the red zone on 8 occasions.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Lions!