The Bulldogs improved to 4-3 (2-2 Ivy) on the season after a 26-8 victory over the Columbia Lions in New York City.
The Bulldogs needed to limit turnovers in this contest and did just that. HDK had a huge game with 155 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs controlled the clock for over 33 minutes. Reno threw no interceptions, was not sacked, and completed passes when needed, but 14 completions on 31 attempts is still well below his capabilities. He missed a few big-play opportunities with HDK open downfield, although his decision-making was vastly superior to a week ago. Anderson had another big performance with 5 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Santiago was heavily guarded, allowing players like Smith, Jones, and Wagner to exploit holes at times. Smith hauled in one of Reno’s two passing touchdowns of the day as he broke a tackle on a short route and outraced defenders. Anderson’s touchdown was equally impressive as he stiff-armed a defender en route to pay dirt. You have to be pleased with how the offensive line has come together in the run-blocking department this season, and Lewis was again seen blowing opponents five yards off the ball occasionally. Third down is still an area of concern where the Bulldogs succeeded on just 6 of 18 attempts. The Elis have to find ways to spark more second-half explosiveness down the stretch.
Columbia was held to just 34 rushing yards on the afternoon and was forced to become one-dimensional. The secondary rallied from the lows of last week to put on a stellar showing. Webster was targeted heavily and responded with an unbelievable six pass deflections and nine tackles. There was tight coverage from Eastep throughout, and he racked up seven tackles. There were a few hiccups in coverage for Daniyan, but he kept everything in front of him to limit big plays and led in solo tackles with seven. Banks had an interception, and Barkley-Smith was solid in coverage as well. Kamara made plays all over the field. There were crucial performances from Grant and Schutzman at linebacker to keep gaps plugged. Jackson-Bass and Coleman applied solid pressure from the edges, with Jackson-Bass posting two sacks on the afternoon. Hutton will need to stop jumping the count, as he was cited for two offside infractions. There was a good interior rush from Fadeyibi, Tate, and Austin that was highly disruptive. Columbia did have a number of drops and special teams errors that helped out, but the coaches and players responded in a huge way to keep the team’s conference hopes alive.
Piper nailed a 46-yard field goal and missed a difficult 50-yarder in the first quarter. Keeney had a decent outing with 36.7 yards per punt, and there were no snapping issues. It was Columbia that faltered on special teams this week, notably with a kick return that wound up at the 2-yard line before a safety. Yale won every phase of the game and now needs to close out the season with three more wins while hoping for the Big Green to stumble.