Author: Moderator

Cornell Preview

The Bulldogs travel to Ithaca this week for the start of Ivy League play against the Cornell Big Red. Kickoff is slated for 2 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

The Big Red fell to Colgate last weekend in a 24-41 contest to open the Dan Swanstrom era. Swanstrom joined Cornell after a short stint as Penn’s offensive coordinator making this a revenge game on two fronts for the losses against Cornell and Penn a year ago.

Senior QB Jameson Wang (6’1”, 205 lbs.) once again leads Cornell’s offense and shows improved passing skills to go along with his quickness in the running game. Wang finished the contest last week with an impressive 313 passing yards and 3 TDs with a completion percentage of 78.4%. Wang was not sacked and was also the top rusher for the Big Red with 41 rushing yards (4.1 yards per carry). Sophomore RB Ean Pope (5’7”, 176 lbs.) is a speedy back that saw the most carries for Cornell last week but struggled with just 2.8 yards per carry. Sophomore RB Robert Tucker III (5’8”, 204 lbs.) is the top returning running back from a year ago and posted 7.7 yards per carry. Junior RB Johntu Reed (6’2”, 230 lbs.) is a big back with great receiving skills out of the backfield. Cornell has a very deep receiving corps that was difficult for Colgate to contain. Sophomore WR Brendan Lee (5’11”, 176 lbs.) caught 5 passes for 101 yards, while fellow sophomore WR Samuel Musungu (6’1”, 192 lbs.) added another 7 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Pope and Reed combined for 9 catches out of the backfield, so our linebackers will have their hands full in the passing game this week. Cornell’s offensive line averages 293.8 lbs. across the board and returns one starter from a year ago in senior LT Davis Watson (6’6”, 276 lbs.). The offensive line has yet to give up a sack this season but did not display superior run blocking skills in the lone contest. The Bulldogs will need the defensive line to generate a much better pass rush this week while keeping Wang contained from breaking loose with his legs. Yale will also need to line up quickly as Cornell likes to utilize a hurry up offense particularly after big plays.

Colgate was able to generate 457 yards of total offense with 270 rushing yards a week ago. The Raiders averaged 6.3 yards per carry which enabled them to control the clock with over 34 minutes of possession time. Swanstrom did not make a change at defensive coordinator, so it’s a very familiar defensive scheme that we’ve seen from Cornell in the past. Senior LB Luke Banbury (6’2”, 237 lbs.) led Cornell in tackles with 8 including half a tackle for loss. Senior DL Muhammad-Ali Kobo (6’4”, 257 lbs.) proved difficult for the Raiders to block with 6 tackles on the afternoon. 5^th year senior DL Brendan Chestnut (6’4”, 283 lbs.) is a returning starter at defensive tackle that anchors the Big Red’s front. Senior S Trey Harris (6’4”, 202 lbs.) has been starting since his sophomore season and posted 7 tackles with a pass breakup. Colgate had early success in the passing game before leaning heavily into the running game to bleed the clock. Cornell’s cornerbacks often play far off the line of scrimmage, so there should be opportunities for Shipp and Pantelis to rack up yardage on short passing plays. Yale matches up well against Cornell’s defense, although play calling on 1^st and 2^nd downs will have to improve from last year’s contest as stalled drives were backbreakers.

Sophomore K Alan Zhao (6’0”, 197 lbs.) nailed his only field goal attempt and was perfect on PATs. Senior P Nathaniel Hillenburg (6’3”, 230 lbs.) averaged 36.0 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards. This should be a tight contest that could come down to special teams play, so Yale will need to limit mistakes especially on the kickoff team.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Red!

Game Week

Holy Cross Notes

The Bulldogs enter Week 2 with an unblemished 1-0 record for the first time in years after an exciting 38-31 win at Holy Cross.

Grant Jordan’s debut at quarterback was short lived suffering what appeared to be a concussion after being rocked by a Holy Cross safety on a running play. Jordan played well with a couple nice passes including a great throw along the sideline to Shipp. Not many quarterbacks have the physical durability of the departed Grooms and unfortunately Jordan learned the hard way why most signal callers must slide when confronted in the open field. McCaughey entered the contest looking like a seasoned veteran as he marched the Bulldogs down with impressive passes and a hard-nosed charge into the endzone for Yale’s first points. McCaughey showed incredible poise not only on the first drive but throughout the contest culminating in a game winning drive aided by defensive penalties. McCaughey finished the afternoon 18 of 32 for 217 yards and 1 TD. It wasn’t all pretty for McCaughey with a number of risky deep balls that could have been intercepted and short passing plays that were doomed by poor timing or low balls. Pantelis and Shipp were dominant with a combined 11 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jaxton Santiago is a matchup nightmare for defensive backs with his size and strength. With Pitsenberger out of the contest, Denney, Dahl and Peterson picked up the slack rushing for 129 yards (3.5 yards per carry) and 3 TDs. McCaughey added another 14 rushing yards with a touchdown. Denney was a workhorse that fought tirelessly for every yard and his receiving skills looked much improved. Pass blocking along the offensive line was decent for a first contest with only one sack allowed, although McCaughey’s elusiveness aided this statistic as he was often running for his life and took a number of hard shots after releasing the ball. Run blocking was up and down as the big men opened enough holes to keep the clock ticking away, but far too many rushing plays were blown up at the line of scrimmage. Overall, it was a great offensive effort considering we were down a starting QB and RB with two new starters along the offensive line.

The defensive performance was another story as Holy Cross posted 426 yards of total offense. Saffold was caught off guard on the very first defensive play with a play action pass going for a 74-yard touchdown. Freshman Breylan Thompson entered in relief of Saffold and instantly made his presence known with a punishing hit on a Holy Cross running back. The future looks very bright for Thompson as we haven’t seen a freshman cornerback with his skillset in Reno’s entire career at Yale. The defensive line appeared to be a bright spot for Yale heading into the season, but with Egodogbare and Yang out of the rotation, our linemen were not getting off blocks and were not pressuring the quarterback. Containment on the outside from our defensive ends was often non-existent. Sophomore DE Zairion Jackson-Bass seemed to have the best performance along the defensive front with 4 tackles, half a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. The linebacker position continues to be a huge concern with the linebackers failing to plug gaps or shed blockers. Shaffer, Biggs and Campbell all missed crucial tackles which forced the safeties and cornerbacks to make touchdown saving stops. Shaffer’s performance did improve in the 2^nd half and he wound up leading the defense in tackles with 9. The secondary was often just a step out of position to contain receivers and even in tight coverages, Holy Cross’ talented wideouts were able to make difficult catches. The safeties and cornerbacks stepped up on 3^rd downs though with Kamara, Daniyan, Guyton and Tarver all making clutch plays to stall drives. Holy Cross was limited to just 5 of 11 on third down conversions but was able to generate big plays in the passing game with 10.3 yards per attempt and 23.3 yards per reception. This contest likely would have had a different outcome with either Bob Chesney coaching or Jordan Fuller playing at running back.

Conforti was 1 of 2 on field goals with his miss coming on a difficult 47-yarder in the rain. Florio averaged 35.8 yards per punt with 2 punts placed inside the endzone. The kickoff team will need to improve considerably as Florio’s short kickoffs gave great field advantage to Holy Cross. Felton was inactive, but Denney was fantastic in the return game with 27.0 yards per kickoff return.

Game Week

Yale 38 Holy Cross 31

Game Week

Holy Cross Preview

The Bulldogs head to Worcester this weekend for a showdown versus the Holy Cross Crusaders. Kickoff is slated for 2 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

Holy Cross enters the contest with a 1-2 record after two close losses to start the season against Rhode Island and New Hampshire followed by a blowout win versus Bryant. The Crusaders’ two losses were very tight contests against talented squads with their opponents outscoring them by just 4 total points combined. Former coach Bob Chesney departed Holy Cross for a more lucrative contract at James Madison and Holy Cross brought in veteran coach Dan Curran who guided Merrimack for the previous 11 seasons. Curran earned his first win last week at Bryant in a lopsided 43-22 victory.

Yale fans can breathe a sigh of relief that QB Matthew Sluka has finally graduated after three straight years of terrorizing the Bulldogs. Senior QB Joe Pesansky (6’4”, 225 lbs.) is now in control of the offense and although he does not possess the same elusiveness as Sluka, he is a solid passer who has completed 66.7% of his passes with 3 TDs and just a single interception. The star of the offense is senior RB Jordan Fuller (6’0”, 231 lbs.) who is a bruising back that looks even faster and stronger than he did last season. Fuller is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and has already rushed for 4 TDs in 3 games. This is a run-first offense that will line up in heavy sets and seeks to overpower opponents with size and strength. Sophomore RB Jayden Clerveaux (6’0”, 222 lbs.) is another talented ball carrier for the Crusaders averaging 4.3 YPC. The offensive line averages 311 lbs. across the board and is led by senior captain C Christo Kelly (6’4”, 305 lbs.), a 3^rd Team All-Patriot League performer a season ago. The offensive line is very balanced as they’ve paved the way for a team average of 4.1 YPC and have only allowed 3 sacks. Senior TE Jacob Petersen (6’4”, 250 lbs.) leads the team in receiving with 12 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore WR Charly Mullaly (6’0”, 190 lbs.) has really stretched opponents vertically averaging 19.9 yards per reception. Senior WR Justin Shorter (5’11”, 181 lbs.) is one of the most dangerous receivers in the FCS and is a former 1^st Team All-Patriot League wideout. This is a tough matchup for our defense in the first contest as early season woes such as missed tackles or blown coverages could be the deciding factors.

Opponents have found success moving the ball against Holy Cross’ defense, but the Crusaders stiffen up on 3^rd downs and in the redzone. Holy Cross has limited opponents to 35.3% on third down conversions and have allowed only 6 touchdowns in 12 redzone drives. Senior LB Frankie Monte (6’0”, 233 lbs.) leads the team with 23 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles on the season. Sophomore LB Drew Spinogatti (6’1”, 231 lbs.) is another talented defender who has racked up 12 tackles thus far. Sophomore DL William Robinson (6’5”, 275 lbs.) has been the most productive defensive lineman for the Crusaders with 11 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 blocked field goals. Senior DE Joe Townsend (6’3”, 250 lbs.) is the current sack leader for Holy Cross with 2 sacks. Although Holy Cross has given up 4.4 yards per carry on the ground, they’ve allowed just 1 rushing touchdown. One area of weakness for Holy Cross is in the secondary where they are fielding two corners with no prior playing experience. Teams have targeted sophomore CB Cam Jones (6’0”, 195 lbs.) in all 3 of the contests to date. The safeties are very experienced bringing back 3 players with starting experience to the unit led by senior S Curtis Harris-Lopez (6’1”, 206 lbs.) who posted 7 tackles against Yale a year ago. With a talented wide receiving corps for Yale, Grant Jordan should have an opportunity to shine in the passing game if our offensive line can keep defenders at bay.

Sophomore K Daniel Porto (6’1”, 195 lbs.) has struggled in the kicking game connecting on 3 of 5 attempts with a long of 39 yards. Senior P Jack Norris (6’0”, 194 lbs.) has done an excellent job with an average of 39.4 yards per punt and has pinned opponents inside the redzone on 5 punts. Harris-Lopez is dangerous on kick returns as he averages 30.1 yards per return and scored a touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Crusaders!

Starting Lineup

QB Grant Jordan

RB Joshua Pitsenberger

WR Mason Shipp

WR David Pantelis

WR Chase Nenad

WR* Joey Felton *(12 offensive starters listed with 4 WRs)

LT Sean Sullivan

LG Bennie Anderson

C Connor Smith

RG Cameron Charron

RT Michael Bennett

TE Ry Yates

DE Tamatoa McDonough

DT Micaiah Shaber

DT Alvin Gulley

DE Mitchell Tyler

LB Dean Shaffer

LB Jacob Biggs

LB Inumidan Ayo-Durojaiye

CB Sean Guyton

SS Osize Daniyan

FS Abu Kamara

CB Damian Anderson

KO/P/H Shamus Florio

PK Nick Conforti

LS Ben Mann

PR/KR Joey Felton

DB Preview

Three out of four starters return in the secondary, yet many are left wondering if Wande Owens was the glue holding together a weak unit last season. Guyton’s return from an injury for the Dartmouth contest proved to be a gamechanger for Yale but his performances were up and down throughout the remainder of the season. Daniyan kept improving at safety each week transforming from a fledgling freshman to a hardened veteran by the season’s end. Tarver was a liability all too often at safety in 2023, so he has a lot to prove to retain his starting position. Benn is back at safety after injuries limited him to just one game last year bringing much needed veteran leadership to the unit. Kamara could be one of the most talented players on the entire roster with his only drawback being that he doesn’t fit cleanly into the category of a safety, linebacker or cornerback. The cornerback position vacated by Owens is the main area of concern with our secondary. Damian Anderson was listed as Owens’ backup in 2023 and should have a great opportunity to earn the starting nod. Webster filled in as a freshman last season due to injuries but struggled to contain top passing threats. In 2022, Da’Quan Gonzales saw quality time as a freshman and even intercepted a pass against Harvard, yet somehow managed to fall off the coaching staff’s radar in 2023. Russ III, Barnes, and Saffold could all get into the mix of the defensive backfield with strong preseason play. Haaland, Grant, and Joseph Gonzales all return with experience at safety and will be key components of the special teams units.

Defensive backs were clearly a priority for Reno in the recruiting cycle with Yale welcoming a whopping 8 new defensive backs to the roster in Breylan Thompson, Chris White, Charles Barkley-Smith, JP Schmidt, Ty Ingram-Eiser, Brandon Banks, Dillon Rickenbacker and Billy Eastep. Thompson has the versatility to play safety or cornerback with great ball skills and punt returning abilities. White is a lockdown corner that plays with physicality and has an extra year of experience after a season at Cheshire Academy. Barkley-Smith will hopefully earn the Sir Charles nickname in the coming years as he’s a very fluid athlete with the ability to change directions on a dime. Schmidt is a sure-fire tackler that provides great run support and likes baiting quarterbacks into making risky throws. Ingram-Eiser hails from the same high school as the great Reed Klubnik and is a technician who stays true to his assignments. Banks does a tremendous job of playing the ball in the air, a trait our defensive backs have notoriously lacked. Rickenbacker was a 3-star recruit and is a very balanced safety with the ability to stuff the run or punish receivers over the middle. Eastep was also a 3-star recruit and uses his great closing speed to consistently disrupt passes.

LB Preview

Linebacker is an area of concern for the Bulldogs for the first time in years. Vaughn and Moore are both playing at new universities after graduation leaving giant holes at the inside linebacker spots. Shaffer clearly won the respect of his teammates with a shocking nomination as captain. He’s looked solid in limited playing time since his freshman season but hasn’t put enough on film to fully alleviate the worries. Biggs, a former walk-on at Utah, has seen similar action to Shaffer with quality play over a small sample size. Shaffer and Biggs have prototypical size for the position at 230 lbs. and 233 lbs. respectively although whether they can keep up with the fastest backs in the league remains to be seen. Ayo-Durojaiye returns at outside linebacker and hopefully will bounce back after losing his starting position in the middle of last season. There were high expectations for Ayo-Durojaiye entering the 2023 campaign, but he never seemed to regain his confidence after brutal games versus Holy Cross and Cornell. It will be hard to keep Kamara off the field at some capacity at linebacker if he doesn’t crack a top safety spot. Raymond, Warncke, Lee and Campbell all return with experience and should see additional defensive playing time as well as extensive special teams duties. Three freshmen enter the mix with the additions of Steven Partin, Eddie Palumbo and Joe McCord. Partin was a one-man army in high school playing linebacker, running back, quarterback, wide receiver and punter with fantastic speed and instincts. Palumbo is very quick to diagnose plays and should be one of the better linebackers in pass coverage on the roster. McCord played outside linebacker and defensive end at the high school level and possesses very active hands to shed blockers and the speed to track down plays on the backside.

DL Preview

The defensive line remains a bright spot for the Bulldogs heading into the 2024 season. The defensive tackle position is stacked with Egodogbare, Gulley and Yang returning serious size and power to the interior front. Egodogbare was unblockable at times as a freshman but had his sophomore season derailed by an injury. Gulley is a classic nose guard type who is difficult for defenders to move at the point of attack. Yang seems to constantly surprise opponents with his combination of quickness and strength as the best pass rusher of the group. Jourdain, Oxendine and Austin all return to add even more depth at the position after solid play a year ago. Patterson is a huge loss at end, although Shaber is back after earning the starting slot in 2023. Tyler and McDonough both return with significant experience on the outside. Sophomore James Cave inherited the #33 jersey in the wake of Larry’s transfer and should be a force in 2024. There are still several talented sophomores waiting in the wings such as Jackson-Bass, Tate, and Fadeyibi. Reno and company hit the recruiting trail hard in search of defensive linemen bringing in Jackson Boone (6’4”, 210 lbs.), Xavier Rivers (6’1”, 230 lbs.), Trent Page (6’2”, 250 lbs.), Sam McGivern (6’2”, 245 lbs.), Mack Johnson (6’3”, 255 lbs.), and Lota Ugokwe (6’2”, 230 lbs.). Boone has ideal length for the position and has a very quick first step off of the ball at defensive end. Rivers has tremendous speed and power off the edge with the ability to blow through double teams or outmaneuver offensive tackles. Page was one of the top recruits in the class and seems to have the physicality to develop into a special tackle or end. McGivern plays with great technique and has a motor that doesn’t stop as he chases down ball carriers. Johnson uses his size and speed to effortlessly shed blockers with versatility to play multiple positions along the front. Ugokwe has one of the top highlight reels of the class as he explodes off the line of scrimmage to punish quarterbacks.

8 days to go!

Offensive Line Preview

Losing two NFL caliber offensive linemen in back-to-back years is never easy to recover from but the talent is in place for the Bulldogs to piece together a serviceable line. Michael Bennett should hold down the Right Tackle spot after an Honorable Mention All-Ivy season a year ago. Bennett is just a junior and appears that he could develop into a special talent. Three guards return with starting experience in Charron, Sullivan and Karhu, so it will be interesting to see who wins the starting spots and whether there is an opportunity for one of them to potentially flex out to the Left Tackle spot. Karhu was out with an injury for all of 2023 after solid play in 2022, while Charron and Sullivan started at Right Guard and Left Guard in 2023 respectively. Left Tackle and Center are the largest areas of concern along the front heading into the season. The graduation of Mendoza (now at Louisville) is the toughest loss as the team had to find a way to cope without Amegadjie early on in the season last year. Amegadjie is currently the backup left tackle for the Chicago Bears after a long recovery from his injury kept him out of action for much of the preseason. Bluhm filled in at Center due to injuries a year ago but without a magician at QB this year, his snapping issues could be amplified if they are not corrected. Seniors Connor Smith and Bennie Anderson saw substantial action last year and should vie for more playing time with strong camps. There is a slew of sophomores that could make an impact such as St. Aubyn, Lewis, Garrity or Avera. Reno brought in three freshmen offensive linemen in Bennett Anderson, Kevin Cassidy and Charlie Humphreys. Anderson was one the top recruits in the entire class and looked like a pancaking machine at the high school level. Cassidy is very athletic for a 300-pounder playing defensive end and tackle in high school. Humphreys hails from a football family in Texas and gives Coach Wheeler another athletic lineman to mold.

We are now just 15 days out from the start of the season! See below for our preseason rankings excluding the Bulldogs:

Harvard

Penn

Dartmouth

Princeton

Cornell

Brown

Columbia

QB Preview

The starting quarterback position remains a mystery with Reno noting that all four signal callers on the roster are still vying for the role during his tight-lipped media day session. Those four in contention are Marshall Howe, Brogan McCaughey, Grant Jordan, and Bradyn Fleharty. Howe stunned the fan base last season when he took snaps as the backup over Tutas who had looked very promising throughout the 2022 season. Howe is a quick decision maker with good accuracy and has decent mobility in the pocket. McCaughey might be the best pure passer of the bunch with the natural ability to elude defenders in the pocket long enough to locate an open target downfield. Howe and McCaughey appear to be the top contenders and the starting nod could be decided based upon what the passing game strategy is to be in 2024. If Reno favors screens to Pantelis and quick hitters to Shipp, Howe could be the best fit. If Reno wants to stretch defenses vertically, McCaughey could be the chosen one. The pass protection and snapping capabilities of the offensive line will also be huge factors as the choice might boil down to who can simply field a stray snap, dodge defenders, and secure a first down under pressure. Grant Jordan is the lone senior QB in the mix and saw limited action versus Brown and Morgan State. Freshman Bradyn Fleharty seems to have the most in common with Nolan Grooms as a true dual threat with speed, power and big play ability. The player who emerges camp as the starter might not remain the starter very long with a tough matchup in Worcester in Week 1 that could derail plans quickly.

WR/TE Preview

Wide receiver remains a position of strength for the Bulldogs despite losing an NFL-caliber talent in Mason Tipton. Pantelis, Nenad and Shipp have all started contests throughout their careers and return to form a formidable senior trio. Pantelis was game-ready on Day 1 of his career at Yale and in the early days with Grooms at the helm, the offense revolved around short screens to Pantelis. While the offensive strategies have evolved since 2021, the focus must be to get the ball in Pantelis’ hands as he is the best receiver on the roster for racking up yards after the catch. Nenad has prototypical size for the position and can really stretch defenses vertically with his speed. Shipp might be the most well rounded of the corps yet really needs to have a breakout season in 2024 to keep the Bulldogs offense humming. The primary question is not how will our top receivers perform in 2024, but can our top receivers stay healthy? All three have battled numerous injuries over their careers and with less experience on the depth chart than previous years, it will be vital to keep these players healthy for a full season. The return of Felton does alleviate some of these concerns as he’s an explosive athlete that has started as a kick returner since his freshman season. Beyond the four previously mentioned wideouts, there is very little experience with only Nico Brown, Kelvin Smith, Cameron Price and Aidan Stephens seeing limited action in contests. We’re hopeful that sophomores and juniors such as Donovan McKoy and Nico Brown will make tremendous strides as Yale needs the next generation of receivers to develop in a hurry.

The exceptional talents of Jackson Hawes were arguably underutilized in 2023, but the loss of Hawes at tight end will likely be most felt in the area of run blocking. Yates has proven to be an adept pass catcher and has a great feel for finding holes in pass coverages. The offense will need an effective run game to open up passing opportunities, so it will be vital for Yates to take opposing defensive ends and linebackers out of the equation to spring Pitsenberger and Peterson loose. There are ten tight ends on the roster, although only Yates, Spencer Mermans, Luke Foster, and Ryan Belk have seen action. Belk was a key contributor on special teams last year and without his blocked punt against Princeton, the Ivy League title may have slipped away in 2023. Reno brought in two talented tight ends from Texas in the recruiting class with Colton Sanders and Brady Wagner. Both freshmen have identical sizes (6’3”, 215 lbs.) and similar pass catching attributes that could earn them action in the passing game, although they will likely need to develop more strength to see run blocking action. Sophomore Robby Tattersall impressed during the spring game and should play a larger role in 2024.