Author: Moderator

The Yale Bulldogs travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the first road trip of the season at #8 Lehigh. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

The Mountain Hawks enter the contest with an unblemished 5-0 record after a 44-30 victory over Penn last week. Lehigh’s Kevin Cahill will be seeking vengeance on his former boss, Tony Reno, following the Mountain Hawks’ loss to the Bulldogs in New Haven a year ago.

Sophomore QB Hayden Johnson (6’1”, 205 lbs.) earned the starting role at the end of his freshman campaign and looks much improved from 2024. Johnson has completed 60.7% of his passes for 898 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Junior RB Luke Yoder (5’11”, 205 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Patriot League performer in 2024 and could be the best back that Yale will face all season. Yoder is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and racked up 173 rushing yards against Penn last week. Sophomore RB Jaden Green (5’9”, 185 lbs.) was a Freshman All-American last year and leads the Mountain Hawks with 5 rushing touchdowns. The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League and are ranked Top 5 nationally in rushing offense. Senior WR Geoffrey Jamiel (5’8”, 185 lbs.) is a very quick and polished route runner who has caught 32 passes for 457 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season. Junior WR Mason Humphrey (6’4”, 215 lbs.) poses a matchup problem for smaller cornerbacks and leads Lehigh in yards per reception at 16.8. Junior TE Joseph Marranca (6’1”, 240 lbs.) is a very effective run blocker who is occasionally targeted in the passing game. Lehigh’s offensive line averages 295.0 lbs. across the board and is an experienced unit that is exceptional in run blocking. Seniors Langston Jones (6’3”, 325 lbs.) and Aidan Palmer (6’4”, 300 lbs.) were 1^st and 2^nd Team All-Patriot League offensive linemen in 2024 respectively. The Mountain Hawks have surrendered just 2 sacks through 5 games. With Egodogbare seemingly out for the season with a knee injury, the Bulldogs will need career performances from our interior defensive linemen to disrupt the line of scrimmage. Ayo-Durojaiye and Grant will need to successfully fend off blocks and show gap integrity for any hopes of slowing down Yoder and Green in the ground game. If the Bulldogs can force the Mountain Hawks into passing situations, the pressure will be on the secondary to blanket Jamiel and Humphrey.

The ground game dominance for Lehigh extends to their defense as well as the defense is ranked third nationally in run defense allowing just 69.8 rushing yards per game. Senior LB Brycen Edwards (6’0”, 225 lbs.) has been a clutch performer for the Mountain Hawks and leads the defense with 36 tackles. Junior LB William Parton (6’0”, 220 lbs.) has been starting since his freshman season and is second on the team in tackles with 24. Tied for the team lead in sacks with 3 on the season is senior LB Tyler Ochojski (6’2”, 230 lbs.). Sophomore S Mekhai Smith (6’2”, 210 lbs.) has terrorized opposing quarterbacks with 4 interceptions on the season. Senior S Mason Moore (6’1”, 195 lbs.) had 8 tackles at Yale last season and has played very well with 22 tackles and 3 pass breakups. Senior DB Nick Peltekian (6’0”, 215 lbs.) was a 1^st Team All-Patriot League selection in 2024 but has been limited to just two games this season. The Mountain Hawks have a very stout defensive front led by senior DT TJ Burke (6’2”, 305 lbs.). Burke has 2.5 sacks on the season and was a 1^st Team All-Patriot League selection last year. Senior DE Matt Spatny (6’2”, 250 lbs.) is tied for the team lead in sacks with 3 and looks poised to earn a second straight 1^st Team All-Patriot League nod. Senior DE Dillon Sheehan (6’4”, 245 lbs.) has also been difficult for offensive lines to contain with 2.5 sacks. Yale’s offensive line will have their work cut out for them against a very talented front seven. Lehigh has not faced a back as talented as Pitsenberger but simple halfback dives up the middle will not gain yardage. Penn was able to expose weaknesses in pass coverage throwing for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns. If Yale is able to open lanes in the run game, keep Lehigh off balanced and exploit holes in pass coverage, the Bulldogs will have a chance to upset the Mountain Hawks.

Senior K Nick Garrido (5’9”, 200 lbs.) is 5 of 5 on field goal attempts with a long of 35 yards this season. Sophomore P Connor Poole (6’3”, 200 lbs.) has been stellar with a 46.3-yard punting average with 7 punts placed inside the redzone. The Bulldogs will have to play especially disciplined on special teams as Lehigh faked a field goal last week and scored a touchdown on Penn that proved to be a backbreaker for the Quakers.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Mountain Hawks!

The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 following a 41-24 win over the Big Red on Saturday at the Bowl. Yale and Harvard sit atop the Ivy League standings through Week 2.

The Yale offense never found its rhythm on Saturday, sputtering from the opening drive and struggling to establish consistency throughout the game. The Bulldogs managed just 297 total yards, picked up only 12 first downs, and were soundly beaten in the time of possession battle. Third-down woes proved costly, as Yale converted only 4 of 13 attempts and came up empty on two fourth-down tries. Quarterback Dante Reno delivered a mixed performance, completing 60.9 percent of his passes for a modest 139 yards. He misfired on several deep shots and tossed an ugly interception, though he came through with a clutch first-down strike to Shipp to help seal the win late in the fourth quarter. Pitsenberger was the workhorse, piling up 142 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His big day was marred by ball-security issues, as two of his three fumbles turned into costly turnovers. Shipp’s return from injury proved critical with the top receiver from Week 1, Nico Brown, sidelined. Shipp led the receiving corps with seven catches for 85 yards, highlighted by a spectacular sideline grab upheld after review. Santiago added a 20-yard touchdown reception, though the Bulldogs’ staff will need to scheme him more touches with defenses likely focusing on Shipp or Brown going forward. Smith continued to see targets, recording two catches for 15 yards, while Maltarich and Stephens combined for 2 catches for 11 yards through the air. Up front, the offensive line held firm in pass protection, allowing only one sack, but run blocking was inconsistent, with too many plays snuffed out at the line of scrimmage. Offensive playcalling also drew scrutiny, with few short to intermediate passing concepts that cater to Reno’s strengths. Given Yale’s favorable field position and the defense’s knack for creating turnovers, the contest should not have been as tight as it was entering the final two minutes.

Yale’s defense surrendered 400 yards of offense as the Big Red moved the ball with ease both on the ground and through the air. The Bulldogs were bailed out by critical Cornell miscues that turned into turnovers, masking what was otherwise a shaky performance. Missed tackles plagued the Elis from start to finish, with defenders failing to wrap up or getting beaten in the open field. Two breakdowns on simple screen plays left the unit looking unprepared for the trickery they’ll face from Dartmouth and Harvard later this season. The defensive front did manage to generate pressure with Tate, Jackson-Bass, and Johnson each recording a sack, though at least five other opportunities slipped away thanks to missed tackles in the pocket. Ayo-Durojaiye turned in a career day, racking up 17 tackles and earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors. Fellow linebacker Grant showed signs of improvement, but a costly personal foul and a whiff on the quarterback proved damaging. The secondary was a sore spot. Outside of Kamara, who delivered an All-American caliber performance with five tackles, a fumble recovery, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and a blocked field goal, the back end struggled. Daniyan, Tarver, and Schmidt were all beaten from their safety positions, while the corners—despite the addition of Gonzales—were repeatedly caught out of position, allowing Cornell’s inexperienced quarterback to torch them for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

Freshman Noah Piper had a spectacular performance as he was 2 for 2 on field goal attempts with a long of 50 yards. Keeney had a solid day punting as he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and placed one punt inside the redzone. Tarver was a pleasant surprise at kick returner and had a long opening return of 63 yards, although Yale was fortunate that Cornell did not recover the fumble after Tarver was stripped. Kamara added to his impressive defensive performance with a blocked field goal that gave Yale momentum heading into halftime.

The Bulldogs host the Cornell Big Red on Saturday at the Bowl for the start of Ivy League play. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

The Big Red enter the contest with an 0-1 record following a close 10-13 loss last weekend at Albany. Cornell has won the last two matchups against Yale and dominated the Bulldogs last season in Ithaca, although over the last twenty seasons, Cornell is just 2-8 at the Bowl.

Yale’s defense can breathe a sigh of relief that Jameson Wang has graduated as he terrorized Yale’s defense a year ago. The Big Red utilized two quarterbacks in the season opener with junior QB Devin Page (6’4”, 195 lbs.) and junior QB Garrett Bass-Sulpizio (6’5”, 231 lbs.) each seeing playing time. Page finished 8 of 12 for 90 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception while Bass-Sulpizio was 8 of 14 for 63 passing yards. Cornell announced yesterday that Page will be the starter in the Yale contest and earned roughly 70-75% of the first team reps in practice this week. Page is a dual threat quarterback who can be hard to contain in the ground game as he racked up 57 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry) in the opener. Junior RB Ean Pope (5’7”, 176 lbs.) saw the second most rushing attempts versus Albany behind Page but struggled against a talented defense with just 2.3 yards per carry on 9 carries. Senior RB Robert Tucker III (5’8”, 204 lbs.) found more success last week with 4.3 yards per carry on 6 attempts. Junior TE Ryder Kurtz (6’5”, 233 lbs.) could be the best tight end in the Ivy League this season and was an honorable mention All-American in 2024. Kurtz was the top performer in Cornell’s offense in Week 1 with 6 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Senior WR Doryn Smith (6’3”, 194 lbs.) has been a receiving threat since his freshman season and had 3 catches for 39 yards last week. Senior WR Parker Woodring (6’3”, 202 lbs.), senior WR Davon Kiser (5’7”, 173 lbs.), and freshman WR Ja’von Broussard (6’2”, 185 lbs.) round out a very talented receiving corps that will test our cornerback play in Week 2. Cornell’s offensive line averages 297.4 lbs. across the board but failed to consistently open rushing lanes in the ground game last week. The offensive line did not give up a sack in Week 1 although Page’s shiftiness aided this metric. Yale will need to follow the defensive blueprint that Albany deployed as they were able to shut down the effectiveness of the running game and apply the pressure to Cornell’s inexperienced signal callers. Yale’s cornerback play will need to improve markedly to contain talented playmakers on the outside and having a linebacker spy on Page at times could limit the potential to turn a broken play into positive yards.

Cornell’s defense had a tremendous performance at Albany as they limited the completion percentage to 43.3% and held the Great Danes to just 260 yards of total offense. Senior LB Joey Cheshire (6’1”, 235 lbs.) was a third team preseason All-American and racked up 10 tackles and 2 quarterbacks hits in Week 1. Sophomore LB Keith Williams Jr. (6’1”, 225 lbs.) was another key playmaker against Albany with 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and half a sack. The defensive line is led by another third team All-American in senior DL Max Van Fleet (6’3”, 280 lbs.) who had 3 tackles and a sack a week ago. Senior DE James Reinbold (6’2”, 245 lbs.) is a very physical end who gave Albany fits as he notched 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the afternoon. Senior S Damon Barnes (6’0”, 208 lbs.) earned an honorable mention All-Ivy nod in 2024 and is the top returner in the secondary for the Big Red. Senior CB Michael O’Keefe (6’0”, 196 lbs.) is a seasoned veteran and was all over the field at Albany with 8 tackles and an interception. Cornell’s defense has been very effective against Yale in the last two matchups as the inability to sustain drives doomed the Elis. The offensive coaching staff’s challenge this week will be to come up with a blocking scheme that can allow the Bulldogs to convert on third and short situations, eat up the clock and open passing lanes for Shipp and Brown to exploit the secondary.

Junior K Alan Zhao (6’0”, 197 lbs.) earned an honorable-mention All-Ivy nomination in 2024 and made his lone field goal attempt of 25 yards at Albany. Freshman P Will Buck (6’5”, 225 lbs.) handled the majority of the punting duties last week with a 40.2-yard punting average. Cornell will also field their offense at times on fourth downs and have the quarterbacks punt the ball with no returner present. Senior RB Gannon Carothers (5’10”, 204 lbs.) is a skilled kick returner who returned a kick for 28 yards last week. Poor special teams play put Yale in an early deficit in 2024, so the units will need to play nearly mistake-free to secure a win in this contest.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Red!

The Bulldogs kicked off the season with an impressive 28-10 victory over Holy Cross. Yale moves to 1-0 on the season ahead of a tough battle against the Cornell Big Red at home this weekend.

In Dante Reno’s first start at Yale, he completed 72.2% of his passes for 166 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Reno showed strong command of the offense and excelled on short to medium throws. While Reno is elusive enough to dodge defenders in the pocket, he does not pose much of a downfield running threat. Ball placement on deep throws was another area of concern, although his accuracy on long balls did seem to improve in the second half. The offense leaned heavily on the ground attack as Yale rushed for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. Pitsenberger was in peak form as he racked up 127 rushing yards (4.9 yards per carry) and accounted for all 3 of the rushing touchdowns. Daal looked impressive on his 3 carries for 15 yards while Adams and Djeumeni Kemeni saw their first carries of their careers. The starting offensive line from left to right was Avera, Charron, Bluhm, Lewis and Bennett with Avera as the only surprise in the lineup playing in place of St. Aubyn. The offensive line generated a solid push on running plays but was not as consistent in pass blocking as they gave up two sacks and struggled to pick up blitzes at times. With Shipp out of the lineup at receiver, Brown took over as the top receiving threat and had a career day with 5 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Santiago had a decent outing with 2 catches for 15 yards while Daal was a threat on routes out of the backfield with 3 catches for 13 yards. Wagner and Smith established themselves as receiving targets at the tight end position combining for 3 catches for 19 yards. Work remains to improve the offensive output especially on third downs, however, considering the Bulldogs were playing in their first contest against a seasoned opponent, it was a great first step forward for the offense this season.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were more sound on run support than a year ago but there were lapses in the secondary that Holy Cross failed to exploit. Webster, White and Barkley-Smith struggled at times to contain Holy Cross’ receiving corps and gave the Crusaders golden opportunities to tighten the score of the contest. Hopefully Gonzales can return this week to add more experience at the cornerback position. The most notable absence was Egodogbare who is likely the second most impactful defender after Kamara. Egodogbare was not even listed in the two-deep depth chart which is very concerning given his history of injuries. Shaber and Tate started at the defensive tackle spots while Larry and Yang started as ends. It was great to see Larry back in a Yale uniform and he made an immediate impact on the defense with 4 solo tackles and a sack. Sophomore DT Mack Johnson flashed his potential with 2 tackles and a sack. Ayo-Durojaiye and Grant were highly active at linebacker, although Grant will need to clean up early-season mistakes such as missed tackles and blown coverage assignments. With the Nickel position replacing one linebacker spot, Kamara, Tarver and Daniyan were all able to featured in the starting lineup. Kamara started the contest with a huge hit on a kickoff and impressed throughout with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. Daniyan had a strong performance with 9 tackles and a forced fumble. Future opponents will likely not make as many mistakes as Holy Cross did, so shoring up the cornerback positions and eliminating the mental mistakes will be vital heading into Ivy League play.

Conforti was 4 for 4 on PATs and did not attempt an extra point. Reese Keeney, a transfer from Rice, handled the punting duties and averaged 34.8 yards per punt. Crushing blows delivered by Kamara and Wagner on kickoffs were the highlights of the special teams from Saturday.

The Yale Bulldogs host the Holy Cross Crusaders tomorrow at the Bowl in the Elis’ opening contest. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

Holy Cross enters the contest with an 0-3 record following close losses to Northern Illinois, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. No opponent has scored more than 19 points on the Crusaders this season and Holy Cross was able to limit #6 Rhode Island to just 9 points last week in a 7-9 loss in Worcester. In Week 1, the Crusaders nearly pulled off an upset over a decent FBS squad in Northern Illinois, falling by just 2 points. Holy Cross’ three losses have been decided by a total of 7 points, so this is a dangerous, battle-tested squad to face early in the season.

The Crusaders’ offense is led by sophomore QB Cal Swanson (6’3”, 210 lbs.) who has completed just 53.4% of his passes this season for 407 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Swanson is a transfer from Illinois and was originally a 3-star recruit out of high school. While Swanson is not as elusive as Sluka, he is a very capable runner who currently leads Holy Cross in rushing yards with 111 yards or 3.2 yards per carry. Swanson has struggled with accuracy as he completed just 48.3% of his passes versus Rhode Island without a touchdown. Junior RB Jayden Clerveaux (5’11”, 220 lbs.) is a very talented back who earned 1^st Team All-Patriot League honors in 2024. Clerveaux has had a slow start to the 2025 season with only 108 rushing yards (3.3 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns. Senior WR Max Mosey (6’0”, 200 lbs.) is also a returning 1^st Team All-Patriot League performer and leads the Crusaders with 14 catches for 167 yards. Junior WR Charly Mullaly (6’0”, 195 lbs.) is another solid receiving option for Holy Cross and is 2^nd on the team in receiving yards with 98. Senior TE Nathan Schillinger (6’4”, 250 lbs.) is a returning starter from 2024 and is a good run blocker who will occasionally be targeted on passes. Holy Cross’ offensive line averages 304.0 lbs. across the board and is led by senior G Cam Nolan (6’3”, 305 lbs.) who was a 2^nd Team All-Patriot League selection in 2024. Three starters return from 2024, although the offensive line has struggled against the quality of the opposition giving up 12 sacks and paving the way for just 2.9 yards per carry through three games. The key for the Bulldogs in this contest will be to shut down the running game and force Swanson into uncomfortable passing situations on 3^rd downs as Holy Cross has struggled to convert on 3^rd downs with just a 29.0% conversion rate.

Holy Cross has a very impressive defense that is a notch above the squad from 2024. Senior S Tommy Bestpitch (5’11”, 195 lbs.) has been the most active defender early in the season with 22 tackles and half a tackle for loss. Junior CB Cam Jones (5’11”, 190 lbs.) could be the most talented defender on the roster and was a 2^nd Team All-Patriot League honoree in 2024. Junior CB Eli Thompson (5’10”, 185 lbs.) is another experienced defensive back who has blanketed receivers and racked up an interception and two pass breakups through three games. The only newcomer in the defensive backfield is junior S Garrett Baldwin (6’0”, 185 lbs.) who is third on the team with 18 tackles. Junior LB Cam Santee (6’3”, 235 lbs.) is a returning starter who has played very well with 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 3 pass breakups. After starting at safety for the past two seasons, junior Carlo Crocetti (6’3”, 230 lbs.) has moved to linebacker and has been active in run support and pass support with 8 tackles and an interception. Sophomore LB Lathan Croley (6’0″, 210 lbs.) is very athletic for a linebacker and has racked up 13 tackles on the season. The defensive line is led by senior DE Christian Ross (6’2”, 250 lbs.) who has started since his sophomore season. Ross has been disruptive off the edge with 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack. The interior of the defensive line is very stout featuring junior DT Brice Stevenson (6’1”, 295 lbs.) and sophomore DT Jordan Pritchard-Sewell (6’1”, 290 lbs.), both of whom have started since their freshman seasons. Yale will need to find a way to spring Pitsenberger loose in the running game to burn the clock and take pressure off of the inexperienced quarterback. While Reno does not typically showcase any exotic trick plays early in the season, creative play calling will be necessary to create home run threats against a tough defense.

Senior K Luis Palenzuela (6’0”, 200 lbs.) is 2 of 5 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 34 yards. Freshman K Owen Saraceno (5’8”, 170 lbs.) missed his only field goal attempt last week versus Rhode Island. Sophomore P Ethan Moss (5’10”, 190 lbs.) has played well with an average punt of 38.3 yards and two punts have gone over 50 yards in distance. In what is expected to be a very tight contest, Yale’s special teams units will need to limit the mental mistakes to secure a win.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Crusaders!