Yale Football Blog

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.

The Yale Bulldogs host the undefeated Dartmouth Big Green at the Bowl on Saturday in a crucial Ivy League matchup. Kickoff is slated for 12 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN+.

Dartmouth’s offense is led by senior QB Jackson Proctor (6’2”, 210 lbs.) who has completed 66.7% of his passes for 578 yards, 5 TDs, and only one interception through three games. Proctor looks much improved from a year ago when he threw two interceptions versus the Bulldogs and has the speed to run the ball on designated rushes or when the pocket collapses. Proctor gets rid of the ball very quickly and rarely strays from his first read. Senior RB Q Jones (5’11”, 190 lbs.) was an honorable mention All-Ivy performer last season and is off to a strong start to 2024 with 4.3 yards per carry. Junior RB Desmin Jackson (5’10”, 185 lbs.) is another explosive back for Dartmouth averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Senior WR Paxton Scott (6’1”, 200 lbs.) could be the best receiver in the league and has hauled in 20 catches for 232 yards and a score. Junior TE Chris Corbo (6’4”, 245 lbs.) is targeted often and leads Dartmouth in touchdown receptions with two. The offensive line averages 288.0 lbs. across the board and is a very cohesive unit that does not make mistakes often. The line paved the way for 4.9 yards per carry against a talented defensive front from Penn and only allowed one sack in the contest. Dartmouth will likely be looking to control the clock with runs from Q Jones and keep the defense guessing with play action passes, quick hitting routes, and downfield shots to wideouts or tight ends. The Bulldogs will need to find a way to make Proctor uncomfortable in the pocket while blanketing Scott with a corner and safety support. In the ground game, Yale needs to set hard edges and have linebackers get off blocks to plug inside gaps before Dartmouth’s speedy backs can reach top speed.

The Big Green’s defense is by far the most talented squad on the schedule through the first four games. Penn’s QB looked panicked and made uncharacteristically poor decisions against the unit a week ago. The defensive line is very stout led by senior Josiah Green (6’1”, 280 lbs.) who was a 2nd Team All-Ivy selection last year and has added 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks to his career totals so far this season. Senior Ejike Adele (6’2”, 270 lbs.) is another great defensive lineman for the Big Green with similar productivity to Green with 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Dartmouth’s linebacker corps of Danny Cronin (6’3”, 230 lbs.), Micah Green (5’11”, 230 lbs.), and Braden Mullen (6’4”, 240 lbs.) is a deep and experienced unit. Green is tied for the team lead in tackles with 14, while Mullen is tied for the team lead in sacks with 2. Dartmouth’s secondary is very quick to jump routes which could nullify the short WR screens that Yale utilizes. Junior DB Sean Williams (5’9”, 190 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Ivy performer in 2024 and is tied for the team lead in tackles with 14. Junior DB Patrick Campbell (6’0”, 190 bs.) leads the team in pass breakups with 3 and senior DB Zach Farris (6’0”, 190 lbs.) has the lone interception for the Big Green’s defense. Penn had chances to exploit Dartmouth’s passing defense but struggled with inaccurate or delayed passes, penalties and dropped balls. Jordan will need to make strides from his first full start last week with some help from the big men up front to challenge Dartmouth’s defensive backs. In the ground game, Yale needs to build upon the momentum established last week to move bodies up front and spring Pitsenberger loose.

Sophomore K Owen Zalc (5’10”, 165 lbs.) is 6 of 7 on field goal attempts with an impressive long field goal of 50 yards. Senior P Davis Golick (6’1”, 210 lbs.) averages 39.5 yards per punt with a long ount of 51 yards. Sean Williams can be a dangerous punt returner if not kept in check. There will be no margin for special teams miscues this week against a strong Ivy League foe.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Green!

The Bulldogs pulled out a nail-biting victory at home in a 23-22 win over CCSU. Yale moves to 2-1 on the season with an undefeated Big Green squad visiting the Bowl this weekend. 

Grant Jordan returned at quarterback and finished 16 of 31 for 146 yards and a touchdown. Jordan had some great scrambles and key completions when needed but needs to be a bit more accurate and decisive moving forward. On Jordan’s huge 21 yard rush downfield to keep a drive alive, he took the safe route and slid to play another day. The play calling will need to give Jordan higher percentage plays to keep the ball moving against Ivy opponents as it’s hard to win being 6 of 15 on third downs. McCaughey appeared to be nursing an injury on the sidelines, so hopefully he can bounce back to provide depth. Pitsenberger looked improved over the Cornell contest and posted 127 rushing yards and a touchdown with the touchdown coming on a fantastic 64-yard scamper to keep Yale in the contest. Shipp, Pantelis and Nenad were solid at wideout when given good opportunities. Luke Foster made one of the plays of the season on his 19-yard touchdown reception to take the lead. St. Aubyn started at tackle with Sullivan shifting back to guard. The line’s performance was improved but Pitsenberger and Denney were still getting hit at the line of scrimmage too often to fully take control of the game. Jordan’s elusiveness aided in the sackless contest for CCSU. The offense took a step forward all around in this game and will need to keep that momentum while finding more ways to get our playmakers the ball in space.

CCSU racked up 458 yards on offense in another sloppy performance from the defense, although the Bulldogs do deserve credit for coming up with big plays and turnovers when needed. Yang was a bright spot with 3 tackles for losses. The defensive line jumped offsides on several hard counts, so discipline must improve in that regard. Egodogbare was back and did not yet appear to be in peak form. Shaffer and Biggs had their best performances of the season but still need to take their play to the next level. Ayo Durojaiye had a stellar sack for a ten yard loss that killed a CCSU drive. The secondary struggled to contain receivers with Daniyan constantly caught out of position. Tarver stepped up at safety with an interception and another key breakup. Da’Quan Gonzales was burned for a touchdown at corner but came back with a pass breakup to kill a drive. Kamara has been forced to be a workhorse for this defense and continues to rack up tackles with another 14 against CCSU. Yale needs to clean up the outside containment issues along with the gaps in coverage to keep Dartmouth in check this week. 

Conforti was 1 of 2 on field goals with a 33-yard miss. Florio had a decent punting day with a 37.7 yard average and four punts inside the redzone.