Yale Football Blog

The Bulldogs head to the Ice Castle in Youngstown, Ohio for an FCS Playoff matchup against the Youngstown State Penguins. Kickoff is slated for noon on Saturday and the game will air on ESPN+.

Youngstown State enters the matchup with an 8-4 record with losses to Michigan State, South Dakota State, North Dakota, and North Dakota State. YSU wound up ranked fourth in the brutal Missouri Valley Football Conference at the end of regular season play but had chances to defeat both SDSU and NDSU which would have catapulted the ‘Guins in the rankings. 

The Penguins’ offense is led by the dynamic junior QB Beau Brungard (6’0”, 215 lbs.) who could be the top quarterback in the FCS this year. Brungard has thrown for 2,917 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Brungard is even more impressive in the running game with 1,378 rushing yards (6.1 YPC) and 24 rushing touchdowns. The Penguins love to spread out defenses wide and give Brungard the flexibility to run against an unstacked box or find one of his electric receivers for a big gain. Senior WR Max Tomczak (6’0”, 195 lbs.) was a 1st Team All-MVFC wideout in 2024 and has racked up 916 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Junior WR Flash Wilson (5’9”, 180 lbs.) could be the quickest receiver that Yale has faced all season and averages 10.0 yards per reception. Sophomore RB Jaden Gilbert (5’10”, 180 lbs.) averages an impressive 6.5 yards per carry and can also be a receiving threat out of the backfield. YSU’s offensive line averages 298.0 lbs. across the board and has paved the way for 5.8 yards per carry on the season. Brungard typically has all day to throw as the line provides solid pass protection and surrendered only 16 sacks through 12 games. There’s no simple formula to shut down the Penguins’ offense but it will need to start up front with the Bulldogs getting penetration at the line of scrimmage. Pass rushers will need to stay true to their rush lanes as Brungard can takeoff downfield in an instant if a hole forms. Ayo-Durojaiye or Grant awill need to spy Brungard at times while the defensive backfield will need to stay glued to talented wideouts. The defensive coaching staff members face their toughest test trying to slow Youngstown State’s offense this week. 

The Penguins’ defense has not matched the performance of their offense as they have allowed 6.2 yards per play and 48 touchdowns on the season. Senior DB Dayne Hodge (5’10”, 195 lbs.) leads the defense in tackles with 68 and is an experienced transfer from Tulsa. Senior LB Preston Zandier (6’0”, 225 lbs.) is the leader of the front seven with 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and an interception on the season. Senior DB DJ Harris (5’11”, 185 lbs.) led YSU in the tackles in 2024 and has been a key defender in 2025 with 63 tackles and 2 interceptions. Junior LB Carston Marshall (6’2”, 215 lbs.) has played very well with 61 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Senior S Dathan Hickey (6’0”, 200 lbs.) was an Eli from 2018 to 2023 and sat out in 2024 with an injury. It’s great to see Hickey finally healthy and he has racked up 57 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. Junior OLB Michael Wells (6’3”, 250 lbs.) is a very talented pass rusher off the edge with 8.5 sacks. Senior DT Collin Vaughn (6’2”, 285 lbs.) is disruptive along the defensive front and has notched 37 tackles with 1.5 sacks. The Bulldogs will need to get Pitsenberger rolling in the ground game to burn the clock and keep the YSU offense off of the field. The Penguins’ secondary has been exploited all season allowing 8.0 yards per passing attempt, so developing creative plays for Brown and Santiago will be critical. The Elis will likely need to score early and often to keep pace with the ‘Guins as stalled  drives could prove fatal. 

Junior K Andrew Lastovka (5’8”, 170 lbs.) has completed 15 of 19 field goals with a long of 49 yards on the season. Senior P Brendon Kilpatrick (6’2”, 220 lbs.) averages a booming 46.3 yards per punt with 8 punts placed inside the redzone. Flash Wilson is one of the best kick returners in the country and returned a kick for a 100-yard touchdown this season.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Penguins!

The Yale Bulldogs defeated the Harvard Crimson 45-28 in one of the most complete victories of the Reno era.

The Yale offense made a very early appearance in The Game after an amazing strip by Webster gave the Bulldogs the ball in great field position. The Elis wasted no time in scoring with Santiago hauling in a reception and breaking tackles on his way to the end zone. Yale was up 7-0 in the blink of an eye and never relinquished the lead. Dante Reno made impressive throws as he completed 15 of 19 passes for 273 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Pitsenberger racked up 143 yards and 3 touchdowns with physical runs to keep the chains moving. Daal averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 7 carries as a great change of pace back. Brown torched the Crimson’s secondary for 189 yards and a receiving touchdown including a 64-yard bomb that he broke a tackle on for a score. Santiago was simply too fast and physical for Harvard with 5 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Anderson took a short flip from Reno into the end zone on a beautifully designed 12-yard touchdown play. The offensive line did not allow a sack and kept the ground game churning all afternoon. It was a dominating offensive display against a talented defense that will go down in history as a clutch performance to not only secure a share of the Ivy Championship, but also earn the first automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs.

Webster set the defensive tone of the afternoon by securing a tackle on a wideout while stripping the ball on Harvard’s first drive. Webster’s solid contest did not end there as he was constantly in tight coverage and led the Bulldogs in tackles with 8. Grant had 7 stops in the contest and was a key factor in slowing the Crimson’s offensive assault. Craig was held to just 27 completions on 50 attempts as heavy pressure was generated and defensive backs stayed close to receivers for the most part. Gonzalez, White and Barkley-Smith all made clutch plays in lone coverage. Kamara was impactful with 6 tackles and the biggest hit of the day on a Harvard running play. Schmidt had 6 tackles, half a sack and a key pass breakup but did struggle at times in coverage. Tarver bounced back after allowing an early touchdown strike to have a nice contest in coverage. Along the defensive line, there were once again a number of standouts including Larry, Shaber, Jackson-Bass, Tate, and Yang among others. Larry led the pass rush with one sack while Jackson-Bass added half a sack. There is still room for improvement on fourth down situations and stopping runs from the quarterback, yet fans have to be thrilled with how the defense held up through Ivy League play all season. 

Piper nailed a 40-yard field goal and Keeney averaged an impressive 43.8 yards per punt. Melik Williams delivered a huge hit on kickoff coverage in one of the highlights of the day.

Congratulations to all the players and staff members on a championship season! For the first time in history, the Bulldogs are on to Youngstown State!

The Yale Bulldogs host the Harvard Crimson in The Game on Saturday at the Bowl. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPNU.

Harvard enters the contest with an unblemished 9-0 record and has already secured at least a share of the Ivy crown. The Crimson cruised their way through the first 8 games of the season as they made short work of inferior opponents and intentionally did not run up scores in wins that looked effortless. Week 9 was a different story for the Crimson as Penn exploited holes in Harvard’s defense and nearly knocked off Harvard in a 45-43 contest won by the Crimson on a 53-yard field goal.

Harvard’s offense is led by the talented senior QB Jaden Craig (6’3”, 230 lbs.) who has been drawing NFL attention this season. Craig has continued to upgrade his craft each season to become the top QB in the Ivy League. Craig has 21 touchdowns passes with 2,456 passing yards and has only thrown 5 interceptions. In the passing game, Craig has great vision and really excels on medium distance throws. Craig has good quickness to avoid potential sacks and is a decent runner who can easily pick up firsts when the pocket collapses. Harvard’s rushing attack is led by senior RB Xaviah Bascon (5’9”, 200 lbs.) who is very powerful and hard to bring down. Bascon averages an impressive 5.1 yards per carry and has scored 7 rushing touchdowns. The Crimson have a deep stable of backs including the speedy sophomore RB DJ Gordon (6’0”, 205 lbs.) and junior RB Jordan Harris (5’9”, 190 lbs.) who each have rushed for over 300 yards on the season. Sophomore WR Brady Blackburn (6’0”, 180 lbs.) has emerged as a top receiver in the Ivy League with 648 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Senior WR Cam Henry (5’9”, 180 lbs.) is a very fast threat with 345 receiving yards and 13.3 yards per catch. Senior WR Dean Boyd (6’4”, 210 lbs.) is a large target with the hands and speed to cause problems.  Following in a long line of great Harvard tight ends is junior Seamus Gilmartin (6’4”, 235 lbs.) who has solidified himself as the top receiving tight end in the conference. Gilmartin leads the Crimson with 5 receiving touchdowns as a major threat in the redzone. Senior TE Ryan Osborne (6’0”, 220 lbs.) is another tremendous receiving weapon that can surprise teams that focus elsewhere. Harvard’s offensive line averages 302.0 lbs. across the board and has provided Craig with ample throwing time all season. The Crimson have been dominant in both run and pass blocking with 4.8 yards per carry and only 7 sacks allowed. Yale has to find a way to generate pressure on Craig without sacrificing too much in coverage. Wrapping up ball carriers is crucial as Craig routinely sidesteps defenders to avoid sacks and Bascon can simply run through arm tackles. Our secondary will need to be nearly perfect against a loaded set of receiving weapons. Yale must clean up the pass interference, holding and roughing penalties that could be backbreakers.

Harvard’s defense has allowed just 15.1 points per game and 282.7 yards of total offensive yardage per game. Opponents have not fared well on 3^rd and 4^th downs against the Crimson with conversion rates of just 39.3% and 39.1% respectively. Junior LB Sean Line (6’0”, 220 lbs.) has impressed in his first season as a starter with 67 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Senior LB Jaeden Kinlock (5’11”, 225 lbs.) is a physical linebacker with 39 stops through 9 games. Senior S Ty Bartrum (6’1”, 200 lbs.) is Harvard’s captain and a returning 1st Team All-Ivy defender who is second on the squad in tackles with 58 on the season. Junior S Jack Donahoe (6’3”, 210 lbs.) has great size for a safety and is solid all-around in pass and run support. Junior DB Damien Anderson (6’0”, 180 lbs.) was a 2nd Team All-Ivy member in 2024 and has racked up 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups. Junior DB Austin-Jake Guillory (6’1”, 180 lbs.) is another returning starter in the secondary who leads the team in pass breakups with 7. Senior DL Alex DeGriek (6’4”, 250 lbs.) leads the Crimson with 6 sacks on the season. Junior DT Jake Darling (6’4”, 290 lbs.) is disruptive at the line of scrimmage and leads the defensive linemen in tackles with 20. Junior DE Josh Fedd (6’4”, 250 lbs.) and sophomore DL Christian Nwosu (6’1”, 260 lbs.) are talented pass rushers who have each notched 3 sacks on the season. Penn was able to find success last week on the ground and through the air. While Penn’s running back was kept in check with just 55 rushing yards, Harvard could not contain Penn’s quarterback who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown. Penn also exploited Harvard’s secondary with their talented receiving corps as O’Brien completed 80.0% of his passes for 271 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Dante Reno will need to have nearly perfect timing on his throws to exploit tight windows of opportunity as several of Penn’s big passing plays were nearly intercepted. The offensive line must bounce back from a subpar performance last week to pave holes for Pitsenberger and Daal in the rushing attack as burning the clock in this contest is of utmost importance. Given Penn’s success on quarterback runs, implementing more wildcat packages with Pitsenberger could be beneficial. Yale’s offensive coaching staff faces their toughest test of the season and must dig deep into the playbook to keep Harvard’s defense guessing.

Sophomore K Kieran Corr (6’3”, 185 lbs.) has only missed two field goal attempts all season and made a 53-yard field goal last week in a high-pressure moment. Sophomore P Dylan Fingersh (5’10”, 180 lbs.) averages 39.5 yards per punt and has placed 4 punts inside the redzone. Harris averages 20.6 yards per kickoff return and has the ability to make several defenders miss.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Crimson!

The Yale Bulldogs defeated the Princeton Tigers on Saturday in a 13-10 defensive battle. Yale moves to 7-2 (5-1 Ivy) with an Ivy Championship and FCS appearance on the line in The Game.

12 first downs, 13 points and 273 yards of total offense won’t win many contests but luckily the Bulldogs’ offense was bailed out by the defense. The offensive line struggled to create holes at times with just 3.2 yards per carry and allowed 3 sacks on the afternoon. Pitsenberger still managed to rack up 106 rushing yards and a touchdown but fought for every inch against a stingy Princeton defense. Dante Reno was inconsistent in the passing game with an intercepted pass to Brown thrown into tight coverage and held onto the ball without finding an open receiver on too many occasions. One of Reno’s two interceptions was a catchable pass to Wagner who did not time his jump perfectly and tipped the ball to a Princeton defender. Brown had another impressive performance with 102 receiving yards on just 5 catches. Santiago had 35 receiving yards and broke tackles on a key 24-yard reception to keep a drive alive. Offensive playcalling left much to be desired particularly on third downs where the Bulldogs converted on just 3 of 11 attempts. Penn exposed cracks in Harvard’s defense, but vast improvements will need to be made offensively this week to give Yale any hope against the Crimson.

Yale’s defense held firm throughout limiting Princeton to 313 yards of total offense and forced two critical turnovers that changed the outcome of the contest. Grant had another fantastic day at linebacker with 13 tackles to lead the Bulldogs. Kamara was all over the field in typical fashion with 10 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Kamara also applied pressure on Princeton’s quarterback to force an interception that killed Princeton’s hopes. Tarver bounced back from the Brown contest with a tremendous showing with tight coverage and an interception. Webster had a few nice pass breakups but also had some coverage lapses at times. Eastep and Schmidt were not as crisp as we’ve seen from them over the past few weeks as Eastep missed an early sack (cleaned up by Kamara) and Schmidt was burned on a 4^th down pass. The defensive line was very effective with constant pressure on Princeton which led to six sacks. Larry led with 1.5 sacks while Jackson-Bass and Austin each notched a sack a piece. Tate and Yang added half a sack each to the total. Mack Johnson came up with one of the best plays of the day on a forced fumble that stalled a promising Princeton drive. Shaber racked up 5 tackles and a key tackle for loss. There’s room for improvement defensively as quarterback runs and screens still plague the Elis. Princeton was able to convert on all three fourth down attempts and held the ball for over 34 minutes of the game.

Piper proved to be a difference maker in the contest with two field goals made from 37 yards out. Keeney averaged 45.0 yards per punt in a solid outing. Aside from Schutzman drawing a penalty for jumping on a downed defender, execution on special teams was strong.

The Yale Bulldogs travel to Princeton, New Jersey this week for a showdown against the Princeton Tigers. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

Princeton enters the contest with a 3-5 overall record (2-3 Ivy) with wins over Lafayette, Columbia, and Brown. The Tigers dropped two close contests in consecutive weeks to Cornell and Dartmouth with Princeton falling by a score of 17-20 in both contests. This contest has all the markings of a trap game, but Princeton cannot be overlooked as the Tigers have a talented squad that will be playing with a high level of motivation to secure a morale-boosting win over their rival in what has been a disappointing season to date. Surace is not likely on the hot seat given his prior success, although the administration and alumni will only accept so many rivalry losses before a change is mandated.

Senior QB Kai Colon (6’2”, 210 lbs.) leads Princeton’s offense and has completed 59.8% of his passes this season for 1,534 yards, 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Senior QB Blaine Hipa (6’2”, 200 lbs.) has also played in all 8 contests and is a slightly better rusher than Colon, although his role has been diminished from a year ago when he started 9 contests. Junior RB Ethan Clarke (6’1”, 210 lbs.) is a hardnosed runner who is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has scored 5 rushing touchdowns on the season. Clark is also dangerous out of the backfield on passing plays with 15 receptions and 2 receiving touchdowns. Sophomore RB Kai Honda (5’10”, 200 lbs.) has been impressive with 4.7 yards per carry but did not play in the contest last week versus Dartmouth. Freshman WR Josh Robinson (5’7”, 165 lbs.) could become the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and leads Princeton in receptions and receiving yards with 34 catches for 388 yards. Junior WRs Roman Laurio (6’0”, 180 lbs.), Aidan Besselman (6’1”, 185 lbs.), and Jackson Green (6’2”, 195 lbs.) all see frequent targets and must be accounted for in the passing game. Junior TE Joey Wassler (6’5”, 240 lbs.) is a talented pass catcher but is primarily involved in run blocking. The offensive line averages 297.0 lbs. across the board and returns only one starter from 2024 in senior T Cooper Koers (6’6”, 290 lbs.). The Tigers have been decent in run blocking with 3.6 yards per carry yet have struggled in pass protection with 23 sacks allowed. The Bulldogs must slow down Clarke in the running game and force Princeton into uncomfortable 3^rd down scenarios as the Tigers have converted only 40.4% of 3^rd downs to date this season. In the passing game, the Elis cannot allow Robinson to get behind corners and safeties as he can generate big plays with his speed and quickness. Like last week, expect Princeton to target Clarke on screen plays. Surace will be throwing his whole playbook at Yale, so the probability of exotic trick plays is very high.

The Tigers have sharpened their defensive efforts in recent weeks holding Dartmouth to 20 points a week ago. Senior LB Marco Scarano (6’0”, 205 lbs.) was a 2^nd Team All-Ivy selection in 2024 and leads the Tigers in tackles with 66. Junior LB Chase Christopher (6’1”, 215 lbs.) earned an Honorable Mention All-Ivy nod in 2024 and has played very well with 62 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Senior DB Nasir Hill (6’0”, 200 lbs.) is the leader of the secondary and is a two-time 2^nd Team All-Ivy performer. Hill had 9 tackles versus Yale last season and is third on the team in tackles this season with 43. Junior DB Kyler Ronquillo (5’9”, 175 lbs.) has played well in his first season as a starter with 36 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Junior DBs Evan Haynie (5’11”, 180 lbs.) and Torian Roberts (5’10”, 180 lbs.) are both returning starters that have continued to show improvement. Freshman DL Nate Stohl (6’2”, 265 lbs.) has played as well as possible for a first year with 16 tackles. Junior DL Landon Robinson (6’0”, 290 lbs.) is a very stout, powerful defender that can disrupt the line of scrimmage. Sophomore OLB AJ Pigford (6’3”, 250 lbs.) and junior OLB Robert Sanders (6’2”, 245 lbs.) are difficult to block on the edges and have combined for 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Opponents have averaged 4.5 rushing yards per carry on the Tigers, so the Bulldogs must exploit the holes in the run defense with Pitsenberger and Daal. Princeton has historically blitzed heavily against Yale, so the offensive line must stay true to assignments in pass protection to keep Reno upright. Princeton has a knack for creating turnovers with 5 forced fumbles and 9 interceptions, so ball security issues and dangerous throws into heavy coverage must be avoided at all costs.

Junior K Esteban Nunez Perez (6’0”, 185 lbs.) is 6 of 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards on the season. Junior P Brady Clark (6’2”, 195 lbs.) is one of the top punters in the Ivy League and is averaging 45.7 yards per punt with 14 punts placed inside the redzone. Sophomore RB Kenny Jordan (5’11”, 170 lbs.) will stress our kickoff coverage unit as he averages 26.8 yards per kick return. Robinson handles punt return duties and is hard to contain in the open field.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Tigers!

The Yale Bulldogs defeated the Brown Bears in a 34-22 contest in Providence. Yale moves to 6-2 (4-1 Ivy) on the season with the tough rivalry matchups ahead.

The Yale offense came ready to play with a 62-yard touchdown run from Pitsenberger on the first offensive play of the game. Pitsenberger finished with an eye-popping 173 rushing yards (6.4 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns. Daal was very impressive in his own right with 67 rushing yards or 8.4 yards per carry. Reno completed 71.4% of his passes for 208 yards, 2 touchdowns, and did not throw an interception. Reno has really come a long way since the disastrous Lehigh and Dartmouth performances in improving his decision making and limiting turnovers, although a bad snap did lead to a fumble recovered by Brown. The offensive line paved the way for 5.9 yards per carry on the afternoon and only gave up one sack. Reno was able to avoid heavy pressure at times as the offensive line still struggles in picking up blitzes. Nico Brown dominated once again with 6 receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Santiago hauled in 7 catches for 42 yards but will need to work on extending his routes past the first down marker as the Bulldogs came up just inches short on two of his receptions. Wagner made one of the plays of the game when he hauled in a reception on a 3^rd down pass that was deflected. Smith added 2 catches for 15 yards and luckily did not appear to be slowed down after a potential injury in the contest.

Defensively, the Bulldogs completely shut down Brown’s running attack as they had 30 carries for just 19 net yards. Brown was successful in the passing game with 366 passing yards on the day or 8.5 yards per passing attempt. Webster and Tarver were consistently out of position, and several tackles were missed after receptions as defenders attempted to generate punishing hits without wrapping up ball carriers. Daniyan was out once again and at this point, we have to assume he has a season-ending injury. Grant was the star of the defense with 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Grant and Ayo-Durojaiye made a boneheaded decision to excessively celebrate after a sack that led to a penalty. The defensive line shined in the contest with several standout performances. Larry had 4 tackles, 2 sacks and applied pressure on the quarterback on Grant’s interception. Shaber notched 6 tackles and a sack, while Jackson-Bass had 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Xavier Coleman came up with a key tackle for loss and appears to be a future staple at defensive end. The focus heading into the Princeton contest must be to tighten up coverages, wrap up ball carriers, and avoid needless penalties.

Piper was 2 for 3 on field goal attempts with his only miss on a difficult 46-yard attempt. Keeney averaged 41.0 yards per punt and placed 2 of his 4 punts inside the redzone. Tarver made two great plays on special teams with a 38-yard kick return and was able to down a punt at the 1-yard line.

The Yale Bulldogs travel to Providence to take on the Brown Bears on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on both ESPN+ and NESN.

Brown enters the contest at 3-4 (0-4 Ivy) with wins over Georgetown, Rhode Island and Bryant. Rhode Island was ranked #8 in the FCS prior to the Brown matchup and the Bears emerged with a 28-21 victory. Interestingly enough, all three of Brown’s wins have occurred in the state of Rhode Island.

Brown’s offense is led by junior QB James Murphy (6’5”, 230 lbs.) who has completed 66.0% of his passes this season for 1,870 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Murphy has prototypical size for the position and is a classic pocket passer with a strong arm. Sophomore RB Matt Childs (6’0”, 200 lbs.) was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2024 and possesses a combination of speed, power and balance. Childs averages 3.8 yards per carry and has scored 6 rushing touchdowns on the season. Brown will often target Childs in the passing game as Childs has an impressive 25 receptions on the year. Senior RB Qwentin Brown (6’0”, 220 lbs.) is utilized as a power rusher and has racked up 5 rushing touchdowns on the season. The Bears’  high-flying offense has traditionally been built around a solid core of receivers and this year is no exception. Senior WR Ty Pezza (6’4”, 225 lbs.) has the length and quickness to be a matchup problem for most defensive backs. Pezza has hauled in 32 receptions for 436 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. Senior WR Solomon Miller (5’11”, 185 lbs.) is a very fast wideout who has been a key contributor since his freshman season. Junior TE Levi Linowes (6’3”, 240 lbs.) is a rising pass catching threat who is averaging 15.0 yards per reception. Brown’s offensive line averages 285.0 lbs. across the board and is led by sophomore OL Beau Smith (6’5”, 285 lbs.) who was named a Freshman All-American by FCS Football Central in 2024. The Bears have been average in run blocking as they’ve paved the way for 3.0 yards per carry but have struggled to consistently pass block with 17 sacks surrendered on the season. Brown has a varied offensive assault that will stress Yale’s defense in both run support and pass support. The Bears have been very aggressive on the first few offensive drives in each contest as they seek to generate big plays and hurry to the line of scrimmage with a no-huddle strategy. In the ground game, Yale must control the line of scrimmage and wrap up Childs as he can routinely run through arm tackles. In the passing game, getting pressure on Murphy and keeping Pezza and Miller in front of our defensive backs will be crucial. Brown’s offensive staff is likely salivating at the thought of getting Childs loose on screen passes given Yale’s inability to stop a screen to date.

Senior LB John Perdue (6’0”, 230 lbs.) is the leader of Brown’s defense and has played well with 58 tackles, a sack and 2 interceptions. Perdue’s fellow senior LB Sam Smith (6’0”, 230 lbs.) is an Avon, CT product who has been a contributor since his freshman season. Junior DB Miles Brophy (6’1”, 205 lbs.) leads the defensive backfield in tackles with 50 on the season. Senior DB Nevaeh Gattis (6’1”, 210 lbs.) is a returning starter from 2024 who is tied for the team lead in interceptions with 2. Junior DL Ike Odimegwu (6’3”, 235 lbs.) has become a dangerous pass rusher in the Ivy League with 7 sacks on the season. Senior DL John Starman (6’3”, 285 lbs.) is a physical defensive tackle with the quickness to chase down quarterbacks. Sophomore DE Jack Middleton (6’3”, 245 lbs.) is a transfer from Washington University St. Louis where he was a 1^st Team All-CCIW selection as a freshman. Opponents have averaged 404.6 yards of total offense per game on the Bears with 4.2 yards per carry and 7.1 yards per passing attempt. Yale’s offense matches up well against Brown’s defense, but the Bulldogs will need to score early and often to keep pace against a high-octane offense. Pass protection will be crucial as Brown will likely seek to shut down Pitsenberger and force Reno to make plays with his arm. With opponents now keying on Santiago and Nico Brown in the passing game, there could be opportunities to get our tight ends more involved to keep the Bears off balance.

Freshman K Drew Crabtree (6’0”, 185 lbs.) is 2 of 5 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards on the season. Sophomore P Malcolm Flynn (6’0”, 190 lbs.) is averaging a respectable 39.3 yards per punt with a long punt of 54 yards.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Bears!