10 Days to Go!

There has been so much Columbia football news over the last few days, it might take each of the 10 days left before the season starts to get to it all!

Kudos to Big Green Alert

First, I want to thank Bruce Wood, author of the superb Big Green Alert Website for linking to me and making special mention of my open letter to Coach Wilson, (see below), that I posted yesterday.

Mr. Wood's site is everything I would like this blog to be if I had the time and skill. He has pictures, "insider reports," and more. No fan of Ivy football should go without checking his site regularly. Perhaps the two of us can one day meet up at Happy Valley and root for Penn State together.

Columbia Football to be Broadcast on WSNR 620AM

Another big piece of news is Columbia has made a deal with WSNR RADIO 620AM to broadcast all the football games this season. Former WFAN reporter Jerry Recco is getting the play-by-play mic, but there is no word on who else will be on the on-air team. This will also be the audio broadcast they "sync-up" with the live streaming video feeds of the games that will be available on the new SIDELION PASS feature on the Columbia athletics Website.

This is a very good sign about how serious the athletic department is about turning things around. I don't assume it was a walk in the park to get the radio deal done, and the only other time I can remember CU going to an outside source for broadcasts was in 1992-93 when Columbia basketball games were broadcast over an AM station whose call letters I can't recall. But that deal came just when it was becoming apparent to many observers that Columbia basketball was on the rise with stars like Buck Jenkins. Sure enough, the 1993 team was the best CU basketball squad since the 1966 Ivy title-winning group that featured future L.A. Laker star Jim McMillan.

I am a little sad that the student broadcasts of the games on WKCR will be overshadowed, but not since the late 80's-early-90's have those broadcasts really been top notch. In those days KCR games were called by future media professionals like Paul Greenberg, who went on to become sports director at WTOP radio in Washington, DC, and Dave Kansas, who is now a top guy at TheStreet.com. As a broadcast professional, I have often tried to mentor the student broadcasters at KCR, but other than a few helpful phone calls to the talented-but-untested Phil Wallace a few years ago, I was never able to work much out. WKCR sports journalists deserve either a seasoned professional mentor provided to them by the University, or even a professor from the journalism school who could give them a few pointers. As it is, the student broadcasters apparently face a hostile environment created by the adult dj's at the station who see sports as a major annoyance. I just hope the SNR deal doesn't mean those kids will give up.

SPECTATOR WRAPS TRAINING CAMP

As for on-the-field news, the Columbia Spectator had a decent report on the end of training camp. The only real news was not unexpected; Craig Hormann has been officially named the starting QB, but there were also some interesting quotes about how the team is happy with Coach Wilson's decision to considerably simplify the offensive and defensive schemes. With the small amount of prep time these kids have and the difficult course load in the classroom, I'd have to say simpler has got to be better.

The scheduled scrimmage with Harvard on Saturday 9/2 was cancelled because of the remnants of Tropical Depression Ernesto hitting the NYC area. I would have liked to see the Lions get more practice against somebody other than themselves, but these preseason scrimmages always get me nervous. There have been some prominent disasters for Columbia in these games over the years. The biggest one came in 1989 when running back Greg Abbruzzese was lost for the entire regular season after injuring his leg in a preseason contest at home. Running back Rashad Biggers was lost for all of 2003 when he hurt his leg against Harvard in a preseason scrimmage. When you consider those events and throw in the terrible weather conditions last Saturday, you can understand why I'm generally happy the scrimmage was scrapped.

Columbia's Out-of-Conference Opponents go 0-3

Fordham, Georgetown, and Iona all started their 2006 regular seasons with disappointing losses.

Fordham fell at home to Monmouth 23-9 in a game dominated by the same bad weather conditions that forced the cancellation of the Columbia-Harvard scrimmage at Wien Stadium. The night game was apparently a comedy of errors as Fordham's team captains ASKED TO DEFEND THE WRONG GOAL during the coin toss and the Rams ended up facing the fierce wind in their faces in the critical first quarter. But don't take this loss as hard evidence that Fordham will be an easy mark when Columbia faces them on the 16th. Here are a few reasons why:

1) The Weather Was Terrible

It's really hard to judge how good or bad a team is when they play in a steady rain, let alone a tropical depression. I realize both teams had to face the same conditions, but bad weather seems to skew the deck a little more than usual.

2) James Prydatko

Columbia fans are not unfamiliar with Fordham fullback James Prydatko. He had a strong game against the Lions last year; almost good enough to single-handedly beat the Lions himself. But Columbia overcame his 100+ yard performance last year and the Mount Sinai, Long Island native had another great effort in a losing cause on Saturday. He ran for an 89-yard TD and finished the game with 135 yards on just 14 carries, (which means he had a decent 3.5 yards a carry on his other 13 chances). He also appears to be slimmer and faster than he was a year ago, and I believe he will present a tough early test for the Lions' questionable run defense.

3) Monmouth is Better than You Think

I realize Monmouth comes from the little-known Northeast Conference, but this is a team just two years removed from a 10-1 season and has had some players go on to the NFL. Fordham definitely scheduled the Mountain Hawks as a creampuff game, but that was a tactical error.

4) Things Change in a Hurry

In the Ivy and Patriot Leagues, teams that look like doormats often come out of nowhere and turn it around for a week or two. Fordham had one of its worst teams that I can remember last year, but after losing their first seven games of 2005, they pulled off a big 24-20 win over Holy Cross. And who can forget what Columbia did to Fordham in 2002 when the Lions scored their only win of that season against the Rams even as Fordham went on to second round of the I-AA playoffs?

5) Fordham had Some Good Stats

First there are the Prydatko numbers, and then there were some other bright spots for Fordham in the game that should be of some concern for the Lions. The Rams held Monmouth to just 63 rushing yards on 41 carries, and the defense netted three sacks. Columbia's offensive line will be tested against these guys, perhaps even more than they were last season.

But of course, there is plenty of good news too:

1) Derric Daniels is a Liability

Fordham QB Derric Daniels put up good numbers as a sophomore in 2004, but he was a dud last season. His interceptions and inability to avoid sacks in last season's game against Columbia were huge factors in the contest. This Saturday he was plain awful again. He went an embarrassing 6-for-20 for just 64 yards and two interceptions. Obviously the bad weather was a factor, but Monmouth's signal caller went 13-for-24 for 223 yards and three TD's. Daniels may be benched by the time the Columbia game rolls around.

2) Fordham's Secondary is Still Weak

Craig Hormann had some success throwing the ball in his first-ever collegiate start last year against the Rams, and he may be facing an even weaker Fordham pass defense this season. Monmouth seemed to take the windy conditions in stride and they had no problem with going to the pass early and often against Fordham's accommodating secondary.

Fordham's next game is another nighttime contest at Albany. The Great Danes mauled the Rams in last season's finale, 41-0, and Albany is coming off a surprising 17-16 win over Lehigh last week. I don't think Fordham has much of a chance to win that one, and that means the Rams will either be demoralized in a big way by the time Columbia plays them or extremely hungry for a win. I'm hoping for the former.

It's hard to get too much of a read on Georgetown's 23-13 loss at home to Holy Cross. The Box Score seems to show the game was a penalty-filled affair that featured mostly passing from both offenses. But Holy Cross clearly was in control throughout, with leads of 13-0 at halftime and a 26-6 advantage with 8:05 left in the final quarter. I suppose it's comforting to see that this game proves Georgetown will probably not be an unbeatable team when Columbia faces them at Baker Field on 9/23. The Hoyas face a dangerous Stony Brook team, coached by Columbia head coaching finalist Chuck Priore, in Washington this coming weekend.

Finally, Columbia's creampuff on the schedule Iona also lost its home opener 21-7 to Montclair State. Iona dominated the offensive statistics in the game, but five interceptions by QB Dustin Croik and another lost fumble led to their demise. Iona does seem to have a decent running game, but a loss to the Gaels would definitely be a "push the panic button" kind of moment for Columbia when they face them in week 4 on 10/7. Iona takes on Wagner this Saturday on Staten Island.

Looking Ahead...

With 10 days to go, the biggest piece of news we're waiting on here at Columbia is the release of the two-deep for the opener against Fordham. In recent years those rosters have been released with the game notes on the Tuesday before the game, so we may be six more days away from knowing the starting lineup. Of course, Coach Wilson may tip his hand before that but he has been keeping things pretty close to the vest so far.

And in Tomorrow's Post...

Tomorrow I intend to take on the curious subject of Columbia Defensive Coordinator Lou Ferrari. Stay tuned!