Hits and Misses

Columbia has just completed its third best football season of the last 25 years, (1996 was the best, 1994 was the second best). What makes this really remarkable is that it came directly after the worst season the Lions had suffered since the historic losing streak of 1983-88.

But the successes this season were no accident; they were the direct result of a number of bold moves by the coaches and surprising performances on the field by several players. Of course, not everything worked and this post will be dedicated to focusing on the "hits and misses" of the 2006 season.

HIT: The 3-5-3 Defense



I consider the success of this new defensive scheme to be the single best thing about the 2006 season, period. It is simply unheard of for a team to give up 327 points in one season and then allow just 163 the next... but that's exactly what Columbia did this season. The new alignment worked a little better against the pass than the run, but its biggest strength was in its ability to confuse opposing teams and force mistakes. The Lions' 24 takeaways in 2006 were the biggest result of all that. There's reason for concern in 2007 as opposing teams may get a little more used to facing the 3-5-3, and five key starters are graduating, but there's no real reason to think that defense will be a weakness for the Lions.

MISS: Slash and Burn



Norries Wilson described his running philosophy at the beginning of the season as "slash and burn," by which he meant he was going to run the same plays over and over until they worked. It pretty much never did, and it was clear by the middle of the season that a new approach was needed. Running out of the shotgun and installing Pete Stoll at fullback were key adjustments and the opposite of just trying to run into that brick wall 25 times a game.

HIT: Letting the Kids Play



There are A LOT of coaches at the collegiate level who just won't start freshmen and sophomores out of principal. It's a good thing Norries Wilson isn't one of those coaches. Rookie starters made a huge impact on the defense, led by freshmen Andy Shalbrack and Justin Masorti, and sophomores Drew Quinn and Phil Mitchell. Frosh Lou Miller and Matt Bashaw played big roles too. On offense, freshman Austin Knowlin was a major sparkplug and he ended up as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. It's safe to say that without the freshmen and sophomore starters, Columbia would only have won one or two games this year.

MISS: Stopping the Scramble



Whatever schemes or plays the Lions tried to stop opposing QB runs... they didn't work. Almost every weakness Columbia has exhibited over the years on defense was eliminated this season, except for this one. It hurt the Lions the most in the Dartmouth loss when Big Green quarterback Mike Fritz ran for a whopping 129 yards on just 14 carries. Overall, the Lions gave up 371 yards to scrambling QB's on 95 carries. And if you take away the 127 yards opposing QB's lost on Columbia's 20 sacks, you get a really disturbing 498 yards on 75 carries for 6.6 yards per carry.

HIT: Waiting on Hormann



Coach Wilson said at the end of the season that he wished he could START the season after the Brown game because it took some of his players the whole ten weeks to learn his system. Since the defense never looked very learning impaired, I have to assume he was talking about the offense that seemed so punchless for much of the season. Starting QB Craig Hormann was a big reason why. Hormann was taking too long to make decisions, throwing passes that always seemed at least a little off-target, and showing no ability to run when his receivers were covered. But the coaching staff stuck with him, even when many thought freshman M.A. Olawale should get a start or two. Hormann made their patience pay off with a strong finish. He started making faster decisions, avoided throwing an interception in the last three games, and even ran the ball effectively once or twice in the wins over Cornell and Brown. Hormann could really reward the coaching staff for their belief in him by playing all of 2007 the way he did the last few weeks of 2006.

MISS: Tight Ends



Jamal Russell also picked up his game at the end of the season, but in the early games he had serious problems with dropped passes. In the Princeton loss alone, it seemed like he killed two or three drives after dropping perfectly good throws from Hormann. He ceased being a liability in the Cornell and Brown games, but the coaching staff clearly wasn't calling his number very often... which was too bad, because he has an ability to get open. Russelll needs to elevate his game for his senior season in 2007 if he wants to stay in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, highly-touted sophomore Troy Evangelist never caught a single pass and was hampered by an ankle injury through most of the early part of the season. The 6"6 Evangelist would make a fantastic target for Hormann and he needs to get involved somehow in the passing game. The Lions failure to get a consistent, tight end-centered, short passing attack established probably cost Columbia a win or two in 2006.

HIT: Rocholl and Huston



With 72 players on the roster by season's end, depth is not something Columbia enjoyed at many positions. But at kicker, the Lions are blessed with two talented young players in Jon Rocholl and Patrick Huston. Rocholl started the season strong as the placekicker and punter, slumped a bit later in the season, but finished the year by making the most high-pressure field goal attempt for Columbia in more than four years. Huston was solid all year long as the kickoff specialist, and he filled in admirably by nailing a field goal and an extra point when Rocholl was briefly benched in the Brown game. Most importantly, Columbia's kicking game was never the reason the Lions dropped any of their five losses in 2006. That's not something many college teams, especially Penn, can say right now.

MISS: Playing it Safe on Kick Returns

Columbia had some fumble/muff problems on kick returns in 2004 and 2005. In the middle of last year Bob Shoop's coaching staff decided to get less aggressive and just try to hold on to the ball. But it's time to change course and get more opportunistic. Not only did the Lions not have a significant punt or kickoff return all season, but Columbia returners ran away from too many balls and put the offense in weak field position game after game. It may be too risky to put Austin Knowlin into a kick returning role in 2007, but the Lions need to find someone who can light it up on special teams once in awhile.

HIT: Free Beer/Drinks at Baker Field


It stinks that parking at Baker Field is just not possible anymore, but the University did a nice job organizing the pregame picnic area and giving out free beer and soft drinks before the games. This is a tradition they should continue.




MISS: Attendance Falls


Despite the much-improved team on the field, attendance at CU games was down to about 4,600 people a game from about 4,900 per contest in 2005. A winning team next season will bring up the numbers, but Columbia is very close to historic lows right now. Let's hope there are thousands of Columbia alums and supporters who are just waiting for a few more wins before they head to Wien Stadium.

HIT: Sidelion Pass

The new online streaming video service on gocolumbialions.com had a lot of glitches, but how great is it that we can now catch CU games from home when we can't make it to Baker Field? I also really appreciate the archives that allow us to watch game highlights for weeks after the actual games are played. Hopefully, the athletic department will continue to improve this service and Columbia will lead the way in the Ivy League when it comes to offering live video coverage.

MISS: WKCR

I thought the athletic department's decision to go with its own professional broadcasting team on WSNR would end up being a win-win situation. Columbia fans would get a top-notch commercial radio presence, and the students on WKCR would now be motivated to provide a solid alternative. I was wrong. I know these students are just kids, but the quality of the announcing on WKCR was worse than ever this season. Many times, I have complained about how Columbia offers little or no professional guidance to these young kids on the radio. I can't believe there isn't someone at the journalism school who can help out. In the meantime, I'm sticking with Jerry Recco and Rick Mantz on WSNR.