Hit and Run
Sandberg had a career day in a Penn rout (CREDIT: IvyLeagueSports.com)
Penn 59 Columbia 28
Why Penn Won
They didn't do anything fancy; they ran the ball right up the gut and Columbia couldn't stop them. But when Penn did decide to pass, the Lions couldn't stop them either as Bryan Walker finished 16 for 21 passing with two TD's
Why Columbia Lost
In addition to the defensive problems, the offense and the special teams made crucial mistakes that turned slight miscues into catastrophic errors. A blocked field goal was left lying on the field, and while the Columbia players were stadning around, Penn went after the ball and finally returned it for a TD.
The Turning Point
The blocked FG turned a 10-7 game into a 17-7 affair, but frankly, Penn's opening drive for a TD was an even bigger turning point in my mind.
Columbia Positives
It was eerily reminiscent of the John Witkowski era, as Craig Hormann became the first Lion QB since Witkowski to have a 400 yeard passing game. Hormann threw two INT's, but only one was really his fault. Like so many Witkowski games, the Lions defense made much of those big number irrelevant.
Austin Knowlin was the biggest positive on the day with 10 catches for 188 yards, (including a 90-yarder), and 2 TD's.
Ray Rangel's two TD runs were brilliantly executed.
Game MVP: Knowlin
posted by Jake @ 7:06:00 AM
59 comments
59 Comments:
with a minute and change left on the clock and columbia on penn's 40-something yard line on a fourth and about eight, will someone kindly explain to me why hormann threw the home run ball? penn had three time outs left. the result: penn touchdown to end the half putting the game away. [plus the ball to start the second half].
why not force penn back at least 20 yards and go back at the half with your head a bit higher?
forgetting the block -> touchdown, this basically ended the game.
Was Justin Masorti hurt? I noticed he did not play today,
Why the hell didn't we run the ball more? Hormann only had such huge numbers because they used the SAME passing play over and over. There were many cases when we could have run to get the first down, but nooooooo, we had to pass the ball every single time! How predictable can you get?
Christ, what a disappointment. This was the weakest Penn team in 15 years and WE STILL managed to lay an egg. As a current student, I thought we would show some improvement in NW's second year, but this is re-goddam-diculous. Not even the last year of the dreaded Bob Shoop did a team score 59 points on us. The defense should be ashamed of themselves and ESPECIALLY the special teams for failing to prevent the Penn score after that blocked kick.
I know I'm supposed to be patient, but frankly I'm almost tired of waiting for the improvement here. I thought at the Princeton game we would actually be able to compete with other Ivy teams, but I guess I'm sorely mistaken. I hope that $5 mil. goes somewhere we need improvement. And we could sure as hell use more of that on the gridirion. If this is how things are going to be against UPenn State, I don't even want to see what McLeod and the Bulldogs will do to us. What the hell is that going to be, a 72+ point game for Yale? Well, at least basketball is a month away.
Don't get me wrong, guys. I've got faith in the school and I (unlike many of my fellow students) will remain a Lion to the end. But dammit, I want to beat Penn or Princeton. We could lose to any other team, I just want beat one of those two. Most arrogant fans ever, and do you like the way their band mocked "Who Owns New York?" on every Columbia screw-up? I sure as hell don't.
Wake me up when Joe Jones is back at Levien. Now that will be something worth going to.
Why was Davis virtually nonexistent? Didn't he have the game of his life a few weeks ago?
See my post on the Ivy League Sports Board. 'Nuff said.
We were outcoached today. There. I said it. Our guys were not ready to play. special teams is one area in which good coaching makes a difference. And our special teams stank. Rochol;l looked like an idiot in standig around and not falling on the ball. And Hormann really is just too immobile. Where is MA? do something, dammit, before another season does down the toilet. We ahve a great crowd, great spirit in the stnads, and we stink up the joint! The defense is the worst I have ever seen, even worse than the Shoop defenses. The offense is high school level, with no blocking. And we can't tackle. Period! We have about five Ivy caliber players right now. The rest of our squad beloings in D III.
It is not the players who belong in D III! Look at the rosters of the Penn, Princeton and Lafayette teams. We all draw from the same high schools. We are all getting the same talent level of players. It is this coaching staff's fault. Look at how they treat the players. They scream and rant at them all. They do nothing but put these kids down and tell them who they are recruiting to replace them next year. What kind of coach does that??
"Why was Davis virtually nonexistent? Didn't he have the game of his life a few weeks ago?"
A few weeks ago: Marist
This week: Penn
Nuff said.
As bad as things got today I am proud of the fact that our team never gave up. They played the 2nd half with more enthusiasm and heart, an enormous achievement down 35-7. Sandberg is a great runner- he made us miss all day. Im sure he is a handful for any team.
Hormann actually is doing pretty well. He was under pressure all day and still threw well. Kelly's brief appearance confirmed that he doesn't have Hormann's arm strength. Knowlin made several spectacular catches and they finally got the ball to the tight ends a few times. The running game went nowhere -- only Rangel had any success making something happen despite the line's inability to make holes -- Davis seems limited to north-south running, no cuts, no evasive moves. He can't succeed against a tough D-line On D, looks like the nose tackle is grossly over-matched, leaving the ends double-teamed and the linebackers blocked. Strong nose tackle play looks like a key to the defense.
We can take some solace from the team's effort in the second half. They didn't give up. And they were fun to watch despite the score. Maybe that will carry over to the next game. Thank goodness its Dartmouth and not Yale.
Anyone else troubled by Penn's two-minute drill at the end of the first half with a 38-7 lead? Or the time out at the end of the second half? Wilson didn't seem too interested in shaking Bagnoli's hand after the game.
Penn found a weakness on the left side of our defense and ran to their right all day with big gains and sometimes the runner would go all the way and it seemed like no one put a hand on them. Shalbrack and Quinn on that side were not up to the challenge.
I agree, two first year linebackers on the right side led the team with 13 and 12 tackles even though they seemed to spend most of the day gouging the left side. Shalbrack, one tackle on the day? Quinn, three? We need these guys to step up and lead.
Bags was trying to stick it to us. He is a well known dirtbag. He was trying to kill our spirit and has no class. But it's our job to stick it back to him. Sure, only a jerk like Bags would call time outs, etc and PS, have temper tantrums with the Refs (he had at least 3) but where was our defense? The offense is no worse than last year's, maybe even a bit better. But the defense and the special teams were just plain awful. OK, we played better the second half, when pride was on the line. But where is the dominating play that Jake predicted from Mitchell? Is Quinn hurt? Is Rocholl devoid of the basic football instinct to fall on a blocked kick? Can't we find a kicking team which can tackle? And you cannot play a three man front without a force at NT, somebody who can get under the pads of the center, take two blockers, etc. If we don't have the personnel to play a three man front then we should be in a four man front. We haven't stopped the run all year.
My guess is that we will switch defense's next year (perhaps to a 4-4-3). There is a reason why almost no other colleges run what we are doing, and we got 1 good year out of this .
Let's take a deep breath. The game was obviously a big disappointment. I too don't quite understand why we don't use Stoll more, or why we couldn't run and Penn seemed to have huge holes through which to run. All that said, we have an unusually young team. Last year's performance may have misled us in terms of what's reasonable in the short term, but the loss of three key veteran players, all in the middle of the D, Abrams, Brekke and Crawford, was much more significant than many of us, including yours truly, realized. It may take a bit longer than we had hoped. The significant improvement in admin commitment, facilities etc. is, for the first time in eons, real. The coaches have recruited well; and, they seem genuinely to care about the students and the feelings appear reciprocal. We may need to keep the faith just a little longer.
-Dr. V
Yes, it was depressing. The blocked field goal was handled, post-block, terribly. And Penn, with 3 timeouts left and 1:20 on the clock when they took over, showed a total lack of class. (As did its band and, later, some of its fans.)
Columbia needs a quarterback, for next season, who can run when necessary (this was crucial to the 5-4-1 and 8-2 years, perhaps others have forgotten that). Perhaps Kelly can be that QB. It was funny, however, when his run that resulted in him fumbling was described over the PA system as merely a "rush for 11 yards."
But we have to keep trying and we have to keep hoping. This is only the 2nd year of the Wilson era and players like Knowlin and Moretto will only get better. "The summer soldiers and the sunshine patriots," to borrow from Tom Paine, will eventually learn to shut up.
Oh, and "blue balls," Kerouac quit the team early on and had very little to do with Columbia football. You didn't really mean to suggest his on-field exploits as a rallying point, did you? (My own h.s. coach played for Lou Little and knew Kerouac, described him once as "someone who real early on gave up football for nights in the West End.")
RS
I agree that we need to go to a 4 4 3. Guys like Mitchell are not ideal condidates for DE in a three man front. The Tellier years should tell us something here. Ray was a very smart coach, and with zero administration commitment he managed a couple of decent seasons and generally put decent defenses on the field. He always played a four man front. Unless you have a really dominating nose tackle it is very hard to put up a three man front and stop the run. That's why the statistics are so shocking this year. We are letting every running back we see have a monster game against us. I am also puzzled by the refusal of the coaches to go to a two back set with Stoll blocking for Davis or Rangel. I was sitting in front of the '61 team yesterday. The comments emphasized the failure of the offense to run option plays; there the problem lies in Craig Horman's post-ACL status. He just cannot move. As for Penn, if there is a more classless and low grade coach, staff or fan base in high school, college, or the NFL (with the exception of the Eagles) I haven't seen it. What a bunch of creeps.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Guess Who
Let me guess - was that last comment by Jim McConnell from Colorado, the pusillanimous poseur known as foehi?
The continued well-know ranting and raving by two of the assistant coaches MUST be dealt with by NW. Just about everyone on the team comes from a winning background and is really bothered by each loss, especially embarrassments like yesterday. They don't need these coaches berating them anymore than they have been on the field. They feel bad enough.
OUTED. DAMN In fairness, you must identify yourself and reveal your methodology.
NW was really ripping into Rocholl after he failed to fall on the blocked FG. I htought it was justified under the circumstances. I don't know whihc assistants are screamers, but screaming doesn't help.
Re: Bob Kraft. I'm watching his NE defense. What a pleasure to watch those guys play. If you want to see a great NT, watch Wilfork! Dallas doesn't have a chnace, and it's only half way through the first quarter. If we want to play a three man front we will need to recruit a dominating NT.
The on-field collapse meshed in an interesting way with the upbeat "Campaign for Excellence" videos. Now 5 years+ into the post-Tellier era, I think we are beginning to learn the depth of our structural hole -- at least as it relates to football. The missing piece may have less to do with the personality/competence of the head coach than with what a prospect sees in Chrystie Field House compared with the equivalent facility among our peers. Yesterday was a beautiful day -- at Baker and on campus. But it'll take more than blue skies in Manhattan to build up and sustain the number of players required to make Bagnoli, et. al. eat turf. A serious effort will require serious money ....
its a big problem that we're getting the short end of special teams, oh, every week. Unfortunately, its every phase of specials every week. We're missing more FG's (last weeks TD giveaway was shoddy at best) than last year. We return punts and kicks poorly or (more often) not at all. Kick coverage has had its moments but has also given up big plays. We gave up 14 points on special teams last week, 'nuff said.
Defense struggles with the run in general and the middle run in particular. But adding a bigger NT won't make up for the poor tackling of the guys this year. I agree that adding a NT that can play in 2 gaps is crucial to use of this plan.
Interesting observations on the coaches and the kids. we need to get back to winning and losing as a team. NOBODY plays better because they're getting yelled at. Look no further than our results this year (assuming its true). we've got a lot of good kids that want to be good players and win some games. They're also smart kids, and they know when things don't make sense.
I noticed someone taking a verbal lashing from Wilson. I think it was Rocholl. It looked very uncalled for and, to put it kindly, very unmotivational. So he screwed up by not jumping on the ball. Jesus. This isn't 1A Top 25 here. Cut the kid a break. He's one of the best kickers they've probably ever had and he'll learn from his mistakes, but screaming at the kid before the homecoming crowd isn't the way to do it.
On a positive note, the kids came out the 2nd half and played some decent football, outscoring the 1st team Penn D 21-7 in the 3rd quarter. As a freshman players parent, I can offer some perspective on Wilsons style- the players have his respect-he is personable yet tough, fair and consistent. They want to win for him, and feel the classes of '10 and '11 will do this. His credo is "if you are the best player out there, you will play", so the underclassmen are getting more chance to play vs some other schools...whether it wins games or not remains to be seen, but it is a great recruiting tool--since there is no $ for these boys, no redshirting or bowl games, they cant be expected to sit on the sidelines if they are comprable to the starters. And when NW gets in the kids faces for screwing up, he pats them on the head afterwards. He is passionate and wants to win, and truly does care for the kids--so give the program 2-3 years.
Glad to hear from a freshman player's parent. That confirms my sense that the kids like and respect Coach Wilson. As for the comment about facilities, Chrystie Fieldhouse is just awful. It was antiquated when it opened. I am under the impression that a good chunk of the $100 Million is going to a state of the art fieldhouse. Chrystie never looked worse than last Saturday. One of the problems is administration priorities, especially under the disastrous regime of Sovern and Cole. Why those two guys gave up valuable real estate for the Allen Pavilion is a mystery and frankly an abomination. How about guying the parking lots east of Broadway and moving Allen across the street so we can reclaim the property?
PS, what is going on with Masorti?
Who saw the JV game? Any information to report?
There is some info on the JV game under the JV game post...
The JV game was a win! 21-20 over Princeton. For some reason they didn't utilize a placekicker. So they had to go for a final two-point conversion, and they got stuffed inches from the goal line.
As for the many posters above seemingly outraged (shocked!, shocked! to hear such things) that coaches might yell at and chew out their charges, especially during games, that possibly says something, I might meekly suggest, about their own unfamiliarity with football. From the peewee leagues on up, too.
RS
Was anyone else bothered by NW wearing a teeshirt on the sidelines to coach this game? What happened to his coat and tie look from last year? The Coach is a reflection of the university and especially at Homecoming where we get the largest crowd all year--I'm a big fan of Norries and what he is trying to accomplish but let's instill a little pride in how we look. The "throwback" Garrett look isn't a good one...and yes Rochell should have been lambasted for the pathetic effort on the blocked fg
yes football coaches yell, but there is a distinct difference between getting yelled at and then being given another chance, being given positive instruction, etc and being yelled and screamed at with the coaches taking no personal responsibility for what might be going wrong. Maybe they called some bad plays, maybe they're not putting players in the right positions - whatever. But I have been around football for a long time - pee wee football on up, and I have never seen a group of coaches so down on their players (NW possibly excluded - he does seem to give them a pat on the back after yelling, but he is head coach - the buck stops with him)
After that 35 point second quarter, even the most patient of Lions fans, let alone the coaches, were probably quite willing to yell at their players. Really. In the stands Saturday, I heard behind me, from the chairback seats and thus from mostly people who just come for the Homecoming game, really harsh criticism of the players and coaches alike. But among the season ticket holders and players' parents, there seemed both some understanding of the desperate situation on the field and some understandable, yet basically non-profane frustration.
All this can be endured, however, as long as the prospect remains this season of at least another victory or two. (But then Brown had to go and screw up my expectations by defeating Princeton before the Bears' own Homecoming crowd.)
RS
Coach's T-shirt might have been a reflection of the fact that large people sometimes have more problems dissipating body heat. I dont care what he looks like as long as he's comfortable as this puts us in a better position to win football games.i.e. e.g. you dont see Robert Kraft enforcing a dress code on Bill Belichek do you?
One positive impression I had from Saturday's game was that our receivers played very well with 31 catches including some fantastic grabs by Austin Knowlin. Freshman Nico Guttirrez had five receptions for 59 yards. He catches the ball extremely well in traffic, is quick, smart and tough. Tight End Troy Evanglist looked incredibly fast for a 6'6" 258 lb guy on his 26 yard reception. He's a tremendous weapon and Columbia needs to utilize him more fully in its offense. You might even use him as running back on power play situations like Ray Tellier did with Marcellus Wiley. Freshman Andrew Kennedy also made a nice catch. he's another big, fast guy who can run over people. I would start using him on screen plays as well as short passes over the middle and to the outside. Finally, Tim Paulin, Taylor Joseph and Jamal Russell made some nice receptions.
Paulin also had a key drop in the first half which killed a drive as I recall. The coaches seem to like Paulin, but he is very erratic. Also on one long pass play to the end zone in the first half Nico and Austin seemed to be in the same place.
NFL instills the dress code not the owner fyi. My understanding is Murphy requires all the male head coaches to wear jackets--just curious why NW doesn't anymore--he is no bigger then he was last year. We had a huge slew of recruits and their parents in for that game--besides watching us get spanked and look at the worst football facilities in the Ivies, i would think the HC could throw on at least a collared golf shirt for the game
Having toured all the Ivy facilities.....ours are definitely not the worst!
Really..someone has only one practice field, a 25 minute commute to them and a mickey mouse locker room? Not to mention a captain's plaque that looks like it cost 50 dollars(could we at least buy a wooden board and have them painted in gold like every hs has?) and a room with blown up football pictures taped to the wall for an alumni football brunch??? I've seen them all and not sure who has a worse setup overall then us?...
Dartmouth football definitely had the worst facilities until they opened up their new field house and remodelled their stadium this year.
Well in terms of meeting rooms and weight room I would agree, but Dartmouth at least has a nice field and 3 full practice fields. Plus it's all located right there. Locker room, etc is fine. And they make it pretty nice with what they've got.
Penn's facilities were horribly depressing.
Give us a new fieldhouse and we are in great shape. Now that our buses can take the West Side Highway the trip isn't 25 minutes; it is usually closer to 15/20. Yale's facilities aren't much closer to campus. Franklin Field is located in a slum (check it out the next time you take a train to DC).
This new athletics fund will make a HUGE difference. The best thing fans can do right now is give to the fund and continue to support the team. We have ground to make up, but it is by no means insurmountable. We can and will take our rightful place at the table if we stay positive and look forward!
I fully agree. And I hope that Sovern and Cole write some checks as a mark of penance for their crimes against athletics. Supporting the program to the tune of $1,000 a year, for example, only costs most alumni about $550 after taxes, or the price of a few good meals at a nice restaurant. And a lot of our alumni can give a lot more. One other thought: your annual contribution to the College Fund can be earmarked for football. While I expect that this suggestion may be greeted with some hostility, the simple fact is that the program needs financial support.
PS, the sheer number of comments is encouraging. It shows that a lot of us care about this team and the program.
Good grief! Have you ever walked the Penn campus or attended a game at Franklin Field? Speaking as a Columbia and Penn alumnus, Franklin Field is certainly not located in a slum, and to say so just reveals one's ignorance. FF is a handsome and historic facility, it's a short and pleasant walk from campus, and Penn is right to be proud of it.
Obviously there are huge swaths of West Philadelphia that are very blighted neighborhoods and a detriment to the Penn experience, but they are the other direction from campus from FF.
Columbia used to have the same challenges. What a good thing it would be if Philadelphia and other severely troubled big cities could enjoy the same kind of renaissance as NYC in general and upper Manhattan in particular.
Leonidas
Congratulations to the Columbia J.V. on its 21-20 victory over Princeton!!!!!!!
Leonidas..well said and exactly my point. With all the money in the Columbia coffers and it being 2007, it's a disgrace that this is still an issue. They should have mowed Chrystie down 20 years ago and put in a state of the art football facility. How can we possibly look a recruit in the eye and say we can compete facility wise. We recruit on the merits of a better education and the NY experience but it's high time to put up a facilty that we all can be proud of and can use as a recruiting tool...
Let's put the Penn game behind us and start getting ready for Dartmouth. If the offense plays like it did in the second half against Penn, we should be able to move the ball and score plenty of points against Dartmouth. Craig Horrman is an accurate passer with a great arm. We also have a solid group of wide receivers and tight ends. Let's play to our strength on offense which is the passing game.
this is a very mediocre Dtmouth team. Time for NW to step up and outcoach someone because there is no talent differential between these two teams--I've seen them both play this year. I might even give us the slight edge. If we can't grab a W in Hanover, it will be a very looong season the rest of the way.
Jake was correct in noting that sophomore Ray Rangel's two second half touchdown runs were beautifully executed. Rangel really helped the Columbia offense in the second half as he added speed to the runnnng game. I would like to see Rangel and Davis used together in the backfield on running plays so that the defense cannot key on Jordan Davis. Fake it to the power runner Davis inside and pitch out or hand off to the speedy Rangel outside. Get Pete Stoll and the freshman tailback Zach Kouroumna involved also.
Question for Jake: why is the defense so much less effective this year than last? It can't be the loss of three very good players alone?
The passing game is not our strength - it's the only thing we do and all the opposing teams know it. My grandmother could call the defensive plays against Columbia - "Lets see, I think they're gonna pass again!"
Seriously, teams that did well against us RAN the ball, ie.Fordam, Princeton, Penn. The team that we beat, we ran against them. You have to do BOTH or you will NOT win and you will have a very long season.
Here's an answer without Jake;
the 3-5, umbrella or whatever you want to call it is at its best when its strong up the middle. Ideally you have a NT that can play 2 gaps. The LB, spurs etc have to run into the gaps and make plays. Misses are a real problem especially at the second level. Its vulnerable to zone run plays because the O-line has the advantage at the point of attack. We've seen a lot of strong run teams this year. As its well documented on film, we'll see it until we stop it. We've got a ton of good athletes on defense they just need to make plays when its their turn and not have penalty moments. LF is creative and positive with his players. I'll bet he makes the adjustments to make us more successful. His experience seems to have helped him understand the positive side of player motivation. These are smart kids, you'll have to treat them with respect to get the most out of them on the field. LF's side of the ball is positive and thats an asset to the group.
Columbia's 21-20 victory over Princeton in the junior varsity game Sunday was very encouraging. The story on the Columbia Athletics website mentions a number of standout performances by freshmen Adam Mehrer, Greg Fontella, Jordan Calloway and others. However, no box score or player participation report was posted. I wonder why. It would be nice to know who actually played in the junior varsity game and have their detailed individual stats. Who kicked our three PATS? Did freshman running back Leon Ivery play? How did our offensive and defensive lines do? Anyone know?
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