Weather Woes and Scouting Yale
Brandt Hollander is a superman on the defensive line (CREDIT: Yale Athletics)
The forecast for this Saturday in New York City is for rain and winds. This could hurt the Lions explosive passing game while augmenting Yale's run, run, run offense.
Meanwhile, Columbia remains a 30-point underdog to the Elis. I don't think I've ever seen a bigger spread in Ivy football. It's probably more of a thing of praise for Yale, which until last week's close win over Penn, looked head and shoulders above the rest of the league.
Obviously Yale begins and ends with Mike McLeod, but Columbia has allowed every running back it's faced this season to have a career day, so even if he were injured there's no reason to think McLeod's backups wouldn't do similar damage. And if the Lions defense somehow finds a way to bottle up the running backs, QB Matt Polhemus is an excellent runner in his own right.
I'm not as impressed by the Yale passing game, but if the Elis pass more than 15 times all day that will probably be a very good sign for Columbia. I am more impressed with a much-improved Yale defense that is not only holding opponents to fewer points this season, but is also setting up a number of scores for the offense.
There are some injury issues on this defense, but the real strengths, senior Brandt Hollander on the defensive line, and junior linebacker Bobby Abare, are ready to go. Hollander is particularly frightening, as he seems to be in the opposing team's backfield on every play.
Special teams aren't as fearsome, but are generall solid. Kicker Alan Kimball's field goal range appears to be no longer than 35 yards, but he's consistent within that range. Sophomore Reid Lathan is doing a very good job returning kickoffs with a 23+ yards per return average.
How do you beat this team? Probably by making them pass and creating a lot of turnovers. For Columbia, the best strategy may be to take as much advantage they can of what may be a tired and overconfident Eli team this Saturday.
As one commenter has already said, the Lions chances may be slim, but if Columbia does win this game you'd really hate yourself for missing it.
posted by Jake @ 3:09:00 AM
19 comments
19 Comments:
how do you find out the point spreads on these games?
On the other hand, weather can be
a great equalizer. Anything can happen with a slippery ball. Unfortunately, won't have a muddy field to slow down McLeod. A key I think will be pressuring the QB into making some mistakes. Has Yale played a game yet in bad weather?
Thunder is in the forecast for Sat. What happens in a storm? Is the game cancelled, postponed, delayed?
We move it into the tennis bubble and play. Good question. Not aware of a CU game being postponed by weather in the last 25 years or so....
I recall a Homecoming much less than 25 years ago so rain-drenched that even one's underwear was soaked. Games are NEVER cancelled because of the weather, but sometimes they are delayed by thunder and lightning. This is not h.s. football.
I believe the Homecoming was in 96 when we beat Lafayette 3-0 in a monsoon.
Last year we played Yale during awful weather. We played well; McLeod was ok, not great, but did manage his classless somersault when he scored. You will recall that Jack called time out with 6 seconds left to run in a meaningless TD; the man is low class.
I hope we throttle you Columbia whiners!!
I've always felt that rain adversely affects the running game more because on a sloppy track, a runner may not get as much cutting traction. I've also seen passing games get better because defenders have to adjust to receivers who know what route they're taking.Obviously, strong winds favor run over pass.
Jake, please remove the prior comment that obviously serves no useful purpose here. Thanks, many times over, for the time you invest to administer this site and maintain its purpose and integrity.
poster 4.57...If you read the question, it was "what happens if there is thunder and lightening" not what happens if there is a terrential rainstorm. Play in subzero temperatures in Ithaca where the 10 fans attending are pelting you with iceballs before trying to be a toughguy on a blog.
Last year's Fordham Columbia game at Fordham was held up due to lightening. Obviously, it is unsafe to have players on the field with lightening.
But at Baker Field, I don't remember a game being delayed.
Hopeful Lion
I cannot believe you losers are still talking about last year's game.
Baker's Field will be a bloodbath.
GO DOGS!
Woof woof to you! Isn't there a Yale blog to keep you busy?
And thank you, 7:04, for sticking up for me re my question about a storm.
Will anyone shed a tear when Yale loses?
Nice High School Team, Lions
Who was trying to be a "tough guy" on this blog? It's also spelled "torrential," both in and out of the polite company that poster (and perhaps "others" below him) is probably not part of.
Nor is claiming (or so it seems) that one played in "sub-zero" temps while being pelted with iceballs up at Cornell exactly "sticking up" for a poster who wondered about game cancellations. No matter the extreme unlikelihood that in daylight in Ithaca in November the temperature was ever below zero, either. Really, it's hard enough being a Lions fan without such clearly wild-eyed ascriptions....
I attended that 3-0 win over Lafayette. Sat in the top row where you could get some protection from the press box against the wind and rain. The game was cold and wet and most of all windy, which took away the pass. There may have been times when it rained hard but it wasn't a total downpour. The wind was the biggest factor.
It was a tense defensive battle because you knew one score might be the entire game. It also was one of Marcellus Wiley's finest moments. Late in the game it was still 0-0. Columbia put Wiley on offense and had him carry the ball. We put together enough of a drive with Wiley running that we got close enough for a field goal, and the field goal kicker came through under very adverse conditions. One of my favorite all time ball games.
Hope we can recapture some of that toughness against Yale Saturday.
Leonidas
poster 8.42..your weather and football ignorance is laughable. I could get any number of ex Cornell football players and Columbia ones as well to tell you about the weather in Ithaca in November. And fyi--no one claims to have played football for CU in 1985 if it didn't actually happen. We were 0-10-hardly bragging material.
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