Did We Get Better?

Fordham's Xavier Martin, the man who exposed Columbia's weakness in week 1


Don't just tell me about your problems. Tell me what you're doing to solve them.

About 5 minutes into the 2007 season, it was glaringly obvious what Columbia's biggest weakness was: stopping the run. Fordham's tailbacks started tearing the Lions up midway through the first quarter and it never really let up until the final gun sounded in the Brown game 10 weeks later.

But was it really the same level of "bad" week after week? Was there any improvement?

The answer is a qualified "yes."

In the first five weeks of 2007, the Lions yielded 1,298 net rushing yards compared to 1,013 net rushing yards in the last five weeks of the season. That's a decent 22% reduction.

Even better, the Lion defenders went from allowing an average of 267 net rushing yards in the first seven games of the season to allowing just an average of 147 rushing yards in the last three games of 2007... a big 45% decrease.

I thought some alignment changes and the emergence of Brian England on the line helped make some of those improvements happen. Keeping Drew Quinn and Phil Mitchell 100% healthy this season will keep that positive momentum going.

BUT, here's where the "qualified" stuff comes in, (and there are a lot of qualifiers, these are just my top 3)

-The Lions never gave up fewer than 119 net yards rushing in any game, and that 119 yard mark was against a Brown team that basically had no running game last year.

-One of the games in the second half of the season was against Dartmouth in week six, where WITHOUT leading rusher Milan Williams the Big Green STILL rushed for 271 net yards. Who knows how painful the numbers would have been if he had played?

-Remember that sack yardage is now subtracted from an opposing team's rushing yardage. So a number of defensive stops that were really stops against the pass, came out of the already ugly rushing numbers against Columbia.

Still, there does seem to have been progress. And the improved figures against the run kept the Lions from being totally embarrassed in any of those last five games, (with the possible exception of the Cornell game, which broke down because of bad kick coverage).

It does appear that Columbia will try to address the running problems more head-on this season by using a 4-3 defensive alignment. And Coach Wilson was quite vocal about stopping the run at the Ivy Media Day on Tuesday. I realize talk and action ae two different things, but I'd be shocked if the Lions don't keep opposing teams under the 175 net rushing yardage mark for the season.

I know... I know... 175 yards rushing allowed is still abysmal. But that's a reasonable target after last season. But I think the Lions must also hold at least 2-3 opposing teams to under 100 yards rushing to have a successful year. There are a number of Ivy teams with no true great rushing threat, (that we know of), that should be held in check on the ground. I would put Princeton, Brown, and maybe even Cornell on that list. Cornell does get former 1,000 yard rusher Luke Siwula back this season, but I've always felt he was overrated running behind former Big Red greats like Kevin Boothe.

Another variable, as my colleague Bruce Wood from Big Green Alert
has pointed out, is the Columbia offense. If the Lions can control the ball more and force a bigger sense of urgency in opposing offensive teams, they won't be able to run the ball against us as much. And I do expect the Lions to run the ball more and more successfully in 2008.


Game of the Day (Day 36)

September 20, 1998

Columbia 24 Harvard 0


The Lions haven't always been weak against the run. And this game to start the 1998 season was an example of a great team effort on defense. It was a rare opening day Homecoming game and it made the crowd very happy.

After squeaking by the Crimson in 1995 and 1996, the Columbia was drubbed 45-7 at Harvard Stadium to start the 1997 season. More of the same was expected in '98 as the Crimson's starting QB and running back were back after leading Harvard to the Ivy title in '97.

The Lions' first score came midway in the first on an 11-play 53-yard drive that featured Columbia using the wishbone set several times with defensive back Jason Bivens at QB in that formation. Bivens finished the drive off himself with a one-yard TD run on 4th and goal. Amazingly, the rushing touchdown was the first Harvard's defense had allowed in league play since 1996.

Columbia score once more in the half after a very long and slow-moving drive went 14 plays and 44 yards over eight minutes and four seconds before Neil Kravitz booted a 36-yard field goal to make it 10-0.

Columbia's slow pace in the first half was replaced by quicker attack in the third quarter. Drop back QB Paris Childress moved the Lions 61 yards in four plays and 96 seconds, ending with a 25-yard TD pass to Mark Cannan.

On the next Harvard possession, Paul Roland picked off Linden and returned it 35 yards to the Crimson one. Norman Hayes took it in from there to close out the scoring.

When it was over, the Columbia defense had held Linden to 60 yards passing and Menick to 37 yards rushing. Harvard never got deeper than the Lion 41-yard line.

The game was also Columbia great Johnathan Reese's debut. He carried the ball 11 times for 78 yards.

"Wow, who the heck is that?" Harvard Head Coach Tim Murphy said about Reese after the game. "We're still asking ourselves that."