Last Liberty

Kirby Mack had a big day in the Bay Area

This is the final weekend of freedom for the Columbia football team as training camp begins this coming week. That means we're just a few days away from seeing the new weight figures for the ball club. Hopefully they'll be even more impressive than last year.

It appears that a number of starting positions will be up for grabs this summer, and that could make this camp a little more exciting than ever. It's hot in New York City today, but we've been spared from the kind of searing hot weather we suffered through the last few summers. By the middle of next week, the players should be enjoying great conditions up at Kraft Field.

So let's hope all the Lion players enjoy their final days of freedom, just not too much, before the hard work of the 2008 season begins.


Game of the Day (Day 35)

October 4, 1998

Columbia 20 St. Mary's 17

A week after Columbia's 24-0 shutout against Harvard, the Lions fell to Bucknell, (with offensive coordinator Norries Wilson guiding the Bison attack), in a heartbreaking 27-20 loss in Lewisburg.

Then, the Lions took the longest team road trip in 54 years when they headed to the Bay Area for a rematch with the St. Mary's Gaels who beat Columbia at Wien Stadium in 1995.

What was billed simply as a fun road trip turned out to be fantastic game. The first half was a defensive battle as Columbia scored just one TD, Johnathan Reese's first of his career on a 15-yard screen pass. But the Lions missed the extra point and St. Mary's grabbed the lead 12-play 90-yard drive late in the half for a 7-6 lead.

The rest of the scoring came in the fourth quarter. After St. Mary's hit a field goal to make it 10-6, Columbia broke ahead 13-10 when backup QB Ted Schroeder led the Lions on a drive that fullback Kirby Mack finished with a three-yard TD.

But St. Mary's grabbed the momentum when its own backup QB Joe Lilley found wide receiver Bruce Rhode for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 6:04 left in the game. Then the Gaels seemed to ice the game when 3:40 to go when Schroeder's fourth-down pass from the St. Mary's 37-yard line fell incomplete.

Then the Gaels did something strange. They elected to quick kick on third and 17 from their 30-yard line. The QB Lilley's punt was not a good one and the Lions took over at their own 47 with 2:37 left.

The Lions made the most of this unexpected chance. They slowly drove down the field until Mack scored another TD from the one and the 20-17 victory was theirs.

It was Columbia's first trip to the West Coast since the Rose Bowl win on New year's Day 1934. It was worth the wait.