Final Comments

Now it's time to go to class


When the athletic department started issuing periodic updates on training camp from Coach Wilson, I was very grateful and promised to let the readers judge his comments for themselves without any "help" from me parsing the literature.

I am still grateful and I still promise not to parse the words, but there are some general signposts I don't want to ignore. Here are a few of them:

1) Lou Miller is making a big transition from linebacker to defensive lineman and it was encouraging to see his name mentioned a few times. The hope is that Miller will be as successful making this change as Todd Abrams was two years ago. Miller could also be this year's Darren Schmidt, the senior defensive lineman in 2006 who despite being undersized and lacking in starting experience, almost led the Ivies in sacks that year.

Having a good defensive line is such a rarity in this league nowadays that it puts the teams that can control the line better at a tremendous advantage.

Columbia already has a strong 1st Team All-Ivy candidate in senior Phil Mitchell, but he needs more help this season. One or two solid players on the other side of the defensive line could turn him loose. If Lou Miller's development means we have one of those players already in tow, then we should be happy.

Projected starter (based on the media guide), Brian England's name is no longer on the roster and so there are still some big shoes to fill. We'll be watching closely to see who steps up.


2) Obviously, another key need is improving the running game. I will not speculate on who looks like they have an inside track to starting, but I was encouraged by all the names Coach Wilson mentioned every day.


3) Now the hard part starts as the players have to start classes and keep focused on opening against a super-strong Fordham team in 19 days. This has to be considerably tougher on the freshmen as they are facing college life for the first time. The coaches have to make lineup decisions based on comparatively little evidence compared to the relative eternity BCS teams get to practice in preseason.

Nothing about this is unique to Columbia in Ivies. Every Ivy team faces these challenges, (although some teams start camp earlier or later to avoid the brunt of classes), but Columbia has put more freshmen on the field the last two years than I have ever seen from an Ivy or even a BCS team. Coach Wilson has said a few times that he wants to get to the point where he doesn't need to use as many freshmen, but he also emphasizes that the best players are going to get to play regardless.

It's important to keep our priorities straight. And I am very thankful that I follow a college football team that actually puts education first. I still love BCS college football, but the blend of academics and athletics the Ivies offer is truly unique... and it shouldn't be.

The next time you hear an anchor on your sports radio station complain about the criminal activities or other questionable behavior from the players on a big BCS team, call in and ask him to put his money where his mouth is and start covering college sports where the athletes are actually students. He'll probably hem and haw and explain that the big money is connected to BCS ball and he has to cover Ohio State and Florida State to keep his job. If that's the case, tell him to stop complaining about schools that have made the same decison he has: choosing money over just about everything else.


Game of the Day (Day 19)

September 25, 1993

Columbia 7 Fordham 0

After the Lions finished the 1992 season with two rousing wins at home, there was a great deal of enthusiasm going in to the 1993 season. But a lot of that came crashing down after and opening week loss at Harvard by a 30-3 score.

Columbia had a chance to got back on track in week 2 in the home opener. A great effort by the defense and two second-stringers on offense gave the Lions a much-needed win.

Lion starting QB Chad Andrzejewski was able to click with backup flanker Justin Fossbender and backup wide receiver Jeremy Howell most of the day, even as the running game faltered.

Andrzejewski hooked up with Fossbender late in the first half for a 24-yard touchdown in what would end up as the only score of the game.

But there was a lot more to the story. The Lions defense had to turn back threat after threat from the Rams, who were listless until backup QB Joe Moorhead came into the game and went 11 for 15 for 101 yards.

But Fordham let the opportunities Moorhead gave them fall through its fingers. The biggest missed chance came midway in third quarter, when the Rams got as close as the Lion 11-yard line. But the offense stalled and the field goal try from just 27 yards out was wide left.

A week later the Lions blew what seemed like a comfortable late lead at Colgate and the tailspin that would become 1993 was on. Only a late win at Cornell stemmed it somewhat, leaving no indication how good a season 1994 would be.