It Ain't Over...

Kevin Eakin went on to play in Europe


Game of the Day (Day 5)

September 21, 2002

Columbia 13 Fordham 11



After the 9/11 attacks delayed the Columbia-Fordham game in 2001, the annual game between the two teams was re-named the "Libery Cup" to honor the memories of the Columbia and Fordham alumni who died that day.

The first official Liberty Cup game was played on a warm night at Wien Stadium. It was also the first local college football broadcast for the new YES Network. The Lions were facing life without recently graduated Johnathan Reese and were big underdogs to a Fordham team that feature star QB Kevin Eakin, wide receiver Javarus Dudley and running back Kirwin Watson.

But it was Columbia that struck first. QB Steve Hunsberger hit Travis Chmelka with a long bomb to the Fordham one. Hunsberger took it in himself on the next play and it was 7-0.

Fordham backed the Lions into a safety to make it 7-2 at the half, but the surprising Columbia defense held the explosive Ram attack on the other side of the ball.

(An off-color joke by the Columbia band making fun of the Catholic Church was the buzz at halftime. That would explode into a big controversy in the national press. But the real crime in the joke was the fact that it made fun of the VICTIMS of clergy abuse and not the abusers. Victims are never funny).

A short 27-yard field goal by Nick Rudd late in the third made it 10-2 and the Lions were rolling.

But Eakin finally broke through with a 56-yard TD pass to Peter Modelski in the early 4th quarter to make it 10-8. The 2pt. conversion attempt was no good.

Eakin engineered another drive to the Lion 24 and the resulting 41-yard field goal made it 11-10 Rams with about nine minutes to go.

Then came the real drama. Columbia got a late drive together and set up Rudd for a 29-yard field goal with just 2 minutes 38 seconds left. But the kick was blocked and the Lions' cause seemed lost.

The defense did a great job to give Columbia one more chance from their own 40. On 4th and 10, Hunsberger completed a super-clutch pass to keep the drive going, and a few plays later Rudd nailed a 37-yard field goal with 10.5 seconds to play for the amazing win.

The Lions would not win another game that year, Fordham went 10-3 overall and advanced to the second round in the D-IAA playoffs.

You never know.