Monday Helmet Stickers & the Race for 4th

John Seiler made many of those big Lion runs possible (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)


Saturday's 30-20 win over Cornell was created by a lot more people than just my personal co-MVP's M.A. Olawale and Augie Williams.

-Jeff Adams and John Seiler did their usual splendid job creating wide holes on the left side of the CU line. Their blocking was key to both Zack Kourouma's 80-yard TD scamper on the game's opening play from scrimmage and Olawale's 19-yard TD run to ice the game in the fourth quarter. Of course the whole offensive line, which has stayed relatively healthy this season, gets a helmet sticker for helping to produce 260 net rushing yards, 5.9 yards per carry, and that magic number 44 rushing attempts I put on my wish list on Friday. The three senior starters in this remarkable unit, Seiler, Evan Sanford and Will Lipovsky deserve your loudest applause when you show up to the season finale this Saturday against Brown.

-Kourouma only had 25 yards the rest of the game, but he had a brilliant and crucial eight yard carry to help set up Olawale's go-ahead score in the third quarter. It was the kind of tough outside-inside running he'll need to do more of next year.

-Lou Miller is still your Ivy League sacks leader, adding another one to his current total of 7. It's a tight race for the title Miller won last year, so next week's game will determine whether Lou will be a rare repeat winner of that top spot.

-Speaking of sacks, the Lions racked up five of them in the game against a Cornell team that had allowed just 10 sacks all season through the first eight games. The other four sacks were by Josh Smith, who actually had one and a half sacks, Chris Groth who had one, freshman Will Patterson who got his first significant playing time and had a total of three tackles including a key sack, and Bruce Flemming had a half sack. And give the entire defensive front lots of credit for helping to force at least some of those six interceptions thrown by the Big Red on the day.

-Linebacker Nick Mistretta didn't get any sacks or TFL's, but many of his eight tackles were for no gain or very short gains. It was really his best day as a Lion so far.

-Corners Ross Morand and Jared Morine were mercilessly picked on by the Cornell QB's all day. Both of them were on the coverage every time, and Morand finished with two picks, this first one setting up Columbia's second TD of the game, (and he made the INT right in front of the Big Red bench... a team that had recruited him!). Morand also had two tackles and a separate pass break up. Morine had a crucial pass break up and seven tackles.

-The kick and punt coverage was superb against the league's mos dangerous returner. This had a lot to do with punter Greg Guttas' booming and high-hanging punts and kickoffs, and the tackling was very crisp as well. For some reason, Cornell kick returner Bryan Walters was given the Ivy special teams player of the week award. Walters did not have a bad game, but he was hardly a major positive factor for the Big Red on special teams. As a WR, yes, but not as a returner.

-Dean Perfetti stepped into his role as PAT and FG kicker very nicely. Going a perfect 3-3 on extra points and nailing an emotionally important 33-yard FG late in the first quarter.

-Sean Brackett looke great as a runner and a passer for the most part. His TD run early in the first quarters was a nice bit of bobbing and weaving. He also had some great option keepers on the drive that resulted in the Perfetti FG. Passing the ball he was an efficient eight of 13 for 59 yards. He was puled after making a brilliant 26-yard run and fumbling at the end of that gain, but he showed again that he has all the skills if not the experience to be a star in the Ivies.

-Leon Ivery had just six carries, but a nice 26 yards on those rushes. His best run was for 12 yards on that Lion field goal drive.

-Mike Stephens had only three catches, but they were all key catches, including a 19-yard reception to set up Columbia's second TD, and an 18-yard catch to nail down a first down on a 2nd and 16.


Four for Fourth

Barring a very strange outcome at Franklin Field this Saturday, Penn will be the solo Ivy champ this season with Harvard second and Brown third, (Brown and Harvard are assured of those spots win or lose if Penn is victorious).

The real drama involves four Ivy teams who are vying to get into the so-called "first division" and finish fourth. Columbia is one of those teams.

Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia all have two Ivy wins and would have the inside track to fourth place with wins this weekend.

The team that seems best placed to clinch ouright fourth place with a win is the Big Green. Dartmouth hosts Princeton while Yale has to face Harvard and Columbia has to take on Brown. But if Princeton beats the Big Green, Harvard stuffs Yale and Columbia can get by Brown, our Lions will get out of the second divison for the first time since 1996.

It wouldn't make this season the greatest achievement, but it wouldn't be terrible.

Of course, beating the excellent Bears team will be a tall order. More on that later this week.