Below is my usual write-up/review of Columbia games, but make sure to check out the audio portion for more about this game and game experience.
Lafayette 38 Columbia 14
This may have been the best impression Columbia made on Lafayette all night
Why Lafayette Won
The Leopards dominated both lines of scrimmage, especially on offense, en route to rolling up 232 rushing yards, 4.5 yards per carry, and gave QB Dean DeNobile enough time to complete 82.3% of his passes. On defense, the Leopards bent but didn’t break, while also harassing Columbia QB Chase Goodwin for much of the night.
Why Columbia Lost
The Lion defense simply could not stop the run or put pressure on DeNobile. On offense, Columbia showed some positive flashes but also made key mistakes that could have at least prolonged the competitive portion of the game.
Key Turning Points
-Coby Crews, (who actually had a good night overall returning kicks), muffed the opening kickoff when he dropped what he hoped would be a fair catch and put the Lions at their own 5 to start the game. The resulting three-and-out by the offense and a good punt return by Lafayette set the Leopards up at the CU 40 and Lafayette came away with a field goal largely due to Columbia gifts.
-After the Lions rallied to make the score 17-14 Lafayette at halftime, everyone in the stadium knew Columbia needed a defensive stand when the Leopards got the ball to open the 3rd quarter. They didn’t get one as Lafayette used about six minutes to drive 75 yards down the field for a TD in a 14-play possession that included two 3rd down, and one 4th down conversion.
-On Columbia’s ensuing possession, Goodwin threw an i’ll advised sideline pass on the second play from scrimmage that was intercepted by Lafayette’s Kevin Dodard. The Leopards needed just 5 plays to score another TD and take a 31-14 lead.
-On the next Lion possession, Columbia needed 8 plays to go from the Lion 33 to a 1st and goal at the Leopard 1. But 5 tries from the 1 (Columbia got an extra crack at it because of a Lafayette unnecessary roughness penalty) produced nothing and the Lions gave it up on downs.
Columbia Positives
-The two Lion TD drives were both 75 yards long and nicely mixed the run and pass —- with a bit more of the run than we’ve seen in recent years.
-Freshman RB Michael Walters was a revelation, especially with a number of yards gained while dragging the pile on a number of plays.
-WR’s Hutch Crow and Titus Evans looked strong, with both of them also getting some key yards after looking like they were wrapped up.
-The kicking game was solid, with a perfect night of kickoffs and PAT’s from Hugo Merry, and some good punts from new starter Tommy Sleeman.
Columbia Negatives
-The Lions had no sacks and just two tackles for a loss; stats that were indicative of just how much the Lafayette offense pushed the Columbia defense around.
-The Lions looked rusty too often in the game, from muffing the opening kickoff to getting caught with too many men on the field twice.
-At no point did a CU wide receiver get open deep down the field, a serious concern coming into the season due to the loss of Bryson Canty.
Columbia MVP
-Michael Walters was a bright spot, especially because of the many times he deceptively squeezed out extra yards when it looked like he was wrapped up. (BTW, for a nice story about Walters, check this out).
