Columbia Fumbles Prove Costly Against Harvard

Harvard capitalized on three Columbia fumbles for 21 points, and did enough to hold on for a  28-21 victory.  With the victory, Harvard extends it’s winning streak to 13 over Columbia.

The Lions (2-6, 1-4 Ivy) led 14-7 after two quarters for their first halftime lead of the season, but the Crimson (7-1, 5-0 Ivy) quickly answered to open the third period. Then the fumbles began to happen.

Joe Viviano led Harvard as he completed 17 of 34 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Scott caught seven passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns and Firkser finished with four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

For Columbia, Hill threw for 110 yards on 12 of 22 passes and a touchdown, Mornhinweg completed 12 of 24 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in his first action in three games, Wainwright caught seven passes for 58 yards and Dunn finished with six catches for 70 yards. Senior linebacker Gianmarco Rea led the Lion defense with a game-high 15 tackles and two sacks.

The stage was set for Mornhinweg to be the hero in relief, after a Harvard punt forced Columbia to start from its own seven-yard line with 1:08 to play. But surprisingly, Hill returned under center, and the final drive ended with a Hail Mary that safety Tanner Lee intercepted as time expired.

Playing Out The  Stretch

When you turnover the ball it’s just hard to win football games. If the Columbia Lions can take away from this game is simply just that. The team plays hard and at times, it’s mental mistakes that are keeping them in the win column. With two games left in the Lions season, it’s all about playing out the season for your pride.

Columbia is back in action when it hosts Cornell Saturday for the Empire State Bowl at Robert K. Kraft Field. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. The contest also marks Senior Day.