Yale FB: Elis and Lions in the Big Apple

Yale QB Tre Moore (Photo by Karen King – Double G Media)

The first night game at the Yale Bowl last Friday night against Penn is one game that the Elis would like to put in the rearview mirror.

The Quakers dynamic duo of Alex Torgersen and Justin Watson (10 receptions for 166 yards) connected on three scoring strikes as Penn cruised to a 42-7 win over Yale. The Penn win left them undefeated in the Ivy League.

It was a disappointing night on both sides of the ball for Yale as the defense has relinquished 86 points in the last two losses. The Elis (1-5, 1-2 Ivy League) had limited success offensively, racking up 136 yards on the ground.

Alan Lamar was the sole bright light in an otherwise dismal offensive showing rushing for 118 yards and one touchdown. Yale was only able to muster 93 yards in the air with wide receiver Reed Klubik hauling in four passes for 29 yards.

The Bulldogs will be looking to get back on track this evening when they face Columbia (2-4, 1-2 Ivy) at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in New York City.

The game marks a sense of urgency for both schools as the loser will sink lower in the Ivy League standings. Dartmouth is in last place with an 0-3 record.

Last week, Coach Al Bagnoli’s Lions squeezed out a 9-7 win over Dartmouth on three Oren Milstein field goals. Both teams have been offensively challenged this season so the game may boil down to a defensive battle. The edge would go to the Lions as they have one of the best defensive units in the Ivy League while the Bulldogs rank last.

Yale, which has taken 11 of the last 13 games, leads the series 69-20-2, its most commanding advantage over any league team. Columbia won the 2012 meeting in New York, but Yale is 34-10-0 on the road and 35-10-2 at home against the Lions.

The game (7 p.m. kickoff) will air on the Yale Football Radio Network (ESPN Radio AM-1300 in New Haven) with Ron Vaccaro and Carm Cozza on the call. The game can be seen live on the NBC Sports Network and the Ivy League Digital Network.

PREDICTION:

The Lions in a battle of the defenses….

FINAL: Columbia 17, Yale 10

Yale wide receiver Myles Gaines makes a diving catch. (Photo by Karen King – Double G Media)

BULLDOG BITES

Penn junior wide receiver Justin Watson was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week after matching his season-best in catches. For Watson, it was his first honor of the 2016 season and the third of his career.

Columbia freshman kicker Oren Milstein accounted for all nine of this team’s points in the Lions’ 9-7 win over Dartmouth, hitting three-of-four field goals. Milstein is named Special Teams Player and Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, as he previously earned both honors on Oct. 10.

Penn and Harvard sit at the top of the Ivy League standings with 3-0 records.

Yale will travel to Cambridge to play Harvard in THE GAME on Nov. 19.

The 40^th reunion of Yale’s 1976 Ivy League Championship squad will be held on Nov. 12 when Yale hosts Princeton.

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