Yale hits the Big Apple

There is no question that there is a lot of excitement brewing around the Yale football program. The Bulldogs are off to a fast start in 2017 after decisive wins over Lehigh and Cornell.

In the Elis latest win, a 49-24 drubbing over Cornell, Yale was led by freshman running back Zane Dudek. Dudek shredded the Big Red defense for 173 yards on 16 attempts and one touchdown.

Dudek’s stellar performance, which earned him Rookie of the Week honors, gives the Bulldogs back-to-back weekly award winners.

In week one, sophomore quarterback Kurt Rawlings was the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week as he led Yale to a 56-28 win over Lehigh.

Senior running back Deshawn Salter added 143 yards and three TDs as the Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) racked up five touchdowns against Cornell.

The Yale offense is in midseason form as they have averaged 52 points and 515 yards in the first two contests.

This week the Bulldogs will face the Fordham Rams (1-3) at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx. The Eli lead the series (5-3) with the Rams. Last year the Rams defeated Yale 44-37 at Jack Coffey.

Yale’s secondary will face a stern test in defending Ram QB Kevin Anderson. Last week against Bryant, Anderson threw five TD passes in a 45-40 loss. Anderson completed 27-of-42 passes for 366 yards. Fordham’s sole win was with Central Connecticut State.

The game will air (6 p.m.) on the Yale Football Radio Network (ESPN Radio AM-1300 in New Haven). It can also be seen on Eleven Sports TV and the Ivy League Digital Network. Ron Vaccaro and Carm Cozza have the call on radio.

PREDICTION:

The Bulldogs will continue to put some serious points on the board. In a shootout

FINAL: Yale 42 Fordham 38

BULLDOG BITES

Next week, the Bulldogs have a huge Ivy League matchup at Dartmouth (Oct. 7 1:30 p.m.). The game can be seen on the ILN and ESPN3.

An Ivy League-record seven football standouts were named semifinalists for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which annually recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation.

Brown senior defensive end Richard Jarvis, Columbia senior quarterback Anders Hill, Dartmouth senior quarterback Jack Heneghan, Harvard senior defensive back Tanner Lee, Penn senior wide receiver Justin Watson, Princeton senior quarterback Chad Kanoff and Yale senior offensive lineman Karl Marback have been nominated.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the award must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

The 2017 award winner will be announced at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5.

The Ivy League is off to its best non-conference start (10-2) since 1970, when the teams went 12-0 in non-conference play.

Jake Smith became the first freshman since Ryan Fitzpatrick to start a game for Harvard during his rookie season.

Princeton and Yale are receiving votes in both the FCS Coaches and STATS FCS polls, while Dartmouth, Harvard and Penn are receiving votes in the STATS FCS ranking.

Things will heat up this week in the Ivy League title chase with two games featuring a battle of the unbeaten. The Penn Quakers (2-0) host Dartmouth (2-0) this evening (NBCSN), followed by Columbia (2-0) at Princeton (2-0) on Saturday.

Looking way ahead to a game that may have Ivy League title implications, Yale will host Harvard in THE GAME on Nov. 18.

Follow Bob for all the Yale football game highlights, features and more: @WhitneyBob