Yale Opens on the Road at Colgate

Morgan Roberts, No. 19 (photo by Ron Waite and Jahkima Cuencas/Photosportacular)

Coach Tony Reno and his Yale Bulldogs will finally kickoff the 2015 college football season when they face the Colgate Red Raiders this Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium (Crown Field) in Hamilton, New York. The kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Yale enters the season with high expectations after coming off an 8-2 campaign last year and with All-Ivy quarterback Morgan Roberts returning to direct what is predicted as one of the more explosive offensive units in the country.

Last year the Bulldogs led the FCS in total offense 571.5 yards per game.

For the Red Raiders (Patriot League), they will be looking for their first win of the 2015 season after consecutive losses to Navy (48-10) and University of New Hampshire (26-8).

This year Reno and his players have raised the bar and are clearly focused on dethroning Harvard as the Ivy League champs.

The Bulldogs must find a suitable replacement for All-American running back Tyler Varga, now with the Indianapolis Colts, but with Roberts surrounded by a solid crop of talent at the skilled positions and a veteran offensive line the Eli have the ingredients for another record-breaking offensive year.

One player to watch is sophomore wide receiver, Bo Hines, a transfer from North Carolina State.

Hines led the Wolf Pack in his freshman season with 45 catches and 616 yards.

The Yale defense should be much improved this year with senior captain and strong safety Cole Champion leading the way. The 2015 defensive unit has depth and experience which includes three All-Ivy players. In addition to Champion, defensive back Foyesade Oluokun and defensive lineman Copache Tyler earned All-Ivy honors.

Yale is anxious to get the regular season underway after over a month of practice with just two scrimmages; one with Brown and last week’s Blue and White intra-squad friendly.

On the other hand, after two lopsided defeats, Colgate is looking to gain some consistency on both sides of the ball.

The Red Raiders have found the goal line to their No. 1 problem – scoring points and holding their opponents from scoring.

The fact that it will be Homecoming Day at Colgate may provide the Red Raiders with some extra incentive.

Yale has a 27-11-3 lead in the series which is heading into the 42nd meeting.

The game will air on the Yale Football Radio Network (ESPN Radio AM-1300 in New Haven).

It can also be seen on Time Warner Cable TV in certain parts of New York State and (streaming live) on the Patriot League Sports Network.

PREDICTION:

Last year Roberts shredded the Red Raiders defense (23-33, 379 yards, 2 TD’s) which allowed the Bulldogs to coast, 45-31, at the Yale Bowl.

Expect Roberts to have another big game against a broken Colgate defense.

FINAL: Yale 49, Colgate 10

BULLDOG BITES

The Bulldogs open Ivy League play on September 26 when they host Cornell for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

In last year’s game with the Big Red, Morgan Roberts threw five touchdown passes in leading the Bulldogs to a 51-13 win in Ithaca, NY.

Roberts was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for his performance.

The Big Red was picked to finish last in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll.

Yale was picked to finish third behind No. 1 Harvard and No. 2 Dartmouth.

Looking ahead at matchups with Ivy League title implications, the Eli will travel to Hanover, NH on October 10 for a key contest with Dartmouth.

This year the Yale Bowl will be the host site for the THE GAME on Saturday November 22.

Tyler Varga ’15, the Eli’s All-American running back, made the 53-man Indianapolis Colts roster. Varga played in all four Indy pre-season games and finished with 18 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown.

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