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\n Football
\n 10\/29\/2025 4:00:00 PM
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\n The Lions will look to snap a four-game skid in New Haven Saturday
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NEW YORK \u2014 Columbia football (1-5, 0-3) will close out a two-game road swing at Yale (4-2, 2-1)\u00a0on Saturday, November 1. Kickoff is slated for 12\u00a0p.m. on ESPN+.<\/p>\n
OPENING DRIVE
\n\u2022 Columbia will finish at a two-game swing in New England when it faces Yale on Saturday.
\n\u2022 The Lions’ last three opponents have been ranked or receiving votes in top-25 polls.<\/p>\n
A COLUMBIA WIN WOULD…
\n\u2022 Snap a four-game losing streak.
\n\u2022 Be Columbia’s first Ivy League win of the season.
\n\u2022 Be the Lions’ first road win of the season.
\n\u2022 Give the Lions their first win in New Haven since 2015.<\/p>\n
SERIES HISTORY
\nColumbia and Yale will meet for the 103rd time in a series that dates back to 1872. The Bulldogs are 72-23-2 all-time against the Lions. Columbia snapped a four-game losing streak against Yale with a 13-10 victory in front of a nationally televised audience at Wien Stadium.<\/p>\n
Columbia’s last victory in New Haven was a 17-7 decision in 2015.<\/p>\n
YALE’S STATUS
\n\u2022 Yale is coming off a 35-13 victory over Penn. South Carolina transfer and son of head coach Tony Reno, Dante Reno, threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns, with two of them going to Nico Brown. Josh Pitsenberger rushed for a season-high 145 yards and recorded a touchdown, while Abu Kamara returned a fumble recovery 63 yards for a touchdown.
\n\u2022 Tony Reno is in his 13th season leading the Bulldogs and in his nineteenth season overall at Yale. Yale finished last season with a 7-3 record and went 4-3 in Ivy League Play.\u00a0
\n\u2022 Pitsenberger leads the Ivy League in rushing attempts (141), yards (684), yards per game (114), and touchdowns (9). Pitsenberger’s 114 yards per game are good enough for fifth in the nation. Nico Brown is third in the Ivy League in receptions (34) and second in receiving yards (521).\u00a0
\n\u2022 Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye leads the Ivy League in tackles (71), solo tackles (33), assisted tackles (38), and tackles per game (11.8). Ayo-Durojaiye’s 71 total tackles are good enough for seventh in the nation. Kamara is tied for second in the Ivy League in passes broken up (6) and interceptions (2).\u00a0
\n\u2022 On special teams, Noah Piper is 7-for-8 in field goal attempts this season, with two from 40+ yards.<\/p>\n
DARTMOUTH LEFTOVERS LAST YEAR’S MATCHUP The game saw Yale control the early scoring, with Grant Jordan’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Denney in the second quarter and Conforti’s 38-yard field goal in the third giving the Bulldogs a 10-3 lead. But Columbia (6-2, 4-1 Ivy) chipped away at the deficit behind Merry’s field goals \u2014 a 22-yarder in the second quarter and a 43-yarder in the fourth \u2014 setting up the decisive scoring drive.<\/p>\n COLUMBIA\/YALE CONNECTIONS FOLLOW THE LIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
\n\u2022 Dartmouth used big plays and capitalized on a pick-six, blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery deep in Columbia territory to build an early lead and a 49-3 victory on Friday night.
\n\u2022 The Lions posted a season-high 156 rushing yards on the night. First-year Michael Walters<\/a> had a career-best 86 yards in 19 attempts, and junior Griffin Johnson<\/a> rushed 12 times for 64 yards.
\n\u2022 Jack Smiechowski<\/a> recorded 10 tackles, reaching double-figures for the second time this season.
\n\u2022 The contest marked Columbia’s most lopsided defeat since a 53-7 defeat against Princeton\u00a0in 2013.
\n\u2022 The Lions used their sixth quarterback of the season after Cole Freeman<\/a> took a shotgun snap for a rush in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
\nCole Freeman<\/a> launched a 44-yard touchdown pass to Bryson Canty<\/a> late in the fourth quarter, electrifying the home crowd and lifting the Lions to a dramatic 13-10 win over Yale in Friday night matchup. Down 10-6 with just under five minutes left, Freeman engineered a 96-yard drive, capped by his pinpoint throw to Canty, who eluded Yale defenders to dash into the end zone. Hugo Merry’s<\/a> extra point pushed Columbia ahead as the Lions’ defense held firm in the final minutes, stifling the Bulldogs’ last-ditch attempts at a comeback.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Columbia offensive coordinator Seitu Smith<\/a> was on Tony Reno’s staff from 2021-23, serving as a running backs coach from 2021-22 and assistant head coach\/run game coordinator in 2023.
\n\u2022 The Lions’ secondary coach, Andrew Kukesh<\/a>, was with the Bulldogs in 2017 as an assistant defensive line coach.
\n\u2022 Yale tight ends coach Paul Rice spent two seasons with the Lions as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.<\/p>\n
\nFor the latest on the Columbia football team, follow @CULionsFB on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and on the web at\u00a0GoColumbiaLions.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n