Empire State Bowl | Nov. 10 | 12:30 p.m. | Schoellkopf Field | Ivy League Digital Network
Columbia
Cornell
NEW YORK - Columbia will travel to Ithaca on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Cornell in the Empire State Bowl VI on the Ivy League Digital Network.
HISTORY LESSON
The Lions are 36-63-3 all-time against Cornell, having won last against the Big Red at home on Nov. 10, 2012 by a 34-17 margin. Columbia is 2-3 all-time in the Empire State Bowl, which was officially established in 2010.
BAGNOLI vs. ARCHER
Al Bagnoli has squared off with Big Red head coach David Archer twice in his career. In 2014, Bagnoli's Penn squad earned a 34-26 victory against Cornell a year after the Big Red edged the Quakers, 42-41. Coach Bagnoli holds a 16-7 edge all-time against Cornell.
LAST TIME OUT
A fourth quarter comeback fell short against the Ivy League frontrunners, as No. 13/15 Harvard escaped Columbia with a 24-16 victory. In the final frame, Anders Hill connected on a 51-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Dunn and Skyler Mornhinweg threw a three-yard score to John Hunton, but a Lions penalty helped Harvard to kneel it out and stay undefeated.
CORNELL'S STATUS
Winless on the season, Cornell comes into the matchup at 0-8 and 0-5 in the Ivy League. The Big Red have three one-possession losses in 2015, coming at the hands of Bucknell (L, 14-19), Yale (L, 26-33) and Colgate (L, 21-28).
COMMONALITIES
Cornell and Columbia have battled four of the same teams so far in 2015.
| Oppponent |
Cornell Result |
Columbia Result |
| Harvard |
L, 3-40 |
L, 16-24 |
| Dartmouth |
L, 3-21 |
L, 9-13 |
| Princeton |
L, 21-47 |
L, 5-10 |
| Yale |
L, 26-33 |
W, 17-7 |
WELL DUNN
Facing a seven-man blitz, quarterback Anders Hill threw a shallow post route to a wide-open Cameron Dunn, who scampered 51-yards into the end zone. The touchdown throw for Hill was his first career pass for a score.
HUNTON FOR SIX
John Hunton also grabbed a three-yard touchdown pass from Skyler Mornhinweg late in the contest against Harvard. Hunton was the second Columbia tight end to grab a touchdown pass this season, as Hank Trumbull caught a seven-yard score from Mornhinweg at Yale.
CAM 1K
Coming into the Yale game, running back Cameron Molina had 953 career rushing yards. The senior running back scampered for 76 yards to go over 1,000 for his career. After the game against Harvard, Molina has a career total of 1,090 yards rushing, to go along with 629 yards receiving and six total touchdowns.
GET OFF THE FIELD!
The Columbia defense ranks first in the Ivy League, holding opponents to only 28 percent on third down conversions. This is thanks in part to the best sack numbers in the conference, as the Lions tally 2.7 sacks a game.
NOWHERE TO RUN
One of the best rushing defenses in the FCS will be on display this Saturday when the Lions take the field. Columbia is holding opponents to 93.5 rushing yards a game, which is the seventh best mark nationally.
ON YOUR HONOR
Matt Cahal and Skyler Mornhinweg earned a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll this past week. Cahal picked up a fumble recovery and added nine tackles, while Mornhinweg accounted for 221 yards of offense and a touchdown. Mornhinweg has been named to the Honor Roll three times this season, and Cahal was a Week One honoree.
BACK IN THE “W” COLUMN
The win at Yale was the first Ivy League victory since the Lions topped Cornell, 34-17, on Nov. 10, 2012.
A REUNION OF SORTS
Bagnoli was among four members of the Columbia staff that coached against a former team in the Penn game. Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers Coach Mark Fabish won two Ivy League titles as a player at Penn in 1993 and 1994, before spending 2009-14 on the Penn staff. Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Jon McLaughlin spent nine years in Philadelphia from 2006-14 as the offensive coordinator and coach of the offensive line. Tight Ends Coach Joe D'Orazio won two Ivy League titles as a player at Penn in 2009 and 2010.
NEW ERA
The 2015 season marks the first for Al Bagnoli as the Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football. Bagnoli comes to Columbia after 23 years at Penn. The winningest football coach in the FCS, Bagnoli comes into 2015 with a 232-91 record, while his Quaker teams claimed nine Ivy League titles.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
The current staff of Columbia coaches have combined to win 43 conference championships, including 22 from the Ivy League.
THE CAPTAINS
Running back Cameron Molina, tight end Nick Durham and defensive lineman Chad Washington were voted as the 2015 team captains.
SEE HIM ON TV, ANY GIVEN SATURDAY
When the Ivy League announced its most expansive national television coverage in conference history, Columbia came through as the beneficiary. The Lions will be featured on television once more this fall, with the Friday, Nov. 20 contest against Brown will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
WNYC'S “THE SEASON”
The Season is a weekly podcast presented by Ilya Marritz and Matt Collette of WNYC, where the pair follow Columbia's football team over the entire 10-game season. Archived podcasts can be found at www.wnyc.org and on iTunes, with new episodes being released every Thursday.
WHAT ARE YOU, NEW?
A total of 25 athletes joined the Columbia football team this fall. Along with 22 first-year players, three transfers made up the incoming class.
HE AIN'T HEAVY
Two more transfers will be featured for the Lions in 2015 when Jackson and Christian Conway suit up. The twins are currently juniors, as Christian will line up as the teams rover, while Jackson will be featured at fullback. Senior Max Keefe played alongside his brother John Keefe '15CC a season ago, as did sophomore Turner DeMuth, brother of Garrett DeMuth '15CC and junior Keith Brady, brother of John Brady '15CC.
#TEAM125
This year marks the 145th anniversary of Columbia's first intercollegiate football game against Princeton in 1870. It is the 125th competitive season of Columbia Football.
