Date & Time: Saturday, November 2, 2019 – Noon, ET
Location: New Haven, Conn.
Stadium: Yale Bowl (61,446)
Tickets: Buy Now
Series: Yale leads, 73-22-2
Last Meeting: Yale 23, Penn 10 – 10/19/18
Video: ESPN+, Josh Hess (play-by-play), John Henry Smith (color)
Radio: WELI 960 AM, Mike Gambardella (play-by-play), Jack Siedlecki (color)
Live Stats: Click here
Game Notes: YALE (PDF) – COLUMBIA – IVY LEAGUE
 
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale football looks to make it three wins in a row on Saturday, November 2, at the Yale Bowl with the Bulldogs battling the Columbia Lions. The Elis aim for a 6-1 start for the third time in the past six seasons and carry momentum into a two-game road swing before their season finale in "The Game" on November 23. The Bulldogs are riding a two-game win streak thanks to some strong offensive play including a 46-41 win over Penn in their last game.
 
The Series
Saturday's matchup is the 98th all-time meeting as Yale leads the series 73-22-2. Columbia was able to claim a 17-10 victory in Manhattan last season, but the Bulldogs have won the previous two matchups and 14 of the last 17 games. The Elis have only lost to the Lions once at home in the past 22 years.
 
Receiving Recognition
For the 11^th straight week, Yale continues to receive votes in the STATS FCS Top-25 poll and are back in the AFCA Coaches poll, marking the ninth week the Elis are in both polls. The Bulldogs started with votes in the preseason poll and now have 49 votes in STATS's rankings along with Ivy counterparts Princeton (No. 12, 1965) and Dartmouth (No. 15, 1522).
 
Ivy Accolades
For the second-straight week and the third time in the past four weeks, senior quarterback Kurt Rawlings has been selected as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. Rawlings paced the Bulldogs in offensive shootout against Penn as he orchestrated a 46-41 victory. The Bel Air, Md., native threw for a career-high 388 yards and went 455 yards of total offense. He also found the endzone four times, rushing for two and throwing for two more. In addition to the conference accolade, Rawlings was also recognized by STATS FCS as one the top-15 individual offensive performances of the week as an honorable mention Player of the Week selection.
 
Bulldog Breakdown
The Bulldogs have thoroughly bounced back from its only loss of the season, with a spirited comeback at Richmond (28-27) and then an offensive shootout at home against Ivy foe Penn (46-41). Additionally, Rawlings has bounced back to further cement himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Yale and Ivy League history.
 
Rawlings now ranks No. 1 all-time at Yale with 43 career touchdown passes and 6,681 yards of total offense. Additionally, he currently ranks first all-time in completion percentage (.636), first in efficiency (144.05), second in passing yards (6,130), third in completions (493) and fourth in attempts (776).
 
The Bel Air, Md., native has benefited from playing with two All-Ivy League receivers who also broke out last week. Seniors Reed Klubnik and captain JP Shohfi combined for 20 catches and each went over 160 yards receiving last week in the win over Penn. Klubnik now ranks third all-time at Yale with 2,191 receiving yards, tied for third in catches (149) and fourth in touchdown receptions (17). Shohfi also ranks among the Eli greats as he is sixth in the record books with 1,902 yards, eighth in catches (124) and 10^th in touchdowns (12).
 
The Bulldog offense continues to lead the Ivy League and ranks sixth nationally in time of possession as they have held the ball for 33:47 minutes per game.
 
The defense has also stepped up, as it is second among Ivy's and 18^th in country with 7.7 tackles for loss per game. Senior defensive tackle Spencer Matthaei leads the nation with three blocked kicks this season.
 
On special teams, senior kicker Sam Tuckerman has converted .857 percent of his kicks, ranking 11^th in the country.
 
Scouting Columbia
After starting the season with a 31-14 win at Saint Francis (Pa.), the Lions have lost four of their last five games and are coming off a 59-24 loss at Dartmouth this past Saturday. Columbia looked to have gotten back on track after three-straight losses following their season opener as they thumped Penn on Homecoming, 44-6.
 
Josh Bean and Ty Lenhart have both seen time at quarterback this season as each has thrown for three touchdown, four interceptions and 534 and 518 yards, respectively. Ryan Young has led the ground game with 252 yards on 59 carries while Lenhart has chipped 143 of his own and leads the team with three rushing scores.
 
Wide receiver Josh Wainwright leads a trio of Lions with over 200 yards receiving. He has pulled down 28 balls for 299 yards and two scores. Mike Roussos is second with 16 catches and 210 while also averaging nearly 20 yards per return on 29 kicks and punt returns this year. Ronald Smith rounds out the trio with 15 catches and 203 yards.
 
Defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier paces the Columbia defense with 40 tackles this year and is one of three Lions with an interception. He is the only player with a pick and a fumble recovery. Defensive lineman Daniel DeLorenzi has three sacks for a loss of 26 yards and four tackles for loss on the season.