rv/rv YALE (0-0) vs. rv/- HOLY CROSS (1-1)
Date & Time: Saturday, September 21, 2019 – 1 p.m. ET
Location: New Haven, Conn.
Stadium: Yale Bowl (61,446)
Tickets: Buy Now
Series: Yale leads, 28-5
Last Meeting: Yale 28, Holy Cross 31 (OT) – 9/15/18
Video: ESPN+, Josh Hess (play-by-play), Jack Ford (color)
Radio: WELI 960 AM, Ron Vaccaro (play-by-play), Jack Siedlecki (color)
Live Stats: Click here
YALE GAME NOTES
HOLY CROSS GAME NOTES
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – They Ivy League preseason favorite Yale Bulldogs are set to take the newly installed field turf at the Yale Bowl for the first time as the Elis face off against Holy Cross on Saturday, September 21 at 1 p.m.
The Series
Saturday's matchup is the 34th meeting as Yale leads the all-time series 28-5. The Bulldogs have won 14 of the last 16 meetings, but the Crusaders edged the Elis 31-28 in overtime last season.
Bulldog Breakdown
Head coach
Tony Reno is back for his eighth season at the helm of the Elis as the Bulldogs go for a second Ivy League Championship in three seasons.
Yale boasts 12 All-Ivy players returning to the fold in 2019 including Walter Payton Award Watch List member,
Reed Klubnik. The watch list features just 25 players nationally for the most outstanding offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Klubnik set Yale's single-season receiving yards record with 1,143 last season and is joined by fellow All-Ivy wideout
JP Shohfi, who both rank in among the top-10 all-time Bulldog receivers. Shohfi has been selected as captain of Team 147.
The Bulldog offense did not graduate a starter from 2018.
The offense also gets a boost as senior quarterback
Kurt Rawlings is back to lead the Bulldogs after missing half of last season due to injury. Rawlings is 15-5 overall as a starter with an Ivy League title in 2017.
Rawlings can also lean on two talented running backs in junior
Zane Dudek and senior
Alan Lamar. Both backs have previously earned All-Ivy honors but have only played together in just one game over the past two years due to injury.
Perhaps the biggest strength of the 2019 Bulldogs will be its offensive line which is anchored by senior center
Sterling Strother and senior left guard
Dieter Eiselen, both of whom are projected as NFL Draft picks.
On the defensive side, the unit looks revitalized with health playing a key factor once again. It all starts up front with senior defensive tackle
Spencer Matthaei as the 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman can be a defensive force.
Reno has been quoted as saying he would like to see if defensive squad apply constant pressure and create opportunities for its secondary which is led by two-way player, junior cornerback
Melvin Rouse II.
Scouting Holy Cross
Holy Cross is 1-1 to start the year with a victory over New Hampshire (13-10) and a loss at Navy (45-7). During the New Hampshire game, the Crusaders scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone with just 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. The Crusaders are coming off of its bye week.
Holy Cross currently ranks first in the nation in fewest penalty yards (22.5 yards per game) and 10th in turnover margin (+1.5 turnovers per game).
Junior quarterback Connor Degenhardt is 37-of-63 for 420 yards through two games. His top targets have been junior wide receiver Tenio Ayeni who has a team-best 11 receptions for 102 yards, with senior tight end Derek Mountain has 10 catches for 117 yards.
On defense, freshman linebacker Jacob Dobbs leads the Crusaders with 18 total tackles. Senior defensive back Chris Riley has 16 total tackles and an interception, while junior defensive back Joe Lang has totaled 14 tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
