NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In the penultimate home game of the season, Yale powered past Columbia, 24-10, on Saturday afternoon at the Yale Bowl. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Ivy League play, while the Lions fell to 1-6 and 0-4 in the conference.
Notable Performances
- The senior running back duo of Josh Pitsenberger and Wilhelm Daal led the charge on the ground, combining for 244 rushing yards.
- Yale's defense delivered one of its most dominant outings of the year, totaling five sacks and 40 yards of loss—both single-game season highs.
Key Moments
- The Bulldog defense made its presence felt early, coming up with a critical goal-line stand on Columbia's first drive of the second quarter that forced a missed 24-yard field goal.
- After taking a one-score lead into halftime, Yale's defense locked down in the second half, holding the Lions to just three points over the final two quarters.
- First-year kicker Noah Piper extended the lead midway through the third with a 40-yard field goal, putting the Bulldogs up by 10.
- Moments later, Wilhelm Daal broke free for an 81-yard touchdown run, the longest by a Yale player since Deshawn Salter's 82-yard score against Cornell in 2017.
Game Notes
- Yale's 253 rushing yards marked a season high.
- Daal's 112 rushing yards were a career best.
- Pitsenberger surpassed 100 rushing yards for the fifth time this season.
- Ezekiel Larry notched two sacks—his second multi-sack performance of the year—and now ranks second in the Ivy League in sacks (6) and first in yards lost (54).
- Brandon Webster recorded the first two sacks of his career for a combined loss of 19 yards.
- Dante Reno connected with Jaxton Santiago for a season-long 71-yard completion.
Quotables
- "We're a player-led team with tremendous leadership, and when you have that, your momentum becomes self-sustaining," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach. "I'm so proud of this group and the drive they're playing with."
- "We always prepare to be ready for whenever we're called," said running back Wilhelm Daal. "Whether it's one play, 10 plays, 50 plays, we have to be ready at all times."
- "It's all about trusting the process and trusting one another. I can't do what I do without the guys in the back end covering or the guys on the line of scrimmage," said defensive lineman Ezekiel Larry. "So that's a really big thing for us, just creating a selfless defense."
Looking Ahead
Yale hits the road for two pivotal Ivy League matchups—first at Brown on Saturday, Nov. 8, before traveling to Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 15.
