Pitsenberger Leads Yale Over Princeton
By John Altavilla - Week of November 18, 2024

From the day Josh Pitsenberger arrived on campus three years ago, Yale’s coaches believed they’d found their next great running back, one who could run with power and pride and refuse to be taken to the ground without a fight.

Last Saturday at Yale Bowl, the junior once again proved the intuition of the coaches to be correct.

“He’s been dominant since he first walked through the doors,” said Tony Reno, Yale’s head coach.

Fed the ball 25 times, Pitsenberger gained a season-high 159 yards and scored two touchdowns and added a third through the air to lead the Bulldogs to a hard-fought 42-28 win over Princeton on the day the program said goodbye to 43 seniors.

“I was proud of my team for winning a rock fight,” said Tony Reno, Yale’s head coach. “We knew we were going to be in the middle of a rock fight. We welcome it. We’re pretty good in rock fights.”

Despite the win, Yale’s (3-3) chances to tie for what would have been a third straight Ivy League championship ended when Harvard (5-1) defeated Penn. But Yale has the chance this Saturday at Harvard to deny the Crimson a sole share of the title by beating them and hoping either Dartmouth or Columbia – or both – win their season finales.

Yale quarterback Grant Jordan contributed three more touchdowns, two passing and one rushing, to complement a defense which had five sacks, a forced fumble -  that turned it a score - and an interception. At the center of it all was senior Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye. He had two sacks, forced the fumble and made the interception.

“He had a monster game,” said Reno.

After exchanging leads throughout the game, Yale, which gained a season-high 281 yards rushing, took its commanding two-touchdown lead with 11:40 to play when Jordan (13 of 16, 140 yards) connected with Chase Nenad for a 31-yard scoring play.

The Tigers mounted a drive in their comeback effort, but quarterback Blaine Ripa was intercepted in the end zone by Ayo-Durojaiye with 5:19 to play.

The Tigers opened the second half with a flurry, a 37-yard scoring run from John Volker to give them a 28-21 lead. But Pitsenberger scored from the 4 with 7:32 remaining in the third to tie the game once again.

“Running back is a rhythmic position. The more you get the feel of it, the better you play,” said Pitsenberger. “I love contact. I love running the ball straight up (the gaps). If it comes down to that (contact) I’ll get as many yards as I have to.”

Yale then regained the lead after recovering the ball at the Princeton 13 after a bad center snap on a punt. Three plays later, Jordan scored from the 3 to give the Bulldogs a 35-28 lead with 3:08 to play in the third quarter. Jordan added a season-high 59 yards rushing on nine carries.

“We have a very proud senior class which has had a lot of success and left its mark on the program,” said Reno. “To be able to send them off the right way in their last hoke game means a lot to me and all of us as a program.”

The Bulldogs took a 21-14 lead with 1:50 play in the first half when Egodogbare Ejiroghene grabbed a Hipa fumble in midair and carried it home from the 8. But Princeton would tie the game with 22 seconds remaining when Hipa (23 of 39, 267 yards) connected with A.J. Barber for a 14-yard score. Barber is the son of former New York Giants great Tiki Barber.

Jordan and receiver David Pantelis were coming off one of the most prolific performances in Ivy League history against Brown on Nov 6.
Jordan became only the fifth quarterback to throw for six touchdown passes in a game and he added a seventh on the ground  earning him co-Ivy League offensive player of the week honors.

 And three of those scoring passes were to Pantelis in the first quarter. The senior receiver from Pittsburgh established career highs in both receptions (12) and yardage.

But with 11:04 to play in the first quarter, Pantelis was knocked out of the game after a 22-yard reception by a massive hit that knocked off his helmet. He was immediately surrounded by medical personnel and Reno.

The officials inexplicably ruled the hit was not the result of targeting and Princeton was awarded the ball at the Yale 47 because of the fumble that resulted. And the Tigers immediately took the ball downfield to open the scoring on a three-yard run by Ethan Clark with 7:52 to play in the quarter.

By game’s end, Pantelis was back with his teammates in the locker room.

“Everything we (Yale) did was precautionary,” said Reno. “We have a great medical staff. For me as a parent, as a coach of those I consider to be my children, they (the medical staff) did a great job to make sure Dave was OK.”

Pitsenberger said the sight of their teammate laying prone on the ground inspired them to play their best.

“That was hard to watch, There was a lot of emotion going on. We had to come together and continue playing knowing David was down and not knowing how he was. It did bring the team together,” said Pitsenberger.

Yale tied it on its next possession. Jordan gained 24 yards on a scramble before being awarded another 15 yards on a late hit. He then hit Joey Felton over the middle for 23 yards to the Princeton 2. And on 2^nd-and-goal from the 1, Pitsenberger scored with 3:17 to play in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs took the lead in its first drive of the second quarter. Yale extended the 13-play, 89-yard drive on a 4^th-and-1 completion for three yards to Mason Shipp to the Princeton 8. Two plays later, Jordan hit Pitsenberger for a five-yard TD pass with 6:40 to play in the half.

Jordan’s Heroics Help Yale Beat Brown
By John Altavilla - Week of November 11, 2024

If you ask Yale head coach Tony Reno, he’ll tell you he’d be content to spend his entire career coaching the Bulldogs. He loves it that much. And one of the big reasons is tracking the ascent of players like his senior quarterback Grant Jordan, who didn’t start a game until this season.

Led by seven touchdowns from Jordan, six through the air, Yale crushed Brown 56-34 last Saturday at Yale Bowl.

“I’m just grateful for my teammates believing in me. They have since the start of the season,” said Jordan, who completed 29 of 40 passes for 372 yards. “I’m lucky to be sitting behind the line that we’ve got that gives me all the time I need to throw to great receivers like David (Pantelis), Shipp (Mason), Nenad (Chase) and Joey (Felton). It’s been pretty cool. Very special.”

Now in his 12^th season, Reno has worked his way into rarified air in program history. This was Reno’s 72nd win, moving him ahead of Jack Siedlecki into second place all-time behind the legendary Carm Cozza’s 179.

“I owe those victories to the players and coaches,” said Reno. “I’m a small piece amid an unbelievable group of people. I’ve been blessed to have amazing players. I’ll go (at Yale) for as long as my wife allows me to go.”

Jordan’s six touchdown passes ties Kurt Rawlings (2019 vs. Princeton) for the most ever by a Yale quarterback. And he became just the fifth Ivy League quarterback to throw six TDs in a game.

Yale’s loss last week at Columbia essentially ended its quest for at least a part of a third straight Ivy League championship. No team with three conferences losses has ever won a league championship. So this final three-game stretch for the Bulldogs will come down to playing for pride.

“I was really happy with the way the team responded,” sad Reno. “This was a week when we really needed to put a stake in the ground. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted (at Columbia) but we learned from it and we moved on from it. It speaks volume about the kind of leaders we have on this team and the commitment they have to each other. …I knew how they’d focus in. I woke up on Sunday (after Columbia) excited about where we could go. That might sound crazy, but I knew what my team is made of.”

The Bulldogs took a 35-17 lead into the halftime, the result of four touchdown passes and a fifth on  the ground for Jordan. The first three scoring passes all went to Pantelis in the first-quarter. It was the start of career day for Yale’s leading receiver, who established career highs in both receptions (12) and yardage (195).

“We felt in the first half, as the game was going, that there were a lot of things open in the pass game and I just said let’s just keep feeding Dave until they stop him,” said Reno.

Yale totaled 510 yards of offense and scored on eight of its 13 possessions. It also benefited from a 44-yard TD run from senior Tre Peterson with 1:47 to play in the game. As it turned out, the Bulldogs needed every bit of it. Brown accumulated 459 yards of offense and 34 first downs.

The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first five possessions before taking a knee to end the half.

“We were hoping from watching the film we were hoping for an opportunity to do that (attack Brown through the air),” said Jordan. “They came out in the defense we like.”

After Brown cut the lead to 35-20 with a field goal, Jordan tossed his fifth touchdown, this one to Shipp (five catches, 89 yards) from 23 yards. It was the first TD of the year for Shipp, who is second on the team in receptions to Pantelis. Shipp scored again from the 3 to make it 49-26 with 13:10 to play.

Yale opened the scoring on their first possession on a 9-yard touchdown pass from to Pantelis. The score was set up on a 17-yard connection between the pair on  4^th-and-5 from the Yale 26. Pantelis made four receptions for 57 yards on the drive.

There were a number of NFL scouts at the game to watch Pantelis play. “He’s had a number of them paying attention to him over the last 24 months,” said Reno.

After being stopped on their first possession, Brown quickly turned things around by tying the score on a 1-yard tun from Qwentin Brown with 6:16 to play in the first. That capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Jordan and Pantelis connected on their second TD pass on Yale’s next possession, this one from 25 yards to a wide open receiver streaking down the middle with 44 seconds to play in the first.

The third came immediately after a Yale interception by Brandon Webster, the first of his two in the game, deep in Brown territory. Jordan hit Pantelis in the endzone from the 29 with 29 seconds to play in the first. That gave Pantelis 135 yards receiving, enough to eclipse his previous career high of 123.

“The chemistry we have together comes down to the work we do after practice,” said Pantelis. “We tend to spend a lot of time at Yorkside (restaurant) just chatting about what we’re seeing.”

Another interception by Yale. this one from Osize Daniyan, set up Yale’s fourth TD of the first half, a 2-yard run from Jordan with 1325 to play in the first half.

After Brown’s second TD cut into Yale’s lead, Jordan threw his fourth scoring pass, a 14-yard completion to tight end Ryan Belk, the first TD of his career. That scoring drive was set up by a 31-yard run from Josh Pitsenberger.

Columbia Comeback Sends Yale To Defeat
By John Altavilla - Week of November 4, 2024

Yale’s quest for at least a tie for their third straight Ivy League title took a major, and perhaps fatal hit last Friday, when Columbia rallied in the fourth quarter for a 13-10 win over the Bulldogs. The loss drops Yale to 1-3 in the Ivy League with three games to play. No team has ever won the Ivy League title with as many as three defeats.

The Lions won the game with 4:39 to play on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Cole Freeman to Bryson Canty. The score ended a 96-yard drive after a 58-yard punt from Shamus Florio left the Lions buried at their own 4.

Yale’s comeback faded when the Lions sacked Yale quarterback Grant Jordan (18 of 27, 151 yards) for an 11-yard loss on a 3^rd-and-6 to the Yale 30. It was just the third sack of the season allowed by the Bulldogs. Yale coach Tony Reno decided to go for it on 4^th-and-17 but Jordan was intercepted at the Columbia 46. And then Columbia iced the game on a 19-yard gain by Freeman (82 yards rushing) to the Yale 33 that left Yale without timeouts.

The Lions were coming off a 24-21 loss to Dartmouth. In that match-up, Columbia allowed a season-high 271 rushing yards. But Columbia's defense came into the game at the top of the Ivy League. They led the conference in scoring defense (17.3) and interceptions (seven).

And Yale took a long time establishing itself offensively, punting on their first three possessions, which totaled just 90 yards. In fact, the Bulldogs did not cross into Columbia’s territory until Jordan moved the ball to the Lions 46 on a 4^th-and-1 scramble for 11 yards with 3:19 remaining in the first half.

That play seemed to charge Yale’s system. Six plays after Jordan’s gain, the senior connected with senior halfback Nathan Denney for a 24-yard score with 1:03 to play in the first half. That gave the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead.

The Bulldogs drove into scoring range with their first possession of the second half but a 42-yard field goal attempt by Nick Conforti missed wide right. Conforti then made a 38-yarder with 26 seconds to play in the third quarter to extend the lead to 10-3. The Lions cut into the lead with 10 minutes to play when Hugo Merry kicked his second field goal of the game, this one from the 43.

Yale had done a good job containing Columbia, as well.

Yale’s sophomore defensive back Abu Kamara was the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after totaling seven tackles, including one tackle for loss, during the win at Penn. Kamara came into the game leading the FCS in solo tackles per game with 7.2 and was tied for first in the Ivy in total tackles (51), first in solo tackles (43), and second in the Ivy in tackles per game (8.6).

He immediately made another big play to end Columbia’s first drive of 70 yards by jumping on a fumble forced by teammate Da’Quan Gonzales to give the Bulldogs the ball on their own 11 with 3:41 to play in the first quarter. Kamara again led Yale in tackles with eight.

The Lions took the lead on their next possession, a 61-yard drive highlighted by a 24-yard gain by Joey Giorgi to the Yale 7. It soon led to a 22-yard field goal by Merry with 10:47 remaining in the first half.

Bulldogs Stay Alive In Ivy Race With Win At Penn
By John Altavilla - Week of October 28, 2024

As a result of losing their first two Ivy League games this season, Yale came into last Friday’s game at Penn aware that another league loss would end its chance for a third straight league championship.

Ironically, Penn was also in the same situation.

And here’s why: A three-loss team has never hoisted the trophy since the league began in 1956.

The Bulldogs dreams are still alive. Senior quarterback Grant Jordan touchdown passes to four different teammates and Yale’s defense held the Quakers to 199 yards to lead it to a 31-10 win at Franklin Field.

"So proud of this team and the work they have put in to continue to improve each week," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "It was a collective team effort from all three phases of Team 151 to gain the victory over Penn tonight. We are proud of the improvements we have made and are excited to continue to grow each week moving forward. This team has not even come close to reaching its ceiling yet and I look forward to helping them continue to chase their goals."

Jordan completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards, connecting at least once with seven different receivers. Leading the way was senior David Pantelis. He made eight receptions for a career-high 123 yards and one score. Two of his catches will certainly be on Yale’s season highlight video.

Penn had won the last two meetings. Last year at Yale Bowl, they used a record-breaking performance from receiver Jared Richardson to win 27-17. Richardson set a new Penn record for receptions with 17, totaling 191 yards and a touchdown. The catch total ended up being the most by a player in FCS football last season.
Richardson was held to one reception on Friday.

This season, the Quakers have struggled against the pass, allowing quarterbacks to complete 68.4 percent of their passes for over 283 yards a game. And Yale went straight after its opponent’s weakness to open a 21-10 lead at the half.

“We were moving really well. I thought that Grant [Jordan] did a really great job at running the show. He’s done a really nice job of running our offense. When you look at a quarterback, I equate it to basketball. Sometimes you ask a quarterback to be a shooting guard; our guy the last two years had been a shooting guard – we asked him to do a lot – and we’re asking Grant to be one heck of a point guard,” said Reno. “He is really taken on that role – and putting the ball where it needs to be and making the right decisions at the line of scrimmage.

“I honestly can’t give enough credit to him. I thought our offensive line really came to play tonight – in a lot of ways – they did a really nice job in tough situations to create space for our running backs and we were fortunate enough to be able to move the ball the way we did.”

Jordan completed 15 of 19 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, spreading the scoring highlights among Pantelis, Chase Nenad and Joey Felton.

Jordan’s spectacular night expanded on Yale’s first drive of the second half. Using strong gains from Josh Pitsenberger (14 carries, 83 yards) to set the stage on what would be a nine-play, 77-yard drive, the quarterback hit a wide open Luke Foster for a 1-yard score on fourth-and-goal with 6:31 to play in the third. Jordan was 4 of 4 for 38 yards on the drive.
Then Yale’s much maligned defense, which came into the game last in the Ivy League in average yards allowed, made a huge stop at the shadow of its goal line by stuffing Malachi Hosley, the league’s leading rusher, on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

Yale then marched downfield for 95 yards on 13 plays to set up Nick Conforti’s 22-yard field goal to expand the lead to three touchdowns with 8:42 to play.

Yale opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jordan to Pantelis with 9:52 remaining in the first quarter. Jordan was 5 for 5 for 46 yards on Yale’s 11-play drive. Pantelis had three catches for 39 yards on the possession.

Pantelis would later fumble a punt after Penn’s first possession which the Quakers recovered at the Yale 16. But Yale forced Penn quarterback Aidan Sayin to fumble on the first play and Yale regained possession.

 Sayin, a four-year starter on the verge of many school passing records, was injured on the play on a hit by Abu Kamara (seven tackles, one forced fumble, one interception)  and left the game in favor of Liam O’Brien. That was significant since Sayin threw for 364 yards in last year’s game and O’Brien did not have as strong an arm.
Yale got it going again. This time it was halfback Tre Peterson who broke off key gains of 16 and 25 yards to the Penn 19. Jordan then hit Nenad for a 19-yard score and Yale was up 14-0 with 7:11 to play in the first.

Penn got on the board for the first time on a 25-yard field goal by Sam Smith with 13:34 remaining in the first half. But Yale’s passing game increased the lead when Jordan hit Felton for a 20-yard score with 2:51 to play in the half.

But Penn cut into the lead again with 43 seconds remaining in the half when O’Brien scored from the 5, ending a drive aided by a pair of pass interference penalties on Yale.

Yale Rebounds With Win Over Lehigh
By John Altavilla - Week of October 21, 2024

After its historic collapse against Dartmouth, Yale spent its week trying to reestablish the principles it believes better characterizes its program. What it needed more than anything last Saturday was a collaborative effort that would settle its nerves as it approaches immersion into the remainder of the Ivy League schedule.

The Bulldogs produced that by defeating Lehigh 38-23 at Yale Bowl.

“I’m really proud of my team,” said Yale coach Tony Reno. “Growth happens at different points in a season. We’re making an effort to course correct during the season. When I challenged them on Tuesday morning, I was excited to see them grow, but we’re not close to where we want to be yet. As a team, we have a lot of potential and I’m excited to see where we take it.”

Yale’s offense compiled 365 yards, including 258 rushing behind Josh Pitsenberger (12 carries, 68 yards) and Tre Peterson (12 carries, 98 yards). And despite allowing the Mountain Hawks to rush for 250 yards, its defensive created four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions from Josh Tarver, who also led the Bulldogs with eight tackles.

Lehigh came in the game following a two-week bye, a scheduling quirk that came about when the Mountain Hawks game at Army was switched from Oct. 12 to Aug. 30. 

Its visit also was a reunion of sorts for Reno and Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill, who was on Reno’s staff from 2012-22 as associate head coach and offensive coordinator. Lehigh assistants Mark McMaster and Bobby Bozym  were also offensive assistants at Yale.

“There are a lot of people here that I have deep relationships with, and I was glad to see them today. The scoreboard is what it is, but to come back and to see a lot of familiar faces felt real warm to me,”  Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill told the Hearst Newspapers.

Yale’s problems have not been on offense, but it was promised to be challenged by the Mountain Hawks defense that came into the day the best in the Patriot League in total yardage and against the pass. As it turned out,  Lehigh’s defense was never a problem. Once again, Yale was dominating on offense, particularly on the ground, gaining 152 yards in the first half to help open a 28-10 lead.

Conversely, its much maligned defense, riddled with injuries along the front line and allowing 36 points a game - 110th out of 123 FCS schools – yielded 123 yards on the ground in the half. But it held Lehigh, which used three quarterbacks, to only four yards passing while picking up a pair of interceptions.

Still, Lehigh did not stop grinding. It continued to keep the ball on the ground and cut the lead to two touchdowns when Jaden Green rushed for a score on a third-and-goal from the 9 with 2:56 to play in the third.

At this point, it might have seemed logical for Yale to think back to its loss to Dartmouth. The Bulldogs led that game 30-7 in the third before collapsing and losing 44-43 in overtime. This time, there was no looking back. Yale responded immediately to the Green score when Peterson, who hadn’t seen a lot of action this season, rushed for a 57-yard score with 57 seconds to play in the third.

“Tre was working through some injuries and we were trying to make sure when he got back in lineup that he was 100% healthy,” said Reno. “Once he was ready to go, he had some spurts. Today he’s back to being Tre and we’re really excited to have him back.”

With Yale captain and middle linebacker Dean Shaffer out with an injury, the Mountain Hawks opened the scoring with a 36-yard field goal from Nick Garrido with 11:31 remaining in the first quarter.

After throwing an interception on Yale’s first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Grant Jordan engineered a solid drive by taking advantage of Lehigh’s undersized defensive line to establish the run with Pitsenberger.

Then on a third-and-11 play from the Lehigh 20, Jordan, who threw for five touchdowns in the loss to Dartmouth on Oct. 12, connected with Joey Felton for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead with 3:46 to play in the first. It was the culmination of an 87-yard drive.

A big play by Yale’s defense then increased the scoring when Da’Quan Gonzales returned an interception for a 53-yard touchdown with 41 seconds to play in the first. Gonzales had been called for a pass interference just a few plays earlier.

Then Yale’s defense took a step back. Lehigh’s Luke Yoder broke through its line and evaded tackles for a 38-yard touchdown just 47 seconds into the second quarter. Yale opened the lead again with 3:07 to play in the half when Jordan scored from the 10. The Bulldogs drive featured Peterson who gained 30 yards. And then Pitsenberger scored on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 on the final play of the half to increase the lead to 28-10.

Yale Squanders Big Lead In OT Loss To Dartmouth
By John Altavilla - Week of October 13, 2024

If you ask Yale head football coach Tony Reno about winning Ivy League championships he’ll tell you that if his teams do what’s expected of them someone will hand them a trophy at the end of the season. This philosophy has worked very well in the past for the Bulldogs. They came into the season the two-time defending Ivy League champion who had won at least a share of the title in four of the last six seasons.

However, the Bulldogs came into last Saturday’s game against Dartmouth at Yale Bowl in a somewhat precarious position after losing their Ivy opener at Cornell.

The last thing Yale wanted to do was make their hill tougher to climb this season  by dropping another Ivy game before Columbus Day. But that’s exactly what it did.
After compiling a three-touchdown lead with 11:02 to play in the game, the Bulldogs wilted in the face of a furious Dartmouth rally and lost 44-43 to the Big Green in overtime.

“It was a tale of two halves. … We had numerous opportunities to close the game out and we just couldn’t do it on offense, defense and special teams. We had control of the game and we lost it,” said Reno.

Dartmouth trailed 37-16 and first cut the lead to 37-23 on a 7-yard scoring pass to Paxton Scott with 7:30 to play. The Big Green then recovered an onsides kick. A few plays later, quarterback Grayson Saunier (20 of 34, 276 yards, three touchdowns), normally the team’s third stringer, completed a 7-yard scoring pass to Daniel Haughton with 6:34 to play.
Yale tried to rebound with a 47-yard field goal attempt from Nick Conforti with 3:20 to play, but the kick failed giving Dartmouth, without timeouts, a chance to tie the score.
And tie the score it did on a 32-yard scamper by Saunier with 1:22 to play. The extra point made it 37-37 and sent it into overtime when Conforti’s 46-yard attempt failed with three seconds to play.
Dartmouth took the lead on its first overtime possession on a 2-yard score by Q Jones. The extra point gave the Big Green a 44-37 lead. A roughing the passer penalty on Yale aided Dartmouth.

Yale’s response led it to a fourth-and-5 from the Big Green 20. A completion to Pantelis got Yale the first down at the 14. Two plays later, Grant Jordan connected for a 10-yard TD pass to Chase Nenad, the fifth TD pass of the day for the senior. But Jordan overthrew a wide open Pantelis on the two-point version to end the game.
“I told the guys that this one is on me,” said Reno. “I didn’t think they could cover the route. Dave got himself wide open and unfortunately we didn’t connect. The play was there.”

And so ended a marvelous day for Jordan and Pantelis, both seniors. Jordan, starting for only the third time in his career, completed  32 of 47 passes for 412 yards and five touchdowns. He rushing for another 36 yards and a sixth score.

Three of Jordan’s touchdown passes were to Pantelis, the last of which, from the 10 with 11:02 to play, increased Yale’s lead to 37-16.

“Grant played an incredible game,” said Reno. “That defense is one of the best out there and he had an exceptional game on the ground and in the air, controlling the tempo and making the plays. …Remember, this is his second full game I’m so proud of the way he’s been able to move the ball and help the offense.”

  The Bulldogs carried a 23-7 lead into the second half, the effort fueled by three touchdowns Jordan, two through the air and the last on a 1-yard run. Jordan threw for 240 yards in the half. And things kept on rolling from there. Jordan’s 17-yard scoring pass to Pantelis – the receiver’s second of the day – increased Yale’s lead to its biggest of the day - 30-7 with 7:33 to play in the third quarter.

But Dartmouth was not done. Less than two minutes later, quarterback Saunier scored from the 1. The try for two failed. And then Owen Zalc banged home a 48-yard field goal with 2:31 to play in the third which trimmed the Bulldogs lead to two touchdowns.

“I think there is confidence in that locker room,” said Reno. “There is disappointment and they are upset like you’d expect when you give everything you have and don’t get the result you want. I told the guys that it’s a life lesson. Disappointment usually brings opportunity and we’ll have it to correct.”

According to Yale historian Rich Marazzi, only twice in the history of the Yale football program has it blown a 23-point lead. In 1931, Yale led Dartmouth 33-10 in a game that ended in a 33-33 tie, despite Albie Booth scoring three touchdowns.

Last Saturday’s 23-point blown lead is the largest lead in a game the history of the program that ended in a loss.
 

Late Heroics Power Yale To Win Over CCSU
By John Altavilla - Week of October 7, 2024

There were no excuses after Yale’s subpar performance at Cornell on Sept. 28. Head coach Tony Reno admitted so after the Bulldogs 47-23 loss.

Despite the lopsided defeat in the Ivy League opener, Reno came into last Saturday’s home opener against Central Connecticut convinced a solid week of re-calibration would put the Bulldogs into position to rebound.

His instincts proved correct. Yale quarterback Grant Jordan hit senior Luke Foster for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 8:15 to play and the Bulldogs defense made two big plays down the stretch to preserve a 23-22 win at Yale Bowl.

“We wanted the guys to use their athleticism, focus on fundamentals of football and hone in what they do best,” Reno said.

One thing was for certain. CCSU did not consider itself an underdog in this first ever meeting with the Bulldogs after nearly beating Massachusetts two weeks ago.

“I was pretty disappointed because I didn’t think we played very well; we made a lot of mistakes, we played undisciplined,” CCSU coach Adam Lechtenberg told the Hartford Courant. “Yeah, we played them close, but we let them off the hook. We missed our opportunity to do something historic. This week’s another opportunity to do something most people don’t think we can do, quite honestly.”

And play they did. The Blue Devils, a 21-point underdog, fought from behind for most of the day until quarterback Brady Olson (17 of 31, 288 yards) completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Boston with 11:25 to play to give them a 22-17 lead. The two-point attempt failed.

But then a defensive turnover midway through the third quarter helped get Yale back in the lead. Joshua Tarver intercepted Olson and returned it to the CCSU 30.
“I might just sleep with it tonight,” said Tarver, who carried the game ball into the postgame interview room.

 Five plays later, Jordan (16 of 31, 146 yards) found Foster streaking into the end with 8:15 to play. It was the first career catch for the senior.

“When I caught it, it was straight football instinct and I just ran into the end zone. I was overwhelmed, honestly,” said Foster.

Yale’s two-point try failed, so its lead was a precarious 23-22. But a CCSU comeback was eventually foiled in the final three minutes, in part due to a sack by Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye.

The Bulldogs carried a 17-10 lead into half. The margin was provided by a 64-yard touchdown carry by junior Josh Pitsenberger (19 carries, 127 yards) who sped away from the Blue Devils defense along the left sideline with 2:14 to remaining in the second quarter.

CCSU cut into the lead with a pair of field goals from Jake Barnum in the third quarter, the first from 38, the second from 42 yards. The first was set up by a 54-yard completion from Olson to Michael Plaskon to the Bulldogs 26.

The Bulldogs made a change at quarterback. Brogan McCaughrey, who replaced an injured Jordan at Holy Cross and then played at Cornell, was sitting in the press box wearing a sling. That opened the door for the return of Jordan.

Jordan completed 4 of 5 for 45 yards on Yale’s first drive, but had a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mason Shipp called back for offensive pass interference. The Bulldogs eventually settled for a 36-yard field goal by Nick Conforti with 10:30 left in the first quarter.


Cornell overpowers Yale in Ivy Opener
By John Altavilla - Week of September 30, 2024

Yale’s quest to win its third straight Ivy League championship absorbed an early blow last Saturday when a tenacious Cornell offense repeatedly gashed the Bulldogs defense on the way to a 47-23 win in Ithaca, N.Y.

Four of the Big Red’s touchdowns came on plays of 30 yards or more.

Yale had its six-game winning streak against Cornell snapped last year at Yale Bowl, when Jackson Kennedy's third field goal of the day, a 37-yarder as time expired, lifted the Big Red to a 23-21 victory. The Bulldogs blew a 14-3 halftime lead. Cornell has now won consecutive games against Yale for the first time since 2008-09.

The problem dealing with Cornell for the last four seasons has always centered around containing quarterback Jameson Wang, who was named to analyst Phil Steele's Ivy League preseason first team. Wang threw for 313 yards and rushed for 41 last week against Colgate. It was his fourth career game with 350 or more yards of total offense.

And Wang again was a big problem for Yale, completing 18 of 29 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns. And just because he could, Wang gained 55 yards on 11 carries and added a fifth touchdown. The Big Red gained 197 yards rushing and ended the day with 475 total yards.

This performance must have caught Yale by surprise. After its opening-week win against Holy Cross on Sept. 21, Yale coach Tony Reno suggested they were headed in the right direction but there were little things Yale could improve on.

“I think that there was a lot of low hanging fruit, a lot of things were could improve on just by being more intentional in our jobs individually, whether that be mentally or physically or fundamentally. … It’s really not complicated game,” said Reno. “You block, you tackle, you get off of blocks, you secure the football and then you go after the football. It’s about can you be really detailed about your job on that play.”

Yale plays its home opener at Yale Bowl on Saturday against Central Connecticut.

Wang wasn’t the only problem Yale had. The Bulldogs were uncharacteristically error-prone with three turnovers and a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And it eventually took the air out of them.

Yale was its own worst enemy in the first half. Cornell opened a 27-14 lead and mistakes by the Bulldogs played a big role in that. Wang took advantage in the half to throw for 153 yards and two touchdowns, both to Brendan Lee, one for 33, the other for 39. Yale’s run defense was also gashed for a 37-yard score by Ian Pope.

At quarterback again for Yale was junior Brogan McCaughrey, stepping in for Grant Jordan who was injured during the first drive of last week’s win over Holy Cross. But junior halfback Josh Pitsenberger was back in the lineup after missing last week’s game. Reno substituted Marshall Howe for McCaughrey (14 of 21, 172 yards) for one series after Yale recovered a fumble on the Cornell 18 early in the third quarter. That possession ended with a 24-yard field goal from Nick Conforti to trim the Bulldogs deficit to 10. And Howe entered again midway through the fourth with Yale trailing by 17 and threw an interception.

Wang hit tight end Ryder Kutrz for a 68-yard catch and run for a touchdown that increased the Big Red’s lead to 33-17 with 8:01 to play in third.

Pitsenberger (18 carries, 68 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game from the 1 to cut the lead by 33-23. But Yale’s attempt for a two-point conversion failed.

Wang finally put the game away with a 1-yard run for touchdown with 13:35 to play. It was 40-23. After stopping Yale’s first possession, Wang took the Big Red immediately down field, completing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Lee on a 4^th-and-3 play.

Yale swiftly responded. McCaughey’s 32-yard connection to David Pantelis (five catches, 86 yards) and unsportsmanlike penalty, gave the Bulldogs great field position at the Cornell 12. And then McCaughey found a wide open Ry Yates in the end zone from the 8 to tie the score with 8:40 to play. It was the tight end’s first career touchdown.

Cornell retook the lead on a 24-yard field goal from Alan Zhao with 6:24, ending a drive that began on Yale’s 33 after the Bulldogs muffed a punt when the loose ball inadvertently bounced off the leg of one of their players.

Another Yale turnover, a fumbled handoff between McCaughrey and Tre Peterson, quickly led to more points for the Big Red when Zhao drilled a 34-yard field goal with 3:08 to play in the first.

Yale finally took its first lead on a 9-yard touchdown run from Pitsenberger with 12:53 to play in the first half. But Wang stung Yale again, this time with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Lee with 11:16 to play in the first half.

And then came the running into the kicker penalty compounded by a unsportsmanlike call, both on Joshua Tarver, to extend a Cornell drive. Then Pope broke through Yale’s line for a 37-yard score.
 

Yale Opens Season with Win Over Holy Cross

By John Altavilla

Barely five minutes into its first game of the season, Yale’s reconstructed offense looked to be in deep trouble.

Starting halfback Joshua Pitsenberger was on the sidelines in street clothes, a gametime scratch. But even more concerning, starting quarterback Grant Jordan, who won a hotly contested competition for the job, was injured on the Bulldogs’ first drive.

Not an auspicious way to get things moving against a gritty Holy Cross team that had already played three games.

Then again, Yale has always loved these kind of challenges, its confidence boosted by the depth of personnel the program prides itself on.

But let’s be honest. Raise your hand if you expected the Bulldogs 38-31 win at Fitton Field to be fueled by senior running back Nathan Denny and junior quarterback Brogan McCaughey.

"The game was two good teams fighting it out to the end," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "I give Holy Cross a lot of credit. They fought hard. We were just able to stay with it. We made a lot of first-game mistakes that we need to correct, but I'm so proud of how we battled. I told the team this week a perfect game for me would be where we have to find a way to score and make a stop in the last two minutes, and we did."
 
Yale did not make it easy. It squandered five leads in the game. The last of which came with 3:35 to play when Jayden Clerveaux scored his third touchdown, this one from the 2 to tie the game 31-31.

The Bulldogs had taken the lead three minutes earlier on Denny’s 5-yard score, set up by an 11-yard punt that gave Yale possession on the Crusaders 21.

Still, Yale had one more punch to throw. On its final possession, the Bulldogs benefited from a pass interference on a 4^th-and-6 that placed the ball on the Holy Cross 28. McCaughey followed that up with a 20-yard strike to senior David Pantelis (six catches, 95 yards).

Then on 3^rd-and-goal from the 3, Denny (29 carries, 80 yards) powered into the end zone with 12 seconds to play. 

Still, Yale needed to survive a last-second Hail Mary pass into its endzone to secure the win.

This was the fifth straight season Yale has opened its season against the Crusaders. Holy Cross had won four of the games. The Bulldogs' last win had come in 2019, a 23-10 victory at the Bowl. That spawned a 9-1 season that earned the program the Ivy League championship.

Of all the personnel changes made during the offseason, none was more significant than the ascension of Jordan, a senior, to replace Nolan Grooms, the Ivy League’s reigning offensive player of the year.

Jordan, who is from New Orleans, had not thrown a pass at Yale. He’d been limited  to a brief appearance against Brown in 2022 and a few snaps in the Morgan State game last year.
His reign did not even last five minutes. He was injured rushing for a first down and was replaced by McCaughey.

McCaughey was splendid, completing 18 of 32 passes for 217 yards. He quickly led the Bulldogs to their first score, completing his first throw to Pantelis for 25 yards to the 1. Two plays later, the quarterback scored on a 3-yard carry with 9:04 to play.

Then on a 4^th-and-6 from the Holy Cross 24 on Yale’s first possession of the second half, McCaughey again hit Pantelis (six receptions, 95 yards) this time for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Holy Cross tied the game for the fourth time with 14:50 play when Clerveaux scored his second rushing touchdown of the game from the 8.

The tone of the game was quickly established; these teams would exchange blows. For example, one play after Yale’s opening touchdown, the Crusaders tied the score when quarterback Joe Pesansky (12 of 26, 279 yards) hit Max Warren for a 74-yard score in their first play.

Along with Denny, Yale also depended on Wilhelm Daal to compensate and Daal paid dividends on the Bulldogs second drive by gaining 38 yards to the Holy Cross 1 before scoring on the next play to give them a 14-7 lead.

The Crusaders tied again, this time on a 1-yard run from Clerveaux with 11:13 to play in the half. Holy Cross’ top halfback, Jordan Fuller, who had rushed for 283 yards this season, was injured last week and will miss the remainder of the season with a leg injury.

Yale took its third lead with 6:40 to play in the half on the first career field goal from Nick Conforti from the 40. But Daniel Porto’s 45-yard field goal at the gun tied the score heading to halftime.

Yale Beats Harvard, Shares Another Ivy Title

By John Altavilla
After Yale lost to Penn at Yale Bowl on October 21, its 150^th team needed to make a decision about how the remainder of the season would play out. After all, the loss was its second in Ivy League play, following by four weeks Cornell’s stunning upset of the Bulldogs.

“We got punched in the mouth once, then punched in the mouth twice,” said Jonathan Mendoza, a senior offensive tackle. “Coming into week three (after the Cornell loss) we needed to decide what we wanted to be. Did we want to be a team that responded to adversity or one that tucked its tail between it legs. We needed to man-up, realize there was one of two ways we could go. You could throw in towel now and forsake the rest of it (the season) or be a better team."

Yale chose to be a better team.

Last Saturday at Yale Bowl, before over 51,000 fans, the Bulldogs completed their journey back to relevance with a heart-stopping 23-18 win over the Crimson. The victory, Yale’s seventh in its last eight and fourth in row, allowed the Bulldogs to share the Ivy League championship with Harvard and Dartmouth, which grabbed its piece thanks to a 38-13 win over Brown.

“The mindset of the team changed,” said senior Mason Tipton, Yale’s standout receiver. “We decided that we needed to make the game go - as opposed to waiting for opportunities to do so. A lot of times in those earlier games we were waiting for a big play or something to happen in our favor. It’s not how it works in this league. If we want to win, we need to take the game over. It’s a mentality shift.”

The last time the Ivy League champion had two losses was 1982 when Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth all finished 5-2. The last time there was a three-way tie for the title was 2015 when Harvard, Dartmouth and Penn all finished 6-1.

Yale’s back-to-back years titles, its third and fourth in the last six seasons, leaves it in position now to win three straight Ivy titles for the first time since winning three straight from 1979 to 1981. As it is, this was Yale’s 19th Ivy League championship.

"I'm really proud of the team. It wasn't an easy season,” said Tony Reno, Yale’s head coach. “We had to fight through so many things, and when we finally got a foothold, it was like we exploded. We had so many guys contribute. There are names you don't even know that made amazing contributions to this team whether it was on the scout team on a Tuesday or blocking a kick or running down on a kickoff. That's who we were. This team became elite because they were all one."

Harvard had already secured its 18th conference title - and first since 2015 – with its overtime win over Penn on November 11^th. It was the 10th Ivy title for Crimson coach Tim Murphy, which tied him with Yale’s Carm Cozza for most league championships in Ivy League history.

Harvard was also ranked No. 19 in the nation and was leading the league in rushing offense at 208.1 yards per game and scoring offense (33.3 ppg.). But Yale’s staunch defense was able to hold the Crimson to just 73 yards rushing while its offense accumulated 170 for itself.

Yale’s defense was dominant, sacking Harvard’s top-flight sophomore quarterback Jaden Craig (20 of 33, 245 yards, two touchdowns) five times. Sophomore defensive lineman Ezekiel Larry had three of them. And senior linebacker Joseph Vaughn, the reigning Ivy League defensive player of the week, lead the team with 10 tackles, one forced fumble and an interception.

"Joe (Vaughn) is the best defensive player in the league in my opinion," said Reno "He has played that way all season long."

Ironically, Yale won without sterling performances from either quarterback Nolan Grooms or Tipton, Yale’s leading receiver. Grooms threw for only 90 yards and ran for only 12. Tipton, who had 10 catches at Princeton on November 11 and was third nationally with 10 TD passes, had only one catch for 31 yards.

But two of Grooms’ completions were for touchdowns, a 5-yarder to Ryan Lindley in the second quarter and the game-winner – 12 yards to David Pantelis – with 5:47 to play.

"In my opinion, (Grooms) is the best offensive player in the league," said Reno. "I mean, there isn't another guy who affects the game like he does in this league. What you saw out of him, what a lot of guys can't do, is he might of had a play or two that he wish he got back but he led us to a win in the fourth quarter."

Lindley led the Bulldogs with four receptions for 39 yards and Joshua Pitsenberger, the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, had a game-high 99 yards rushing.  His 131 yards and three rushing touchdowns at Princeton were both career-highs. He rushed for six touchdowns in the last four games.

Still, Yale could not wrap this win up until a 4^th-and-14 pass from the Yale 33 from Craig to Cooper Barkate was broken up in the endzone by corner Sean Guyton with 40 seconds to play.

After a poorly thrown interception by Grooms ended a drive deep at the Harvard 6 with 7:42 to play, Yale trailing 18-17, the Bulldogs defense got the ball right back with a fumble recovery by first year corner Ozize Daniyan at the Harvard 14. On 3^rd-and-8 from the 12, Grooms hit Pantelis for the winning score.

Yale dominated most of the first half, putting a lot of pressure on Craig, blocking a pair of punts and an extra point and holding the Crimson to six yards rushing. But it only took a 10-6 lead into the half.

Yale’s primary motivation in the second half was to establish its ground game. And they did just that. With 4:42 to play in the third quarter it extended the lead to 17-6 on a 5-yard burst by Nathan Denney, the Bulldogs’ fourth-string halfback.

But Yale could never shake it opponent. At the end of the third quarter, Harvard slashed Yale’s defense for two long runs of 20 and 28 yards to put the ball on the Bulldogs 10.

Finally, on second-and-goal front he 7, Craig rushed it in. Harvard’s two-point attempt failed. Yale’s lead was cut to 17-12 with 14:57 to play in the game.

Things got more tense on Yale’s next possession when a 51-yard completion from Grooms to Lindley to Harvard’s 16 was called back on review after it was determined Lindley had stepped out of bounds before making the catch. Yale’s subsequent punt was returned to the Harvard 42.

Craig immediately hit Barkate for 30 yards to the 28. A pass interference advanced it further to the 14. And a few plays later, Craig hit Ledger Hatch for a 7-yard touchdown to give the Crimson a 18-17 lead after Harvard’s attempt for two failed.

After stopping Harvard on a fourth down at the Yale 37, the Bulldogs got moving on their first scoring drive. With 1:05 to play in the first quarter, Jack Bosman kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Yale a 3-0 lead.

By this time Yale’s defensive front was beginning to show its dominance, twice sacking Craig for big losses. A 10-yard loss to the Harvard 19 forced a Crimson punt which was blocked by Wyatt Raymond and recovered by Yale on the Harvard 7.

On third down, Grooms hit Lindley for the touchdown that increased Yale’s lead to 10-0 with 9:12 to play in the half.

It looked as if Yale had increased the lead again when Vaughn returned an interception for a 63-yard touchdown on Harvard’s next possession. But the score was nullified by a Yale holding penalty on the return.

Then another blocked another punt gave Yale possession at the Harvard 9. But a fumbled snap by Grooms created a six-yard loss. Then Grooms fumbled the next snap, the ball recovered by Harvard on their 41-yard line.

This time, Harvard capitalized, Craig completed a 35-yard pass to Kaedyn Odermann to the Yale 9 and two plays later another from the 9 to Tyler Neville for the touchdowns with 1:08 to play in the half. Yale then blocked the extra point attempt.

Reno’s Corner
“My favorite thing about being a coach is working with my players, developing them as players and as men and then seeing them achieve on the field. But it’s also true than many of my players show more growth off the field. They develop as leaders, as people, mentors. It’s a joy taking an 18- or 19-year-old player and developing them holistically by the time they leave and putting their own goals aside in favor of team goals. That’s why what I do never feels like work. It’s too much fun.”

Players Of The Week
WR David Pantelis, Jr., 5-11, 196, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Upper St. Clair)
Pantelis led Yale in receptions in 2022, but missed the first six games this season because of injuries. And he made only 12 catches in 2023, but his one reception Saturday was the team’s biggest of the season because it resulted in a 12-yard touchdown pass with 5:47 to play, giving Yale its margin of victory.
LB Joseph Vaughn, Sr., 6-3, 238, San Jose, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty School)
The reigning Ivy League defensive player of the week had a tremendous season, leading the team with 88 tackles. He had 10 against Harvard, one of which forced fumble. And he had a 63-yard interception for a touchdown in the first half which was shortened to 17 yards because of holding penalty on the Bulldogs.
DL Ezekiel Larry, So., 6-2, 240, Palmdale, Calif. (Sierra Canyon)
One of Yale’s up-and-coming defenders, Larry had the game of his life against Harvard, making three sacks for a total of 31 yards. He led Yale with six sacks this season including five in the final two games.
 

Impressive Yale Effort Beats Princeton

By John Altavilla
With hopes of at least sharing the Ivy League championship on the line Saturday at Princeton, Yale did everything it hoped to do offensively against a defense which came into the game leading the nation in run defense.
 
Thank quarterback Nolan Grooms, halfback Joshua Pitsenberger and receiver Mason Tipton for that. All were spectacular with everything laying on the line.
 
But in the end, that wasn’t all Yale needed to win this game.
 
With darkness descending, the game was thrust into overtime. And that’s when Yale captain Wande Owens took control.
 
Owens, a cornerback, broke up critical fourth-down passes in the first and second overtimes to secure Yale’s heart-stopping 36-28 win.
 
"I'm really proud of the team. They battled. We knew it was going to take a knock-out punch in the end to win it," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "Wande made two huge plays at the end to finish the game off, and Nolan took the game over on offense. Those two seniors really had extraordinary games for us. I was proud of our guys up front for battling. Princeton has got a really good front, but we found a way to give Nolan enough time to get the ball down the field and open some running lanes."
 
And now it comes down to this Saturday’s game with Harvard at Yale Bowl. Afte sustaining an early-season loss to Cornell and another a few weeks later to Penn, the Bulldogs, who have won six of their last seven games, can secure a share of this year’s Ivy League championship with a win. If they do, it will mark the first time since 1982 that two-loss teams have won the title.
 
Grooms, the icon of Yale’s offense, completed 23 of 30 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown. And he added 66 yards rushing with another score. Pitsenberger, the sophomore who missed nearly three weeks of action after injuring himself on the first possession of Yale’s opener against Holy Cross, gained a career-high 131 yards and scored three touchdowns. And Tipton made 10 catches for 130 yards.
 
In all, Yale rushed for 197 yards and accumulated 429 yards of offense against the Tigers staunch defense.
 
Yale stopped Princeton on its first possession of overtime when Owens broke up a pass in the endzone on a 4^th-and-goal from the 2. But Yale kicker Jack Bosman missed a 35-yard field goal attempt to give the Tigers another life.
 
Yale had the first chance to score in the second OT and took the lead on a 3-yard score from Pitsenberger. The Bulldogs then tried for the two-point conversion and Grooms hit Tipton in the endzone to give Yale a 36-28 lead.
 
And then Yale sealed the win when Owens broke up another pass attempt on a 4^th-and-8 from the Yale 12.
 
Princeton forced overtime with a touchdown with 18 seconds left on a 3-yard completion from backup quarterback Blaine Hipa to Luke Colella. The scoring drive was highlighted by a pair of fourth down conversions, the longest a 19-yard gain on a 4^th-and-18 from the Yale 32.
 
Yale took a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Grooms to Joey Felton, who was found streaking across the back line of the endzone. The score was set up by a 31-yard completion from Grooms to Tipton.
 
But on the next play from scrimmage, Princeton quarterback connected with Colella for a 75-yard scoring play on a flea-flicker which sprung the receiver deep into Yale territory behind Owens.
 
Yale came right back to take the lead again. This time Pitsenberger scored on a 21-yard run with 7:10 to play, capping off a nine-play, 70-yard drive.
 
Yale’s task was solving a defense that had allowed just 10 touchdowns and 60 points this season, both the fewest in the FCS. What’s more, Princeton had not given up more than 30 points in 20 straight contests. All four of the Tigers of the losses had come by three points or fewer.
 
The teams exchanged first-quarter touchdowns to send the game into halftime tied 7-7.
 
Then Princeton pounced on the opening possession of the second half. Aided by a roughing the passer penalty and a 36-yard gain by halfback John Volker which put the ball on the Yale 1, the Tigers took their first lead on a 1-yard plunge by Hipa with 12:34 to play in the third quarter.
 
After not scoring since their first drive of the game, the Bulldogs quickly responded to tie the game. Grooms completed passes for 27 yards to David Pantelis and 14 to Tipton to move the ball to the Princeton 3. Two plays later,  Pitsenberger scored from the 1 with 5:37 to play in the third quarter.
 
Yale got off to a great start, immediately rolling down the field for five first downs and the game’s first score, a 24-yard keeper from Grooms on a 2nd-and-10 with 8:48 to play in the quarter. Grooms also completed all five passing attempts on the drive which began on the Yale 25.
 
The Tigers tied the game five minutes later. They took advantage of great field position after a short punt from Bosman to drive 30 yards on seven plays, getting the TD on a 5-yard run from John Volker.
 
For the remainder of the half, Yale had to deal with poor field position thanks to the work of Princeton’s punting game. But it managed 104 yards rushing, led by Grooms and Pitsenberger, who gained 53 yards on 14 carries.
 

Bulldogs Overwhelm Brown To Stay In Ivy Hunt

By John Altavilla One of the most entertaining aspects of this Yale football season has been admiring the dynamic shared by quarterback Nolan Grooms and his favorite receiver Mason Tipton. The two have operated perfectly in synch, lifting the offense on their shoulders.
 
That was the case again last Saturday when the pair combined for three touchdown passes to lead the Bulldogs to a 36-17 win over Brown.
 
"I came in to Yale with Mason," said Grooms. "Any time he is one-on-one with a defensive back I feel like he's going to win. He has great skills when the ball is in the air."
 
The victory keeps Yale’s hope of defending its Ivy League title intact. Should the Bulldogs wrap up the season with wins over Princeton and Harvard, they will guarantee themselves at least a share of the championship.
 
Grooms, the reigning Ivy League offensive player of the week, was at it again. He threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns – tying his career-high – and rushed for another 102 yards as Yale rolled to 410 yards of offense. He now has 19 touchdown passes this season, tied for fifth most in program history.
 
Tipton’s three touchdown receptions were a career-high. He was targeted 13 times and ended up with seven receptions for 123 yards. Tipton now has 10 TD receptions this season, which is tied for fourth in Yale history.
 
It was also a great day for the defense and special teams. The defense recovered two fumbles by quarterback Jake Willcox and intercepted two passes. And the special teams blocked a punt and featured a great day by kick returner Joey Felton, who averaged 43.0 yards on three returns.
 
"I'm really proud of the team. They made the decision that they wanted to be better than we were a few weeks ago. It's a result of the work they are putting in day in and day out,” said Yale coach Tony Reno. “We still have a long way to go. There were a lot of mistakes out there today, but the guys battled and that's the trademark of who we are as a team. This team is starting to build the ability to handle adversity and keep playing. We talk all the time about being ready to win a rock fight."
 
You’ll recall that Yale’s offense also thrived in the last meeting between these teams. The Bulldogs amassed 558 yards and scored two defensive touchdowns in a 69-17 thrashing of Brown. The 69 points scored were the most in a game for the Bulldogs since an 89-0 win over Vermont in 1929. Yale raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter then erupted for 35 points in the second and had a 52-3 halftime lead.

 
The 52 first-half points were four shy of Brown's Ivy League record for points in a half. The Bears scored 56 in the second half against Columbia in 1994. The NCAA record for points in a half is 73 was set by Montana State in the first half of a victory over Eastern Oregon in 1985.
 
That type of production was also on display during Yale’s 35-7 win over Columbia on Oct. 28. The Bulldogs had 459 yards of offense with Grooms throwing for 234 and rushing for another 89.
 
Perhaps Yale’s greatest challenge was likely trying to contain Willcox, who commands an offense that came into the game averaging 317.1 passing yards. And for the most part it did so. Willcox threw for 245 yards but was kept off-balance by the pressure Yale created.
 
Yale took a 16-10 lead into halftime by capitalizing on the Willcox fumbles to score 10 points. Grooms hit Tre Peterson roaming free along the far sideline with for a 45-yard touchdown. Yale’s two-point attempt failed.
 
Grooms then made his only big mistake of the day, throwing a lazy pass to the left flank which was intercepted by Isaiah Reed and returned for a 35-yard touchdown with 12:46 to play in the third quarter. Yale’s lead was cut to 22-16.
 
Grooms made up for it on Yale’s next possession by floating a 35-yard TD pass to Tipton on a 3^rd-and-19 play. And then after Yale’s Phoenix Grant blocked a punt – the Bulldogs recovering on the Brown 9 - Grooms hit Tipton again for another TD. Suddenly, Yale’s lead was 36-17.
 
The Bulldogs took the early lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Joshua Pitsenberger just 1:18 into the game. The short 8-yard drive was set up when Yale’s Jermaine Baker recovered a Willcox fumble. Jack Bosman’s extra point attempt was blocked.
 
The Bears cut into the lead with a 22-yard field goal from Christopher Maron with 5:51 remaining in the first quarter. They took the lead on their next possession. First, they stopped Yale on a 4^th-and-1 on the Brown 41. The touchdown was scored on a reverse by wide receiver Wes Brockett from the 3 with 2:01 to play in the quarter.
 
Willcox completed 9 or 10 passes for 114 yards in the first, leading the team to eight first downs in the process.
 
After throwing for just 11 yards in the first quarter, Grooms warned up in the second quarter with a perfect 41-yard touchdown strike to Tipton.
 
Osize Daniyan, who made six tackles, forced a Willcox fumble to start Yale on its way again. This time, Grooms completed a 32-yard strike to Tipton to the Brown 9. That led to a 21-yard field goal by Bosman which increased the lead to 16-10.

 

Yale Surges Past Columbia With Great Performance >

By John Altavilla
During this up and down season, Yale has been looking for a sign telling it that the worst is over and that future performances will be up to the standards and expectations of the program.

Last Saturday at Yale Bowl, the Bulldogs played perhaps their most complete game of the year on a day they needed it the most.

“The candle is lit,” said Yale coach Tony Reno. “Now it’s time to go.”

Quarterback Nolan Grooms completed 26 of 32 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown, halfback Joshua Pitsenberger rushed for two others scores and Yale’s defense held Columbia to just 13 first downs and 194 yards on the way to a 35-7 win.

“The resolve of our football team was so obvious today,” said Reno. “Moments become moments when you make the decision to make it so. We had the opportunity to put ourselves into the position to move forward. …Our guys took it and ran with it. …The most exciting thing about today as the seconds ticked off the clock wasn’t the success of the day, it was thinking about what we might do in the future."

Columbia, which is 0-4 in Ivy League play this season, has not won in New Haven since 2015. It prevented Yale’s first Ivy League shutout since 2011 with 11 seconds to play on an 17-yard TD pass from Joe Green to Jack Larsen with mostly reserves on the field for the Bulldogs.

Yale was coming off a difficult loss to Penn at Yale Bowl, one which complicated its chance to defend its Ivy League championship. Heading into this weekend, Harvard and Princeton are tied for first at 3-1 with Penn, Brown, Yale, Cornell and Dartmouth all one game behind. The Bulldogs are guaranteed at least a share of the crown if they sweep their last three games against Brown, Princeton and Harvard.

That predicament had little to do with the performance of Grooms, the Ivy League’s reigning offensive player of the year.

He had thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of the last five games, including four in the win over Morgan State. His 15 touchdown passes lead the Ivy League. One more TD throw this season will move him into the top-10 in a single season in school history, and he is on pace to finish in the top-five in a single season. Kurt Rawlings, who threw 27 touchdown passes in 2019, holds the all-time Yale single-season record.

Yale’s offense collected 27 first downs and gained 459 yards, 225 rushing, led by Grooms (89 yards) and Pitsenberger (63 yards). The day was made complete by a 14-yard TD run by reserve Nathan Denney, which delighted the Bulldogs sideline with 1:34 remaining in the game.

Senior Mason Tipton, who was held without a touchdown reception for the first time this season against Penn on Oct. 21, led Yale with eight receptions for 114 yards and one TD, a 23-yard strike from Grooms late in the first half.

Tipton, who leads Yale with 34 receptions, has caught seven TD passes, which ties him for ninth in a single season in school history. Eric Johnson caught a school-record 14 touchdown passes in 2000. Tipton also has a rushing touchdown and his eight overall TD's also leads the league.

The Bulldogs went on three sustained drives in the first half to open a 21-0 lead. Much of the half was spent with the ball in Pitsenberger’s hands as Yale looked to establish its running attack.

“It’s all about what was available,” said Reno. “We felt we had some advantages in that area and Josh is a great running back. We were able to get him going."

Yale opened the scoring on their first possession driving 70 yards on nine plays. The big plays were a 20-yard completion to Tipton to the Brown 18 and then a 14-yard Grooms scramble to the 1. From there, Pitsenberger scored the touchdown with 9:32 to play in the first.

Pitsenberger extended the lead to 14-0 in a 3-yard run with 13:08 remaining in the first half. That capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive.

Then Grooms turned to his favorite receiver, Tipton, to conclude a 13-play, 85-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdowns pass with 1:43 to play in the half.

Grooms made the score 28-0 with 14:26 to play on a 13-yard touchdown run set up by his 39-yard completion to Tipton after the defense held Columbia on a fourth down on the Yale 48.

Receiver David Pantelis, who led Yale in receptions and receiving yardage in 2002, made his first appearance of the season and had three catches for 20 yards. Dylan Yang had two sacks and three solo tackles. Clay Patterson added a sack. He has a team-leading 4.5 sacks this season and 22 in his career, third most in school history.
 

Penn Hands Yale Its Second Ivy Loss

By John Altavilla

Although he really doesn’t like to talk about it, Yale coach Tony Reno tasks each of his teams with the ultimate goal of winning the Ivy League championship, which his program has done two of the last three years. There’s nothing unusual about that.

So respected were the Bulldogs coming into the 2023 season that their peers voted them as the preseason choice to win another championship. But that objective just got a lot more difficult to reach.

After losing to Cornell in the second week of the season, Yale really couldn’t afford another league loss this season. But last Saturday at Yale Bowl, the Bulldogs ran into a powerful passing attack from Penn that they could not solve.

Quakers quarterback Aidan Sayin completed 33 of 48 passes for a career-high 364 yards and two touchdowns and receiver Jared Richardson set a school record with 17 receptions to lead them to a 27-17 win. Those were the most receptions in one game in the Ivy League in 11 years.

“They found the holes in our defense,” said cornerback Wande Owens, Yale’s captain. “The quarterback and receivers are very smart players. … We had our chances to get off the field, but we didn’t capitalize. Good teams take advantage of those mistakes.”

With four league games remaining, beginning on Saturday at home against Columbia, the Bulldogs are 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Ivy League. Consider that it’s been 41 seasons since any two-loss team has won at least a share of the championship. There currently are five Ivy teams ahead of Yale in the Ivy with one loss each.

Last season, Penn snapped a four-game losing streak to Yale with a 20-13 win at Franklin Field. It was the only league loss for the Bulldogs during their championship campaign.

Penn totally dominated the game, rolling to 27 first downs, 452 yards while controlling the ball for 35:19. Meanwhile, the Penn defense held Yale to 15 first downs and just 245 yards.

Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms, who threw for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, accounted for 182 of their yards – 121 through the air and 61 rushing. But behind an offensive line rebuilt because of injuries, Grooms spent most of the day avoiding pressure that sacked him four times.

A pair of touchdown passes from Sayin to Richardson (191 yards receiving) helped the Quakers build a 17-14 halftime lead. Sayin was 17 of 26 for 204 yards in the first half with Richardson making 10 catches for 117 yards.

“Give him (Richardson) credit,” said Reno. “He made a lot of plays. We didn’t do a good job covering him. We couldn’t disrupt the timing of their throws or plays.”

They increased the lead to 20-14 on a 28-yard field goal by Graham Gotlieb, his second of the day, with 2:02 to play in the third quarter. The Quakers ate up 6:52 over 16 plays on a drive that began on their 4 after a great punt by Yale’s Jack Bosman.

Bosman’s 23-yard field goal with 11:02 to play brought Yale within 20-17. But Yale had the ball first-and-goal from the Penn 5 and wasn’t able to punch in it with the chance to take the lead.

“The bottom line is they made plays at the end and we didn’t,” said Reno. “We pride ourselves on being a team that finishes (games). They did and we didn’t. We had multiple opportunities on both sides of the ball to put ourselves in advantageous situations to put points on the board or make stops. …When we are playing well those are the things we execute.”

That proved problematic when Penn immediately responded with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Bryce Myers with 4:26 to play.

Yale had won three straight games, averaging 35.7 points while allowing just 10.0 per game.

“I think a lot of us on the defense were trying to be Superman [during the first two weeks) and Coach Reno is always telling us not to do that,” said Jermaine Baker, a senior linebacker. “He broke it down for us in three separate ways;  relationships, effort and earning wins. Ever since that we been focused on that in practices and games. We’re having some fun, cutting loose a little.”

Penn got right to work on changing that, flawlessly marching 75 yards on 14 plays with six first downs to open the scoring on a 13-yard run by Malachi Hosley with 9:01 to play in the first quarter.

Yale countered on its first possession. Led by a 44-yard gain by Grooms to the Penn 7, the Bulldogs scored on a 3-yard pass from Grooms to sophomore Joshua Pitsenberger (39 yards rushing) with 4:31 remaining in the first.

The Quakers regained the lead with 12:47 remaining in the first half. Grooms was intercepted to get them started. Then Sayin completed a 33-yard pass to Richardson to the Yale 15. Yale’s defense then stiffened forcing Penn to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Gotlieb.

Grooms then led the Bulldogs on a touchdown drive to take the lead. Using completions to Mason Tipton (18 yards) and Ryan Lindley (20 yards) to move the ball to the Penn 20, the Elis took advantage of a pass interference to move the ball to the 9 from where Grooms hit tight end Jackson Hawes for the score.

A 38-yard completion from Sayin to Bisi Owens – the younger brother of Yale’s captain- set the Quakers up at the Yale 1 on their next possession. Sayin then again connected with Richardson for a 3-yard score that enabled Penn to regain the lead with 4:07 to play in the half.

Bulldogs Extend Win Streak to Three

By John Altavilla
After losing the first two games of the season, Yale reacted as you might have expected. It did not panic. Instead, it took a deep breath, regrouped and rededicated itself to playing up to its standards, particularly on offense.

The result has been compelling. After victories over Morgan State and Dartmouth, the Bulldogs continued their ascent with a businesslike 31-3 win over Sacred Heart at Yale Bowl in the first meeting ever between the programs.

Yale now enters the most important part of its season – the five-game sprint to the end of the Ivy League season. Already with one league loss to Cornell, the Bulldogs likely know it’s been 41 years since a team with two losses has won the championship.

"It's been all about establishing an identity and what works for this team," said Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms. "I think we have a good idea now so I'm excited to get ready for the Ivy League gauntlet."

At the forefront of Yale’s recent renaissance has been the production of its offense, which led the Ivy League in points and yardage in 2022.

After scoring 71 points and amassing 796 yards the last two weeks, the Bulldogs tried to take flight again against their in-state opponent which plays in the NEC and came into the game 1-5. But after scoring a touchdown on their first drive, and despite the score, they seemed somewhat out-of-synch at times on a cold, rainy afternoon.

Consider that Yale had only 12 first downs, 273 yards and controlled the clock for just 23:41. But it was enough to win.

On the bright side, Grooms (10 of 19, 123 yards) threw for three touchdowns and Mason Tipton (three catches, 47 yards) scored a pair of touchdowns, one rushing, the other receiving.

"I'm really proud of the team. We've put together three good weeks of practice. It starts there, and it's starting to show on the field on Saturdays," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "We did a really nice job capitalizing at the end of the first half. We didn't quite have the success we wanted to start the third quarter, but we were resilient and had some big plays to close the game out.”

Despite coming into the game with a rebuilt offensive line - All-American candidate left tackle Kiran Amegadjie and center Jonathon Durand were both on crutches – the Bulldogs moved forward and built a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Pioneers cut into the lead with a third-quarter field goal and looked like they were driving to another score until linebacker Joseph Vaughn intercepted a pass at the Yale 9 and returned it 85 yards.

Vaughn's interception return was the second longest in school history and was the longest that didn't result in a touchdown. Bob Blanchard had a 99-yard return for a score in 1960 vs. Colgate.

Three plays later quarterback Grooms hit Mason Shipp for a 2-yard score that finally put the game out of reach with 13:39 to play. It was the first touchdown in Shipp’s career.

After holding Sacred Heart on downs in the first series, the Bulldogs got right to business with Grooms hitting a streaking Tipton in the end zone for a 40-yard score with 12:21 to play. Tipton has caught a touchdown pass in all five games this season and has six receiving TDs.

"Any time I see him open, I know there is a chance," said Grooms. "I just put it up there and he makes the play."

Yale caught a break on their next possession, which ended with Grooms being intercepted on their 36 by Mason Marques. After moving the ball into field goal range, freshman Sam Renzi missed a 26-yard attempt. Renzi would make one from 19 to get the Pioneers on the board with 5:40 to play in the third quarter.

A bad center snap on a punt got Yale into trouble again early in the second quarter. After a 38-yard loss, punter Jack Bosman finally fell on the loose ball on the Yale 7 giving the Pioneers a first-and-goal. But linebacker Hamilton Moore forced a fumble a few plays later and the Bulldogs recovered on the 2.

Yale then set sail on a 98-yard drive accented by a 32-yard gain by senior Tre Peterson and a 28-yard completion from Grooms to tight end Jackson Hawes, which put the ball on Sacred Heart 15. From there, Tipton scored on an inside reverse with 8:27 to go in the first half.

Yale increased the lead to 21-0 with 54 seconds left in the first half when Grooms connected with Ryan Lindley on a slant for a 7-yard score. A 24-yard completion to tight end Ry Yates was the big play on the drive.
 

Guyton's Return Helps Yale to First Ivy Win

By John Altavilla
One of Yale’s great concerns over the first three weeks of the season had been the rash of injuries leaving their secondary short-handed. The Bulldogs have had to turn to a pair of first-year players to help fill the gaps until they could get their starters back.

Last Saturday at Dartmouth, one of those players, junior Sean Guyton, returned to the starting lineup for the first time this season. And this question calls for an answer: Where would Yale be today if not for Guyton, who returned one interception 70 yards for a touchdown then sealed the game with another with 2:12 to play in the game.

“He’s as good as it gets in the Ivy League at corner,” said Yale coach Tony Reno.

Yale’s 31-24 victory was their first Ivy league win this season. The Bulldogs, who opened league play with a loss to Cornell in Week 2, hadn’t started 0-2 in league play since 2012. No team has won an Ivy championship with two losses since 1982.

“We made a decision about two weeks ago. We wanted to change something,” said Reno. “We decided to just go play and not worry about any consequence.”

The win also ended a great drought. Yale hadn’t won in Hanover since 2010 when Philippe Panico kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-20 victory. The Bulldogs had lost five straight with two of those losses spoiling perfect seasons in 2017 and 2019.

"It was an incredibly hard-fought game between two really good teams," said Reno. “Dartmouth is very good in all three phases. It was a typical Ivy League football game. We knew we'd have to be ready to win on the last few plays of the game. I'm really proud of my team. We know how hard it is to win here."

For a long period of time, this wasn’t the same offense Yale showed against Morgan State, when it gained over 500 yards in a 45-3 win. With time running down in the third quarter, the Bulldogs had only 115 total yards, just 27 rushing. And then things turned around.

“I tell my team all the time that a football game is a mess,” said Reno. “The team that handles to mess best wins.”

Quarterback Nolan Grooms (15 of 22, 239 yards) hit Ryan Lindley (seven catches, 128 yards) for 38 yards, Mason Tipton (five catches, 67 yards) for 30 and Tre Peterson for another 10 to give the Bulldogs a first-and-goal from the Dartmouth 9 as the quarter ended. Then Grooms finished the drive by hitting Tipton for a 4-yard score, the 100^th reception of the senior’s career. Yale led 24-17.

"Last week we opened up the passing game, and we felt we needed to do that to be the best versions of ourselves,” said Reno. “We are really confident in our receivers and Nolan as well to be able to make the right decisions."

But that did not discourage the Big Green. Using a two-quarterback system – Nick Howard and Proctor – they quickly moved the ball against Yale’s defense on a seven-minute drive. And with 7:11 to play, Proctor hit Paxton Scott in the middle of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the score.

Yale then jumped to the lead for good in just 1:07 on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Grooms to Lindley, who caught the ball near midfield and outraced coverage to score.

The Big Green, its timeouts exhausted, then tried one final march to a game-tying score from its 11 with 3:02 to play. But  a second-and-12 Proctor pass was intercepted by Guyton at the Dartmouth 26.

Grooms, who added 48 yards rushing, was coming off one of the best games of his career against Morgan State. His 450 yards of total offense (363 passing, 87 rushing) tied for the fifth most in a single game in school history. They also earned him the weekly Gold Helmet Award from the New England Football Writers Association and Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors. His passing yards (363), completions (29) and attempts (38) were all career highs. In addition, his four touchdown passes matched his career high.

And yet, Dartmouth put Yale’s offense through a ringer. The Bulldogs managed just 11 first downs, were outgained 368-275 and controlled the ball for only 24:33. However, the Bulldogs took a 17-14 lead into the second half.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth was having great success running. That became clear again when it moved down the field on its first possession of the second half, killing about the half the clock in the third quarter. The Big Green was sitting 3^rd-and goal from the 1 when a bad center snap ultimately forced them to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Owen Zalc to tie the game.

The Big Green took the lead on their second possession. A 41-yard gain by halfback Tevita Moimoi placed the ball on the Yale 5 and then Howard carried it in with 6:26 to play in the first quarter.

Yale’s offensive problems  - it accounted for only 26 yards in the first quarter – was compensated for by a big play on defense. Guyton jumped a route and intercepted Howard along the near sideline, returning it for a 70-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs then took their first lead on a 43-yard field goal by Jack Bosman with 11:43 remaining in the first half. But that didn’t last long. Dartmouth immediately put together a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive which Howard capped with his 2-yard touchdown run.

A pair of penalties on the Dartmouth highlighted the drive that carried Yale back to the lead. From the Big Green 34, Grooms hit Tipton for 30 yards to the 4. From there, Yale turned to sophomore Joshua Pitsenberger, the Ivy League’s reigning Rookie of the Year, who was playing for the first time since injuring himself on the first drive of Yale’s opener against Holy Cross. Pitsenberger put the exclamation point on an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 4-yard score.

Senior linebacker Joseph Vaughn had another great day. He led the Bulldogs with 15 tackles.

“He didn’t play very much in his freshmen other than special teams. And he played a decent amount as a sophomore. And then last year he became a huge part of our defense,” said Reno. “He really took off by the end of last year. He was playing fast and free and he brought it right into this season.”

 

Bulldogs Crush Morgan State for First Win

By John Altavilla
           To be absolutely honest, it took a little over nine quarters this season for the 150^th version of Yale football to really get into gear. But once things got rolling last Saturday at Yale Bowl, the characteristics of the program that won the Ivy League championship last year were on full display.

            Senior quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for a career-high 363 yards and four touchdowns, senior receivers Mason Tipton and Ryan Lindley each had nine receptions and one touchdown and Yale’s defense limited Morgan State to 12 first downs and 204 total yards to lead the Bulldogs to an overwhelming 45-3 win.

          "This team really came together this week," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "We were able to take advantage of things in the run and pass game. We put the ball in the air a good amount and made some good plays. The defense did a great job of winning on third down, getting off the field and creating turnovers. I am really proud of the effort the guys gave."

           Now that Yale’s first win is in the books, it can get back to the business of defending its Ivy championship on Saturday at Dartmouth.

           This was an emancipating day for both Yale’s offense and defense. With Grooms leading the way – he also led the team with 87 yards rushing – the offense churned out 521 yards. Nine receivers had at least one reception.

        "Today was fun man," said Grooms. "In the past two weeks we had glimpses, the first half of Holy Cross and the second quarter of Cornell, but we had to look ourselves in the mirror and we did that as an offense and came out today and played free. Everything just clicked at the right moment."

         The defense contributed a touchdown on a 36-yard interception return by senior linebacker Joseph Vaughn late in the third quarter. Morgan State collected 63 of its 204 yards in the fourth quarter after Yale had emptied its bench.

       “It felt good. It was a play [Morgan State] kind of ripped us with a couple of times. I knew I had to ready my keys a little bit cleaner,” said Vaughn about his second career touchdown. “They were looking to get the ball to No. 1 [Avery Jones] and I just needed to get into the right position to take away the window.”

          Yale, which scored all of its points in just the second and third quarters, carried a 17-3 lead into the half and immediately expanded it on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Grooms to Tipton on its first possession.

            The lead grew to 31-3 with 7:17 to play in the third when Tre Peterson carried a bevy of tacklers into the endzone from the 8.

            Reserve receiver Joey Felton was the next beneficiary of Grooms’ great performance. Felton made one reception for 38 yards to set up his 25-yard touchdown catch with 2:19 to play in the third quarter.

           Much like Yale, which lost its previous game to Cornell on a last-second field goal, the Bears were coming off a difficult loss. After rallying from a 10-point deficit at UAlbany, the Bears lost 23-17 in overtime. Their three previous defeats had come by a combined 19 points.

            Yale had an intense week following the Cornell loss. It didn’t expect to be 0-2 at this point of the season and there were many areas that needed to be tightened up.

          “You never quite know when things will mature,” said Reno. “You can’t put a time stamp on it. It’s like raising kids. ..The team really came together this week.”

            The Bulldogs drove into scoring position on their first drive, but Jack Bosman’s 26-yard field goal attempt was blocked. Yale had missed two field goals in its loss to Cornell.

            Morgan State then capitalized on a Yale turnover to take a 3-0 lead. Grooms was sacked and fumbled, the Bears recovering the loose ball of Yale’s 29. Kicker Beckett Leary’s 39-yard field goal with 14:10 remaining in the first half got the scoring started.

           This is where Yale’s offense got moving. On the next drive, Grooms completed passes on three straight plays for 35 yards to the Morgan State 10. On third and goal, Grooms carried it for seven yards to the 1, flying through the air in an effort to avoid tacklers.

          On 4^th and goal from the 1, the Bulldogs were called for a false start, bringing Bosman on the field again to kick a 24-yard field goal with 8:47 remaining.

           Yale took the lead on its next possession. Grooms completed a pair of passes to Lindley for 33 yards to put the ball on the Bears 36. Another completion to Tipton pushed it to the 31 and the Grooms hit a leaping Tipton in the left corner of the end zone with 5:12 to play in the half.

           An interception by Hamilton Moore then got Yale started on a late drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Grooms to Lindley with 17 seconds remaining in the half.

Cornell Rallies to Beat Yale in Ivy Opener
By John Altavilla
There was reason to believe a good practice week following Yale’s season-opening loss to Holy Cross would provide the equilibrium the Bulldogs needed. Head coach Tony Reno was confident in his group and very much looking forward to the Ivy League opener last Saturday against Cornell at Yale Bowl.

And those feelings were reinforced when Yale rolled to a 14-0 first quarter lead against an opponent they had defeated five straight times.
But then things began to unravel.

Led by its energetic junior quarterback Jameson Wang, the Big Red scored 20 unanswered points to take a six-point lead with 5:45 to play. And then after Yale responded with a touchdown to take a 21-20 lead with 3:14 remaining, Wang took his team back downfield to set up Jackson Kennedy’s third field goal – a game-winner from 37-yard as time expired.
Final score: Cornell 23, Yale 21.

"It was a hard-fought game on both sides. That's Ivy League football," said Reno.  "I say to the team all the time that the point of difference in our league is so small that you have to be ready to win on the last play. Right now, we are not playing up to our level of capability, so we have to continue to improve. We played better than we did last week, but we didn't close out the game. That's the next thing we need to do. I really do think this team has opportunity to take off. We are just not there yet. It's up to us to make the decision when that is going to be."

Yale plays Morgan State on Saturday before resuming Ivy League play the following week at Dartmouth. The defending Ivy champions have won the title in three of the last five seasons – 2017, 2019 and 2022. They have 17 total league titles but haven’t won back-to-back championships since capturing three straight from 1979 to 1981. And that main team goal just got a lot more complicated.

“I told the team that the true test of a man is what you do in the face of adversity,” said Reno.

Cornell accumulated 371 yards and possessed the ball for 38:41, keeping Yale’s high-powered offense off the field by taking their time and stubbornly pushing forward.

“Seemed like a part of the game plan was to air out the game, limit our possessions, said Reno. “They huddled every play. They were milking the clock.”

Yale’s problem against Holy Cross really wasn’t on offense. Its running game produced 226 rushing yards, tallying 20 first downs and controlling the ball for nearly half the game (29:58). Eight penalties really hurt the Bulldogs.

It was their defense which was continuously gashed. And Wang had many moments himself on Saturday, passing for 197 yards and rushing for another 34. He was by far the most effective offensive player in game. But the Bulldogs still carried a 14-3 lead into second half.

“Jameson led the team down the field and set us up," Kennedy told the New Haven Register. "The coaches put their trust in me, the players put their trust in me. It’s awesome. It’s a great feeling.”

Wang immediately took the Big Red downfield on a 12-play, 70-yard to start the second half which he completed by sneaking into the endzone from the 1 with 9:25 to play in the third. Cornell’s defense then forced Yale into a three-and-out and regained possession on the Yale 40 after a short punt.

Wang carried them took downfield again, at one point converting on a 4^th-and-6 with a scramble to the Yale 12. A few plays later, Wang hit Nicholas Laboy with a 3-yard touchdown pass to give Cornell a 17-14 lead. And then Cornell scored again on Kennedy’s 22-yard field goal with 5:45 to play.

Yale then regained the momentum behind quarterback Nolan Grooms, who threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns at rushed for another 76. On Yale’s next possession, Grooms ripped off gains of 21 and 15 to get the Bulldogs started. And then on 4^th-and-20 from Cornell’s 30, he found Mason Tipton in the endzone to give Yale back what turned into a short-lived lead.

“For us, we’re not playing well right now. We’re not playing up to our capabilities. We can get there, I don’t know when that will be, but we can get there,” said Reno.

On a cold and rainy day, the Bulldogs came out trying to move the ball on the ground. That desire was demonstrated by an 18-yard scramble from Grooms on the game’s first play.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring with 6:34 to play in the first quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Tre Peterson. The drive began on the Cornell 40 and was aided by a pair of penalties, including a pass interference on the Big Red that placed the ball on the 2.

Yale extended the lead to 14-0 with 2:57 to play in the quarter. Joshua Tarver recovered a fumble on the Yale 25 and Grooms quickly connected with Tipton for 27 yards to the Cornell 48. On the next play, the Bulldogs ran a flea flicker which resulted in a 48-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Chase Nenad.
The Big Red finally got on the board for the first time when Kennedy kicked a 34-yard field goal with 1:32 to play in the half.

Holy Cross Handles Yale in Season Opener

By John Altavilla

If you ask Tony Reno, he’ll tell you it’s between the first and second weeks of the season that a team usually makes its biggest improvement.

“You’ve had an opportunity to go out playing together as a team and sharing the experience,” said Reno, Yale’s head coach. “Then you come back and re-charge and identify the things you need to work on. Where’s our gaps? Then address them.”

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the gaps appeared cavernous last Saturday when Holy Cross battered them 49-24 in their season opener at Yale Bowl.

“We played to the score of the outcome,” said Reno. “We didn’t play to the level we need to. We have to make a decision to respond. From penalties to missed assignments, offensively and defensively, we shot ourselves in the foot. . . We have a lot of pride as a team. We need to get better – fast.,”

Yale, which allowed 491 yards, gets its chance to show how far it has come when it opens the Ivy League season on Saturday against Cornell.

“Our offense, what a show we put on,” Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney told the Worcester Telegram. “We were very confident that we were going to be able to move the ball and continue to move the ball throughout the day.”

This was no run-of-the-mill opponent. Holy Cross has won four straight Patriot League championships and in 2022 advanced to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time since 1983.

The Crusaders, ranked No. 5 in the AFCA national poll, also had the luxury of playing two games prior to Saturday, a comprehensive drubbing of Merrimack and a 31-28 loss at Boston College on Sept. 9, their first loss to a FBS opponent since 2019.

“We pride ourselves about being willing to play great teams,” said Reno. “We’re fortunate to have had a such a good test at the start of the season. But like anything else, it’s a test. It’s not a final. Each week we’ll need to grow.”

Leading the Crusaders was quarterback Matthew Sluka, 2023 Patriot League preseason offensive player of the year.  He was fabulous, leading the Crusaders in rushing (98) while completing 23 of 30 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Sluka also scored two touchdowns on the ground.

The Crusaders led 21-17 at the half and it had everything to do with Sluka’s skill set. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown and gained another 92 yards on nine carries scoring another two touchdowns.

Sluka was just as spectacular in the second half, hitting his favorite target, Jalen Coker (nine catches, 124 yards, three touchdowns) for a 4-yard score with 8:53 to play in the third quarter. He started the fourth quarter by engineering a drive, fueled by a 22-yard completion to Coker, that ended with a 11-yard scoring pass to halfback Jordan Fuller.

Before leaving the game, he connected on an 8-yard score with Jacob Peterson to make it 42-17 with 7:35 to play and with Coker again from the 5 with 5:50 play.

The Bulldogs started the season in grand fashion. Following the opening kickoff, they immediately took the ball downfield to score a touchdown in just 5:07.

The running game that led the Ivy League last season ground out 233 yards, 64 on that first series led by sophomore Joshua Pitsenberger, who gained 33 yards on seven carries. Senior quarterback Nolan Grooms, who finished second in the Ivy in rushing in 2022, added another 31 yards. Ultimately, it was Pitsenberger who scored from the 1. Grooms ended the day with 112 yards passing and one touchdown and 12 carries for 68 yards on the ground.

The problem was that Sluka immediately took the Crusaders in to tie the game with just six plays that covered 87 yards. He completed three passes for 62 yards and finished the drive with a 19-yard scramble.

After having a touchdown called back for an illegal man downfield penalty, Yale temporarily regained the lead with 13:33 remaining in the first half on a 29-yard field goal by Jack Bosman. It wasn’t long before Sluka connected with  Coker for a 3-yard score with 8:19 remaining in the half ending an 11-play, 75-yard drive during which penalties hurt the Bulldogs.

And then after forcing Yale to punt, Sluka single-handedly carried the Crusaders to another touchdown with 1:44 remaining in half, first ripping off an 19-yard gain before finally scoring from the 18.

The Bulldogs would trim the lead to 21-17 before the half. Grooms completed three passes for 59 yards to Mason Tipton (five catches, 76 yards) in a drive then ended with Tipton catching a 5-yard scoring pass with 45.3 seconds remaining.

Senior Tre Peterson led the Bulldogs with 95 yards rushing.

Yale Beats Harvard to Clinch Ivy Title

By John Altavilla
When you get down to it, Yale was in the perfect position last Saturday at Harvard.
 
The impact of The Game was already assured. No one needed reminding that there is no more storied rivalry in the history of college football and how important it is to win. But Yale had even more incentive.
 
 If it could win, if it could maximize its performance once more, if it could rely on the camaraderie its players had developed, another Ivy League championship would be the prize. That’s right. The Bulldogs controlled their own destiny.
 
And so it came to be. After dominating the game statistically – but not really being rewarded with points - the Bulldogs pulled ahead of the Crimson with a touchdown with 6:29 to play and then secured the win with a stalwart defensive effort to beat Harvard 19-14.
 
The win, combined with Penn’s come-from-behind victory at Princeton, guaranteed Yale sole possession of its 17^th Ivy League championship – and third in the last five seasons.
 
"When we met last November, we said our goal was to be an elite football team, and we accomplished it," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "The credit goes to the players, the assistant coaches who have done an amazing job, our support staff, our trainers, our sports performance coaches, our AD, our President. Everyone takes a piece of this."
 
Yale, which lost only to Holy Cross and Penn and fielded the Ivy’s most prolific offense, took the lead for good when quarterback Nolan Grooms hit tight end Jackson Hawes for a 5-yard touchdown. Reno decided to try for the two-point conversion, which would have given a seven-point lead. But it failed.
 
Eventually, Harvard would get possession again at the Yale 50 with 3:21 to play. But on 4^th-and-7 from the 47, Harvard quarterback Charlie Dean was stopped one yard short of the first down by a great tackle by Wande Owens.
 
With 1:57 to play, all Yale needed to do was string together one or two first downs to seal the win. And it looked as if it had done so when Tre Peterson gained 15 yards to the Harvard 40. But Yale was called for holding, pushing the ball back to their 35. It was forced to punt, handing the ball back to Harvard at its 25 with 42 seconds remaining. But Harvard had no time outs remaining.
 
After a 17-yard completion moved the ball to the Harvard 42, Dean dropped back again. This time he was swallowed up by Yale’s Clay Patterson and in his desperate effort to avoid a sack he recklessly threw a weak backhanded pass that was intercepted by Hamilton Moore, his second pick of the day.
 
And that was that. Yale was champion.
 
"This was a heavyweight battle," said Reno. "It came down to the last few punches and we were very fortunate that we were able to throw the last one and be able to finish it off. I'm proud of my team."
 
The final score was no indication of how much Yale really controlled the game. Its defense allowed only 12 first downs, 59 yards rushing and intercepted Dean four times. And its offense controlled the ball for 40:27, churning out another 219 yards rushing, getting 84 yards from Joshua Pitsenberger, 74 from Peterson and 67 from Grooms, who was also 15 of 28 passing for 144 yards and the one touchdown.
 
"I'm incredibly proud of the team and I'm proud of my senior class," said Nick Gargiulo, the team captain. "We set out to accomplish this goal, and we've worked at it for the last 12 months."
 
The Bulldogs carried a 10-3 lead into the second half, both of their scores coming on the final plays of the first and second quarters. But it converted only two of seven third-down opportunities.
 
Aside from one play - Harvard’s 64-yard scoring pass in the second quarter – Yale’s defense held its own, twice intercepting Dean and allowing only 34 yards rushing.
 
The Bulldogs increased the lead to 13-3 with a 41-yard field goal by Jack Bosman with 11:21 remaining in the third quarter. And then after Sean Guyton intercepted Dean at the Harvard 42, the Bulldogs moved into position for another field goal. But this time Bosman missed wide right from the 31. The normally reliable kicker then missed again from the 49 ending Yale’s next possession.
 
By this time it would have been difficult to ignore that Yale was not capitalizing on possessions created by the stellar play from its defense. And that the momentum of the day was shifting to its opponent.
 
That was confirmed on Harvard’s first possession of the fourth quarter when Dean hit tight end Tyer Neville all alone in the right corner of the endzone for a 24-yard touchdown with 13:36 to play.
 
Then Yale found life. It’s response was the construction of a 13-play, 75-yard drive over 7:07. This was all Grooms. He scrambled out of trouble on a 3^rd-and-5 from Harvard’s 29 to hit Mason Tipton (five catches, 60 yards) for 12 yards to the 17. Then he kept another play alive with his legs, this time finding Hawes for 11 yards to the 5. Two plays later he found Hawes alone in the endzone for a 5-yard score.
 
Both offenses had trouble getting untracked at the start of the game. Grooms fumbled on Yale’s first play from scrimmage, the Crimson recovering on the Bulldogs 30. But Yale held and Dean eventually pooch punted on fourth down to the Yale 6.
 
Harvard got some great field position after Bosman’s punt from the endzone. Dean (15 of 33, 229 yards, two touchdowns) immediately hit Ledger Hatch for 27 yards and moved the Crimson to the Yale 6 before being intercepted in the endzone by Moore.
 
Yale finally got moving on the final drive of the first quarter, its fourth possession. The spark was a 21-yard scramble on a 3^rd-and-6 from the Harvard 35 by Grooms. From there, Yale turned to Peterson. It took him three carries to gobble up the final 14 yards. His 1-yard touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
 
It didn’t last long. With 10:26 to play in the half, Dean hit Scott Woods on a wide receiver screen. Woods eluded the first tackle and then raced untouched to the endzone for a 64-yard score to tie the game.
 
Yale regained the lead on the final play of the first half. The scoring drive began with an interception by DaQuan Gonzales, who returned it 15 yards to the Yale 38.
 
On a 3^rd-and-7 from the Harvard 48, Grooms his Tipton for 27 yards to the 21. The Bulldogs moved the ball to the Harvard 3 where they sat 4^th-and-2. But Reno opted for the field goal and Bosman delivered from the 20.
 

Yale's Victory over Princeton Comes Down to Last Play

By John Altavilla

Intent on reiterating that his team needs to play hard and efficiently for 60 minutes, Yale coach Tony Reno reminds it to prepare for an Ivy League game to be decided on the last play of the game.
 
 "We work in practice on it, our guys believe it, and they were ready to make it happen,” said Reno.
 
Leading Princeton by four points with five seconds remaining last Saturday at Yale Bowl, the Tigers had the ball on the Yale 15 after moving 65 yards on 11 plays. Tigers quarterback Blake Stenstrom had already thrown for 367 yards and three touchdowns.
 
All of a sudden, Yale’s hopes of preserving its chance of at least sharing the Ivy League championship came down to one final play.
 
“We talked about it all the time that if you want to win really high-level Ivy League football games, you got to be ready to win it on the last play,” said Reno.
 
And then Stenstrom, who leads the Ivy in passing yards, threw his 52^nd pass of the day incomplete.
 
Only then was Yale’s 24-20 win over previously unbeaten and 16^th-ranked Princeton assured.
 
“I can't express how proud I am of this football team,” said Reno.
 
The Bulldogs, who lead the Ivy League in total offense and rushing, gained another 297 yards on the ground, led by junior quarterback Nolan Grooms (152 yards, one touchdown) and freshman Joshua Pitsenberger (110 yards, one touchdown).
 
Junior safety Brandon Benn had two interceptions for the Bulldogs, who were led in tackling by senior Joseph Vaughn, who had nine.
 
Yale (7-2, 5-1) heads to Harvard on Saturday with its fate squarely in its own hands. Should the Bulldogs prevail they will guarantee themselves a piece of the title. But should Penn also best Princeton, the Bulldogs will be alone on top.
 
Yale led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but Princeton rallied. Stenstrom completed four straight passes culminating in a 22-yard touchdown to Carson Bobo with 10:42 to play. Critically, the conversion was blocked by Yale’s Adam Raine meaning a field goal would not tie the game.
 
The Tigers got the ball back with 6:27 remaining and looked like they might score again. But sacks from Alvin Gulley and Clay Patterson pushed them back and on a 4^th-and-20 from Yale’s 37, Stenstrom was intercepted in the endzone by Benn who returned the ball 37 yards to the Yale 47.
 
“The perfect (defensive) scheme,” said Benn, the junior safety.
 
Once again, Princeton’s defense held Yale, but it used all their timeouts in the process. Yale’s Jack Bosman’s punt resulted in a touchback and Princeton took possession at the Yale 20.
 
But after completing six passes to move the Tigers to the 15, Stenstrom could not complete a seventh.
 
“I told the guys that I love this football team,” said Reno. “There are some years when a team just has a different DNA.”
 
Yale carried a 14-7 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead on Pitsenberger’s 1-yard run with 11:42 to play in the first half before Stenstrom helped surge the Tigers with a pair of touchdown passes.
 
Grooms, who had thrown for seven touchdowns during the two weeks preceding the Princeton game, completed only seven passes for 50 yards in the first half as the Bulldogs struggled to find any offensive consistency.
 
That changed at the start of the second half. Yale tied the game on its first possession. Grooms turned a run-pass option into a 49-yard gain to the Princeton 9. After a procedure penalty, he then hit Chase Nenad for a 14-yard score with 10:48 to play in the third.
 
After Yale stopped the Tigers on downs, it moved into position for Bosman’s 44-yard field goal which gave the Bulldogs a 17-14 lead with 7:24 remaining in the third.
 
The Bulldogs then extended the lead again. Pitsenberger broke free for 29 yards to the Princeton 14. And then a few plays later, Grooms ran it in from the 19. The Bulldogs were up 24-14 with 1:27 to play in the third quarter.
 

Yale Routs Brown with Record-Breaking Performance

By John Altavilla

It’s the goal of every Yale football team to play a perfect game, one in which it executes with such force and efficiency that it seems impossible to surpass.
 
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Yale Bowl, Team 149 may have done just that by turning in a performance not rivaled in modern program history.
 
Unleashing a furious attack on both sides of the ball, Yale pummeled Brown 69-17 to keep its hope of at least sharing the Ivy League championship alive heading into Saturday’s pivotal game against Princeton at the Bowl.
 
The 69 points were the most scored by a Yale team since a 89-0 win over Vermont in 1929. The Bulldogs scored 66 in a win over Alfred in 1930 and 63 against Brown just last season.
 
It was also the most points Brown has allowed in the history of its program.
 
“It was an incredible effort for all four quarters," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "I thought we played a complete game. We were fortunate enough to make some plays in the first half that put us in a great position going into halftime."
 
Led by quarterback Nolan Grooms and an opportunistic defense which swarmed to the ball and scored two touchdowns, the Bulldogs opened a 52-3 halftime lead against an opponent which had knocked Penn from the ranks of the unbeaten just seven days earlier.
 
Grooms threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Halfbacks Tre Peterson and Josh Pitsenberger scored on long runs. And Yale’s defense accounted for touchdowns on a fumble and interception return within just four minutes at the end of the first half.
 
Despite controlling the ball for just over 12 minutes in the first half, Yale accumulated 16 first downs and 335 yards offense, punting on only two occasions. The Bulldogs finished with 558 yards.
 
Even when Reno took his foot off the gas by replacing Grooms with backup Austin Tutas to start the second half, Yale continued to prevail as the quarterback first gained 39 yards on a run that preceded his 6-yard score. And then Peterson scored again, this time from 53.
 
"In the second half, we played a lot of our backups, and they got some really great experience and that will help us as we move forward this season," said Reno.
 
The Bulldogs ended up playing four quarterbacks and six running backs, all of whom received at least two carries. And the defensive replacements also dipped deeply into the roster.
 
Yale came into the game with the Ivy League’s top offense and in full control of its destiny in terms of the league title. The Bulldogs are guaranteed a share of the championship if they beat Princeton and Harvard.
 
Facing the Ivy’s top run defense last week at Columbia, the Bulldogs turned to the air with Grooms passing for a career-high 346 yards and four touchdowns. It resulted in 41-16 win that helped make up for the disappointing loss at Penn the week before.
 
Reno admitted earlier in the week that he was concerned with Brown. And his point of view was understandable. The Bears handed Penn a 34-31 loss that was secured with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Gilman to Allen Smith with 1:19 to play.
 
Gilman, who came on in relief, finished with 245 yards passing and was named the Ivy’s offensive player of the week.
 
But Yale never let the Bears breathe.
 
Yale wasted little time getting moving. They took the lead on its first drive, Grooms moving it downfield 67 yards on just five plays, completing three passes for 51 yards. He ultimately hit David Pantelis in the middle of the endzone with a 15-yard scoring strike with 10:40 to play in the first quarter.
 
The Bulldogs struck with even more speed on their third possession. Grooms began it with a 39-yard completion to Jay Brunelle to the Brown 28. On the next play, Pitsenberger, Yale’s sensational freshman, broke a few tackles on the way to a touchdown that made it 14-0 with 5:36 left in the first.
 
The Bulldogs defense then chipped in, stopping Brown on a 4^th-an-1 at their own 34 to set up a 42-yard field goal by Jack Bosman that increased the lead to 17-0. Yale accounted for 164 yards of offense in the first quarter.
 
The lead grew again in the first few minutes of the second quarter. Grooms and tight end Jackson Hawes hooked up for a 34-yard completion to set up a nifty 21-yard scoring run by Peterson.
 
At this point, Brown’s offense finally got moving behind Gilman. The Bears drove the ball 69 yards on 14 plays to set up a 23-yard field goal from Austin Alley with 7:42 to play in the first half.
 
Still, Yale was relentless. It’s response to Brown’s first score was to drive another 75 yards in just 2:43, scoring on Grooms’ 25-yard strike to Brunelle, who was getting extra reps in place of injured receiver Mason Tipton.
 
The lead grew again a few minutes later when a Gilman fumble was returned 19 yards for a score by Yale linebacker Hamilton Moore.
 
Before the end of the half, Yale defense helped the Bulldogs score two more touchdowns. First, Sean Guyton’s interception set up a 13-yard scoring strike from Grooms to Hawes. Then eight seconds later, Joseph Vaughn returned an interception 35 yards for a score.
 
"We talk about consistency and intensity. You have to have both to be an elite football team,” said Reno. “Starting with the second half of the game last week, we really showed that was the decision we wanted to make, and it carried forward."
 

Yale's Passing Game Helps it Soar Past Columbia

By John Altavilla

Known for its prowess running the ball, Yale showed off the other side of its offensive arsenal last Friday night.
 
Quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for four touchdowns and a career-high 346 yards to lead the Bulldogs to a 41-16 win over Columbia at Lawrence Wein Stadium in New York.
 
The Bulldogs (5-2, 3-1 in the Ivy League) return to Yale Bowl on Saturday to play Brown. Yale will at least a share a piece of the league title if it wins its final three games.
 
The game shaped up as a battle between Yale, the Ivy League’s top rushing team (229.5), and Columbia, the nation’s top run defender, which had allowed an average of only 54.5 yards a game on the ground.
 
Yale knew it would not be easy. The Bulldogs had their problems running the ball during portions of last week’s loss at Penn. They hoped things would move smoother against a Lions team that was winless in league play.
 
They were not. Yale, which ended the night with only 95 yards rushing, again had trouble getting their ground game going in the first half, gaining only 17 yards on eight attempts. Salvation for the Bulldogs came through the air as Grooms threw for 217 yards and three scores to help them open a 24-16 lead.
 
The Lions dominated time of possession in the first half, controlling the ball for 19:58, running 46 plays and collecting 13 first downs. But they weren’t as efficient as Yale.
 
“Give Columbia credit, they have a great defense and it made for some tough sledding in the first half,” said Yale coach Tony Reno. “Our guys did a great job of staying the course and making some plays in the second half."
Both teams made necessary defensive adjustments at the half and the pace of the game slowed. For instance, Columbia’s first four drives of the second half failed to produce a single first down.
 
Yale finally put together a drive at the end of third and start of the fourth quarter to extend its lead.
 
Grooms completed passes for 33 yards to Jay Brunelle and 14 to Josh Pitsenberger to put the ball on the Columbia 14. Three plays later, Grooms hit Ryan Lindley (six receptions, 100 yards) for their second touchdown, this one from the 10 with 13:34 to play.
 
A 33-yard completion from Grooms to David Pantelis on Yale’s next possession set up a 1-yard scoring run by Pitsenberger with 7:09 to play.
 
Columbia opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal by Alex Felkins with 6:17 left in the first quarter. The Lions advanced to the Yale 2 before the Bulldogs pushed them back, forcing them to settle for three.
 
The Bulldogs quickly struck back. On a 2^nd-and-8 from the Columbia 17, Grooms perfectly led Lindley along the left sideline. Lindley made the catch and then outraced the Columbia secondary for the final 52 yards. The 83-yard score was Yale’s longest through the air since 2017.
 
Columbia’s early offensive dominance paid off with their first touchdown with 12:13 to play in the half. It drove 48 yards on only five plays. Quarterback Caden Bell (22 of 41, 224 yards) hit Dominic Busby for 14 yards to the Yale 13. Then Joey Giorgi burst through Yale’s line to score on the next play. The Lions attempt for two points failed.
 
On the next drive, Grooms hit Chase Nenad (three catches, 117 yards) for 40 yards to set up a 41-yard field goal from Jack Bosman with 9:27 to play in the half. It was Nenad’s first action of the season after missing time with a hamstring injury.
 
The Lions went through the air to regain the lead. Bell hit J.J. Jenkins streaking behind Wande Owens for a 64-yard score with 8:03 to play in the half to make it 16-10. Bell, making only his second start of the season, was 15 of 26 for 180 yards in the first half.
 
Grooms and Nenad were at it again on Yale’s next possession. A 58-yard completion between the pair put the ball on Columbia’s 13. And then after a Yale penalty, Grooms found him again alone in the endzone for a 19-yard score that put Yale ahead again.
 
Yale’s special teams then took over. It blocked consecutive punts deep in Columbia territory.
 
The first block by Shane Frommer set up a failed 29-yard field goal attempt by Bosman. The second block, by Ryan Belk, was immediately followed by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Grooms to Jackson Hawes to give the Bulldogs their 24-16 halftime lead.
 
"It really started at the end of the first half with the blocked punts," said Reno. "We were able to swing the momentum of the game.”
 
Defensively, Yale limited Columbia to just 70 yards rushing. The Bulldogs had nine tackles for loss and two sacks – one each by Sean Guyton and Reid Nickerson. Joseph Vaughn finished with a team-high six tackles.

Penn's Passing Game Helps it Beat Yale

By John Altavilla

For as long as Tony Reno has been Yale’s football coach, he has subscribed to the theory that how his team performs has more impact on the final score than anything his opponent can serve up. It’s his way of placing responsibility on things he feels he can control.

Last Saturday at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, in a game the Bulldogs needed to keep pace for the Ivy League championship, things didn’t quite work out the way Reno hoped.

The Quakers (6-0, 3-0 in the Ivy) pierced Yale’s secondary for 351 passing yards to defeat the Bulldogs 20-13. In the process, Penn not only broke a four-game losing streak against Yale, but stopped the Bulldogs four-game winning streak.

The bottom line is now this: Yale (4-2, 2-1 in the Ivy League) will likely need to win its final four conference games to win or share in the title. That road begins Friday night at Columbia.

"There's a lot of season left," said Reno. "We have to go out and focus on next week's game and continue to move forward."

The game was tied at 13 with 9:25 to play after Yale’s Jack Bosman drilled a 45-yard field. It was a drive enhanced by a 41-yard connection from Nolan Grooms (11 of 19, 125 yards, one interception, three sacks) to Mason Tipton to the Penn 31.

Yale then had an opportunity to take the lead when it drove to the Quakers 40. But on 4^th-and-3, Reno decided to go for the first down and Grooms was dropped for a loss giving Penn great field position with less than six minutes to play.

Penn took advantage. Quarterback Aidan Sayin (28 of 43, 298 yards, one touchdown) completed a 19-yard pass to Jonathan Mulato to the Yale 13. Mulato then converted a 3^rd-and-3 to the Bulldogs 2 with 54 seconds to play causing Yale to use its final timeout. Mulato then scored from the 1 with 20 seconds to play to seal the win.

Yale’s running game, which came into the weekend leading the Ivy League, accounted for 167 of its 292 total yards, but it had trouble getting untracked in the first half against a swarming Penn defense. When Yale did attempt to run, it invariably was Grooms with the ball and he had trouble breaking free, netting only eight yards on six carries.

"We just never really got on track offensively," said Reno. "Penn's got a great defense. They made it hard on us. We tried a few things to get it going, but unfortunately it didn't quite happen."

Things eventually shifted. With the game tied 3-3 late in the second half, freshman Joshua Pitsenberger (eight carries, 89 yards) broke free into the Penn secondary on a 3^rd-and-2 and scored from 47 yards with 1:23 remaining.

It looked like Yale would take the 10-3 lead into halftime, but Yale decided to try for more and Grooms had a tipped pass intercepted by Jake Heimhicher who returned it to the Yale 40. From there, Penn put the ball into the air.
Sayin connected with Malone Howley for 38 yards to the Yale 3. And then Sayin topped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Rory Starkey with eight seconds to play in the half.

It was a tough way to end the half for Yale’s defense which had held Penn to only 23 yards rushing on eight attempts.

The game was delayed by over and hour at halftime by an on-field protest by students. It was reminiscent of the student protest which delayed the beginning of the second half of the 2019 Yale-Harvard game at Yale Bowl.

Penn began the second half by immediately driving down field, using a flea-flicker resulting in a 26-yard completion to Sayin, to get into position for a 20-yard field goal by Graham Gotlieb to give the Quakers a 13-10 lead.

Yale looked to have tilted the field in its direction when a Bosman punt pinned the Quakers at their 2. But Penn burst out of trouble using completions of 44 and 27 – off a double pass – to move the ball to the Yale 9 as the third quarter concluded. But the Bulldogs held and then Ejiroghene Egodogbare blocked a 20-yard field goal attempt by Gotlieb to regain possession.

 The Bulldogs had the first opportunity to score after a bad snap from the punt formation by the Quakers gave Yale the ball on the Penn 22. But they could not convert, ultimately failing on a 4^th-and-4 from the Penn 16 when Grooms overthrew David Pantelis (five catches, 96 yards) n the end zone.

That defensive stop breathed life into the Quakers offense. It drove 63 yards on 13 plays before Yale stiffened and then settled for a 37-yard field goal by Gotlieb with 2:57 to play in the first quarter.

Yale replied with a 37-yard field goal of its own from Bosman with 13:14 to play in the first half, culminating a 52-yard drive highlighted by a 38-yard completion from Grooms to Pantelis that put the ball on the Bulldogs 22.

Bulldogs Take Down Bucknell in Final Non-Conference Game

By John Altavilla

With its focus squarely on another Ivy League championship, Yale had only one more step to take before beginning its sprint to Harvard.

It’s task last Saturday was to vanquish winless Bucknell at Yale Bowl in as painless a fashion as possible.

For some reason, things did not come easily for the Bulldogs. It’s high-powered offense appeared listless at times, struggling to build momentum against an opponent which came into the game as a 29-point underdog.
There were turnovers and fumbles and many other moments when quarterback Nolan Grooms had to scramble to elude swarming defenders.

And three of its top-line players along the defensive and offensive lines were lost to injury.

While it might not have looked very pretty, the effort was still enough to produce a 29-9 win at Yale Bowl. But it wasn’t until Grooms scored from the 19 and again from the 21 in the final eight minutes that the outcome really wasn’t in doubt.

“We weren’t executing at the level we can,” said Yale coach Tony Reno. “Bucknell made some plays and we weren’t at the level we need to be at. The challenge for us is to put a full 60 minutes together.”

Grooms ran for three scores and passed for a fourth. He led the Bulldogs in rushing with 95 yards and threw for an additional 209. But he was also intercepted four times, sacked three times and he lost a fumble.

“It was interesting day,” said Grooms. “I know I have to be better than that. I have to be smarter with the football.”

Yale’s ground attack came into the game ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League and fifth nationally by averaging 247 yards per game. But the Bulldogs fell short of those numbers against the Bison, who have lost 13 straight games.

Yale gained 283 rushing yards in its win over Dartmouth at Yale Bowl on Oct. 8. Tre Peterson led the way with 173 yards rushing. Grooms added another 90.

Yale gained 209 yards on the ground against the Bison, most in the second half.

Peterson came into the Bucknell game averaging 7.4 yards per carry, which was seventh in the FCS. He had posted consecutive 100-yard games and last week was selected as the Ivy’s Offensive Player of the Week and recipient of the New England Football Writers Association Gold Helmet Award.

He gained 84 yards on 14 carries, production enhanced by a 28-yard gain in the second quarter.

Yale was not at its best in the first half, heading to the locker room with just a 7-3 lead. It started the game slow, its offense sputtering on its first three drives and its defense, which held Dartmouth to 20 yards rushing, pierced for a pair of long gains and 123 yards on the ground in the first quarter.

“They did a nice job of bottling us up in the first half,” said Reno. “We made some adjustments at halftime.”

Their offensive resolve was noticeably better in the second half, beginning with its opening drive which covered 70 yards on nine crisp plays, culminating with a 9-yard TD scramble by Grooms just four minutes into the third quarter. But the Bison bounced right back with a 15-yard touchdown run by Rushawn Baker (113 yards rushing) with 7:38 remaining in the third. Their attempt at a two-point conversion failed.

Yale extended to lead to 16-9 with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a safety brought about by an intentional grounding call in the end zone. Ironically, it was an interception of Grooms that buried the Bison on their own 2.

The Bison, who used two quarterbacks, opened the scoring on their second possession. Baker burst through the line on a 3^rd-and-1 for 75 yards to the Yale 10. But a bad snap subsequently cost it 12 yards and they were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Matt Schearer with 7:31 to play in the first quarter. It was the first time this season Bucknell had held a lead in any game.

The Bison threatened to increase the lead in the second quarter. Grooms fumbled on a sack on a 3^rd-and-2 from the Yale 21 and it was recovered by the defense. But the Bulldogs defense  held on when a 4^th- and-goal pass attempt from the 3 fell incomplete in the left corner of the end zone.

That’s when Yale finally got things going. It’s first scoring drive kicked off with a 28-yard gain by Peterson and was sustained further downfield when Grooms ran for a first down on a 4^th-and-7 to the Bucknell 36.

Grooms then turned to the pass, hitting David Pantelis (eight catches, 106 yards) for 16 yards to the Bison 13 before connecting with the receiver again for a 13-yard score with 3:14 to play in the first half.

The Bulldogs suffered three injury setbacks in the game.

Standout senior defensive lineman Oso Ifesinachukwu was injured on the first series of the game. A legitimate NFL prospect, he had to be helped off the field and was on crutches along the sideline before the end of the first quarter.Senior defensive lineman Reid Nickerson had to be carted off the field in the final seconds of the half after suffering a lower body injury. Nickerson was back on the sidelines in the second half but did not play. And captain Nick Gargiulo was injured in the third quarter and did not return.
 

Yale 2-0 in Ivy Play After Win Over Dartmouth

by Rich Marazzi

On a picturesque October day with the sun splashing over the West Rock foliage beyond the north end zone, Yale defeated Dartmouth 24-21 to avenge last year’s 24-17 overtime loss in Hanover. It was Yale’s third straight victory and Dartmouth’s third consecutive defeat. The last time the Big Green lost three in a row was in 2011.

Dartmouth has been Yale coach Tony Reno’s Kryptonite, having lost to the Big Green eight times in the previous nine outings. But on this football Saturday, Reno walked off the field with a victory and a smile.

Nolan Grooms, Yale’s elusive QB, was a menace for Dartmouth’s defense all afternoon. The 6-2, 188-pound junior accounted for 260 yards of total offense. He was 19 of 22 passing for 170 yards and netted 90 yards on 16 carries. Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, the winningest coach in Dartmouth history, had high praise for the junior QB.

“He is an exceptional athlete,” said Teevens, who is 10-12 against the Bulldogs and 4-7 in the Bowl.  “We knew we would have to contend with him. I was impressed with the way he threw the ball.”

Dartmouth, coming off back-to-back overtime losses to Sacred Heart University and Penn, opened the scoring late in the first quarter. Dylan Cadwallader, making his first career start pinch-hitting for the injured regular QB Nick Howard, connected with Jonny Barrett for a 12-yard TD toss. Yale then scored 24 unanswered points. In the second quarter Grooms scored on a 5-yard rush to tie the score. On the next drive, it looked like Dartmouth would retake the lead.  With 4:56 remaining, the Big Green had a first down on the Yale 15 when running back Q Jones fumbled on the 4-yard line.  The ball was recovered by Yale DB Brandon Benn at the one-yard line to keep the score tied.  

Jack Bosman’s 41-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the first half gave the Blue a 10-7 halftime lead.  

The Bulldogs came out barking after the intermission when Mason Tipton caught a 25-yard scoring strike from Grooms at the 9:43 mark. For the day, Tipton had six grabs for 73 yards. Tre
 
Peterson, who has become a force in the Bulldogs backfield, then scored on a 2-yard rush virtually three minutes later to give Yale a 24 -7 lead following Bosman’s extra point kick. Peterson carved the Big Green defense for 174 yards rushing with one touchdown. Last week he racked-up 144 yards on 12 carries against Howard.

“Pound-for-pound, Tre is the strongest player on the team,” revealed Reno.

The game, however, was far over keeping the crowd of 6,300 in suspense. Dartmouth scored twice in the last quarter on a 7-yard rush from Cadwallader early in the frame and a 23-yard toss from Cadwallader to Paxton Scott with 1:44 remaining pulling the Big Green within three, 24-21 following successful extra- point kicks by Ryan Bloch.

The Bulldogs recovered the expected on-side kick but went three and out while Teevens utilized his three-time outs. Following Bosman’s punt to the Dartmouth 12, Cadwallader, who passed for 248 yards (28-45-1) fired a sideline pass with 41 seconds left that was intercepted by Yale senior Hamilton Moore at the 13-yard line.

Game over. The Bulldogs bent but didn’t break.

Grooms took a knee and the Bulldogs beat the Big Green for the first time since 2016.  
Yale’s defense was stout holding Dartmouth to 20 rushing yards. The last time the Big Green suffered such humiliation was 10 years ago.

Dartmouth playing without Howard created problems for the Bulldogs.

“We had to adjust on the fly,” acknowledged Reno anticipating Yale would have to defend a running QB like Howard rather than Cadwallader’s passing.

The last time the Big Green started 1-3 was in 2011. Yale won the battle of the stats as well as the game. The Bulldogs, 2-0 in the Ivy and 3-1 overall, totaled 440 yards compared to 268 for the men from Hanover, 0-2 in the Ivy and 1-3 overall. Yale had 26 first downs to Dartmouth’s 15.

 "The team grows each week,” said Reno. “And you grow through success. All the opportunities we have serve as an opportunity to grow. I’m excited and proud how hard this Yale team plays for each other.”

Yale Hangs on to Beat Howard

By John Altavilla

Yale continues its quest for the Ivy League championship on Saturday when it plays Dartmouth at Yale Bowl. The Bulldogs understand how difficult the Big Green has been over the years and that Dartmouth lost their Ivy League opener at home to Penn last Friday is not going to make the situation any easier.

But first things first. After two road games, the Bulldogs returned home for the first time this season for its first-ever matchup against Howard. And behind another efficient performance by its offense, which gained 366 yards rushing, Yale hung on for a 34-26 win.

It was not easy. After Jack Bosman kicked his second field goal of the game to give Yale a 27-6 lead with 8:10 to play in the third quarter momentum began to shift.

Yale lost a pair of fumbles. One from quarterback Nolan Grooms got Howard started on a drive that resulted in Ian Wheeler’s 4-yard score that cut the Bulldogs lead to 27-20 with 5:02 to play.

Grooms(130 yards rushing) led them on a drive culminating on a 44-yard touchdown run with 2:17 to play by Tre Peterson (144 yards rushing), who replaced the banged up Josh Pitsenberger (87 yards rushing) in the second half. It turned out that Yale really needed that score.

“I’ve always said we’re built for close games,” said Yale coach Tony Reno. "We feel it's a stronger test for your team when you have to battle when it's close. In a blowout you cruise and you don't really learn as much about your team. Coming into this season we knew we had the nucleus of key players to be strong on both sides of the ball. These guys have worked hard for that and it showed on the field today."

As the clock ran out, Bison’s backup quarterback Jaylon Tolbert hit Antoine Murray in the back of the end zone from the 18.

“We were fortunate to have enough at the end,” said Reno.

Both teams were coming off impressive performances. Yale crushed Cornell 38-14 in Ithaca, while Howard blanked Morehouse 31-0 on Sept. 17 before a crowd of 35,042 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Bulldogs offense gained 453 yards against the Big Red, led by Pitsenberger who scored three touchdowns and gained 93 yards on 17 carries. He was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week.

The defense had also been strong. Defensive end Oso Ifesinachukwu had two sacks for the Bulldogs, who had dropped opposing quarterbacks 10 times in their first two games.

Yale wasn’t nearly as efficient on Saturday. It allowed Howard 27 first downs and 415 yards. It allowed Howard to control the ball for 33:58. If not for their ground attack, the Bulldogs might have left the Bowl with an unexpected loss.

Yale gained 133 yards rushing and used a series of big plays on offense and special teams to open a 17-6 halftime lead. But it squandered a chance to score on their first possession when David Pantelis broke free along the left sideline then dropped what would have been a 78-yard touchdown pass from Grooms.

The Bison intercepted Grooms and opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal by Aaron Bickerton with 3:05 to play in the first quarter.

Yale took the lead early in the second quarter when Pitsenberger scored from 25 on a 4^th-and-1. He broke a tackle and then rolled in with 13:05 to play in the first half.

The Bulldogs increased the lead to 10-3 with 8:32 to play in the half on the first of two field goals by Bosman. His first from 43 was set up by a 45-yard punt return by Ryan Lindley which gave Yale possession on the Howard 43. And then on the next possession, a 53-yard gain by Peterson set up Grooms’ 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jackson Hawes.

The Bison put together their best drive of the first half (16 plays, 60 yards) and advanced to the Yale 1 before being pushed back and forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Bickerton on the final play of the half.

Yale started the second half with a 41-yard touchdown scamper by Grooms just 1:39 seconds into the third quarter.

Pitsenberger leads Yale to Win in Ivy Opener

The knowledge that Yale was the only Ivy League team to lose its season opener last week did not trouble head coach Tony Reno. What it did was provide opportunity to identify areas that required refinement.

And then there was this: Former Yale coach Carm Cozza once told Reno the greatest improvement a team experiences during the season is between week one and week two.

So the Bulldogs entered its Ivy League opener at Cornell looking at the bright side after its loss at Holy Cross last week. Afterall, the Crusaders, who were playing their third game of the season, were an NCAA FCS Playoff team last year and were ranked No. 12 in the nation.

Turns out Cozza may have been correct. Freshman halfback Joshua Pitsenberger scored three touchdowns and junior quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for 187 yards and two scores to lead the Bulldogs to a comprehensive 38-14 win over the Big Red at Ithaca, N.Y.

"I'm really pleased with our effort," said Reno. "The execution went up and things started to click on both sides of the ball. I was really impressed with how we ran the ball."

Pitsenberger, elevated to starter after Spencer Allston’s season-ending upper body injury during the summer, gained 93 yards on 17 carries and added a 5-yard score on a reception to begin Yale’s scoring in the first quarter.

Pitsenberger was one of five running backs who received at least two carries. And eight different players caught passes, led by Mason Tipton (six for 133 yards, one touchdown). Yale had 22 first downs and gained 453 yards (181 rushing). Its defense held the Big Red to 12 first downs and 184 total yards.

The Big Red had opened with a sturdy 28-22 victory over a VMI team that had been nationally ranked in each of the past two seasons. Cornell led 28-2 in the fourth quarter and held on behind a defensive performance that limited the Keydets to -2 rushing yards on 25 carries. That was the fewest yards allowed in a game by a Big Red defense since surrendering -5 yards (on 28 carries) at Columbia on Nov. 15, 1986. Cornell also had six sacks and nine tackles for loss in the victory.

Yale wasn’t bothered by it at all. It sped to a 28-7 halftime lead with Pitsenberger and Grooms  leading the way by combining for 250 yards and accounting for all four of its touchdowns.

"Playing on the road in a great atmosphere we wanted to get off to a great start and put ourselves in a position where we weren't letting the crowd and homecoming atmosphere play to their advantage," said Reno.

After forcing a punt on the Big Red’s first possession, Yale immediately embarked on a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that included four first downs. It concluded with a 5-yard shovel pass from Grooms to Pitsenberger with 8:15 to play in the first quarter.

Cornell quickly responded. After being pinned at their 1 by the ensuing kickoff, the Big Red drove 99 yards on just five plays. A 43-yard scramble by sophomore quarterback Jameson Wang got them out of trouble. Then Wang hit Nicholas Laboy for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 5:35 to play in the first.

Yale’s offense proved insistent and would score the next 31 points. On its subsequent possession, a 14-yard gain by Pitsenberger kept the drive alive on a 4^th-and-1 from the Bulldogs’ 46. Two plays later, Grooms hit tight end Ry Yates for 30 yards to the 1. And then Pitsenberger scored from there. It was 14-7.

The Bulldogs extended the lead again on a 17-yard scoring pass from Grooms to Tipton with 6:41 to play in the first half. The duo had also combined for a 39-yard gain earlier in the drive.

A 4^th-and-5 completion for 26 yards from Grooms to David Pantelis (three catches, 38 yards) kept Yale’s next drive alive, placing the ball of the Cornell 5. Pitsenberger took over from there, gobbling up the remaining yardage on three straight carries, finally scoring from the 1 with 39 seconds to play in the half.

Midway through the third quarter, Reno began subbing for many of his starters. But the production did not suffer. Just a couple of plays into his first series, sophomore quarterback Austin Tutas combined with Pantelis for 50 yards to the Cornell 1. From there, halfback Tre Peterson scored to make it 38-7 with 6:36 to play in the third.

Bulldogs Drop Opener at Holy Cross

By John Altavilla

The distaste Yale expressed for their 5-5 season in 2021 resulted in a new dedication to get the program turned around and headed again in the right direction.

Coming off a strong preseason, the confident Bulldogs seemed primed for a quick start on Saturday when they opened the season against Holy Cross at Fitton Field.

The Crusaders had other ideas.

Relaying on an offense that did equal damage on the ground and in the air, Holy Cross pounded Yale 38-14.

"We were in it for a bit, but we really didn't play our game in the second half," said Yale coach Tony Reno. "We had opportunities to make plays offensively and defensively, and we didn't have a coordinated effort. We have a lot of growing to do between now and next week to get better and put our best foot forward in week two. I still love this team, and we'll be back.”

Holy Cross collected 27 first downs and racked up 571 yards of total offense, including 253 rushing. The Bulldogs gained 306 yards, led by quarterback Nolan Grooms who threw for 98 yards (11 of 21, 2 two interceptions) and rushed for 58.

Yale was picked fourth in the Ivy League's official preseason media poll. Harvard and Dartmouth were voted preseason favorites.
 
The Bulldogs travel to Cornell for the Ivy opener next week. The home opener is set for Oct. 1 against Howard.

The Crusaders were playing their third game of the season. They opened with a 31-17 victory over Merrimack Sept. 2 before earning a last-second victory at Buffalo last Saturday when quarterback Matthew Sluka heaved a 46-yard pass to the end zone that wide receiver Jalen Coker outjumped defenders to catch as time expired.

Holy Cross had rallied from an early 14-0 deficit. Sluka rushed for a career-best 146 yards, while also throwing for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Coker finished the night with a pair of touchdowns and a career-best 147 receiving yards. Sluka was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by Stats Perform. The Crusaders were the Patriot League preseason favorites after winning the conference title last year and advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

"I give them a lot of credit. They are a very good football team," Reno said. "They made plays, and they didn't make a lot of mistakes."

Yale prepared for dealing with their seasoned opponent by staging three preseason scrimmages, with officials, which were intended to replicate game action.

“It’s what we’re used to,” Reno said when asked about any potential competitive disadvantage.

The Crusaders built a 21-7 halftime lead by generating 13 first downs and 276 yards of offense, which included a pair of 36-yard touchdown passes.

It looked like Yale might have swayed things when they stopped the Crusaders on a 4^th-and-2 near midfield on the first drive of the second half. But Grooms was quickly intercepted and Holy Cross used a 41-yard rush to get into position and a 22-yard scoring run from Jordan Fuller to make it 28-7.

Another Grooms interception actually pinned Holy Cross at the Yale 1 later in the third quarter. But a slashing rushing attack moved the ball quickly up field and out of trouble. And that set up Sluka’s 32-yard scoring pass to Coker. Yale’s day was essentially done.

The Bulldogs had their first scoring chance on their second possession of the game after a pass interference call gave them great field position at the Holy Cross 25. But a few plays later, kicker Jack Bosman missed from the 37 with 4:54 to play in the first quarter.

That seemed to pump life into the Crusaders who quickly moved 80 yards in 11 plays before Sluka scored from the 2 to give them a 7-0 lead.

Yale came right back using a 34-yard gain by first year halfback Nathan Denney and a 26-yard completion from Grooms to David Pantelis to move the ball to the Holy Cross 1. From there, Denney scored his first career touchdown to bring Yale back even.
The Crusaders regained the lead on the next series by using a trick play to score. Sluka threw the ball into the flat to Coker who then found Tyler Purdy wide open for a 36-yard score. On their next possession, Sluka found Ayir Asante streaking into the end zone for another 36-yard score. And all of a sudden, Yale was down by two touchdowns with just over three minutes to play in the first half.

Harvard Beats Yale With Late Touchdown
11/20/21

By: John Altavilla

With two minutes left in Saturday's Yale-Harvard game, the Bulldogs had the Crimson exactly where they wanted them.

Yale was ahead by four, in control of the ball at the Harvard 36. All it really needed to wrap up The Game was one first down, especially after Harvard exhausted its timeouts with 1:52 to play.

But it would not happen. Yale quickly went out on downs, throwing an incomplete pass on a critical 4^th-and-8 from the Harvard 34 instead of punting or trying what would have been a 51-yard field goal.

So the ball went back to Harvard, which had only 59 seconds to do something truly special.

And it did.

Moving quickly with completions, including a huge 42-yard strike from quarterback Luke Emge to Kym Wimberly which placed the ball on the Yale 12 with 26 seconds to play, the Crimson delivered its gut punch.

On 3^rd-and-10, Emge found Wimberly in the corner endzone for the touchdown that gave Harvard a 34-31 win before 49,500 at the Yale Bowl.

"They made a play at the end of the game. They made a play on third down in the corner of the end zone with no timeouts left, and that was the difference in the game," Yale coach Tony Reno said. "We had an opportunity to put the game away, get a first down, and we didn't."

What made it all more difficult to accept was that Yale had dominated the game offensively, picking up 25 first downs, gaining 417 yards, possessing the ball for 34:05. And it still wasn't enough. Yale's season ends at 5-5 (4-3 in the Ivy).

"It's not easy to do, focus on process and not on outcome," Reno said. "Our team put on a clinic on that today, played a physical game, we responded numerous times in the game. We kept fighting and fighting and fighting on both sides of the ball. Sometimes you give all you have in life and you don't get the outcome you want, and that's one of the toughest things for me, or anyone, to handle."

Yale took a 31-27 lead with 7:48 to play on a 27-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Nolan Grooms  (17 of 37, 262 yards, three interceptions, three touchdowns) to freshman David Pantelis. The score was set up by a 26-yard gain by Spencer Alston (77 yards) on a 3^rd-and-18.

The Bulldogs ultimately punted to Harvard with 2:44 remaining giving it another chance to win it. Harvard started the possession at its 32. But Yale immediately stopped it on downs and regained possession with 2:01 to play.
 
"We couldn't have asked for a better storybook, make-things-right ending. I've been in many wild and wooly Harvard-Yale games, and this might have been the most wild and wooliest," said Harvard coach Tim Murphy.
 
Harvard carried a 20-17 lead into the second half. The first half featured almost 400 combined yards of offense, big plays and lead changes.
 
The Crimson extended it to 27-17 with 6:03 to play in the third when Emge (14 of 32, 219 yards, two touchdowns) connected with Hatch Ledger for an 11-yard touchdown.
 
Yale quickly countered. A 52-yard completion from Grooms to Mason Tipton placed the ball at the Harvard 12. Then Alston carried it in from there to make it 27-24.
 
The Bulldogs and Crimson came in tied for third in the Ivy League, one game behind Princeton and Dartmouth. Both still had a long shot to tie for the title. But the Tigers and Big Green both needed to suffer losses to Penn and Brown, respectively. And neither of those scenarios played out.
 
Yale's challenge was real, especially after its substandard performance at Princeton. Harvard's offense averaged over 32 points, just behind the Tigers. Junior running back Aaron Shampklin was averaging 5.7 yards a carry with 11 touchdowns.
 
And Harvard had managed it all despite needing to use three different quarterbacks. Charlie Dean started the season but suffered a season-ending injury. Senior Jake Smith then was benched making way for Emge, a junior.
 
After forcing Harvard to punt after their first possession, Yale took off on a 10-play, 94-yard touchdown drive powered, in part, by 35 yards rushing from Grooms.
 
Finally, Grooms found Darrion Carrington alone along the far sideline for a 17-yard scoring pass with 6:22 to play in the first quarter.
 
After an exchange of turnovers, the Crimson cut into the lead on a 47-yard field goal by Jonah Lipel with 1:56 remaining in the first.
 
Harvard quickly took the lead after Grooms was intercepted for the second time, this time by James Herring on the Yale 35. From there, Aidan Borquet's 28-yard run placed the ball on the 1 before he carried it home on the next play.
 
Yale tied the game on a 32-yard field goal by Jack Bosman with 9:45 to play in the first half and then Lipel put Harvard in front with one from 47 yards on the Crimson's next possession.
 
Harvard then stretched the lead when Herring blocked Bosman's punt and Kobe Joseph recovered it and carried it in for a touchdown from 35 yards out.
 
Grooms then made a spectacular play. On 4^th-and-4 from the Harvard 33 he scrambled out of trouble heading to Yale bench. He then looked down the field and found tight end JJ Howland open for a touchdown.
 
"It's funny, we talk about all these life lessons in coaching football and teaching," Murphy said. "One of the ones I use, once a week, once a month, is never give up. Never, never give up. This might have been the ultimate never-give-up. It was tough for either team to lose that game, just a great clutch play by Emge and Wimberly at the end of the game."
 

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Yale's Loss At Princeton Dims Title Hopes
11/13/21

By: John Altavilla

It was a day set aside for advancement in the Ivy League title chase, an afternoon during which Yale could have moved within one win of at least a share of its second straight championship.

But Princeton had other plans.
 
Never able to get untracked offensively on a cold, blustery afternoon, Yale squandered a three-point late in the first half and lost 35-20 to the Tigers to end its three-game winning streak.
 
"I just said to the guys, we didn't play well enough to win, bottom line," Yale coach Tony Reno said. "They know that. There are a lot of guys on this team that won two championships. They know what it takes to be in a game like this and win this game."
 
Despite the defeat, Yale (4-2, 5-4) still has the opportunity to share in the championship, but it will require a lot of luck. Not only must Yale defeat Harvard on Saturday, but Dartmouth (8-1, 5-1) will have to lose at Brown and Princeton (8-1, 5-1) will need to be defeated at Penn. Should that happen, Yale, Dartmouth and Princeton will join hands as a three-way champion.
 
The start of the game was delayed for 90 minutes due to thunderstorms in the Princeton area and perhaps that had something to do with the sluggishness. But one thing was certain: Yale's offense, which had ascended since sophomore quarterback Nolan Grooms was named the starter prior to the Penn game, never found its footing.
 
Grooms, the Ivy League's reigning Offensive Player of the Week, completed only 14 of 36 passes for 102 yards and was intercepted three times. Grooms also led Yale with 66 rushing yards. But the Bulldogs were outgained by Princeton 415-219 and had only 12 first downs.
 
"I think our team's young," Reno said. "They've played really well the last few weeks, and I think today we saw a lot of the youth come out today, for sure."
 
The Tigers had suffered their first defeat at Dartmouth on Nov. 6. Previously No. 16 in the FCS coaches' poll, they had registered shutouts against Lehigh and Stetson, a win at then-No. 25 Monmouth and a five-overtime win against then-No. 16 Harvard.

But the Tigers lost more than that. On their first offensive play against Dartmouth, senior running back Collin Eaddy suffered a broken leg. Eaddy, a team captain and two-time All-Ivy selection, had 477 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, which led the Ivy League.
 
It didn't appear to hinder Princeton, which took a 21-17 lead into the second half led by three touchdown passes from quarterback Cole Smith.
 
That lead was quickly extended when Trey Grey scampered in for a 27-yard score on the first possession of the second half. And then after Grooms was intercepted, Niko Vangarelli rushed in on a 4^th-and-goal from the 1 with 9:58 to play in the third.
 
At this point, Yale was left with few choices. Grooms used his elusiveness to extend the next drive which produced a 27-yard field goal from Jack Bosman with 3:42 remaining in the third. But that's all the comeback the Bulldogs could muster.
 
The Tigers drove 72 yards on 16 plays and gobbled up nearly seven minutes and six first downs on their first possession before Yale finally held at the 3. And then Yale's Clay Patterson blocked the Tigers 20-yard field goal attempt.
 
But Yale's first two possessions failed to produce a first down. Grooms looked somewhat out of synch, twice being called for illegal forward passes in the first quarter. After throwing for 330 yards against Brown, Grooms was limited to only 75 yards in the first half, completing only seven passes.
 
And Princeton took advantage. A 33-yard scramble by Smith on a 2^nd-and-17 moved the ball to the Yale 9. A few plays later, the quarterback hit Dylan Classi for a 12-yard touchdown with 1:52 to play in the first quarter.
 
Yale used a blocked punt in the second quarter to set it up for the tying score. Bulldogs' freshman tight end Wyatt Raymond actually pushed a Princeton defender into the flight of the ball. Grooms then picked up the points with a scramble from the Princeton 6 with 9:46 to play in the first half.
 
Then Yale took the lead. Linebacker John Dean returned an interception to the Princeton 13, setting up a 5-yard scoring run from Spencer Alston just 90 seconds later.
 
The Tigers wasted little time tying the game. Smith hit a wide-open John Volker over the middle and watched him race passed the defense for a 64-yard touchdown with 7:10 to play in the half.
"We had some moments in the first half where it looked like we are doing some things," Reno said. "We created some turnovers with the blocked punt, the interception. We never really got in rhythm offensively, and defensively, we let up some big plays."
 
The Tigers then took the lead again. After Yale's Jack Bosman kicked a 43-yard field goal with 51 seconds to play, the Tigers rolled 75 yards in 48 seconds to score on a Smith TD pass to Jacob Birmelin from the 7. The Tigers outgained Yale 303-111 in the half.
 
"Right at the end of the first half we had a chance to score (a touchdown) again and didn't; we had to kick the field goal," Reno said. "In my opinion, if we're playing well, we put both in the end zone. That's kind of a microcosm of the game for us."

   

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 Yale Rolls Past Brown To Stay In Ivy Race
11/06/21

By: John Altavilla

Yale's slow build into the team its fans and alumni have come to expect left the Bulldogs in an enviable position prior to Saturday's game at Brown.
 
All the Bulldogs needed to do to secure at least a share of its second straight Ivy League championship was win its final three games against Brown, Princeton, and Harvard. Their entire fate was within their own control.
 
"We're basically in a playoff mode each week," Yale coach Tony Reno said. "We just have to focus in on our opponent and go 1-0 each week."
 
Led again by its invigorated offense, the Bulldogs knocked off the first leg, fighting off every Brown advance until their defense could get in gear to roll to a convincing 63-38 win in Providence, R.I. Yale's 63 points are the most the team has scored since a 66-0 win over Alfred in 1930.
 
"We knew coming into the game it was going to be an old-fashion shootout," Reno said. "We knew we were going to need to score a lot of points."
 
Sophomore quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns and added 48 additional yards rushing as Yale gained 527 yards, an average of 8.50 per play. He was selected as this weeks Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.
 
Now comes Yale's game at Princeton on Saturday. The Tigers lost for the first time this season last Friday at Dartmouth.
 
It was clear from the start this would be an offensive bonanza. The teams combined for 593 yards – only three punts in 14 possessions - in the first half which ended with Yale holding a tenuous 35-28 lead.
 
For a Yale team which also prides itself in its defense, it was a frustrating time trying to contain Brown quarterback E.J. Perry, the leading candidate for Ivy League Player of the Year. Perry ended the day with 261 yards passing, 74 yards rushing and 64 yards (and one touchdown) receiving.
 
"The hardest thing when you play (Brown) is being able to settle down enough defensively to feel like you've got a foot hold," Reno said.
 
Still, Yale's offense was fearsome and quick-striking. Example: At the start of the second half, Grooms and Darrion Carrington hooked up for a 65-yard touchdown just 90 seconds into the third quarter.
 
As it turned out, Yale needed every yard it could manufacture until its defense could catch up.
Perry quickly responded with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Wes Brockett, the third scoring hookup between the pair in the game.
 
Then Yale's defense woke up. An interception by freshman Sean Guyton ended one drive. Then came the big play. Buried deep in their own territory, Perry was sacked by Dathan Hickey near the goal line jarring the ball loose. There to pick it up and roll into the end zone for the touchdown was senior Noah Pope. Yale led 49-35.
 
Perry was not done. He gained 56 yards on a run to set up a 36-yard field that cut the lead to 11. But Yale immediately came down the field for a 2-yard score from Spencer Alston. The lead was 56-38 with 10:04 to play. And Yale could finally rest.
 
After stopping Brown on downs to start the game, Yale immediately jumped to the lead. On its second play, Grooms hit Melvin Rouse II (five catches, 119 yards) in the flat and watched him sprint down the right sideline for a 61-yard score. The conversion gave Yale a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
 
After Yale's Jack Bosman missed a 41-yard field goal which would have extended the lead, the Brown Bears tied it on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Perry to Rockett. Bosman would convert all nine extra points.
 
Perry, the Ivy League's leading passer, extended his streak to 16 straight games with at least one touchdown pass - an Ivy League record.
 
Brown then took the lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass to Brockett which was set up by a 48-yard completion on a screen pass from Perry to Allen Smith.
 
Yale quickly bounced back with Grooms gaining 17 yards on a scramble before finding freshman David Pantelis from the 27 for a touchdown with six seconds remaining in the first quarter.
 
Pantelis had already made a huge contribution by returning Brown kickoffs for 45 and 41 yards earlier in the quarter. He was at it again at the start of the second quarter. After Grooms fumbled the ball forward on a scramble deep in Brown territory, the freshman scooped it up and ran it into the end zone from the 21 to give Yale a 21-14 lead.
 
Less than a minute later Brown tied it again on a 64-yard flea flicker touchdown pass from Michael McGovern to Perry. But the Bears were again unable to contain the Bulldogs who took a 28-21 lead with 5:37 remaining in the first half on a four-yard run by junior Joshua McKenzie.
Yale increased the lead to 35-21 with 3:20 to play in the half when Guyton returned a tipped pass 60 yards for a touchdown.
 
Smith cut the lead once again with his second score, a 10-yard burst up the middle with 37 seconds remaining.

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Yale's Comeback Conquers Columbia
10/30/21

By: John Altavilla

Nothing makes Yale head coach Tony Reno prouder than watching his team respond to adversity. And on a cold, rainy day at Yale Bowl on Saturday, the Bulldogs stood face-to-face with it.

Once trailing by as much as 11, down 23-14 early in the third quarter, its offense struggling to establish itself against a tenacious Columbia defense, Yale needed to think of something quick to avoid a second Ivy League loss which would have likely knocked it out of contention for another league championship.

But Yale would not be down for long. Rallying with a quick-strike passing attack that gobbled up big yards, and bolstered by a three-touchdown performance from junior halfback Spencer Alston, the Bulldogs wiped out of deficit and pulled out an invigorating 37-30 win.

"I feel strongly this was a statement game for us. We were behind the 8-ball a bit. Our guys just did the things that we preach all the time," Reno said. "That's how they were able to climb out of the hole we were in and respond the way we did. I'm really proud of this team and how we've grown.

Playing for the injured Zane Dudek, Alston led Yale with 116 yards rushing, including a 54-yard touchdown. And in his second start, sophomore quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for another 279 yards and two touchdowns.

Yale's comeback was built upon the arm of Grooms.

"You see some different things, have experiences, and what (Grooms) did an amazing job of today is he learned quick on the job, and he was able to take that experience of the first half and then capitalize in the second half," Reno said.

Grooms completed passes of 32 and 36 to Mason Tipton (four catches, 112 yards) to put the ball on the Columbia 7 and then found Allston in the endzone with 7:39 to play in the third. Reno opted to go for two points and was rewarded when Grooms hit Darrion Carrington in the end zone for make it 23-22.

"Coming into the game we knew they were going to give us one-on-one, especially with the rain. They were going to press to the boundary," Grooms said. "We knew if we won a couple of one-on-ones, we were going to win the game. Coming out in the second half, Mason Tipton, boom-boom, two posts, wins in the one-on-ones, gives us some momentum."

After a missed field goal, Yale got moving again. This time a 43-yard completion to Tipton positioned Yale at the Columbia 35. After a 14-yard scramble by Grooms put the ball on the 10, the quarterback first hit Carrington for a 10-yard score and then Tipton for the two-point conversion. Yale was up 30-23.

It did not end there. On Yale's next possession, Alston broke free on a 3^rd-and-1 from the Yale 46 for a 54-yard touchdown. Jack Bosman's extra point pushed Yale's lead to 37-23 with 11:05 to play.

Yale would then be forced to hold on. The Lions immediately drove 65 yards on six plays, scoring on a 1-yard run by Ryan Young. The extra point cut Yale's lead to a touchdown with 9:01 to play. But the Bulldogs would bend no further.

"We knew the team that came away with this win was going to need to handle adversity really well and at the end of the day finish the game off," Reno said.

During the week before the game, Reno referred to Columbia as the most talented team its played thus far on its schedule. It's easy to understand why. Last week, the Lions shut out Dartmouth 19-0 in Hanover, N.H., confounding oddsmakers who had installed the Big Green as 13½-point favorites.

At the core of the Lions success had been its running game. Senior Dante Miller came into the game leading the Ivy League in rushing yards and the Lions were second in the conference averaging 185 rushing yards a game.

"Columbia has done a great job on offense all year," defensive end Reid Nickerson said. "They have a really fast running back and their offensive line can get after it a little bit as they've shown in previous weeks. But, you know, we've emphasized, really, that it's us versus us. If the defense goes out there and executes, then we're going to be fine as we've shown throughout the year."

Yale held Miller to only 35 yards on 11 carries.

Grooms picked up where he left off against Penn by leading the Bulldogs down the field for a touchdown on their second possession.

But this would not be an uncomplicated day for the talented sophomore. Columbia's defense wrapped him up for three sacks for a loss of 27 yards in the first half to derail Yale and contribute to its 20-14 halftime deficit.

On the first scoring drive, Grooms used completions of 34 and 17 yards to Melvin Rouse II (five receptions, 79 yards) to get the ball to the 1. And then on third-and-goal from the 1, Alston leapt into the endzone with 4:43 to play in the first quarter. Bosman's conversion failed, so Yale's lead was 6-0.

The Lions came right back, showing their running game had more than Miller to count on. On their second play after the Yale score, Young broke through tackles along the line and sped past tacklers on the way to a 60-yard score. Columbia kicked the extra point to take a 7-6 lead.

Yale's special teams created a problem at the start of the second quarter when a high snap on a punt sailed over Bosman's head. Columbia recovered on Yale's 16. Six plays later, Young scored from the 1 and the Lions suddenly had a 14-6 lead with the rain pouring down at the Bowl.

Columbia added on to the lead once more on their next possession on a 30-yard field goal by Alex Felkins.

With Yale's offense struggling for footing - it accounted for minus-1 yard rushing in the first half – a spark was created by an electrifying 86-yard punt return for a touchdown by Rouse with 1:53 to play in first half. A successful two-point conversion completion to Carrington brought Yale to within 17-14. It was the third-longest punt return for TD in program history.
 

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Grooms Excels As Yale Pounds Penn
10/23/21

By: John Altavilla

After its furious comeback at UConn fell one play short, Yale coach Tony Reno chose to look at the bright side.
 
Reno said he saw a team without quit, one capable of keeping pace with a FBS team with its strength and speed. Most of all, he thought fighting back from a three-touchdown deficit showed great character and resilience.
 
What Reno hoped would come of it all was the chance to identify shortcomings and work to improve them as the Bulldogs prepared for the final five-week sprint in the Ivy League season.
 
"We grew a lot in the last week since we walked off that field (at UConn)," Reno said. "And we were very reflective about where we wanted to go, where we wanted to be."
 
Yale first chance to show it off came Saturday at Yale Bowl against Penn, its first home game since beating Cornell on Sept. 25.
 
And the biggest change Reno made before the game paid off handsomely as Yale defeated the Quakers 42-28.
 
After spending the week thinking about it, Reno made a switch at quarterback, replacing junior Griffin O'Connor with sophomore Nolan Grooms.
 
O'Connor struggled in the first half at UConn, throwing three interceptions. But once Grooms took over in the second half, the offense began to move and that's what convinced Reno to make the switch.
 
"We wanted to reaffirm the decision [to switch QBs] during the week," Reno said. "We felt really good about it, but we wanted to allow the guys to compete in practice. Nolan really distanced himself (in practice). Griffin is an extraordinary player and a big part of this team. We just felt Nolan gave us a better chance to do what we wanted to do offensively. And he did a great job in his first full game."
 
Grooms was spectacular, leading drives with his scrambling and timely completions. He completed 18 of 27 passes for two touchdowns and added another 113 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
 
 It was as if the entire dynamic of Yale's offense had shifted.
 
"Personally, I'd like to say that I didn't play too good of a game," Grooms said. "But definitely you could feel us start to establish an identity."
 
Grooms made only one mistake. He was intercepted to end Yale's second possession of the second half.  That put the Quakers at the Yale 43. And a few plays later, quarterback Aidan Soyin hit Owen Goldsberry for a 15-yard touchdown to cut Yale's lead to 28-21. But Grooms remained undeterred.
 
On Yale's next possession, he combined with Mason Tipton (five catches, 132 yards) for a 47-yard completion to the Penn 6. And then Grooms scrambled in from the 4. And then a 30-yard hookup with Chase Nenad to the Penn 5 put Elliott McElwain in position to score with 2:33 to play in the third. It was 42-21.
 
It didn't take Yale to get rolling, even though it was without leading rusher Zane Dudek, who injured his leg against UConn. Grooms took the Bulldogs on a six-play, 50-yard drive on its first possession, capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Ryan Lindley just over four minutes into the game.
 
Penn came right back. Taking advantage of two pass interference calls on the Bulldogs, the Quakers methodically moved down field in 16 plays to set up Trey Flowers two-yard scoring burst with 4:01 remaining in the first.
 
It became clear at this point that both offenses were having success. And it was Grooms who ended a 14-play, 86-yard drive by scampering into the end zone from the 8 with 11:50 to play in the first half to put Yale ahead 14-7.
 
On Yale's next possession, Grooms kept a drive alive with a 33-yard completion to Tipton that placed the ball the Penn 1. Spencer Alston took it in from there and with the conversion, Yale led 21-7 with 3:34 to play in the half.
 
Yale's coverage allowed Goldsberry to return the ensuing kick 70 yards to the Yale 27. And within a few moments, the Quakers dynamic scatback, 5-foot-5 Isaiah Malcome (17 carries, 82 yards), scored from the 16.
 
But a 26-yard scoring pass from Grooms to Tipton with 53 seconds to play in the first half reestablished Yale's two-touchdown lead.
 
"Nolan did a good job in his first full game. To say I didn't expect it would be a lie," said Reno, who became the sixth coach to win 50 games at Yale.
 

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UConn Holds Off Late Yale Rally
10/16/21

By: John Altavilla

Although the priority at Yale will always be to win the Ivy League championship, there was another game on Team No. 148's schedule that likely meant just as much to the program.

Playing UConn for the first time since 1998 – for the 50^th time in series history – helped rekindle a state rivalry that had burned brightly for the benefit of all for decades.

Dating back to the late 1940s, UConn teams annually traveled to Yale Bowl and those Saturdays produced fantastic memories for the programs and their fans.

And thanks to a collaboration between the athletic departments at both schools, the rivalry was finally brought back to life on a crisp autumn Saturday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. 

As for the game itself, the opportunity to defeat UConn certainly would have brought the Bulldogs program additional recognition and confidence as the chase for the Ivy title kicks into gear next week against Penn.

But unfortunately, it didn't go well for the Bulldogs for nearly three quarters. UConn rushed to a three-touchdown lead and then held off a furious late rally to beat Yale 21-15.

UConn ended a sluggish first half for both teams with two touchdowns in the final 5:22, then increased the lead to 21-0 in the third, before holding off a furious late rally to beat Yale 21-15.
 
"We left the game to chance," Yale coach Tony Reno said. "To be honest, if we'd played up to our standards offensively, the game would have been different."
 
The Bulldogs (2-3) came into the game a three-point favorite, the clearest indication of how the wise guys who establish the odds thought about UConn (1-7), which ended an 11-game losing streak.
 
This game was a drag throughout most of the first half - both offenses struggling to get going.

The quiet was finally broken when UConn quarterback Steven Krajewski (21 of 32, 199 yards) hit a wide open Keelan Marion down the middle of the field on a 63-yard touchdown pass.
 
The Huskies soon doubled the lead. The third interception of Yale quarterback Griffin O'Connor (11-23, 59 yards) gave UConn the ball on their 49 with less than two minutes to play in the half. Krajewski quickly hit Brandon Niemanski for 26 yards. A pass interference call placed the ball on the Yale 14 with 26 seconds to play.
 
Krajewski then hit a wide open Kevens Clercius in the end zone. The conversion gave UConn its 14-0 halftime lead.
 
Yale came out in the second half with Nolan Grooms (8-31, 132 yards) at quarterback, but its first possession quickly fizzled. And within minutes, Krajewski was scrambling into the end zone from the 20. It was 21-0.
 
Then Yale got moving. It finally scored on a 46-yard field goal by Jack Bosman with 8:40 to play in the third quarter. And then with 40 seconds remaining in the third, Zane Dudek scored from the 3. Yale's two-point conversion attempt failed. It was 21-9.
 
With 4:30 to play in the game, Grooms hit Chase Nenad along the far sideline for a 60-yard score. The point after failed, but Yale was within six (21-15) with a chance to win it.
 
Yale then forced a punt with 3:02 remaining and took possession on their 32. After converting a 4^th-and-11, now without timeouts and on the UConn 30, the Bulldogs had one final chance to win. But Grooms' pass into a gaggle of bodies was intercepted in the end zone.
 
But one thing was made clear: Yale may have a new starting quarterback come Saturday when they play Penn at Yale Bowl.
 
Early on, Yale made two mistakes that could have proven fatal.  It moved the ball for three first downs on its initial drive before O'Connor's pass was intercepted by UConn's Durante Jones on the Huskies' 38.  And then the Bulldogs got themselves into some trouble when Melvin Rouse II fumbled an ensuing punt and recovered back at the Yale 14.
 
Their defense proved stellar, holding the Huskies to only 37 total yards in the first quarter, just eight rushing. Problem was, Yale had just as much difficulty penetrating UConn's defense, so the game was scoreless heading to the second quarter.
 
"We aren't playing up to our standard on offense right now," Reno said.  "Obviously it showed the score. This was a game I thought we should have won. If we played a complete 60 minutes, the outcome is completely different. But we only played 30 minutes of football."
 
Yale had a chance to take the lead on a 45-yard field goal attempt but switched out of the formation just before the kick. Would-be holder Grooms' pass to D. Major Roman was too long and UConn took possession on their own 27.
 
The Huskies then moved into field goal position, but their 47-yard attempt was blocked by Yale's Tate Goodyear at the Yale 34 with 10:37 to play in the half.
 
With 8:00 to play in the half and the ball at the Yale 13, Reno tried to change things up by inserting Grooms in place of O'Connor. But that drive also resulted in a quick three-and-out.
Yale gained only 70 yards in the first half, just 11 rushing.

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Darmouth Hands Yale First Ivy Loss
10/09/21

By: John Altavilla

The main objective of every season for Yale is to win the Ivy League championship. And team No. 148, its pedigree self-evident, decided long ago it liked the sound of that and would settle for nothing less.
 
"We've improved from week one to week three, and we've taken steps forward," head coach Tony Reno said. "We talk a lot about just getting better today than we were yesterday, and that's the primary goal."
 
On Saturday, Yale had it chance to begin fortifying its candidacy for a second-straight conference title when it played at Dartmouth, a place it has had difficulty winning over the last decade.
 
But after taking a 17-14 lead with 2:34 to play on a five-yard scoring pass from Griffin O'Connor to Mason Tipton, Yale allowed the Big Green to tie it on a field goal with 18 seconds to play before losing 24-17 in overtime.
 
"Give Dartmouth credit, they were able to deliver the last punch and finish the game off," Reno said.
 
After Dartmouth's Nick Howard gave it the lead with a seven-yard scoring run on its first possession of overtime, the Big Green won the game by stopping Yale on a 4^th-and-1 from the 16 when O'Connor's pass to Melvin Rouse II fell incomplete.
 
During their championship seasons in 2019, the Big Green crushed the Bulldogs 42-10, jumping ahead 21-0 after the first quarter. It was this loss which ultimately forced Yale to share the Ivy title with Dartmouth.
 
The hope was the new season would bring a new result. And why not? While Yale returned many of its skill players, Dartmouth lost 18 of 22 starters.
 
Instead, Dartmouth extended its winning streak over Yale to four and has now won eight of the last nine meetings.
 
Yale was coming off its efficient 34-0 shutout win of Lehigh, the program's first shutout in four seasons. So it seemed the team was close to hitting its stride.
 
"We've placed a major emphasis on physicality in practice," said Rouse, who led Yale with seven receptions for 79 yards. "As a team, we've focused on just doing the basics right. We just want to make sure our basics and our fundamentals don't digress throughout the week."
 
Dartmouth took a 14-10 lead into halftime. And it took Yale a long time to assert itself offensively after that. Two fumbles killed drives in the third quarter. Zane Dudek lost a fumble at the 50-yard line to stop one possession. And quarterback Nolan Grooms mishandled a center snap on the next. He recovered but it forced Yale into a third-and-long it could not recover from.
 
Yale's defense did its part, holding the Big Green to only one first down and 20 yards in the third quarter.
 
Given one last chance midway through the fourth quarter, Yale finally pushed through to take the lead.
 
Using 5:47, Yale drove 43 yards, converting two fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive. And on fourth-and-goal from the 5, O'Connor (28 of 42, 189 yards) connected with Tipton.
 
But Yale could not hold the lead and once again a penalty – Yale leads the Ivy League in penalties – cost it in a big way.
 
Faced with a fourth-and-2 with 1:25 to play, Yale appeared to have broken up a pass attempt that would have sealed the win. But Wande Owens was called for targeting on the tackle, a foul that cost Yale 15 yards and caused his expulsion from the game.
 
"I didn't see that piece close enough," Reno said. "It's hard to make a decision until you watch the film. But from where I sat and saw it, I'd say no [it wasn't targeting]. But the officials have the benefit of going to the replay booth and they always do the right thing when the slow it [the video] down and take a look. But where I sat, it was a bang-bang play, I did not see it. That's why we have replay."
 
Given new life, Dartmouth used some big completions to move into field goal territory. And then Connor Davis sent the game into overtime with his 32-yard field goal.
 
Yale opened the scoring on its first drive with a 38-yard field goal from Jack Bosman with 8:39 to play in first quarter. But the lead didn't last long.
 
On its second possession, Dartmouth quarterback Derek Kyler (19 of 29, 189 yards) led Issac Boston down the left sideline with a perfectly placed pass for a 32-yard score with 2:28 to play in the quarter.
 
The Big Green was rolling offensively. The next time it gained possession it moved effortlessly down the field on a seven-play, 83-yard drive. Using a 39-yard completion from Kyler to Jamal Cooney, an unsportsmanlike conduct and facemask penalty from Yale to get into position, they scored on a 3-yard burst by Howard with 12:53 to play in the half.
 
At this point, Yale needed to make an immediate response. And it did. Alternating quarterbacks like Dartmouth was, Reno inserted Grooms in time for him to connect with Rouse II on a 32-yard score in the left corner of the end zone with 10:21 to play in the half.
Bosman had a chance to further cut into the lead with 48 seconds to play in the half, but he missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.
 

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Yale's Defense Puts On A Show To Blank Lehigh

10/02/21
By: John Altavilla

It didn't matter to Yale that its opponent on Saturday was off to one of the worst starts of any team in the nation.

Consider this:  Lehigh's four-game losing streak represented its worst start in 75 years and was made possible by an offense which hadn't scored a touchdown. In fact, its scoring had been limited to only three field goals and it had led in games for only five minutes.

Still, despite being 21-point favorites, Yale refused to underestimate its opponent.

"For us it's truly being able to play to our standards. We haven't done that yet," Yale coach Reno said. "And we've improved in the two games (played previously) immensely. But we've got to continue to grow as a team if we want to chase what we're trying to chase, and that's to be an elite team.

"To be honest, all we wanted to do was play as best as we can. What Lehigh does or doesn't do is all on them."

Well, Lehigh didn't do too much. And whatever it tried, Yale was there counteract it on the way to a business-like 34-0 win. It was the first shutout for Yale in four seasons.

"After our first week setback (the loss to Holy Cross) we improved against Cornell and then we improved again this week," Reno said. "We brought preparation into our performance and that's something we really stressed and has made us into a championship team. We have a long way to go before we can talk about ourselves like that. But we're a much better team than we were last week and that's the most important thing."

The Mountain Hawks (0-5) have now lost 12 straight, their longest losing streak since 1925-26. They did what they could, starting their third quarterback this season in Nigel Summerville in hopes of sparking the offense. But it didn't help much. They ended with only 11 first downs and 146 total yards.

 Lehigh had only four first downs in the opening half and just 63 total yards, 23 rushing. It did not run a single play in Yale territory. Meanwhile, Yale rolled up 272 of its 420 total yards against an undersized defense.

Yale's defense was fearsome, registering eight sacks, which tied a program record during Reno's nine years as coach. Sophomore Clay Patterson (nine tackles) led the Bulldogs with four sacks.

"Clay did an amazing job. You can sense him growing every week. He's a very athletic interior defensive lineman. He has a skill set that's very hard to handle and he's doing a great job with it."

The Bulldogs preserved their shutout when Patterson dropped Summerville for a loss of seven yards on a 4^th-and-6 play from the Yale 11 with 56 seconds to play.

As expected, the Bulldogs put the game away with an emphatic first half, building a 21-0 lead. Starting quarterback Griffin O'Connor (9 of 18, 123 yards, one touchdown) was injured on a 10-yard sack in the second quarter after helping the Bulldogs to a 14-0 lead. He was immediately led the medical tent for observation and did not return.

Reno said he simply decided to give sophomore Nolan Grooms (6 of 8, 122 yards, two TDs) more time to play. And when Yale regained possession the production did not wane. Grooms immediately hit Mason Tipton for a 57-yard score with 1:21 to play in the first half.

"It gave Nolan some time to come in and run the offense, rather than just being a situational piece," Reno said. "He handled the offense well, did some nice things. And it will give him something to build on."

Tipton had three catches for 122 yards and had another – a 63-yard TD catch in the first quarter – called back because of a holding penalty.

It didn't take Yale to assert itself. After going three-and-out on its first possession, the Bulldogs got on the board.

After a pass interference put on the ball on the Lehigh 27, O'Connor hit freshman David Pantelis in the end zone to give Yale the lead with 11:51 to play in the first quarter. It was the first reception of Pantelis' career.

The Bulldogs appeared to have doubled the lead later in the quarter when O'Connor and Tipton combined for their long score. But again, Yale's propensity to be penalized hurt it when a hold was called on Jaylan Sandifer.

 Later in the series, senior Zane Dudek scored from the 7. Jack Bosman's conversion put the Bulldogs up 14-0 with 12:45 to play in the first half. In the process, Dudek surpassed Dick Jauron, one of the greatest halfbacks in Yale history, in terms of yardage per carry (6.3 yards per rushing attempt) in a career.

Yale made it 28-0 with 6:37 to play in the third. Elliott McElwain's 48-yard burst set up a 15-yard scoring run by Spencer Alston. And then on their first possession of the fourth quarter, Grooms hit Chase Nenad on a 15-yard score.

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Yale's Improvement Shows In Win Over Cornell

09/25/21
By: John Altavilla

Yale coach Tony Reno was characteristically forthcoming after the Bulldogs lost their opener to Holy Cross last week. He said he expected there might be loose ends requiring tightening after the long layoff due to the pandemic. And he was right.

"We came into the game with a lot of concerns for obvious reasons," Reno said. "A lot of those concerns we saw out there, from penalties to big plays to the flow of the game not being what it should be. In spurts, we blocked well and tackled well. In spurts, we looked like a very efficient offense and defense.

"What you saw on the field were a lot of flashes of what this team is going to be. But there was a lot of inconsistency from all us we. We didn't play up to the standards of Yale football.

"Team 148 has a lot to prove. That's how we look at it."

So the focus turned to Saturday's Ivy League opener at Yale Bowl against Cornell. How would the Bulldogs benefit from another week of practice?

Well, not everything was perfect. An annoying 14 penalties cost the Bulldogs 144 yards and a ton of momentum. But all in all, Yale's 23-17 win brought a smile to everyone's face.

"I'm extremely proud of my team and the credit goes to my players and assistant coaches," Reno said. "We did an amazing job over the last seven days taking us from where we were to where we are now. There was a commitment made by all involved to get better. …We talk all about the two things you can control. That's your preparation and performance. Hey, sometimes I forget that, too, on the field. And the players hold me accountable."

The win extended Yale's winning streak over Cornell to four. The Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0 Ivy) have also won six of the last seven and have not lost to the Big Red at Yale Bowl since 2009. Cornell, which lost its opener at home to VMI, is now 0-2.

The Bulldogs led 9-3 at the half. But they were also guilty of leaving 10 additional points on the field on a missed conversion and field goal and an interception returned for a touchdown negated by a holding penalty.

But they didn't waste time capitalizing once the second half started. One play after keeping their drive alive with a fourth-down conversion, Yale quarterback Griffin O'Connor (23 of 38, 317 yards, two touchdowns) hit sophomore receiver Chase Nenad for a 25-yard scoring pass with 9:50 remaining in the third.

It seemed at the time as if it would provide all the insulation Yale needed to absorb Cornell's first touchdown, a 15-yard pass from backup quarterback Ben Mays to Alex Kuzy with 1:15 to play.

But even after Cornell's ensuing offsides kick was scooped up by Yale senior Rodney Thomas II and returned 48 yards for a touchdown, the Big Red fought back with a 2-yard touchdown run from Delont Harrell with 30 seconds to play.

Thomas was a stalwart. He also had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown only to see it called back by a holding penalty on Yale captain John Dean.

"I'm not one who looks for individual accolades," Thomas said. "I just go out there and try to make some plays."

Yale's passing was crucial to its survival on Saturday. Neither team had much success on the ground. The Bulldogs managed just 88 yards rushing, 53 heading into the fourth quarter before senior Zane Dudek (67 yards) began to gobble up a few more. Still, that was more than their defense allowed Cornell (68) and most of those came on Devon Brewer's 28-yard dash early in the fourth.

Yale's defense made the first big play. After allowing Cornell to drive 70 yards on seven plays on its opening possession, Bulldog junior cornerback Wande Owens intercepted Cornell quarterback Richie Kenney (18 of 38, 163 yards) in the end zone to end the drive.

And after their first possession resulted in a punt, Yale's revamped offense struck quickly.

First, O'Connor connected along the  right sideline with a 20-yard to senior Darrion Carrington. On the next play, O'Connor scrambled briefly to his right before launching a 35-yard scoring pass to Carrington with 5:15 remaining in the first quarter. Sophomore Jack Bosman missed the extra point.

Yale squandered a chance to extend the lead when Thomas' TD was negated. Thomas would make another interception midway through the fourth quarter that ended a drive at the goal line.

"I just wanted to get the ball back into the offense's hands so it could do what it needed to do," Thomas said.

Instead, Yale took possession and after recovering their own fumble on the Cornell 46, O'Connor connected with Melvin Rouse for 44 yards on a third-and-23 to the Cornell 10 as the first quarter ended.

That drive came up empty when Bosman missed a 20-yard field goal with 12:57 to play in the half. But after his two early misses, Bosman finally connected from the 27 with 8:13 to play in the half to make it 9-0.
Cornell finally got on the board on its next possession, a 32-yard field goal by Scott Lees that was set up by a 50-yard completion from Kenney to Brewer to the Yale 25.
 

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Yale Falls Short In Return To The Bowl

09/18/21
By: John Altavilla

We'll assume that somewhere in an office or workout room, a grease board was hung to help Yale's players and coaches count down the days to what took place Saturday at Yale Bowl.
In case you lost track, it's been an excruciating 22 months since the Bulldogs captured their Ivy League championship with their captivating overtime win over Harvard.

In that time, team No. 148 has done its best to stay prepared and focused and on a sunny, warm afternoon, it had its first chance to prove the wait had left no rust.
But after falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter, Holy Cross rallied to a 20-17 win.

"We've been working on execution and the ability for us to do what we wanted to do," linebacker and captain John Dean said. "I didn't see it today."

 Senior kicker Derek Ng drilled a 47-yard field goal with 48 seconds to play to give the Crusaders a satisfying with. Holy Cross kept that winning drive alive by converting a 4^th-and-1 from Yale's 40. Then Yale quarterback Griffin O'Connor's first-down pass from the Yale 17 was intercepted to cap the victory.

Yale coach Tony Reno said he believed Holy Cross would be one of Yale's foremost challenges in an opening game. The Crusaders are defending Patriot League champion and they began the 2021 season dismantling UConn, a loss that set off a chain of events that led to the departure of Huskies coach Randy Edsall.

But the good feeling did not last. Holy Cross followed that up with a home loss to Merrimack, a defeat which certainly had it in a bad mood on Saturday.

"Do I think that we can play a lot better? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah," Reno said. "This was a really good opportunity for us to kind of gauge what we needed to work on and see where we're at while trying to win a game."

Yale had not lost to Holy Cross at Yale Bowl since 1982.

After falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter, the Crusaders rallied with 10 late points before the half to get back in the game.

The struggles for Yale's defense intensified midway through the third when backup quarterback Marco Siderman connected on a beautiful 63-yard completion to Justin Shorter which placed the ball on Yale's 2. Three plays later, starting quarterback Matthew Sluka scored from the 1 to give the Crusaders their first lead with 4:45 remaining in the quarter.

"It was kind of like one of those heavyweight fights. We kept trading punches, trading punches, and then you feared that whoever had the ball at the end may just have one more punch in them," Reno said. "They threw and landed one more punch than we did at the end of the game. That was kind of the difference in the game."

With the graduation of record-setting quarterback Kurt Rawlings, the job has been handed back to O'Connor, who debuted as a freshman by winning the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year. In fact, O'Connor's 465 yards against Princeton stands as the school record for most passing yards in one game.

"For myself, I'm grateful to be out there to be actually playing football again," said O'Connor, who finished 15-for-29 for 234 yards. "It was awesome to be playing another team with my teammates, but at the end of the day we want to win. So while I'm grateful for the opportunity, now we have to win."

O'Connor's touch was a little off during Yale's first three possessions. He overthrew a few receivers as the offense tried to get its early footing. He completed only three of his first 10 attempts in the first quarter forcing the Bulldogs into a couple of punts.

After Holy Cross took its 17-14 lead, Reno put backup quarterback Nolan Grooms,  a sophomore and a more mobile player, into the game in hopes he could get the offense moving again.

With the threat of a run now in their favor, Grooms moved Yale downfield in his first series which carried into the start of the fourth quarter. At the point, Reno came back with O'Connor who was immediately sacked for a loss of eight yards. That forced Yale to settle for a 45-yard goal by Jack Bosman which tied the score at 17 with 14:15 to play.

Holy Cross had the first scoring opportunity of the game on its second possession. But Ng missed a 36-yard field goal attempt with 3:54 left in the first quarter. Ng would make a 44-yarder with 6:47 to play in the first half to give the Crusaders their first points.

The Bulldogs got things going on their first drive of the second quarter. Aided by a pass interference call that put the ball on the Holy Cross 19, O'Connor lofted a scoring pass into the left corner of the end zone to sophomore tight end Jackson Hawes with 12:28 to play in the half.

The lead grew to two touchdowns when O'Connor perfectly led senior tight end JJ Howland on an 74-yard catch-and-run with 10:18 to go in the half.

However, Yale's defense began to sage at the end of the half. After Ng's field goal cut the lead to 14-3, the Crusaders used a couple of big completions to position themselves for Sluka's 6-yard scoring run with 28 seconds to play in the half.