Experienced Columbia Football Roster Looks To Improve On Disappointing 2019 Season

Upper West Side NY

13 September, 2021

12:55 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MATTHEW KIM AND BERNARD WANG SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 Three weeks before the first day of classes, Columbia's football team reported to campus for the start of training camp. Two days later, its afternoon practice at Robert K. Kraft field marked the first time the Lions trained together as a team in nearly two years. "[The] energy's been great," offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mark Fabish said. "The guys certainly have energy saved up. They came out and were excited to just get back to it and be around each other." Following the cancellation of the Lions' last season, the team faces a unique challenge this year. Normally, the team welcomes only one class of new recruits each season. Though the current sophomores interacted with coaches and teammates virtually last year, they have not yet experienced an Ivy League football season. As a result, the Light Blue will have to integrate what are essentially two first-year classes into the team. "It's been the biggest challenge for us," head coach Al Bagnoli said, adding that the coaching staff has focused on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the first-years and sophomores. On the flip side, Columbia also has more returning upperclassmen than usual. Because of the Ivy League's ruling that allowed seniors an extra year of eligibility, the Lions will have 10 fifth-year "super seniors" coming back to the team on top of the regular senior class. "I think just the experience that me and the other guys bring really helps out the young guys," fifth-year defensive back Ben Mathiasmeier said. On the offensive side, Columbia is bringing back six starters from the 2019 team. Senior Ty Lenhart returns after starting each of the team's last six games in 2019. That season, Lenhart was a threat in both the passing and rushing game. He threw for 1,278 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 193 yards. Lenhart also rushed three touchdowns during his sophomore season. Senior John Foreback and junior Caden Bell also return to the quarterback room. As the Lions' most experienced quarterback, Lenhart will be an important voice in the locker room. "There's gonna be a lot of ups, a lot of downs," he said. "I think just keeping everybody on the same page and focused on the main goal [is] one of my biggest goals." On the receiving end, the Lions will have a large hole to fill with the loss of star wideout Josh Wainwright who set the school's single-season receiving yards record of 1,001 in 2017. Bagnoli noted that senior wide receiver and kick returner Mike Roussos will be the leader of the Lions' young receiver group. "Mikey's a special talent. For us to be considered good coaches, we have to get him the football in a variety of different ways," Fabish said, echoing Bagnoli's sentiment. The Lions' running core has remained largely the same with seniors Ryan Young, Broderick Taylor, and Dante Miller all returning. These three players accounted for 87 percent of Columbia's rushing yards in 2019. Young, who has started games since his first year, was named to the preseason All-Ivy third-team by Phil Steele Magazine. "Our running backs are doing a phenomenal job," Fabish said. "I mean, holy cow. Ryan Young, Broderick Taylor, and Dante Miller are just, one play after another, outdoing each other, which is so cool to see." The Lions' ball-carriers will be running behind a fairly experienced offensive line. Seniors Zach Minch and Stew Newblatt as well as junior Will Hamilton have all started for the Light Blue and will mentor the squad's 11 newcomers. For the defense, the story is much the same. Eight starters will return for the Light Blue, including four from a tested secondary led by Mathiasmeier, a strong safety, and fifth-year cornerback Will Allen. Both were named preseason All-Ivy selections. Columbia also welcomes back a strong linebackers unit. Fifth-year Justin Woodley and senior Cam Dillon, who were both out from injuries in the 2019 season, will lead a group of players who already have valuable playing experience after stepping into their roles two years ago. Fifth-year Cameren Carter and seniors Paul Akere and Mitchell Shinskie will be the most experienced players on a young defensive line. Carter, who has 5.0 sacks in his career, was a second-team preseason All-Ivy selection. Bagnoli has found the defense's continuity from 2019 to be advantageous. "They're really comfortable with the teaching," he said. "They've heard it already now for, in some cases, three, four years. It allows them to play fast. Now, we know what the call is, we know how to line up, we know what to do." Perhaps Columbia's most decorated group is its special teams unit. Roussos, who is a kick and punt returner as well as a wide receiver, is coming off of a prolific 2019 campaign wherein he led the Ivy League in a plethora of categories: punt return average, kickoff return average, punt return touchdowns, and combined return yards. He is looking to become only the fourth Lion in history to make three first-team All-Ivy selections. He was also named a preseason All-American punt returner. Coached by coordinator Justin Stovall, the special teams unit boasts a preseason All-Ivy player at every key position. Fifth-year punter Drew Schmid, junior placekicker Alex Felkins, and junior long snapper Parker Lefton join Roussos as returning standouts. "Their dependability is what's critical, and it's what allows me to focus on the other parts," Stovall said. "I can trust that they're gonna do their job. They do it at a high level, and they have that consistency." Bagnoli emphasized that there is a high level of competition at many positions and that the starting lineup has not yet been finalized. "That was our first goal, was to just be deep enough where everybody's fighting, everybody's competing, everybody's trying to win a job and bring in their best on a day-to-day basis," he said. Heading into Bagnoli's seventh year coaching the Lions, the team is looking to replicate some of the success seen earlier in his tenure. After back-to-back winning seasons in 2017 and 2018 for the first time since 1956, the Lions fell back to earth amidst a series of injuries in 2019, finishing with a 3-7 record. But after the recent hiatus, there is optimism in the air. "Now they get a chance to be who they are, and that's Columbia football players," Fabish said. "It's what people identify as. 'What do you do?' 'I play college football.' 'Where do you play?' 'Columbia. I'm a Columbia college football player.' So they get to be themselves. For 18 months they couldn't. Now, they get to be what they identify as, which is exciting." Fabish is not alone in his excitement. "Every night before I go to bed, I think about playing Saturday games again," Roussos said. After having the game taken away from him, Lenhart has a newfound appreciation for the opportunity he has. "It's like we went to bed, woke up, and now I'm a senior," he said. "It's crazy, but it just shows you gotta cherish every moment out on the field." The Light Blue will host Marist Saturday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. to open up its season. Columbia's first Ivy League game will be Saturday, Oct. 2 at Princeton. Miles Schachner contributed reporting. Senior staff writer Matt Kim can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @matt_kim9. Staff writer Bernard Wang can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator Sports on Twitter @CUSpecSports. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.