Lions Aim To Continue Early-season Dominance Against Georgetown

Upper West Side NY

24 September, 2021

10:32 AM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY BERNARD WANG SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 Fresh off a 37-14 football victory over Marist (0-1), the Lions (1-0) are seeking to secure their third 2-0 start in the last four seasons this Saturday. They will host the Georgetown Hoyas (0-1) in the sixth annual Lou Little Cup, named after former Columbia and Georgetown head coach Lou Little. Although the Lions hold a 4-3 series lead over the Hoyas, their 24-10 loss in the 2019 home opener is still fresh in the minds of many team veterans, including head coach Al Bagnoli. Referring to the Lou Little Cup as a rivalry between the two schools helps build lasting team culture, according to Bagnoli. "We don't have that many natural rivalries ... but [Georgetown] has turned into one of those rivalries," he said. " Having a commonality of coach Little coaching at both places ties both schools in." This is the first game of the season where the Lions will have recent game film of their opponent to study. Ahead of the Marist game, the most recent film the Lions had was from 2019, making individual scouting difficult. The team can now draw on Georgetown's game last Saturday—a 44-9 loss to Harvard—for recent insight on the Hoyas' personnel and playstyle. Despite the Hoyas' lopsided loss against the Crimson, Bagnoli is not underestimating their talent, especially their receiving duo of seniors Cameron Crayton and Joshua Tomas. "Their skill kids are pretty talented," Bagnoli said. "They all run well; they're all good athletes; they all catch the ball. … That's the strength of that team." The Columbia secondary will have their hands full containing Crayton, who went off for 115 yards on seven catches last week. Bagnoli noted that another challenge is the uncertainty over who Georgetown will play at quarterback. Its starting quarterback Joseph Brunell injured his ankle at the end of the Harvard game, but the severity of his injury is currently unknown. After one game, it appears that Georgetown's offense may play directly into Columbia's defensive strengths. Last Saturday, the Lions limited Marist to a paltry 64 rushing yards, 46 of which came on one play. Harvard impressively held Georgetown to merely six rushing yards on 31 carries, getting help from six sacks that counted toward 33 negative yards. Besides controlling the ground game, the Lions are also looking to capitalize on other areas that they experimented with against the Red Foxes, including the ability to confuse opponents with different personnel. Despite winning in dominant fashion, Bagnoli was quick to point out that game one served as a starting point, and the team has a season of growth to accomplish. "We've got a litmus test of all the things we're trying to really work on," Bagnoli said. "We scored 37, and we probably should have scored 50, and we probably should have executed better in a lot of different areas." As the season progresses, Bagnoli wants to see the team's versatility on both sides of the ball. Last week, the Lions put their multifaceted offensive attack on full display, sharing the ball between senior running backs Ryan Young, Dante Miller, and Broderick Taylor, while also playing sophomore quarterbacks Joe Green and Gabriel Hollingsworth in different packages. Columbia will continue to figure out ways to mix in its three senior running backs, who comprise a major team strength, according to Bagnoli. The three-headed attack paid dividends on Saturday, as the trio helped amass a monstrous 312-yard rushing game. After being named a dual-starter at quarterback with senior and captain Ty Lenhart heading into Marist—and then ultimately getting the first team reps—Green was officially named the starter against Georgetown. Hollingsworth will still play a key role in diversifying the offense near the red zone with his rushing ability, Bagnoli noted. "Gabriel's a whole different body type—225 pounds, loves the weight room, looks more like a linebacker but he plays quarterback," he said. Deviating from a traditional one-running back, one-quarterback offense is part of an effort to make the Lions' offense less predictable, especially after the Columbia offense finished its 2019 season dead last in the Ivy League. "That's really a nice way to put pressure on defenses," Bagnoli said. "You've got a lot more variables at your disposal, which hopefully makes preparation a little bit harder." Bagnoli also highlighted his plans for multiple schemes on defense, centered around utilizing an experienced linebacker core—seniors John Harris, Cam Dillon, and Justin Woodley, as well as junior Scott Valentas—who all have extensive starting experience. This will allow Bagnoli to get creative with his defensive schemes. "We had to incorporate some things that would enable them to not only substitute for each other in conventional defense, but to get all four of them out there," Bagnoli said. If the assorted offensive and defensive looks do not result in trips to the end zone, the Lions have all the confidence in the world in junior placekicker Alex Felkins. After converting all seven of his kicks last week, including three field goals, Felkins was named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week, the third Ivy League weekly honor of his career. For Bagnoli, having such a reliable leg on the team is a luxury that allows the offense to not force any risky throws in an attempt to push the ball downfield. Senior and all-American punt returner Mike Roussos will not play in Saturday's game due to undisclosed medical reasons. According to Bagnoli, Roussos is on the tail end of recovery and will make his return soon. Senior Ernest Robertson, who started against Marist and secured two touchdowns on 87 receiving and 17 rushing yards, will continue to fill in for Roussos at wide receiver. Senior Will Allen will continue his kick return duties, and Miller will field punts. The Lions will look to keep up their early-season dominance when the game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday. Viewers can also tune in on ESPN+. 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.