Columbia Taking On Explosive Princeton Squad In Ivy League Opener

Upper West Side NY

03 October, 2021

1:04 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MATTHEW KIM AND BERNARD WANG SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 Coming off of two convincing wins against Marist College and Georgetown University to start the season, the Lions (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) are hoping to keep things rolling against the Princeton Tigers (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) this Saturday. Columbia will travel to New Jersey for its Ivy League opener and first road game of the season. Saturday's showdown will be the Light Blue's biggest challenge thus far. Featuring an explosive offense and a suffocating defense, the Tigers, who are nationally ranked among schools in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, have outscored opponents 95-0 in their first two games. The preseason Ivy favorites put up back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1965 behind a fierce run defense that has only conceded one rushing yard this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers boast the fifth-highest scoring offense in the FCS, amassing 13 plays of 20 yards or more in just two games. "There's a reason why they were the preseason pick," head coach Al Bagnoli said. The Lions have not beaten Princeton since 2017, when Ronald Smith, SEAS '19, scored a 63-yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining to give Columbia the lead. The Lions are searching for their 17th win against the Tigers since the matchup was first established in 1874. While Princeton's run defense has tormented its opponents, Columbia may have the cure. Led by senior running backs Ryan Young and Dante Miller, the Light Blue has dominated the ground game, scoring seven rushing touchdowns on over 271 rushing yards per game this season. Offensive coordinator Mark Fabish said that the offense's identity is centered around its running game and that to defeat the Tigers, Columbia will need to stick to its bread and butter. "We've got a stable of running backs that run hard, [and] we've got an offensive line that's gonna work to open up some holes for them," Fabish said. "As soon as we try to change that identity, I think that's where we'll struggle." The Lions will have their hands full as they prepare for the myriad All-Ivy playmakers on Princeton's defense, which has already recorded 12 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. Among the players Fabish identified as standouts include linebacker Jeremiah Tyler, cornerback Delan Stallworth, and defensive lineman Samuel Wright II. Tyler and Stallworth earned First Team All-Ivy honors in 2019, while Wright was named to the Second Team. "They're well-coached, they're athletic, they're fast, and they're confident, and they have every reason to be," Fabish said. Bagnoli noted that another wrinkle to prepare for is the unusual size of Princeton's defensive linemen. "Their three-down kids are not 6-foot-4, but they're 5-foot-11, they got great quickness, and you know they're a pain in the neck because they're moving them all over the place," he said. "It's a different kind of body type that your kids have to get used to block because there's so much more speed and quickness of movement than they've seen the first two weeks." Despite the strength of the Princeton defense, the Lions' offense has a strong base from which to build. In their first two games, the Lions have averaged 36 points and over 400 yards from scrimmage. Fabish has been especially impressed with the offense's team-first mentality. "What's really cool is we have had a lot of different guys step up in meaningful situations and deliver, and how the sideline has responded when those positive things happen has been super impressive," Fabish said. "Any time that you have a group of guys that don't care about who ultimately is getting the stat … it's awesome." The offense will be getting some help from senior wide receiver Mike Roussos. After missing the first two games due to undisclosed personal reasons, Roussos is set to return to the lineup this weekend. "[Roussos is] such a dynamic playmaker that it's nice to have him back," Bagnoli said. "He's got fresh legs and he's ready to go, and hopefully we can get a spark from him." On the other side of the ball, the Lions will try to slow down Princeton's offense, which is helmed by quarterback Cole Smith. Smith has already accumulated 637 yards and eight touchdowns—six passing and two rushing—while not turning the ball over once. However, this challenge does not phase defensive coordinator Paul Ferraro. "We just got to play sound technique football," Ferraro said. "They've always been a big play team, and they do a great job schematically. We just got to do a great job of keeping things in front of us." For the Lions to contain the big-play ability of the Princeton offense, they will have to slow down wide receivers Jacob Birmelin, Andrei Iosivas, and Dylan Classi, who each have over 100 yards receiving and have caught all of Smith's passing touchdowns. The Lions will continue to rely on the consistency of fifth-year safety Ben Mathiasmeier, who was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after his two-interception game last Saturday. "That's his biggest thing: He works hard, and he's consistent. You know what you're going to get out of Ben every week," Ferraro said. The Lions will also have to prepare for Princeton's offensive line, one of the strongest units in the league. Princeton is returning three starters from 2019, and Ferraro noted that the Tigers have the most experienced offensive line the Lions will see all year. On top of having strong personnel, the Tigers are known for causing confusion with a variety of schematic looks. "They got a lot of eye candy," fifth-year linebacker Justin Woodley said. "But if we can maintain our discipline, maintain our focus, I think we'll be okay." Ferraro elaborated on this point: "They schematically do a lot of things that create issues and then they also at times will tempo it up and they'll go fast, which puts pressure on you too—we're trying to substitute and we can't, we got 12 guys out there—so they create a lot of problems," he said. The Lions will not have the comfort of playing on their home field this week. Bagnoli predicts there will be an adjustment period ahead of the team's first road game, especially given the 62-man road trip roster limit. The game against the Tigers will be the first time this season that the Lions will not be able to take full advantage of the depth of their roster. Luckily, the Lions are entering this game "100 percent healthy," Bagnoli said. After two injury-riddled seasons, the team's good health thus far is a welcome sight. Despite the difficulties Princeton poses, Bagnoli and his players are excited by the challenge. "It's one of those games that you look forward to playing," Bagnoli said. "You'll love the challenges involved with it, but you also recognize that you're gonna have to bring your A-game." Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m at Princeton Stadium. Viewers from home can stream the game through ESPN+. Deputy Sports Editor 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.