Thirteen Lions Earn All-Ivy Football Honors, Green Named Rookie Of The Year

Upper West Side NY

25 November, 2021

12:49 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MATTHEW KIM NOVEMBER 23, 2021 Thirteen Columbia football players earned All-Ivy honors, according to an Ivy League press release. Three were named to the first team, five were named to the second team, and four were given honorable mentions. Sophomore quarterback Joe Green was also named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Starting in all 10 games, Green led the Lions to seven wins in his rookie season. The sophomore notched 1,590 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, one of which came on the ground. With Green at the helm, the Lions only threw three interceptions, tied for the fewest in the Ancient Eight. Fifth-year strong safety Ben Mathiasmeier, senior running back Dante Miller, and senior kick and punt returner Mike Roussos headline the first team for the Lions. As a team captain and the Lions' most experienced player, Mathiasmeier anchored the Light Blue secondary. He led the Ivy League with four interceptions, one of which was Dartmouth quarterback Derek Kyler's first of the year in the Lions' 19-0 shutout against the Big Green. Mathiasmeier also ended the season with 50 tackles. Miller finished the season as the Ivy League rushing champion with 838 yards on the ground. The North Carolina native wowed fans with his breakaway speed, with all four of his touchdowns coming from 40 or more yards and two of them coming from 65 or more yards. His 75-yard touchdown against Penn tied for the longest run in the conference. Though Roussos is also a wide receiver for the Lions, he earned All-Ivy honors for his performance as a kick and punt returner. The senior averaged 26.4 yards per kick return and 9.4 yards per punt return, both good for third in the Ancient Eight. Roussos also recorded two touchdowns as a wideout. With the selection, Roussos becomes only the fourth Lion to earn first team honors three times. The Lions' second team selections include senior linebacker Cam Dillon, junior linebacker Scott Valentas, junior kicker Alex Felkins, senior defensive lineman Paul Akere, and senior offensive lineman Tyler Worrell. Coming off of an injury during his sophomore season, Dillon shined for the Lions this year. Dillon's 8.5 sacks this season ranked third in the Ivy League. Most notably, he exploded for 5.5 sacks in a 22-20 win over Central Connecticut State University, the most in program history. His 13 tackles for loss tied for second most in the conference, and his 51 tackle record was the second highest on the team. Right beside Dillon was Valentas, who led the team with 56 tackles. The junior also recorded two sacks and nine tackles for loss and finished with 12 tackles against both Yale and Penn. Felkins nailed 16 of his 24 field goal attempts this season, breaking a school record for most-made field goals in a season. His season long came against Brown, when he converted from 42 yards out. Felkins also led the Lions to 38 touchbacks, the second most in the Ivy League. In his first year as a starter, Akere helped lead a ferocious front four for Columbia. The Texas native registered five sacks and nine tackles for loss to go along with four QB hits and 42 tackles. Playing in eight games, Worrell led a consistent offensive line that only allowed 12 sacks, the second fewest in the conference. Fifth-year punter Drew Schmid, fifth-year cornerback Will Allen, senior running back Ryan Young, and senior safety Jordan Colbert got honorable mention nods for the Lions. Schmid averaged nearly 40 yards per punt on 58 total attempts. He recorded three punts of over 50 yards, and his longest punt was a 57-yarder against Georgetown. Allen was a stalwart for the Lions' secondary, notching 11 pass breakups. The fifth-year also came away with two crucial interceptions in the Light Blue's 34-26 win against Cornell on Saturday. Sharing backfield duties with Miller, Young was the second half of the Lions' lethal one-two punch in the running game. Young ranked seventh in the Ivy League with 528 rushing yards and had three games of over 90 yards on the ground. The senior also added value in the passing game, catching 18 passes for 194 yards. Though he saw playing time in every game, Colbert became the Lions' starting free safety midway through the year after senior Fara'ad McCombs went down with an injury. Colbert took advantage of his opportunities as a starter, intercepting two passes and forcing a fumble. He also recorded 49 tackles, including a 13-tackle performance against Harvard. The Lions' 13 All-Ivy honorees is the most in program history. Columbia finished with a 7-3 record and 4-3 record in Ancient Eight competition, enough for a tie for fourth in the conference. Deputy Sports Editor Matt Kim can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @matt_kim9. 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.