Oct. 9, 2010
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NEW YORK, N.Y. - NEW YORK, N.Y. - Columbia quarterback Sean Brackett threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns and carried for 105 yards and another TD as Columbia pulled away in the second half for a 42-28 win over Lafayette.
Columbia (3-1) outscored the Leopards 21-11 in the second half and dominated time of possession in the fourth quarter, holding the ball for 11:42 of the 15-minute span. Columbia garnered 239 rushing yards to 150 for Lafayette on Saturday at Wien Stadium while Lafayette held a 248-156 advantage in the air. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak against the Lions.
To start the game, the Leopards won the toss and took the ball. Starting at their own 21-yard line, Lafyette moved quickly to the Columbia 20 with a mix of the run and pass. A bad snap on first down resulted in a 19-yard loss and the Leopards had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Davis Rodriguez following the 64-yard, nine-play drive.
Columbia immediately answered, covering 58 yards on eight plays before Brackett connected with Kurt Williams for a 28-yard touchdown and a 7-3 Columbia lead.
On their next possession, the Leopards started at their 37 after a 26-yard kick return. They scored on a fake reverse to Jet Kollie that allowed Hayes to be all alone in the Lions' secondary. Hayes reeled in the 34-yard TD grab on a drive that covered 63 yards in four plays in just 1:10. Lafayette led 10-7.
Minutes into the second quarter, Lafayette had the ball at the Columbia 38-yard line when O'Neil was intercepted by Alex Gross who returned it 69 yards for a touchdown and a 14-10 Columbia lead.
O'Neil responded on the next drive and led the Leopards on a 60-yard drive before a 24-yard pass to Rudolph at 7:05 allowed Lafayette to re-take the lead 17-14.
A 54-yard kick-off return by Columbia's Craig Hamilton set up the Lions' go-ahead score. Columbia's drive started at the Lafayette 36-yard line. Bracket found Zack Kourouma for a seven-yard pass following a scramble and Columbia led 21-17 at halftime.
Another lengthy kick return, this time a 38-yarder by the Lions, started the second half. They took a page out of the Leopard playbook, scoring on a fake reverse when Brackett to hit Andrew Kennedy for a 29-yard score and a 28-17 advantage.
The Lafayette offense mustered a 26-yard field goal by Rodriguez on its ensuing drive the spanned 57 yards on eight plays in 4:16. Lafayette trailed 28-20.
A four-minute drive by Columbia into the heart of the defense put the game away. The Lions ran nine plays (all rushes) and covered 69 yards. Brackett accounted for 44 on the ground before he ended the drive with a four-yard run around the left end to give Columbia a 35-20 lead.
On Lafayette's ensuing drive, Mitchell Bennett fumbled after a catch and turned the ball over at the Lafayette 41. It took Columbia seven plays to capitalize, the last a one-yard touchdown run by Leon Ivery that ran the score to 42-28.
The Leopards (0-5) added a late score set up by a 69-yard fleaflicker pass from O'Neil to Bennett. Rudolph scored from five yards out and added ran in the two-point conversion to put the final at 42-28.
Defensively, Mike Schmidlein, who has been playing through a shoulder injury, led the team with 11 tackles while Nick Nardone followed with 10.
Next up, Lafayette hosts Stony Brook on homecoming weekend for a 1 p.m. kick off.
NOTES: Senior P Tom Kondash served as the special teams captain for the game.
The Leopards are 0-5 for the first time since 1994. In that season, the Leopards lost their first six, but won the final five to capture the Patriot League title.
The loss to Columbia was the first since 2000.
