Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Football
Columbia Hosts Seahawks for Northern Manhattan Neighborhood Appreciation Day
NEW YORK – The Columbia football team returns to action this Saturday, October 8, when it welcomes Wagner to Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium. The Lions (2-1) and Seahawks (0-4) are set to kick off at 1 pm on ESPN+.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Columbia has scored a defensive touchdown in three straight games, setting a program record.
two. Aaron Brebnor he recorded a takeout for the second straight game with his first and scored against Princeton.
3. joe green it ranks fourth in the nation in percentage of competition (71.9 percent).
4. Columbia leads the Ivy League in both third-down conversion percentage and third-down defensive conversion percentage. Nationally, it ranks third and fourth, respectively.
THE MATCH
Columbia and Wagner will meet for the fourth time in a series that began in 2015 but hasn’t been played since 2017. In all time, the Lions are 3-0 against Wagner, winning a pair at home and one on the road. . In the previous meeting between the two in 2017, Columbia won a 17-14 battle at home on a last-second 29-yard field goal from Ore Milstein ’20CC. The win was Columbia’s first of five straight wins in the season opener. Combined, the Lions have outscored the Seahawks 58-30 in all three meetings and at home the Lions have outscored Wagner 43-17 overall.
LION DEFENSE SETS A RECORD
In Columbia’s first Ivy League game against Princeton, Aaron Brebnor he scored on a Tigers fumble to put Columbia on the board. It was the third straight game in which the Lions scored a defensive touchdown, setting a school record for consecutive games scoring at least one defensive touchdown. The previous record had been two, occurring twice in 2006 and 2011.
AARON LIKES TO SCORE
With his scoop and touchdown against Princeton, defensive back Aaron Brebnor leads the team with two takeaways after posting an interception at Georgetown.
ROAR OF DEFENSE RUSH… THE NATION IS LISTENING
For the second time this season, and the sixth time since 2015, the Lions held a team under 50 rushing yards, holding Princeton to just 19 total rushing yards in Columbia’s home opener (Oct. 1). Strong performances so far this season from Columbia’s rushing defense has ranked them first in the country in rushing yards allowed, allowing just 24.7 yards per game through the first three games.
GREEN CONNECTIONS
During the first three games, joe green has hit the target with the best in the country. He has completed almost 72 percent of his passes, with a completion percentage of 71.9 percent. The solid number puts Green fourth in the nation and first in the Ivy League.
TOWNSEND TAKES OUT THE TIGERS
The Lions recorded six sacks against Princeton, the most since recording eight against Central Connecticut State in 2021. Leading the way was sophomore Justin Townsendwho recorded three sacks, a career best and the most in a game by a Lion since by Cam Dillon 5.5 sacks at CCSU in that same 2021 game.
THIRD DOWN AND ROAR
Columbia has been one of the best third-down teams in the nation, both defensively and offensively. They have been converting third downs at 56.2 percent, best in the league and third-best in the nation. On defense, Columbia has held teams to a 23.7 percent third-down conversion rate. That again puts them at the top of the league and puts them fourth in the nation.
ROAR WITHOUT CONFERENCE
Impressively, Columbia has won 13 of its last 15 non-conference games. The Lions rounded out their 2021 non-conference roster with a perfect 3-0 record for the third time in the last four years. A 24–10 loss to Georgetown on September 28, 2019 ended Columbia’s school-record non-conference winning streak at eight games. The streak began at Wagner on Oct. 8, 2016. The record was four straight non-conference wins from Sept. 28, 1996 to Oct. 28, 2016. Feb. 4, 1997. 2021 marked the fifth time since Columbia joined the Ivy League that the Lions went undefeated during non-conference competition: 3-0 in 2021, 2018, 2017, 2006 and 1996.
MUST WATCH TV
Columbia partnered with SportsNet NY (SNY) to televise two games, the Lions’ home opener against Princeton on October 1 and the homecoming against Dartmouth on October 22. This is the fifth year in a row that Columbia will appear on the regional sports leader. With a total distribution of nearly 11 million households, SNY is available to viewers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and northeastern Pennsylvania for a regional reach of 8.0 million households. Combined with national coverage from DIRECTV, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse, SNY’s total distribution is 11 million households. SNY is the official television home of the New York Mets, New York Jets and all things New York sports. As New York’s leader in local sports television coverage, SNY offers the most comprehensive access to all Tri-State area professional and college sports teams through various nightly sports and entertainment programs.
BUY TICKETS FOR UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.gocolumbialions.com/tickets or by calling 888-LIONS-11.
FOLLOW THE LIONS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
For the latest on the Columbia soccer team, follow @CULionsFB on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.