Yale just shook up the Ivy League universe, and the program couldn't be happier.
For weeks, Columbia was getting the national love for its massive rebound season under coach Al Bagnoli. The Lions were methodically moving toward their first Ivy League football title at the school since the Kennedys were in the White House, and carried a 7-game winning streak into this weekend. But that streak would end, 23-6 at the Yale Bowl in front of 15,000-plus fans.
Yale (6-1) was looking forward to making some history of its own — as in 900 all-time wins. Only three Division I programs have ever won 900 — Yale, Michigan and Notre Dame. Nice company, eh?
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For the record, Yale hasn't won an Ivy League title since sharing it with Princeton in 2006.
So now the Ivy League picture gets a bit crazier. Columbia is still very much in the Ivy League title picture, and the potential for a shared honor ramped up on Saturday. At this point, Penn and Brown are the only two programs out of the discussion, with Columbia, Yale and Cornell emerging as the three-headed monster atop the Ivy. Cornell knocked off Princeton 29-28 late Saturday.
With Harvard's win over Dartmouth, the Crimson kept themselves in the hunt by a hair, while knocking Dartmouth from the top of the heap.
What has been amazing the past year or two with Yale and Columbia is the level at which they are recruiting, and Yale's younger players really shined. Freshman running back Zane Dudek had a monster game for the Bulldogs, who look forward to three more seasons of him after this. He rushed for 173 yards, the best in the Ivy League for the weekend. Deonte Henson — a former Sam Houston State commitment — was a Top 250 HERO Sports FCS recruit back in February. He had an interception and four tackles. They're just two young players who made a splash.
In all, Yale controlled the game by shutting down Columbia's rushing attack. Only 31 yards were allowed. The Bulldogs will now play Friday night against Brown, at Princeton the next week and "The Game" at home vs. Harvard on Nov. 18. Yale's lone loss was by one point to Dartmouth on Oct. 7.
Harvard's win to knock Dartmouth from the top of the Ivy League when the Crimson's Jake Smith threw three touchdowns to eliminate a 14-0 halftime deficit and rally to a 25-22 win. Whether this game holds as the one that knocked the Big Green out of Ivy League contention remains to be seen, but it may have.
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