The heartbreaker loss to Yale on Saturday did produce some amazing individual efforts that should be recognized in addition to my co-MVP's Lou Miller and Sean Brackett.
-Leon Ivery broke out with 127 yards rushing. Yes, most of it came on one spectacular 75 yard run, but he was reliable in 16 total carries on the day.
-Austin Knowlin wore #4 to honor the injured Ray Rangel and had three key catches for 63 yards and a TD.
-Andrew Kennedy got more open than he's been all year, (and he's been open a lot), for another TD reception that featured a good run after the catch.
-The razzle-dazzle flea-flicker for Columbia's first score involved a lot of great efforts. Taylor Joseph stayed focused in triple coverage to haul the TD catch in and get a foot in-bounds.
-Junior Josh Smith complimented Miller on the defensive line and recorded two sacks. He also batted down a pass.
-Andy Shalbrack split his time between safety and corner and had eight tackles plus a pass breakup.
-Sophomore Neil Schuster came off the bench and had eight tackles and a forced fumble.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Penn outlasted Brown, 14-7 in overtime at Brown Stadium. The Quakers did it without star QB Keiffer Garton and simply relied on their defense against the most explosive offense in the league. Penn goes to 4-0 in the Ivies and the Bears title repeat hopes appear to be over.
Harvard nailed Dartmouth 42-21, and also knocked star Big Green running back Nick Schwieger out for the year. The Crimson are also 4-0 in the league and seem headed for a championship showdown at home vs. Penn in two weeks.
Princeton got off the floor and outlasted Cornell at Princeton Stadium by a 17-13 score. No doubt the team was bolstered by Jordan Culbreath's presence at the game.
While it can't be a surprise to any serious Ivy-watcher to see Harvard and Penn battling it out for the top spot, it is simply stunning how many key players for all teams, (except for maybe Harvard), have been cut down by injuries this season.
That said, I hope this year's rash of injuries does not persuade the powers that be to consider some kind of rules changes or other new procedures. One season does not a trend make. If this continues next year and the year after that, then maybe it's worth investigating. But not now. We can't allow football at any level, especially our Ivy level, to be emasculated.
AND...
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