It’s time for the third annual X-Factor Awards

It’s sad to say, but we’ve hit the midpoint of the Ivy League football season and that means that it’s time for the 3rd and final installment of the X-Factor Awards. In the past I’ve usually given out these awards later in the football season, but that’s more due to the randomness of my column schedule than anything else.

So what are the X-Factor Awards, you ask? Well, as one of the beat reporters for the Columbia football team, I’ve seen a lot of Ivy League football in my day, especially in relation to the rest of you who just come out for Homecoming. The X-Factor Awards, in essence, are my way of channeling my Ancient Eight football knowledge in a fun way for your reading pleasure—or displeasure if you don’t agree with my reasons for giving a certain player an award.

As I’ve stated twice before, the rules for who is eligible for an X-Factor Award are simple—he must play Ivy League football and catch my attention. From there, only my opinion matters because, well, I’m the X-Factor and the rest of you aren’t. If you want to give out your own awards, go for it.

I debated whether or not to rename the awards as the names seem slightly outdated. Upon further review, though, I decided that the names are awesome and I hope you get the references.

Now that those housekeeping issues have been taken care of, I give you the 3rd annual X-Factor Awards!

The X-Factor Award
This award goes to the player I just love to watch. The past two winners have been defensive players—Harvard cornerback Steven Williams and Columbia defensive end Lou Miller—but this year I’m not going to give it to a defender. In all honesty, part of me wants to give it to Miller again because he’s just a monster off the corner, but after watching Cornell’s wide receiver Bryan Walters for three years I can’t deny this to him. In three meetings with the Lions, Walters has 498 total yards, including an 82-yard punt return touchdown in a one-sided Big Red win up in Ithaca in 2007. In his career, Walters has looked a lot like Dante Hall (the most famous X-Factor), racking up 5,096 total yards, and he has a chance to break Clifton Dawson’s Ivy record of 6,138 total yards if he continues at the pace he is on—1,017 yards in five games this season. The numbers speak for themselves—this guy is scary good. Because he can’t be stopped, Bryan Walters is this year’s X-Factor Award winner.

The “Chicks Dig the Long Ball” Award
No quarterback in the league has been lighting up the scoreboard like Brown’s Kyle Newhall. This junior has led the Bears’ high-flying offense with 137 points scored, all in just his first year as a starter. Among Ivy quarterbacks, Newhall has thrown for the most yards (1,402) and touchdowns (11) and has the highest completion percentage (65.6 percent). He may have a league-leading eight interceptions, but that is one of the setbacks with having him throw the ball over 40 times a game. Columbia’s Millicent Olawale has made a strong case for this award, especially since he poses a strong dual threat, but I’m going to go with Newhall for this year’s “Chicks Dig the Long Ball” Award.

The Jacked Up Award
I realized when I was planning for these awards that the categories are very offense-centric, so I decided to add this award for a defender who has proven that he just can’t be stopped. Cornell linebacker Chris Costello is a guy that offenses can’t afford to lose track of, as he has wrought havoc all season long. Not only does he lead the Ancient Eight in total tackles, tackles for a loss, and fumbles forced, but this senior linebacker knows how to lay the wood. Hey Chris, you just got Jacked Up!

The Noob Award
This award goes out to the league’s top freshman, and for the second year in a row I’m giving it to a player from Harvard. Running back Treavor Scales is part of the Crimson’s deep backfield and though junior running back Gino Gordon has gotten the majority of the carries—63 compared to Scales’ 44—the two are both averaging a solid 4.3 yards per carry. I watched Harvard take on Cornell thanks to a streaming feed on Cornell’s athletics web site, and Scales was impressive as he helped the Crimson knock off the Big Red on the road. In that game, Scales ran 23 times for 92 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. Scales has got a bright future and if he can keep up the good work he could add Ivy League Rookie of the Year to his list of accolades.

The Freddie Mitchell “I’d Like to Thank My Hands for Being So Great” Award
The final two awards fell into place after some inner debate and I decided to give Columbia senior Austin Knowlin the Freddie Mitchell “I’d Like to Thank My Hands for Being So Great” Award as the league’s top receiver. This award doesn’t really fit Austin’s character as he is one of the most humble players I have talked to and Freddie Mitchell, well, was an egomaniac. However, Knowlin will end his Columbia days as the best receiver to play in a Light Blue uniform, which leaves me no choice but to give him this award.

The Pacman Jones “Making It Rain” Award
This might not make sense given the previous award, but bear with me. The player who I believe will be this year’s Ivy Player of the Year is Brown wide receiver Buddy Farnham. Why, then, did I just give Knowlin the award for the best receiver? The reason is that it’s no fun if the same player wins two awards. Farnham’s numbers this year—and throughout his career for that matter—have been nothing short of awesome. This season he leads the league with 485 receiving yards and is tied for the league lead with four receiving touchdowns. His 901 all-purpose yards fall only behind Walters’ 1,017 for the most in the league this season. Last week alone Farnham had 10 catches for 199 yards and 309 all-purpose yards—that’s G. The race for the Ivy Player of the Year Award should be close between Farnham, Knowlin, and Walters, but at the end of the day I’m giving Farnham the Pacman Jones “Making It Rain” Award because my money’s on him.

Matt Velazquez is a Columbia College senior majoring in history.
sports@columbiaspectator.com