Columbia (3-6, 2-4 Ivy) scored twice within the first minute against Cornell, on an 80-yard dash by junior Zack Kourouma and a four-yard run by freshman quarterback Sean Brackett after an interception by Ross Morand set up the Lions on a short field.
But the 13-0 lead quickly dwindled and Columbia trailed 20-16 coming out of halftime. After a costly fumble by Brackett at the Cornell 26-yard line, head coach Norries Wilson decided that a change of pace was necessary. That change? Putting senior quarterback Millicent Olawale back on the field.
“We had planned to use him in a reserve roll or change of tempo roll this week and that’s the plan we stuck to,” Wilson said.
He mentioned that he started the freshman because Brackett had taken the most reps with the first team this week and Olawale’s arm hadn’t looked as strong as it had at the beginning of the season.
Olawale had been sidelined for two weeks‑against Yale and Harvard‑due to a shoulder injury. Olawale said it took a couple plays and throws to “knock the rust off,” but the senior went 4-for-4 for 28 yards and ran for 13 more in his first time on the field since the Light Blue faced Dartmouth three weeks ago.
After senior safety Andy Shalbrack intercepted a pass from Cornell’s Ben Ganter‑the Columbia defense picked off the two Big Red quarterbacks six times on Saturday—Columbia had just 21 yards to go.
At first-and-goal from the one-yard line, everyone knew who the ball was going to, and Olawale plowed forward for his sixth rushing touchdown this season and Columbia took its first lead since the first quarter, going up 23-20.
Having Olawale under center didn’t just change the efficiency of the offense, it changed its attitude.
“Millie’s the leader of our offense, obviously, so when he came into the huddle I looked around and the lineman and everyone else got real lively in the huddle,” senior wide receiver Austin Knowlin said. “Everyone was excited. He picked it up and came and just played really well. He came in and just gave us that motivation, momentum we needed to put it over the top.”
And that change was reflected in the play of the Cornell defense. The defense allowed the Lions just 17 yards in the second quarter, but in the third quarter it gave up 62 yards in the under five minutes Olawale was on the field. Cornell head coach Jim Knowles said he was “shocked” that Olawale hadn’t been put in earlier.
“He [Olawale] is a big, strong, physical good runner,” Knowles said. “We were ready for it, but still it’s such a different game”
The senior quarterback did have some troubles as the fourth quarter wound to a close. Olawale threw an interception in the endzone on a fade ball intended for junior Andrew Kennedy, giving the Big Red an opportunity to come back.
The defense came through again with another interception, and this time Olawale didn’t take any chances. Facing third and ten from the Cornell 19-yard line, the senior tucked it in and ran untouched into the end zone, sealing the game for Columbia with a ten-point lead. The Lions went on to win 30-20, claiming their third win of the season.
The senior said sitting out was “really, really rough,” but “I was just trying to be there emotionally be there for them and obviously win if I had an opportunity to get back in.”
He got that opportunity. Olawale finished the day with 98 yards rushing and was 9-for-11 for 68 yards and an interception. Wilson is hesitant to commit to using Olawale next week in Columbia’s final game of the season against Brown, saying instead that it will be a decision he makes as the week progresses.
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