Lions Down Red Foxes, 31-7

Columbia moved to 1-1 for the season with a 31-7 victory over Marist in rainy conditions at Wien Stadium Saturday. Jordan Davis had three touchdowns for the Lions and ran for 177 yards. Marist College, which was playing an Ivy League program for the first time in school history, never let the game get entirely out of reach, due largely to an oustanding performance from their primary running threat, Bo Ehikioya.

The teams played a scoreless first quarter, with the only threat coming when Marist drove the ball to Columbia’ 13-yard line in their first possession of the game. The Lions recovered a fumble within their five-yard line to stave off the pressure. Despite an unexpected rainstorm, Columbia put together a surprisingly balanced attack on offense. The Lions’ first scoring drive came through six pass attempts and five running plays by Davis, who would find the end zone thanks to a well-timed spin move that broke him free from a horde of Marist defenders.

Marist’s running game was highly effective thanks to a breakout game from Bo Ehikioya, who had been sidelined with an injury for most of last season. He had 38 carries for 212 yards, but his individual performance couldn’t mask Marist’s inability to pass. The Red Foxes had two possessions to try and respond to Columbia’s touchdown, but both were stalled. The Lions’ defense showcased its ability to make a quarterback pay for his mistakes, as safety Clark Koury intercepted a pass and returned it 22 yards. The Lions ended the first half with a field goal to bring the score to 10-0.

Columbia scored on their first possession of the second half on a 7-yard rush from Davis, who carried three Marist defenders with him into the endzone. Marist quickly responded with their most impressive drive of the game--12 straight running plays for 76 yards capped with a touchdown.

A second interception by Clark Koury drowned out any chance of a Marist comeback at the start of the fourth quarter. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Davis sprinted untouched off the hip of the Lions’ left tackle and into the endzone to put the score at 24-7. Davis commented after the game that the Columbia offensive line is coming together as a unit in a way that it hadn’t last season.

Marist had no choice but to continue trying to run the ball, but even if their attack was good enough for a few first downs, they couldn’t integrate dropback passing to put them in scoring position. Columbia head coach Norries Wilson pointed out rush defense as a weak point for the Lions after the win, and acknowledged that it’s a problem that will need to be solved before next Saturday’s Ivy League opener at Princeton.