Lions' Strength Lies in Balanced Offensive Attack

There has been one truly striking difference between the 2006 Columbia football team and the 2007 edition. Last season, all the talk was about a defense that gave up an average of 16 points per game and scared offenses out of their initial game plans by showing a variety of blitz and rushing packages. In 2007, it has been the Lions’ offense that has taken its game to another level, as the team has improved its scoring average by nearly 10 points per contest.

One of the biggest reasons for this transformation has been an offensive attack that relies on a steady balance of both the pass and the run. Under center, senior quarterback and co-captain Craig Hormann has shown few ill effects of his ACL injury in the off-season, as he currently ranks as the third-leading passer in the Ivy League. Sophomore receiver Austin Knowlin has the most receptions and second-most receiving yards through three weeks in the league, while junior running back Jordan Davis is already more than 70 percent of the way to his season total from last year and is currently second in rushing among the Ivies.

In 2006, the Lions’ primary difficulty on offense was establishing a threatening ground game, which allowed defenses to focus on the passing attack. Now, with a more experienced offensive line, Columbia is creating more holes for Davis, and against a veteran Princeton defensive front, Davis ran for over 100 yards for the second-straight game.

Even with these offensive improvements there is still a great deal of room for progress, beginning first with the tight end position. After three games, junior Troy Evangelist and senior Jamal Russell have only caught six passes for a total of 51 yards. While the primary job of a tight end is to provide another blocker on the offensive line, using them consistently in the passing game could provide a solid second or third target for Hormann. The fact that Evangelist and Russell are 6-feet-6-inches and 6-feet-3-inches, respectively, highlights their potential strength against opposing linebackers.

Yet as the offense continues to take large steps forward, there has been a drop off on defense, although the reason is unclear. Opponents have raised their average scoring by more than nine points a game over last season, and Columbia has given up over 850 yards in only three contests. While the graduation of Adam Brekke, Tad Crawford, Darren Schmidt, and Todd Abrams has certainly had an effect on the team, it might make more sense to classify the defense’s early season struggles simply as growing pains.

This explanation makes the most sense, given how the team has progressed since the opener against Fordham. In each game, the run defense has given up fewer yards on the ground and has forced more turnovers per contest. Against the Tigers, progress was certainly evident in the intensity of the defense as the Lions forced four turnovers, keeping Columbia in the game until late in the fourth quarter.

Still, no matter how many statistics a person throws out, the only one that matters in the end is wins, and despite an improved offense and a growing defense, the Lions sit at 1-2. Giving up 42 points to a relatively inexperienced Princeton team will not help matters much, and it is something that must be addressed before the bulk of the Ivy season starts in two weeks against Penn.

The Lions have a lot of talent on their roster, and credit must be given to head coach Norries Wilson and his staff for getting the maximum effort out of each one of their players. Should Columbia find a solid third option for Hormann in the passing game and if the run defense continues to progress, don’t be surprised if this team mimics at least one aspect from the 2006 squad—coming away with a couple of Ivy League victories.

Jonathan August is a Columbia College junior majoring in economics-philosophy. Sports@columbiaspectator.com