Offense Still Looking for Balance

As rain washed over the newly dedicated Kraft Field Saturday, it took with it any hope of an upset by the Columbia football team. With only three conference games left in the season, the Lions perhaps need to use these remaining face-offs as opportunities to develop a game that is cohesive and that functions on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, the Lions put forth an improved effort Saturday, holding Yale running back Mike McLeod to 81 yards and keeping the Elis scoreless during the first half. But as the game wound down, the Light Blue defense let its guard down, with Yale out-gaining the Lions by over 200 yards.

Columbia has developed a habit of playing unequal games, making a stronger showing through the air than on the ground. In its face-off against Penn, one of Columbia’s most painful losses, the Lions passed for 424 yards and rushed for only eight yards, presenting a glaring disparity. Against Marist, however, the only team to fall to the Light Blue, the Lions managed to achieve a more balanced game, passing for 145 yards and rushing for 216 yards.

In a heartbreaking loss to Princeton, the Lions again produced a more balanced offensive attack, using the pass to set up the run, finishing the day with 118 yards rushing and 278 yards passing. Unfortunately, the Tigers outpassed and outrushed the Lions in the 42-32 loss.

The Light Blue’s passing game is rarely outdone, having been trumped only once this season by Princeton. Columbia has yet to out-gain any team in rushing, however, and is also last in the league in rushing defense.

As the Lions look to take on the Crimson (5-2, 4-0 Ivy), the concept of balance may figure in more than ever. Harvard has managed to hold its own against Dartmouth, managing to rush for 225 yards and pass for 193 yards, while defeating a team against which Columbia rushed for 87 yards and passed for 343 yards. Harvard does have some standout offensive players, and the Lions’ defense will have to repeat the first half of the Yale game to stave off Harvard running backs sophomore Cheng Ho and freshman Gino Gordon, who have so far rushed for an average of 65.9 yards per game and 42.9 yards per game, respectively.

The reporter of this article can be reached at sports@columbiaspectator.com.