Lack of Running Game Dooms Predictable Columbia Offense

It is a well-known fact that the Columbia football team is last in the Ivy League in rushing offense. It can be argued that a lack of ability to rush had led to fewer rushing plays being called, but at the same time, the play-calling can contribute to the Lions’ inability to run the ball effectively.

On Saturday against Harvard, the Lions attempted to rush 20 times out of 64 offensive plays in the game. Only half of these rushes, however, were by running backs Ray Rangel and Jordan Davis. The other 10 included two rushes by wide receiver Austin Knowlin, who gained 14 yards, and the other eight “rushes” came from quarterback Craig Hormann. Most of Hormann’s rushes, however, were not called plays, but instead were the effect of a scramble after the pocket had collapsed, his receivers being unable to get open, or the Harvard defense not allowing him time to throw.

When all was said and done, the Lions only allocated 16 percent of their plays to traditional rushing attempts by a running back. At the end of the day, the running backs gained positive yardage, but the team as a whole went backward, recording negative five rushing yards, mainly due to the 41 lost yards that Hormann was responsible for.

The lack of run plays called by the Light Blue was not an anomaly in the game against Harvard. Rather, it has been a trend since the beginning of the season, as the team has not run over 25 designated rushing plays in any game except in Columbia’s week-two victory over Marist.

That is not to say that running the ball more leads to wins—staying on the ground can prove to be futile in certain situations. The Columbia offense becomes very easy to predict, however, when it is running pass plays for over 70 percent of its snaps.
At one point against Harvard, the Lions went three-and-out on three consecutive drives, and on those nine plays, a running back was featured only once, that coming on the first play of the first drive. At that point, the Lions were only down by seven, and each of those drives was a chance to tie the game. In eight of the nine plays, the ball was put in the hands of Hormann to make a play. The Harvard defensive line was putting more pressure on Hormann than it had in the first half, making it harder for the senior to get off good passes, and on many plays he had to scramble, costing the offense valuable yards. In instances like these, running plays could offer a positive change of pace to keep defenses guessing.

Part of keeping defenses honest is establishing the run in order to set up play action passes. If the Lions are not even attempting to run, play action is going to be ineffective as the defense will not be fooled or even worried about the running back actually taking the hand off.

Throughout this season, head coach Norries Wilson has expressed confidence in both Rangel and Davis, and each has delivered at times.

“They’re both really good running backs, and we’re looking for productivity from both, and we know we’re going to have to play them both of them to have a chance to be successful,” Wilson said.

Both players will need to produce for the Lions to have success, but it is hard for them to consistently generate yards if they are not getting a sufficient number of carries. Additionally, the offense as a whole cannot function with pressure being put on Hormann to make a play up to 80 percent of the time.