Lions Fall Six Yards Short in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, CONN., October 30 In Bob Shoop's return to the Yale Bowl, he found himself in an unfamiliar situation. Standing on the visitor's sideline, he was barking orders, trying to beat his alma mater.

Despite Shoop's best efforts, the Lions fell 21-14 in a down-to-the-wire game that transformed from a shoot-out into a defensive struggle.

Columbia had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but tight end Wade Fletcher was unable to haul in a fourth-down pass deep in the end zone.

"This was very similar to many of the games that we've played this season," head coach Bob Shoop said. "But [the game] doesn't come down to one play."

On the previous drive, the Lions drove to the Yale 45 when Shoop dipped into his bag of tricks. Looking for a big play, quarterback Jeff Otis pitched the ball to running back Rashad Biggers on an intended halfback option pass. Biggers threw a wobbly pass downfield, which was intercepted by safety Matt Handlon at the Yale 20-yard line.

The Lions' defense dominated the second half, but the offense, which thrived on short-fields early in the game, could not deliver after the intermission.

The bottom line was the Elis' ability to execute in the red zone and Columbia's continued anemic performance there. On multiple occasions in the second half, the Lions came away from the red zone empty-handed.

"What made the difference in the game?" Yale head coach Jack Siedlecki asked. "We were three-for-three in the red zone; they were two-for-five."

Down by seven with 4:31 remaining, Otis moved the Lions to Yale's 40, and was faced with a potential game-ending fourth down. On the play, Otis hit fullback Gordon Radlein in the flat and Radlein bulled his way for 28 yards, giving Columbia a shot at sending the contest to overtime.

Yale's defense, a unit that had struggled all season, tightened up in the red zone, ending the Lions' bid to extend the game. The Lions tried three consecutive rushing plays before lofting the ball up to Fletcher on a fade pass that had already worked twice in the game.

Handlon broke up the pass as it landed in Fletcher's hands. "I knew it was coming to me," he said. "I hit his hand."

The Lions scored a season-high 14 points in the first half but trailed the Bulldogs by a touchdown at intermission. The Lions capitalized on good field position, and Otis was able to engineer two short-field scoring drives, connecting with tight end Wade Fletcher for the scores.

The Lions' defense, though playing a stellar second half, could not contain Yale quarterback Alvin Cowan. Cowan connected with two receivers on touchdowns, and running back Robert Carr rushed for the Bulldogs' 21 first-half points.

On his first series of the game, Cowan drove the Bulldogs 76 yards in under just five minutes to give his team a 7-0 lead. On the drive, tight end Alex Faherty caught the 13-yard scoring pass.

After the Lions had tied the game at 14 with 1:26 remaining in the half, Cowan marched the Elis 69 yards on seven plays and hit Henley with a nine-yard strike.

Otis connected with Fletcher for two scores on drives that started on Yale's 20 and Columbia's 20.

The Lions' defense forced two turnovers on interceptions by cornerbacks Jason Auguste and Aaron Percival in the first half, but neither play led to a score.

Otis finished the day 23 of 39 for 202 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Fletcher had seven catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Biggers had a dominant game, rushing 30 times for 129 yards.