The Columbia Lions clinched their first Ivy League football title in sixty-three years with a hard-fought 17–9 victory over Cornell on November 23.
In windy conditions that grounded early passing attacks, Columbia relied on senior running back Joey Giorgi, who powered his way to a career-high 165 rushing yards on twenty-nine carries. First-year quarterback Caleb Sanchez eventually found his rhythm, throwing for 221 yards, including a seventy-three-yard strike to junior wide receiver Ethan Hebb that set up a pivotal third-quarter touchdown. As it has all season, Columbia’s defense dominated, tallying three sacks and two interceptions and holding Cornell to its fewest points of the season.
With a 7–3 overall record, the Lions share the Ivy title with Harvard and Dartmouth, as all three teams finished the season 5–2 in league play.
“What a tremendous feeling,” said first-year head coach Jon Poppe, whose seven wins are the most by a rookie Lions coach since 1899. “Just a tremendous job by all the seniors, coaches, and staff.”
