Tag Archive: Football

  1. FOOTBALL | Bulldogs drop first Ivy contest

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    The Bulldogs were left seeing red on the gridiron yesterday in their first Ivy League game of the season.

    Cornell (1–1, 1–0 Ivy) blew out Yale (1–1, 0–1 Ivy) 45–6 in the Ancient Eight opener in Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday. The Big Red rode quarterback Jeff Mathews’ arm and four turnovers by the Blue and White to a big win on their home turf.

    “[Mathews] is probably the best quarterback I’ve played against,” defensive back Nick Okano ’14 said. “If we made just a slight mistake … he’d thread the needle.”

    Yale managed to stop Cornell on the opening drive after the Big Red drove into Eli territory, but Cornell got the ball right back when Cornell safety Andrew Nelson jumped a screen and picked off the pass from Eli quarterback Eric Williams ’16.

    Cornell scored on the very next play on a run by tailback Luke Hagy to jump out to a 7–0 lead. Although that would be enough to win the game, Mathews and company did not stop there. Mathews threw for three, and Hagy ran for another as the Big Red took a big 35–0 lead by halftime.

    Yale also lost running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 midway through the first half to a right shoulder injury. He did not return to the game, and Khalil Keys ’15 and Tyler Varga ’16 filled in for him in the backfield. Cargill said the two younger players did a great job running the ball.

    “Our team mantra is ‘Next man up.’ We work hard at practice and compete every day to make sure everyone’s ready to go,” Cargill said.

    The Bulldogs finally got on the board in the final seconds of the third quarter when Williams found wide receiver Grant Wallace ’15 on a seven-yard slant to make it 42–6, but holder Derek Russell’s ’13 pass for the two-point conversion fell incomplete.

    The Big Red added a 22-yard field goal with 8:25 to go in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring at 45–6.

    Despite allowing Cornell to run away with the first half 35–0, the Elis renewed their drive to keep pace with the Big Red in the second half. Cornell outscored Yale by only four points after halftime. Head Coach Tony Reno attributed the improvement to his team’s resilience.

    “[We] had a bad half but came out and played better football,” Reno said. “You need to learn from mistakes … We’re just looking to continue to improve.”

    Mathews finished the game 29–39 with 340 yards and four touchdown passes, while his Eli counterpart Williams finished 27–37 for 211 yards, one score and two interceptions. Matthews won the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League offensive MVP last season.

    Varga led the Yale ground attack with 91 yards on 13 carries. Hagy had 88 yards for Cornell, but it took him 21 rushing attempts.

    Yale will kick off its home season Saturday against Colgate. Ivy play at the Yale Bowl will begin the following week against Dartmouth.

    Last year, the Bulldogs trounced Cornell 37–17.

  2. FOOTBALL | Elis fall to Cornell in Ivy opener

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    The first Ivy League game of the season left the Bulldogs seeing Red in Ithaca this afternoon.

    Yale (1-1, 0-1 Ivy) was blown out by Cornell (1-1, 1-0 Ivy) 45-6 in the Ancient Eight opener.

    The Big Red rode quarterback Jeff Mathews’ arm and three turnovers by the Blue and White to a big win in Ithaca, N.Y.

    Cornell drove into Yale territory before being stopped on the opening drive, but it got the ball right back when linebacker Andrew Nelson jumped a screen and picked off the pass from Eli quarterback Eric Williams ’16.

    Cornell scored on the very next play on a run by tailback Luke Hagy to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Although that would be enough to win the game, Mathews and Co. did not stop there. Mathews scored three for three, and Hagy ran for another as the Big Red took a big 35-0 lead by halftime.

    Yale also lost running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 midway through the first half to a right shoulder injury. He did not return to the game and was replaced in the backfield by Khalil Keys ’15 and Tyler Varga ’16.

    The Bulldogs finally got on the board in the final seconds of the third quarter when Williams hit wide receiver Grant Wallace ’15 on a seven-yard slant to make it 42-6, but holder Derek Russell’s ’13 pass for the two-point conversion fell incomplete.

    The Big Red added a 31-yard field goal with 8:25 to go in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring at 45-6.

    Mathews finished the game 29-39 with 340 yards and four touchdown passes, while his Eli counterpart Williams finished 27-37 for 211 yards, one score and two interceptions.

    Varga led the Yale ground attack with 94 yards on thirteen carries. Hagy had 94 yards as well, but it took him 21 carries.

    Yale returns home next weekend to face Colgate on Saturday, Sept. 29.

  3. Keys to the game

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    DON’T LET MATHEWS BEAT YOU

    Although it is only their first Ivy League game, the Bulldogs will face possibly the most talented player they will see this season in Cornell University’s Jeff Mathews. As last year’s Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, he has shown no signs of a recession this season. Mathews threw for 489 yards and three scores while rushing for another touchdown against Fordham University last weekend. If the Bulldogs want to win in Ithaca tomorrow, they are going to have to disrupt Mathews and keep the Big Red on the ground. Cornell managed just 29 rushing yards last week, so if the Elis can make this weekend a ground game, the duo of running backs Tyler Varga ’16 and Mordecai Cargill ’13 can help Yale steal a win on the road. The key to all of this is taking the ball out of Mathews’ hands. Not only will the pass rush have to get to Mathews before he can pick apart the secondary, but the offense will also have to make sustained, time-consuming drives. Mathews cannot score when he is not on the field, so keeping him on the sidelines will be crucial.

    TAKE CHANCES ON OFFENSE

    Head coach Tony Reno made several bold play calls last weekend, and they worked out for the Bulldogs. Reno called for a deep pass instead of trying to run and get breathing room from the Yale two-yard line. He was rewarded with the longest play from scrimmage in Yale history when receiver Cameron Sandquist ’14 hauled in the tipped pass from Eric Williams ’16 for a 98-yard score. Earlier in the game he called for a fake punt, and safety John Powers ’13 — the same player who ran the fake punt in the infamous “fourth-and-22” play against Harvard three years ago — dashed for 24 yards. The irony of Powers gaining the yardage that would have vindicated former head Coach Tom Williams in The Game notwithstanding, Reno displayed a knack for taking risks at the right time. That could come in handy against an inexperienced Cornell secondary that is starting two freshmen at corner.

    EXECUTE ON SPECIAL TEAMS

    Last week Yale won because kicker Philippe Panico ’13 made his field goal while his Hoya counterpart missed both of his attempts. With the exception of giving up a punt return for a touchdown when Kyle Cazzetta ’15 outkicked the coverage, the Elis played well on special teams, but this week they will need to be mistake-free. Giving a quarterback like Mathews a short field to work with does your defense no favors, so the Bulldogs must focus on pinning Cornell deep within its own territory on punts and kickoffs. Last week showed the Elis the difference between scoring a touchdown and settling for a field goal attempt, and they need to take that to heart.

  4. FOOTBALL | Elis open Ivy season

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    The Bulldogs face a long, hard drive to Ithaca this weekend, but the trip will get even harder when they take the field to face Cornell.

    Although they lost their season opener to Fordham, the Big Red (0–1, 0–0 Ivy) is a dangerous team led by reigning Ivy League offensive player of the year, quarterback Jeff Mathews.

    Mathews started the season where he left off last year, throwing for 489 yards and three scores against the Rams to give him 1,446 yards and 12 touchdown passes in his past three games. Despite Mathews’ recent accomplishments, Yale (1–0, 0–0 Ivy) quarterback Eric Williams ’16 said that he will not change his game to compete with the Big Red signal caller.

    “Throwing for 1500 yards in the last three games, that’s something you don’t do too often,” Williams said. “[But] I’m not trying to compare myself to [Mathews]. I’m just trying to play the best that I can.”

    Head coach Tony Reno also praised Mathews, saying that he was an NFL prospect who combined a strong arm with an ability to read the field. Although Mathews is a threat, wide receiver Henry Furman ’14 stated that the team will not go to extremes to counter him.

    “Our identity is an aggressive defense,” Furman said. “We’re still going to run the same blitzes. We’re not going to be afraid and put more guys in coverage.”

    Wide receiver Cameron Sandquist ’14 added that the offense will also maintain the balance between ground and aerial assaults that led the Blue and White to a 24–21 victory at Georgetown last weekend.

    He added that the backfield combo of running backs Tyler Varga ’16 and Mordecai Cargill ’13 gives the Elis an edge. The duo rushed for a combined 179 yards last week, and Williams said that the backs’ ability to gain yards after contact is especially important.

    “I think we’ll fare all right [against Cornell] because we’ve got the run game with Varga and Mo that can be just deadly,” Williams said.

    Although establishing the run will be important, Williams said that the Bulldogs will take more chances down the field this weekend in the passing game. He and Sandquist added that although the Big Red secondary is young, the talent of the unit is apparent in the video that the Elis have been watching.

    Sandquist went on to say that Cornell also mixes up its coverages, but that one of Williams’ strengths as a quarterback was reading defenses and taking what he saw, rather than “step[ping] out of what he sees on the field.”

    Finally, Sandquist stated that Yale will try to control the tempo of the game.

    “We’re going to establish our identity and go from there,” Sandquist said. “We’re going to try and dictate the game ourselves.”

    Kickoff in Ithaca, N.Y., is at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

  5. Ivy sportswriters predict Cornell over Yale

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    Every Friday during football season, writers from Ivy League college newspapers send in their predictions for the weekend’s Ivy League matchups.

    In the first weekend of Ancient Eight matchups, reigning champion Harvard (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) will hit the road to face Brown (1-0, 0-0 Ivy), while Yale (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) heads up to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell (0-1, 0-0 Ivy). The rest of the Ivy League is playing non-conference games this week, so they were not considered in this poll.

    If sportswriters get their way, the odds are stacked against the Elis: seven of eight sportswriters picked Cornell to beat Yale this weekend. Only Dartmouth writers say they think the Elis will pull it out.

    We’re doing a little better than Brown, though, who was unanimously expected to lose its match against Harvard. We’ll see how right our writers are this weekend.

  6. FOOTBALL | Rookie Williams makes his mark

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    Playing quarterback at Yale can prove challenging, especially for the few freshmen who have gone under center, but Eric Williams ’16 appears up to the challenge.

    The rookie signal caller has already led the Bulldogs to a historic 24–21 win at Georgetown last Saturday. He connected with wide receiver Cameron Sandquist ’14 for a record-breaking 98-yard touchdown pass, but Sandquist said it was his confidence that has been the most impressive.

    “From the get-go you could tell that he had some leadership qualities. He took control of the offense,” Sandquist said.

    Williams’ leadership ability has also caught the eye of head coach Tony Reno. It was one reason that Reno decided to name Williams the starter against Georgetown over the more experienced John Whitelaw ’14, who quit the team in the wake of that decision.

    Reno added that Williams’ attitude does not fluctuate with his play, allowing him to stay in control despite his inexperience.

    “[Williams] managed the game pretty well,” Reno said after Saturday’s victory. “He made a few mistakes, but the key with Eric was that he made the mistakes but he kept playing. For a young guy to have some negative experiences during the game, but to not change his demeanor or who he was — he just kept playing.”

    Williams credited his level-headedness on the field to his brother Scott Williams ’13 and his father, Larry Williams.

    Larry Williams played football at the University of Notre Dame before going on to be an offensive lineman in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots.

    “He really didn’t force us to play football at all,” Williams said of his father. “He definitely did serve as our mentor once we started playing football. We listened to him in terms of how to get better.”

    Their father’s advice must have worked, because Eric is the third Williams son to don the blue and white. Scott Williams is a linebacker and Sean Williams ’11 was a defensive end for the Elis.

    Eric said the biggest advantage to having an older brother on the team has been the advice given to him on how to manage his schoolwork. He added that watching his oldest brother play at Yale is what inspired him to come to Yale.

    His brothers’ influence, combined with academic reasons, are what led Eric to turn down scholarships from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Toledo.

    “I was really interested in my academic career,” Eric said. “I know Yale offers a way better opportunity in that realm than Cincy or Toledo could.”

    Sandquist added that having a brother on the team helped the younger Williams acquaint himself with the team.

    Eric is no stranger to meeting new teammates or learning a new offense, however, since he did the same thing before his senior year of high school.

    He transferred from Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore., to football powerhouse St. Ignatius in Cleveland.

    “I liked it out there [in Oregon],” Eric said. “But coming into my senior year I wasn’t fitting in there academically or athletically.”

    Eric led St. Ignatius to its 11th Division I State Football championship, but it turns out he had athletic dreams beyond the gridiron. Until his junior year of high school, Williams said he wanted to play basketball in college. Luckily for Yale, he chose football.

    Williams and the Bulldogs will next play on Saturday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Cornell.

  7. FOOTBALL | Elis beat Hoyas sixth straight time

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    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Georgetown quarterback Aaron Aiken intended for wideout Kevin Macari to catch his 17-yard pass for a game-winning touchdown with 40 seconds remaining. Yale defensive back Collin Bibb ’13 had another idea. Bibb jumped in front of the Georgetown receiver and came down with the interception to preserve Yale’s 24–21 victory.

    The Elis had a new coach at the helm in Tony Reno and a freshman starting behind center — the first in a season opener since 1997 — in Eric Williams ’16 on Saturday. But with his family in attendance, Reno was able to kick off his career as the 34th head coach of Yale (1–0, 0–0 Ivy) football in wild and record-setting fashion with a win against the Hoyas (2–1, 0–0 Patriot) in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

    “It’s pretty special to have my family here,” Reno said. “[And] this is a special team. It’s a team that’s had some adversity early on, and they’ve really pulled together, and they’ve changed the culture of who they are, and I couldn’t be prouder of them and our staff.”

    The adversity was evident from the start of the game, when running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 made the lonely trek to the center of the field for the coin toss. Cargill was elected by his teammates to represent the Elis at the toss this week in the absence of a team captain.

    The Bulldogs lost the flip but received the kickoff when the Hoyas deferred until the second half. On just the fourth play of the drive, Cargill was stripped by defensive back Jeremy Moore to give Georgetown possession in Yale territory.

    The Blue and White defense stood firm, however, and responded with a fumble recovery of its own by linebacker EJ Conway ’15 to stop the Hoyas at the Yale 10-yard line.

    The ensuing Yale drive witnessed the debut of running back Tyler Varga ’16, who bullied the Hoyas on his way to 47 yards and a touchdown during the 14-play, 90-yard drive to hand Yale a 7–0 advantage.

    “Varga and Mo [Cargill], they got hearts; that’s to say the least,” Williams said. “After first contact they know how to keep getting more yards.”

    The tide turned quickly on the Elis after that, with Georgetown scoring on a punt return and an interception to take a 14–7 lead. The momentum appeared to favor the Hoyas heading into halftime, but Aiken fumbled as he appeared destined to score with under a minute to play in the half, and the ball was recovered by Yale at its own two-yard line.

    On the next play, Williams wound up and fired the ball 40 yards downfield towards receiver Cameron Sandquist ’14. The ball seemed underthrown, but it was tipped by defensive back Malcolm Caldwell-Meeks into Sandquist’s waiting hands. The wide receiver then ran untouched into the end zone to give Yale a surprising 17–14 lead at the half. The 98-yard bomb was the longest play from scrimmage in the history of Yale football.

    “It wasn’t a great pass so it was tipped,” Williams said. “But Cameron, he has the instincts to go get the ball and he came down with it and took it to the house.”

    The decision to go deep was not Reno’s only gutsy call. He also ordered a fake punt on fourth down early in the second quarter, but unlike the infamous “fourth-and-22” call in the 2009 Game, the deception gained the first down and more with a 24-yard run by defensive back John Powers ’13.

    The offense gave Yale the lead heading into halftime, but it was the defense that stepped up to hold on in the second half.

    The Hoyas capitalized on center John Oppenheimer’s ’14 wild shotgun snap to recover a fumble and take a 21–17 lead with a 32-yard rushing score by tailback Dalen Claytor.

    Yale’s defense made a statement on the next drive, however; with defensive end Kolu Buck ’14 forcing a fumble that end Allen Davis ’13 recovered at the Georgetown 14-yard line.

    It took the Elis just two plays to capitalize on the defense’s work. Varga scored from nine yards out virtually untouched to take the lead back 24–21.

    The Bulldog defense then took over the fourth quarter, stopping the Hoyas on two straight fourth-and-one plays before the final drive.

    “I’m happy with the way [the defense] responded,” former captain linebacker Will McHale ’13 said. “We were put in some not the best situations, but I’m proud of the way the guys fought and proud of the effort and the execution.”

    With just 2:23 remaining in the game, Aiken began leading Georgetown down the field to try and tie or win the game. His pass on second-and-four from the Georgetown 46-yard line appeared to fly harmlessly out of bounds, but defensive back Collin Bibb ’13 was called for a late hit that gave the Hoyas a first down at the Yale 39-yard line.

    “One of the big things [Coach Reno] has taught us while he’s been here is no matter what happens in the game you’ve got to stay on an even keel emotionally,” Bibb said. “Just look to the next play always.”

    Bibb did just that. Aiken drove the Hoyas all the way to the Yale 17-yard line when Georgetown decided to try and win it with 40 seconds to go, but Bibb put a damper on the Hoyas’ hopes with his takeaway, and the Elis were able to run out the clock on the opening day victory.

    Williams finished 19–30 for 250 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions, while running backs Mordecai Cargill ’13 and Varga finished with 76 and 103 yards rushing, respectively. Sandquist led the receiving corps with nine receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown. Aiken finished 11–25 for 94 yards in the air, but ran for another 72 yards to lead a Hoya ground attack that totaled 260 yards.

    Yale will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., this Saturday to face Cornell in its first Ivy League game of the season.

  8. FOOTBALL | Reno era begins with win over Georgetown

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    As far as opening games go, this one was certainly not lacking in drama.

    New head coach Tony Reno, rookie quarterback Eric Williams ’16 and a clutch performance by the new-look defense helped Yale (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) escape Georgetown (2-1, 0-0 Patriot) with a wild 24-21 victory this afternoon.

    After the Elis and Hoyas traded fumbles to start the game, Williams led a 14-play, 90-yard drive that was capped by running back Tyler Varga’s ’16 two-yard run into the endzone, putting Yale up 7–0.

    That lead lasted until Georgetown’s Kevin Macari returned punter Kyle Cazzetta’s ’15 punt 79 yards for a touchdown. And the Hoyas didn’t leave the game tied for long. They struck again just three plays later when defensive back Jeremy Moore jumped between a Williams pass and wide receiver Cameron Sandquist ’14, its intended target. Moore returned the interception for a touchdown, giving the home team a 14–7 lead.

    But the Bulldogs wasted no time responding, as Williams led a 51-yard drive into Hoya territory. Kicker Philippe Panico ’13 capped the possession with a 36-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 14-10.

    As the half wound down, Hoya quarterback Aaron Aiken appeared to be on his way to a touchdown and an even wider lead for Georgetown. But with the Yale defense’s backs to the endzone, linebacker Brian Leffler ’13 forced a fumble that defensive back John Powers ’13 recovered at the Yale two-yard line. With just 45 seconds left in the half, Reno decided not to settle for just preventing the Hoya score. He decided to go for a big play — and that is exactly what the Elis got.

    On the next play, Williams wound up and fired a long pass 40 yards downfield towards Sandquist. The ball appeared to be underthrown, until Georgetown defensive back Malcolm Caldwell-Meeks tipped it into Sandquist’s waiting hands. The wide receiver ran untouched into the end zone to give Yale a surprising 17-14 lead at the half. The 98-yard bomb was the longest play from scrimmage in the history of Yale football.

    The second half opened on a high note for the Elis, when linebacker Will McHale sacked Aiken to stop a Hoya drive at midfield. But a wild shotgun snap by center John Oppenheimer ’14 on the ensuing drive gave Georgetown the ball back, and the Hoyas capitalized with a 32-yard rushing score by tailback Dalen Claytor, giving the home team a 21–17 lead.

    Yale’s defense stepped up on the next drive, however; with defensive end Kolu Buck ’14 forcing a fumble that end Allen Davis ’13 recovered at the Georgetown 14. It took the Elis just two plays to capitalize on the defense’s work. Varga scored virtually untouched from nine yards out to take the lead back, 24-21.

    The Bulldog defense then took over the fourth quarter, stopping the Hoyas on two straight fourth-and-one plays before the final drive.

    With just 2:23 remaining in the game, Aiken began leading Georgetown down the field to try and tie or win the game. His pass on second-and-four from the Georgetown 46 appeared to fly harmlessly out of bounds, but defensive back Collin Bibb ’13 was called for a late hit that gave the Hoyas a first down at the Yale 39.

    From there, Aiken drove the Hoyas all the way to the Yale 17 when Georgetown decided to try and win it with 40 seconds to go. Aiken sent a pass into the end zone, where Bibb redeemed himself for the earlier penalty with a leaping interception. From there, the Elis were able to run out the clock on the opening day victory, and proceeded to douse Reno in Gatorade to celebrate his first win.

    Williams finished 19-30 for 250 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions, while running backs Mordecai Cargill ’13 and Varga finished with 76 and 93 yards rushing, respectively. Sandquist led the receiving corps with nine receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown. Aiken finished 11-25 for 94 yards in the air, but ran for another 72 yards to lead a Hoya ground attack that totaled 260 yards.

    Yale will travel to Ithaca, NY Saturday, Sept. 22, to face Cornell.

  9. FOOTBALL | LIVE BLOG: Yale vs. Georgetown

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  10. FOOTBALL | Keys to the Game

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    ESTABLISH THE RUN

    Running against Georgetown (2–0, 0–0 Patriot League) has been like trying to bust through a stone wall so far this year, but that is exactly what the Elis will have to do tomorrow. The Hoyas have conceded a total of 76 rushing yards in two games so far, including -18 yards against Davidson in their season opener. Yale will need to make sure that rookie quarterback Eric Williams ’16 is comfortable in the passing game, and that is much easier to do if he isn’t forced into long yardage situations that will allow the Hoyas to apply pressure. If running backs Mordecai Cargill ’13 and Tyler Varga ’16 can put pressure on the defense, that will pull the Hoyas into the box and create favorable matchups for the Bulldogs in the passing game. This would give Williams a few easy throws to get his confidence up and the offense rolling.

    CONTAIN THE QUARTERBACK

    Last year the Bulldogs faced a Hoya attack that threw on 51 of its 79 offensive plays, but Georgetown will not look the same on offense this year. Despite returning quarterback Isaiah Kempf, who threw for 1,268 yards and 10 scores last year, the Hoyas opted to give the reins to dual-threat quarterback Aaron Aiken this year. The decision has paid off for sixth-year coach Kevin Kelly, as the team has averaged 360 yards of total offense per game this season. More than 60 percent of that offense has come on the ground, however, with the Hoyas calling plays for Aiken’s legs more often than for his arm. If the Blue and White defense can force Aiken to stay in the pocket and try to make plays through the air, it can pressure him into mistakes.

    SCORE IN THE RED ZONE

    The Hoyas have been stingy on defense this year, allowing just 24 points in two games so far. Georgetown has let its opponents into the red zone just three times this season, but all three trips have resulted in touchdowns. If the Bulldogs want to score on the Hoyas, they will have to improve on a red zone offense that scored just 63.4 percent of the time last year, good for seventh in the Ancient Eight. Georgetown has yet to allow a rushing touchdown, so that will put the pressure on Williams and on Yale’s wide receiver corps, which will be without its two top receivers. Chris Smith ’13 is taking the semester off for personal reasons, while Deon Randall ’13 will miss the game with an injury.

  11. FOOTBALL | Elis open season against Hoyas

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    For the sixth straight year, Yale will open its football season against Georgetown, and the Elis are hoping that Saturday plays out like the last five matchups.

    The Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) have downed the Hoyas (2-0, 0-0 Patriot) five years running, most recently winning 37-27 in the Yale Bowl Sept. 17, 2011, behind a four touchdown-performance from quarterback Patrick Witt ’12.

    This year there will be a new Eli behind center, head coach Tony Reno announced Tuesday.

    “Eric [Williams ‘16] will start,” Reno said. “I made a decision over the weekend.”

    Quarterback John Whitelaw ‘14, who was the only quarterback on the roster with experience at the college level, sent an email to his teammates Tuesday afternoon informing them that he was leaving the football team.

    Reno said that Whitelaw dropped football “to pursue other interests,” and that Derek Russell ’13 and Logan Scott ’16 will become the back-up quarterbacks.

    Russell was listed as a wide receiver, but played quarterback for Newton South High School prior to attending Yale.

    “It caught me by surprise a little bit actually,” Russell said of his position change. “I actually played defense last fall. I’ve moved around a lot, [so] I’m ready for whatever.”

    Williams will be tested early by the Hoyas, whose stalwart defense on the ground could force the rookie signal caller to show off his arm early on Saturday. Georgetown has given up a total of just 76 rushing yards in two games so far this season. Opponents are averaging a miserly 1.4 yards per carry.

    In order to pave the way for the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, the offensive line will have to win the battle in the trenches. Running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 expressed confidence that the O-line is ready for the challenge.

    “I don’t want to offend any of the linemen I’ve had in the past,” Cargill said. “I feel like this is the best line that I’ve run behind in my time here. Coach [Joe] Conlin has done a great job with the guys, getting them prepared for basically anything that they may come across in games. They’ve responded well to his coaching.”

    The game will not get any easier on the other side of the ball for Yale, either. Georgetown has won both of its games so far this year by pounding away at the opposing defense, averaging 223 rushing yards per game. Nose guard Chris Dooley ’13 said that the Elis’ new 3-4 defense will help them shut down the Hoyas.

    “The new defense, I really like it,” Dooley said. “It’s a lot simpler than the old one.”

    Dooley added that playing against Yale’s no-huddle offense in practice has helped to condition the defense.

    “Our defense is in great shape,” Dooley said. “We fly to the ball. There are eleven guys at every tackle.”

    The new defensive style and conditioning was put in place by Reno to improve a defense that lost nine starters from a squad that finished fifth in the Ivy League last year in scoring defense.

    Kickoff for the 140th season of Yale football will be at 1 p.m.