Lafayette @ Yale Game Thread

[carney2]

One hour to go.

Weather seems to be improving in southern CT.

Lafayette: QB, Rob Curley, is still reported as out.

Yale: Two starters reported out including the starting center, thereby weakening an already questionable offensive line.

Both teams rely on their defenses. Lafayette's is proven against two good teams, Liberty and Penn. Yale's has put up spectacular numbers (69 yards rushing - total! - for two games), but the competition (Georgetown and Cornell) is suspect.

On offense Yale will depend heavily on sophomore Patrick Witt, a transfer from Nebraska. I would expect Lafayette to go to the ground game with the backup QB - probably sophomore Ryan O'Neil - in there. In that case they will depend on their four headed tailback group of seniors Maurice White, Tyrell Coon, DeAndre Morrow and sophomore Jerome Rudolph.

Lafayette is 2-1, having beaten Georgetown and Penn, while losing to Liberty.

Yale is 1-1, beating Georgetown and losing to Cornell.

Most are expecting a defensive struggle.

[RichH2]

Good luck today. Answered your post over on Harvard thread. Parking? at LC What were you thinking?

[Pard94]

Curley's starting! Told ya.xnodx

[carney2]

Curley is starting.

Lafayette's Morrow fumbles the opening kickoff and Yale begins play on the Lafayette 26.

[carney2]

Yale is running thru gaping holes in the Lafayette defense. Score on a 4th and 3 TD pass. The DB slipped on the wet turf.

7-0 Yale.

[carney2]

A promising Lafayette drive is stalled by a holding penalty. Yale starts from their own 17.

Curley looks OK so far.

[carney2]

7-0 yale at the end of 1.

LC with a 1st on their own 45.

1st play of the 2nd qtr. was a fake fumbe and bomb. Incomplete.

[carney2]

Lafayette drives from its 3 with some 3rd and long conversions. An 18 play drive kept alive by a Yale roughing the kicker call.

Rodriguez slips and falls while kicking a FG. Good anyway.

Yale 7, Lafayette 3

[carney2]

Lafayette is dominating time of possession.

Yale has switched QBs. No explanation.

[bulldog10jw]

Lafayette drives from its 3 with some 3rd and long conversions. An 18 play drive kept alive by a Yale roughing the kicker call.

Rodriguez slips and falls while kicking a FG. Good anyway.

Yale 7, Lafayette 3

The Yale announcers thought it should have been running into the kicker, rather than roughing and a 5 yard penalty instead of 15 and a first down.

What do you think?

[carney2]

A one handed catch by Layton moves the ball to the Yale 17.

Next paly another catch by Layton for a TD.

LC 10, Yale 7 with about a minute to go in the half.

[bulldog10jw]

Damn, Yale's offense is just SO weak.

[carney2]

10-7, Lafayette at the half.

Lafayette seems to be gaining contol of the line of scrimmage. Yale offense has not done much for quite a while.

[65 Pard]

Curley and Layton are looking like PL standouts....
Need to put 2 good halves together to win this one....So far D improved from first quarter....

[bulldog10jw]

Yale offense has not done much for quite a while.

They haven't done much for two years.

[carney2]

Yale had only 100 yds. in total offense in the 1st half.

LC needs to translate this domination into points or there could be trouble.

[bulldog10jw]

This could get ugly

[carney2]

Yale goes for a 4th and inches. Lafayette holds.

Lafayette drives for a TD. Final play is a WR reverse to Greg Stripe.

LC 17, Yale 7

[carney2]

Another QB switch for Yale. Again no explanation.

[bulldog10jw]

Another QB switch for Yale. Again no explanation.


It's very foolish. Witt has at least moved the ball some. This is the third series for Hart this year and I think it has now been Three 3 and outs.

[bulldog10jw]

Lafayette is just the far superior team.

[carney2]

End of 3: LC 17, Yale 7

LC 3rd and goal on the Yale 4.

[carney2]

TD: Curley to Layton.

Lafayette 24, Yale 7

This party's over.

[bulldog10jw]

This is a bad loss for Yale. As bad as the offense is, the defense did not step up at all.

[Franks Tanks]

This is a bad loss for Yale. As bad as the offense is, the defense did not step up at all.

Yale has a lot of good players, but I am quite surpised by how poor the Yale offense is. The Pards have a very good D but still.

[carney2]

Agreed. Yale seems to have no answers on either side of the ball. After that gift TD, nothing. I honestly think that Yale is seeing one of the two best teams they will face this year, but...

[bulldog10jw]

Agreed. Yale seems to have no answers on either side of the ball. After that gift TD, nothing. I honestly think that Yale is seeing one of the two best teams they will face this year, but...

I hope so, but they didn't even look that good against G-Town, despite the final score.

Unless something turns around, it could be a long year for Yale.

I hope Williams is a good recruiter.

[bulldog10jw]

Yale gets a "who cares" TD.

24-14 4 minutes or so left

[bulldog10jw]

Well, it helps their stats, anyway.

[carney2]

Great throw. Great catch. Yale goes 90 yds. in 18 plays.

Onside kick fails.

[bulldog10jw]

The Yale D just packed it in there. I was hoping for at least a little pride.

[carney2]

Lafayette OL blows away Yale front. 40 yds. 3 plays. TD

Lafayette 31, Yale 14.

[bulldog10jw]

A FG attempt?

[bulldog10jw]

Congrats to Lafayette. I hope you really are as good as you looked today.

[carney2]

Yale attempts a FG on a 4th and 20. Wide left.

FINAL: Lafayette 31, Yale 14

[ngineer]

Thanks for the posts...It has given me hope that maybe, just maybe, our next three games are at least "winnable"...:o

[carney2]

Thanks for the posts...It has given me hope that maybe, just maybe, our next three games are at least "winnable"...:o

It's always up in the air as to whether the winner is that good or the loser is just plain bad. In this case I think it's a little of both. This game was just not that competitive after the first 3 or 4 minutes. It is beginning to look like Lafayette - with Curley, who is really emerging as a star at this level - is very good. Yale, on the other hand, does not appear to have much going for it at the moment.

[Ivytalk]

Harvard better not be looking past Lafayette in two weeks, that's for sure.xcoolx

[carney2]

Two down (Penn and Yale) and four (Harvard, Colgate, Holy Cross and the Squawks) to go. This is beginning to look like a year of retribution.

[Ivytalk]

Two down (Penn and Yale) and four (Harvard, Colgate, Holy Cross and the Squawks) to go. This is beginning to look like a year of retribution.

Not so fast, monsignor!:p Penitence before retribution!

[bulldog10jw]

Two down (Penn and Yale) and four (Harvard, Colgate, Holy Cross and the Squawks) to go. This is beginning to look like a year of retribution.

You do realize that at least 3 of the 4 you mention are MUCH better than Yale.

And Lehigh might be.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Congrats to Lafayette. I hope you really are as good as you looked today.


I am deeply concerned about the Lions next week. As the Ivy's Maroon Piñata, the Pards typically dominate Columbia while submitting curiously others of the Ancient Eight - even in good years. The Lions might want this one as much as any in order to reverse that trend.

[carney2]

You do realize that at least 3 of the 4 you mention are MUCH better than Yale.

And Lehigh might be.

You are probably right, but hope springs eternal. Besides, Yale had The Curse on their side, and you see what that got them. Only two of the four are in that exclusive club.

[Go...gate]

Lafayette looks like a damn good club. The PL is definitely going to be a three-team race.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Lafayette looks like a damn good club. The PL is definitely going to be a three-team race.

Back in the 80s we had a saying - "There's always time to lose." Heard frequently when we were up on Colgate going into the fourth, only to lose in the final minutes. But I'd love to see a three-way nail-biter going into the final week.

HC will destroy Bucknell in the final week but Colgate will be sitting on its hands watching because its regular season will have ended a week earlier. Lafayette will play Lehigh (as always) so that game might be the decisive one. Lehigh would like nothing more than to destroy the Pards' chances even if it means that Colgate advances to the FCS. As much as those brown-panted ninnies despise Colgate, they hate the Pards more.

[Pards Rule]

Back from New Haven and the Yale Bowl. Solid performance by the Pards. FCS rules - where else can someone (me) talk to Tavani at halftime outside the locker room. Those locker rooms are turn of last century and shoebox-sized. Lafayette met mostly outside the locker room and it was great listening to the coaches visit with the players. And Tavani was just leaning against the plastic barrier outside the entire half letting his assistants talk to the players so I had time to chat with him.

[carney2]

Back from New Haven and the Yale Bowl. Solid performance by the Pards. FCS rules - where else can someone (me) talk to Tavani at halftime outside the locker room. Those locker rooms are turn of last century and shoebox-sized. Lafayette met mostly outside the locker room and it was great listening to the coaches visit with the players. And Tavani was just leaning against the plastic barrier outside the entire half letting his assistants talk to the players so I had time to chat with him.

So, what did he say?

[Pards Rule]

That he might very well run a reverse with Stripe as suggested by someone - and he did!!

[carney2]

That he might very well run a reverse with Stripe as suggested by someone - and he did!!

That officially makes you an insider. And to think that I knew you when...

[Pards Rule]

Finally after all these years - cripes this will be my 30th Lehigh game this year (if I can score a ticket - still groping!). Its about time I get some respect. xnodx

[carney2]

Finally after all these years - cripes this will be my 30th Lehigh game this year (if I can score a ticket - still groping!). Its about time I get some respect. xnodx

Hang in there. Still no word from the powers that be as to what "if available" means. It will be "final week" with mine if I get them - and I expect to.

[Pards Rule]

OK - thanks Carney. Either that or I gotta get up way too early and slouch over to Chickensquawk turf and purlion some 'scalped' ones. Scalped has to be in quotes since the price is no more than the ticket price. Nonetheless, the less amount of time I can spend staring at brown and gold things the better! I'm determined to make 50 games Carney - at least!!