Volume LXVVIII, No. 8
November 3, 2017
YALE FOOTBALL NEWS Published by the Yale Football Association
Bulldogs Alone At The Top - Beat Brown 34-7 Yale did its part on Friday night, obliterating Brown 34-7 at the Bowl to hold onto its share of a three-way tie for first place in the Ivy League. Less than 24 hours later, thanks to a little help around the league, the Bulldogs were all alone atop the standings and in position to clinch their first outright championship in 37 years. Even the fiercest of rivals can inadvertently cut their nemesis a favor.
Harvard handed Columbia its second successive loss, knocking the Lions out of first place. Later in the afternoon Dartmouth, the only blemish on Yale’s record, pushed Cornell out of first with a shutout victory.
They’re just moving people every single play,” Dudek said. “A nice hole opened in the middle of the line. I saw the safety step back and (receiver Michael Siragusa) did a great job of sealing the corner. So it was an easy lane for me to get outside and it was a track meet from there.”
Yale scored again on the next series, Shohfi catching a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kurt Rawlings to make the score 13-0. And when Dudek scored from 36 yards out with 3:44 remaining, Yale’s third touchdown on three first-quarter possessions, Brown was all but finished.
So with two games left in the season, the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1) are in the driver’s seat. They can clinch at least a share of first place with a win at Princeton on Saturday. And, should Yale pass that test, it would play Harvard on Nov. 18 for a shot at its first outright Ivy championship since 1980.
“Once the offensive line gets going, the whole offensive train gets rolling,” said Rawlings, who completed 17-of-25 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. “They’re the drivers. As always, we’re not satisfied. We left some plays out on the field, a few three-and-outs, a fumble by me. Hopefully correct those things this week in practice.”
“We really emphasize winning individual plays and not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” said sophomore receiver JP Shohfi, who caught two touchdowns against the Bears.
“We ran the bubble screen, and I got two great blocks on the outside from (Siragusa) and Jaeden (Graham),” Shohfi said. “I saw open grass and was able to take off. Those great blocks made it much easier for me.”
But Yale, as has been its motto all season, is focused squarely on the task at hand. On Friday, only the second true night game in the 103-year history of the Yale Bowl, the Bulldogs concentrated on Brown (2-6, 0-5), a struggling team that’s spent the season in the Ivy League cellar.
The game’s offensive masterpiece came midway through the second quarter. Shohfi caught a quick pass from Rawlings and was off to the races. The 83-yard touchdown reception, which made the score 27-0 at halftime, was the fifth-longest scoring pass in program history.
Yale wasted no time getting down to business against Brown.
When Dudek scored his third touchdown, a 7-yard run, early in the third quarter, it spelled the end of the day for most of Yale’s starters.
The Bulldogs scored a touchdown on its second offensive play, a 68-yard run by freshman running back Zane Dudek (13 carries, 165 yards, three touchdowns.) “The OL is so impressive to run behind.
Not to be lost in the offensive show was another dominant performance by the Bulldog defense, which held an opponent to singledigit points for the third time in the past four games.
by Chip Malafronte
Brown managed only 11 first downs in the game, struggling to effectively run the ball (91 yards on 25 attempts) and having next to no success through the air (12-of-39 passing for 144 yards and two interceptions. “We were getting pressure to the quarterback all day,” Yale defensive back and captain Spencer Rymiszewski said. “Coach (Sean) McGowan (Yale’s defensive coordinator) made some blitz calls that put me in position to make some plays. On the interception, we were in a zone, and I knew if he ran to the corner I’d have a shot.” Tony Reno, the Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Football, challenged Yale to be perfect. There were some mistakes, but Brown never had a chance.
“I’m happy with the guys,” Reno said. “We prepared well, we were focused and jumped to an early lead. There was a lull in the second quarter, but we challenged them at halftime and they responded.”
“We prepared well, we were focused and jumped to an early lead. ” Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow ‘54 Head Coach of Football
BULLDOG BITES
Yale 34, Brown 7
SCORING BY QUARTERS Brown 0-0-0-7-7 Yale 20-7-7-0-34 1st QUARTER Y – Dudek 68 run (pass failed), 11:41 Y – Shohfi 21 pass from Rawlings (Galland kick), 6:52 Y – Dudek 36 run (Galland kick), 3:44 2nd QUARTER Y – Shohfi 83 pass from Rawlings (Galland kick), 6:43 3rd QUARTER Y – Dudek 7 run (Galland kick), 9:34 4th QUARTER B – Harriott 4 pass from Linta (Rosenblatt kick), 1:43
Anders Huizenga (63), senior lineman, impressive on the field and off.
Jaeden Graham, senior TE, grabs one on the fly.
Anders Huizenga made quite a first impression as he entered Tuesday’s Yale football media luncheon. And not just because the 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman, holding a plate of food, loudly bumped his head on the wooden doorway.
stems from a locker room environment devoid of egos and heavy on friendships and fun.
There was a self-deprecating crack – something about how he usually walks dragging his knuckles on the ground like a Neanderthal. Then he made his way around the table, introducing himself to everyone with a handshake. From there Huizenga held court. He provides entertaining anecdotes on questions dealing with a wide-ranging variety of topics. He was asked what it was like growing up in Trophy Club, Texas, originally developed as a retirement community built around a Ben Hogan-designed golf course. “It didn’t work out that way,” Huizenga said. “There’s a golf course running through the middle of town, but it’s not a retirement community. All the retirees were mad their streets weren’t paved with gold on the way to the country club. And that I was running around their front yards, tearing it up.”
GAME STATS BROWN
YALE
11
21
Rushes-Yards
25-91
43-260
Passing Yards
144
303
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs
Passes
2
Or his brief dalliance with yoga. Yale’s game notes say the “Warrior II” is his favorite pose.
12-39-2
19-30-1
Total Offense
235
563
Fumbles/Lost
0-0
1-1
Penalties/Yards
4-12
7-62
Punts (Avg.)
10-35.1
6-35.0
Time of Possession
25:34
34:26
“I could demonstrate for you,” Huizenga says. “But there’s no camera present.” When someone asks what he thinks about being voted “most humorous,” in an informal poll of teammates, Huizenga hints at a method to his madness. “Whether or not I am, I don’t know,” Huizenga said. “There are certainly guys who probably don’t like my sense of humor but you usually can’t hear them over the other guys laughing, so that’s alright. To create a feeling of a little comedy mixed in with knowing when to be serious, that’s helped us enjoy practice more than in the past. That’s what I’m trying to do with the way I act.” There’s balance with this group, a stability that goes beyond often brilliant on-field performances by the offense and defense. It’s a team that enjoys being together every day. Much of that
“Anders is an exceptional lineman, but he’s brought more to the team,” Reno said. “You have guys that are glue guys; guys that keep the thing rolling. Every day I look forward to seeing what Anders is coming out with. I want the guys to have fun in practice and games. With guys like Anders, who love what they’re doing, it makes it a whole lot easier.” THE PERFECT STORM Yale entered last weekend part of a three-way tie for first place in the Ivy League. It took care of business on Friday night, hammering Brown, then kicked back and observed everything fall into place on Saturday. By sundown, Cornell and Columbia had lost and the Bulldogs were alone atop the standings. Two games remain on the schedule, at Princeton on Saturday and Harvard the following weekend in New Haven. The Bulldogs can clinch a share of their first Ivy championship since 2006 with a win over the Tigers. And with two wins, Yale will win its first outright championship since 1980.
EXTRA BITES
• Freshman running back Zane Dudek’s 11 rushing TDs this year rank ninth at Yale and give him the same number as Rashad Bartholomew in 2000. • Yale is allowing opponents 79 yards of rushing per game, tops in the Ivy League by 23 yards. Harvard is second at 102. • Receiver JP Shohfi leads the Ivy League is yards-per-reception at 18.6.
THE IVY LEAGUE REPORT
STANDINGS (Ivy/Overall) YALE COLUMBIA CORNELL DARTMOUTH
4-1 | 7-1 3-2 | 6-2 3-2 | 3-5 3-2 | 6-2
THIS WEEKEND
HARVARD PRINCETON PENN BROWN
3-2 | 5-3 2-3 | 5-3 2-3 | 4-4 0-5 | 2-6
Friday Dartmouth vs. Brown at Fenway Park, 8 p.m. Saturday Yale at Princeton, 1 p.m. Penn at Harvard, noon p.m. Columbia at Cornell, 1:30 p.m.
LAST WEEKEND...
Harvard 21, Columbia 14:
Joe Viviano threw two touchdown passes in spite of four interceptions thrown by quarterback Jake Smith for Harvard. Henry Taylor had a 65-yard touchdown reception for the Crimson. Chris Schroer led Columbia with 125 yards rushing.
Dartmouth 10, Cornell 0:
Dartmouth’s Jack Heneghan threw a first quarter touchdown pass and David Smith kicked a 33-yard field goal in the closing minute of the game in the only scoring for either side. Ryder Stone rushed for 119 yards for the Big Green. The teams combined for 23 punts.
Penn 38, Princeton 35:
Justin Watson caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Will Fischer-Colbrie with 1:12 remaining to lead the Quakers to a thrilling comeback win. Princeton, which trailed by 17 in the third quarter, was still down 10 in the fourth quarter before stringing together successive touchdown drives to take the lead. Chad Kanoff threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns to lead Princeton. Abe Willows had 136 yards rushing and Tre Solomon 116 yards rushing for the Tigers.
RENO’S RUNDOWN Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Football Loram ispum dolor sit amet, condecteur ad-
“I was happy with the guys and how intentional they were all week. They preipiscing edit. Aenean eros ut cursus cursus. pared really well and focused. In rhoncus, lacuswere id rutrum gravida,We nibhhad a lull there in the second quarter, but accumsan lectus, in rutrum massa urna valcame back out in the second half and did I challenged them at halftime, and they tellus. Mauris in eros nec risus fermentum. a really nice job of putting the game away.” in rutrum massa urna
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UP NEXT...
YALE (7-1, 4-1) at PRINCETON (5-3, 2-3) SAT, NOVEMBER 11TH
RADIO: WELI-960 AM
1:00 PM
TV: ELEVEN SPORTS (DirecTV623)
TICKETS: 203-432-1400
ONLINE: IVY LEAGUE NETWORK
THE SERIES Yale leads the series 7653-10. Princeton dominated last year, a 31-3 victory at the Yale Bowl. The Bulldogs won the previous two, including a 35-28 win at Princeton in 2015.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT Princeton and Yale own the Ivy League’s two most prolific offenses. The Tigers average a league-best 38.4 points-per game. Yale is scoring at a clip of 35.8. The difference is Princeton does most of its damage in the passing game, with quarterback Chad Kanoff averaging 322 yards per game with 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions. His favorite targets are Jesper Horsted, the league’s leading receiver with 74 receptions and 10 touchdowns, and Stephen Carlson, not far behind with 57 receptions and nine touchdowns. The difference in the game could be on defense, where Yale has been significantly more effective. The Bulldogs have allowed single-digit points to three of the last four opponents. Stopping the pass has been a glaring problem for Princeton, which could open the door for Yale quarterback Kurt Rawlings and the Bulldog receiving corps to have a big day.
BULLDOGS OF THE WEEK
Jason Alessi, Sr., Defensive back, 5-11, 191, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Shohfi is coming off his biggest outing of the season, catching three passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns against Brown. His 83-yard catch-andrun for a score was the fifth-longest pass play in program history. He was a Parade high school All-American in high school that also starred in soccer and baseball.
Alessi led another dominant defensive effort in Yale’s win over Brown, recording a team-best four tackles, one for a loss, with an interception. He’s intercepted three passes this season, with five pass breakups. Alessi is considered one of the top punt return men in the Ivy League, and also competes on the Yale lacrosse team.
2017 SCHEDULE
JP Shohfi, So., Wide receiver, 6-1, 209, San Marino, Calif.
SEPT. 16 SEPT. 23 SEPT. 30 OCT. 7 OCT. 14 OCT. 21 OCT. 28 NOV. 3 NOV. 11 NOV. 18
LEHIGH CORNELL* FORDHAM DARTMOUTH* HOLY CROSS PENN* COLUMBIA* BROWN* PRINCETON* HARVARD*
W 56-28 W 49-24 W 41-10 L 28-27 W 32-0 W 24-19 W 23-6 W 34-7 1:00 PM 12:30 PM
JUNIOR VARSITY SCHEDULE SEPT. 24 OCT. 15 NOV. 17
PHOTO CREDITS
MILFORD ACADEMY BROWN HARVARD
L 35-24 CANCELED CANCELED
Jack Warhola, Stephen Fritzer, Ron Waite’s Photosportacular
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* Ivy League Game
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