Volume LXVVIII, No. 9
November 11, 2017
YALE FOOTBALL NEWS Published by the Yale Football Association by Chip Malafronte
Bulldogs Earn Ivy Title at Princeton, With 35 - 31 Win They overcame a shaky start that allowed Princeton to take a 17-point lead with fewer than two minutes until halftime by making adjustments, executing a couple of gamechanging plays and, above all else, a belief that the game was never out of hand. The result cements the legacy of Yale’s 145th team. The Bulldogs, after a thrilling comefrom-behind win at Princeton Stadium, are Ivy League champions. At 8-1 overall, 5-1 in the league, Yale clinched at least a share of its 15th Ivy championship and first since 2006. The 11-year drought had been the longest between Ivy League titles in program history, completing a remarkable oneyear turnaround. Things looked grim at this time last season, Yale having won just two of nine games leading into the annual showdown with Harvard. The stunning return to glory began with an upset of the Crimson last November, with the opportunity to add one more line to an already impressive resume in “The Game” on Saturday. Yale hasn’t won an outright Ivy title since 1980. “It’s the best feeling in sports I’ve ever had,” said freshman running back Zane Dudek, who led Yale’s offensive attack with 180 yards and three touchdowns. “I’m still speechless. It’s been a long season, and we do this all together. So to win it for the guys beside me, that’s the best feeling. To be able to send (injured senior running back) Deshawn Salter out with a championship ring, to send (captain) Spencer Rymiszewski out the way he’s supposed to be sent out. That’s what we do it for, and that’s a great feeling.” Even after Yale’s furious comeback, the outcome was in doubt until the final minute. When senior linebacker Foye Oluokun intercepted Princeton quarterback Chad Kanoff’s pass on fourth down with 1 minute, seven seconds left and the Tigers’ lethal offense driving, Yale had clinched at least a share of first place for the first time since 2006. “That’s when it kicked in and I started crying on the sideline a little bit,” Oluokun said. “We didn’t know what to expect this year. We came
a long way from being 3-7 last season. All we did was work and work and work. We’re happy now, but we have one more game and want to cap it off with a win.” Yale appeared to be heading into halftime trailing 24-7, a problem confounded by the fact that Princeton was getting the ball to begin the second half. Kanoff shredded the Bulldogs for much of the day, finishing with a school-record 454 yards and four touchdowns. Three came in the first half, when the senior continually beat Yale’s secondary with the deep ball. Jesper Horstead caught an 88-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Stephen Carlson caught one from 18 yards out before Tiger Bech, in what appeared to be the knockout blow, hauled in a 58-yarder with 1:51 left in the half. Two huge plays helped turned the tide for Yale. The first came just 29 seconds after Bech’s touchdown catch gave Princeton a 24-7 lead. Kurt Rawlings threw a perfect pass and hit tight end Jaeden Graham in stride for a 58-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 10 points at halftime. The next occurred on the second play from scrimmage in the second half. Princeton running back Collin Eaddy was hit by defensive end Earl Chism, fumbling the ball. Spencer Matthaei recovered on the Tigers’ 35. Four plays later, Dudek, Yale’s brilliant freshman, scored on a 33-yard run to make the score 24-21. “We created an extra possession with the fumble,” Yale coach Tony Reno said. “At the end of the day, that was a huge turning point in the game.” Things got wild from there. Yale scored again, on a 1-yard run by Dudek, to take its first lead of the game, 28-24, with 3:58 to play in the third quarter. Another touchdown pass by Kanoff briefly regained the lead for the Tigers at 31-28. Yale promptly marched downfield and scored again, a 4-yard run by Dudek, to make the score 35-31. The Bulldogs, who’d struggled to contain the Princeton passing attack all game, made a pair
of huge defensive stops to thwart potential goahead drives in the fourth quarter. Hayden Carlson broke up a pass on 4th-and-3 from the Yale 31 to get his team the ball back. A time-consuming Yale drive ended when Alex Galland missed a 41-yard field goal attempt with 2:20 remaining. Kanoff’s 31-yard completion put the ball in Yale terrirory. But on 4th-and-8, linebacker Matt Oplinger pressured Kanoff into a hurried throw, which was picked off by Oluokun to preserve victory. For now, Yale — which, until this drought, had never gone longer than 10 years without winning the Ivy League — will bask in the afterglow of this long-awaited championship. Though it will be short-lived. Title or no title, losing to Harvard would be a blemish on the season. “We have a 24-hour rule around here,” Reno said. “Good, bad, we say enjoy it for 24 hours. A little less for the coaches. By the time we get in tomorrow, we start talking about adjustments and get on to game No. 10.”
“We have a 24-hour rule around here, good, bad, we say enjoy it for 24 hours.” Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow ‘54 Head Coach of Football
Yale 35, Princeton 31
BULLDOG BITES
SCORING BY QUARTERS Yale 0-14-14-7-35 Princeton 7-17-7-0-31 1st QUARTER P – Horsted 88 pass from Kanoff (Rice kick), 4:24
2nd QUARTER P – Carlson 18 pass from Kanoff (Rice kick), 8:02 Y – Dudek 47 run (Galland kick), 7:22 P – FG Rice 21 yards, 3:07 P – Bech 58 pass from Kanoff (Rice kick), 1:51 Y – Graham 58 pass from Rawlings (Galland kick), 1:22 3rd QUARTER Y – Drwal 33 pass from Rawlings (Galland kick), 12:08 Y – Dudek 1 run (Galland kick), 3:58 P – Horsted 12 pass from Kanoff (Rice kick), 1:53
GAME STATS YALE
PRINCETON
24
19
Rushes-Yards
45-209
20-73
Passing Yards
304
454
26-34-0
23-41-1
Total Offense
513
527
Fumbles/Lost
1-0
1-1
4-39
2-24
Punts (Avg.)
5-38.4
4-33.5
Time of Possession
40:05
19:55
First Downs
Passes
Penalties/Yards
Kurt Rawlings, sophomore QB earned Ivy Player of the Week honors.
As a boy growing up in South African wine country, Dieter Eiselen participated in rugby and Olympic-style weight lifting. But when he discovered American football while perusing ESPN, he was instantly smitten with the physicality and, well, violence of the sport.
knew not trying the sport would be a regret he’d carry with him the rest of his life. In a little over two years, it’s already taken him to Yale and an Ivy League championship. As any Yale graduate would tell him, the future only gets better.
“I realized one day that maybe I should consider trying it,” Eiselen said. “I thought the physical capabilities and athleticism I had could be put to good use in the sport of football. Rugby is more improvisation. I like the specialization of football, how every position can be used to accomplish something on the field.” Eiselen headed to Choate in Wallingford for the 2015-16 school year. Though he’d never played a down of football, he became a hot commodity on the recruiting circuit almost immediately because of his size (he’s listed at 6-foot-4, 300 pounds) and advanced strength. Tony Reno and his coaching staff heard about Eiselen before he’d even played at Choate and invited him to their football camp for an evaluation. When they reviewed Choate game tape later that fall they knew Eiselen, with more coaching and experience, could be an outstanding offensive lineman.
4th QUARTER Y – Dudek 4 run (Galland kick), 12:14
TEAM STATISTICS
Dieter Eiselen (72), sophomore, part of a strong left side on the offensive line.
“He was raw, but he had all the tools and the willingness,” Reno said. “He’s strong as an ox. It was a rare find, to come across someone who’s never played the game before. You don’t see that anywhere.” Eiselen made five starts at left guard as a freshman. During the Princeton game last November, he severely sprained an ankle. Doctors told Reno that Eiselen was likely doubtful for the Harvard game. Eiselen had other ideas. “He came to me Tuesday and said ‘Coach, I’m playing,’” Reno said. “I said just keep doing your rehab, thinking he had no chance to play at all. He started and did well. He’s a tough, tough kid.” This season, Eiselen has started eight straight games at left guard heading into Harvard. With Eiselen playing alongside tackle Karl Marback, Yale may have the strongest, most athletic left side of the offensive line in the Ivy League. Eiselen took a chance on football because he
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“I’m not really supposed to be here. I should be back home in South Africa studying something,” Eiselen said. “I took a risk coming out here. So far, everything’s worked out exactly as I planned.” THIS ONE’S FOR TOM As Yale’s on-field celebration at Princeton kicked into high gear, Tom Beckett stood on the outskirts, happy to soak in an Ivy League championship from the periphery. There were several who spotted the retiring athletic director and came over for handshakes and hugs. But when Reno approached, Beckett sprung toward him for a leaping bear hug. Later, Beckett, stepping down at the end of the school year after 24 years on the job, addressed the team in the locker room. There were a series of loud cheers, and a few minutes later Beckett emerged with a game ball, presented to him by Team 145.
EXTRA BITES • Zane Dudek leads the Ivy League in rushing by a margin of 336 yards, meaning he’ll become the first freshman to win the league’s rushing title. His 8.0 yardsper carry this season is on pace to break the league’s single-season record of 7.8, set by Brown’s John Spooney in 2013. • Kurt Rawlings was named the Ivy League’s offensive player of the week. After Princeton took a 24-7 lead in the second half, Rawlings went 15-for-16 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. • Dudek was named the league’s rookie of the week for the fifth time this season after his 180-yards and three touchdowns.
THE IVY LEAGUE REPORT
STANDINGS (Ivy/Overall) YALE COLUMBIA DARTMOUTH CORNELL
5-1 | 8-1 4-2 | 7-2 4-2 | 7-2 3-3 | 3-6
THIS WEEKEND
HARVARD PENN PRINCETON BROWN
3-3 | 5-4 3-3 | 5-4 2-4 | 5-4 0-6 | 2-7
Saturday
Harvard at Yale, 12:30 p.m. Brown at Columbia, 1 p.m. Cornell at Penn, 1:30 p.m. Princeton at Dartmouth, 1:30 p.m.
*clinched share of championship
LAST WEEKEND...
Dartmouth 33, Brown 10:
Jack Heneghan threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, both to Hunter Hagdorn, as the Big Green remained alive in the Ivy Race on Friday night at Fenway Park in Boston. T.J. Linta threw for 236 yards and a touchdown to lead Brown.
Penn 23, Harvard 6:
Jack Soslow kicked three field goals, the longest from 40 yards, while Tre Solomon rushed for 181 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown to lead the Quakers. Harvard’s offense failed to score at least 10 points in a game for the first time since 2009.
Columbia 18, Cornell 8:
The Lions scored only one touchdown – a 2-yard run by Chris Schroer late in the fourth quarter – to keep their Ivy League title hopes alive. Oren Milstein kicked three field goals while Columbia recorded a third-quarter safety in a defensive struggle. Schroer ran for 183 yards on 27 carries for the Lions. Josh Sweet scored Cornell’s lone touchdown on a 7-yard run.
RENO’S RUNDOWN Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Football Loram ispum dolor sit amet, condecteur ad-
“I’m so proud of this team. We talk about how your response to an event is twice ipiscing edit. Aenean eros ut cursus cursus. as important as the event itself. That’s In rhoncus, lacus id rutrum gravida, nibhgoing to affect the outcome. We went in accumsan lectus, in rutrum massa urna at halftime and I said ‘Guys, we’re notval playing to our standards. That’s not us out Mauris in eros nec risus fermentum. there.’ If tellus. we play to our standard, we’ll get the result we want. And they did. We in rutrum massa urna made some adjustments on both sides of the ball and they handled them well.”
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UP NEXT...
THE SERIES
HARVARD (5-4, 3-3) at YALE (8-1, 5-1) SAT, NOVEMBER 18TH
RADIO: WELI-960 AM
12:30 PM
TV: CNBC
TICKETS: 203-432-1400
ONLINE: nbcsports.com
Yale leads the series 66-59-8, and ended a nine-game losing streak by stunning Harvard 21-14 last year in Boston. The Crimson are still 14-2 over Yale in the new millennium.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT Harvard has been an enigma this season. Look no farther than the results of the past four games. It suffered one of its most lopsided losses in program history against Princeton on Oct. 20. That was followed by wins over Dartmouth and Columbia, both tied for second in the Ivy, before a 23-6 loss to Penn, the first time the Crimson failed to score at least 10 points in a game since 2009. Typically one of the more explosive offensive teams in the league, Harvard is struggling to move the ball, specifically in the passing game. At just 191 yards passing per game, the Crimson are seventh of eight teams in the Ivy. But the rushing defense is solid. So the Crimson could make a game of it if they manage to contain Yale’s ground game, which features the league’s best offensive line and running back.
BULLDOGS OF THE WEEK
Earl Chism, (48), Sr., Defensive end, 6-2, 260, Elk Grove, Calif.
Graham played sparingly the past three seasons, but emerged as a dangerous weapon in the Yale passing game this fall. His 58-yard touchdown reception just before halftime sparked the Bulldogs, down by 17 at the time, to a second-half resurgence at Princeton. He finished with 87 yards receiving, a career-best, and is Yale’s second-leading receiver with 25 catches.
Chism started the game’s most important defensive play in Saturday’s win over Princeton, forcing a fumble on the second play of the second half that was recovered by Yale’s Spencer Matthaei. The Bulldogs quickly turned the turnover into a touchdown, cutting the deficit to three points and setting the stage for a big victory.
2017 SCHEDULE
Jaeden Graham, Sr., Tight end, 6-4, 250, Aurora, Colo.
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 W 35-31 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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