Hamilton, NY — Six turnovers and one blocked punt for a touchdown highlighted the ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ defensive effort in the Raiders’ 38-6 Homecoming victory over Columbia Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium. It was ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s 13th straight victory against an Ivy League opponent dating back to the 1997 season.
The day was filled with many stars on the defensive side of the ball. After ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ had taken a 3-0 lead on ‘s 23-yard field goal on the opening possession, freshman Mike Saraceno blocked a Columbia punt and recovered the loose ball in the end zone to give the Raiders a 10-0 lead with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The second of three fumble recoveries by defensive tackle led the Raiders to a 17-point cushion in the second quarter, when quarterback capped a 52-yard drive with a one-yard run. Schwarzberg kicked the extra point.
Linebacker got into the ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ turnover act as well, intercepting a ball off the hands of Lion receiver Travis Chmelka and taking it six yards for a touchdown giving the Raiders a 24-0 halftime lead.
Bowers’ third fumble recovery in the third quarter set the stage for ‘s 33-yard touchdown run with 5:18 left in the quarter. Columbia’s only TD came with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter when backup quarterback Jeff Otis fired a strike to a wide-open Chmelka from 27 yards out on his first pass of the game. The Lions missed the extra point after a fumbled snap.
¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ put its final points on the board on the last play of the game, when bolted 56 yards and Schwarzberg adding the extra point.
¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s offense generated 445 yards of total offense, while the defense held Columbia to 239 yards. The Raiders had six runners produce 283 yards on the ground, while McCune connected on 13-of-22 passes for 162 yards. His favorite target was sophomore wide receiver , who had five receptions for 77 yards.
GAME NOTES ‘ Free safety and inside baker had interceptions in the winning effort ‘ cornerback was in on three-and-one-half quarterback sacks, while was the leading tackler with 12.