Complete Football Weekly Release in pdf format
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Three teams are tied for first in the #IvyFootball standings, with three teams one game back, with three weeks to go.
LEAGUE NOTES
- Columbia, Cornell and Yale, which were picked to finish seventh, eighth and fourth in the preseason poll, respectively, are tied for first in the #IvyFootball standings with matching 3-1 records and three games remaining.
- Dartmouth, Harvard and Princeton, picked to finish fifth, first and first, are one game back at 2-2 apiece.
- It marks the first time since 1961 (Columbia), 2000 (Cornell) and 2007 (Yale) these teams are in first place this late in the season.
- With its win over Columbia, Yale claimed its 900th all-time victory. The Bulldogs are the third team in Division I history to accomplish the feat, joining Michigan and Notre Dame.
- Yale freshman running back Zane Dudek was named the STATS FCS Rookie of the Week. He is the fourth Ivy to earn a STATS FCS national weekly honor, joining Dartmouth’s Jeremiah Douchee (Special Teams, Sept. 25), Columbia’s Michael Murphy (Defensive, Oct. 16) and Princeton’s Chad Kanoff (Offensive, Oct. 23).
- Four teams appear in the national rankings. Dartmouth and Columbia are receiving votes in the coaches poll, while the Lions, Yale and Princeton are receiving votes in the STATS FCS poll.
- #IvyFootball finished 18-6 in non-conference play in 2017, its best overall out-of-conference record since 1994, when it went 19-3-1. The Ivy League went 10-2 over its first two weeks this season, its best non-conference start since 1970, when it opened 12-0.
- The Ivy League’s .750 non-conference winning percentage leads the FCS and ranks fourth overall in Division I, trailing the SEC (.825), Pac 12 (.771) and Big Ten (.762).
- This week begins with Brown at Yale on Friday on NBCSN, followed the next day by Harvard at Columbia on Eleven Sports, Twitter and The Ivy League Network (ILN), Princeton at Penn on NBC Sports Philly and Chicago, SNY and ILN, and Cornell at Dartmouth on ILN.
- Three of this week’s games will be broadcast live on ILN, now available on Apple TV, Roku and the ILN app on Apple and Android devices.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER/CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Yale freshman running back
Zane Dudek (Kittanning, Pa.) helped carry the Bulldogs to victory, literally. The rookie ran for 173 yards on 25 carries, including a pair of first-down runs on Yale’s final drive of the game, where it ran out the final 6:09 to hand Columbia its first loss of the season.
Dudek, who was recruited as a walk on to Penn State, earns his third and fourth Ivy League weekly awards, as he previously earned Rookie of the Week on Sept. 25 and Oct. 23. He is the first Bulldog to earn three Rookie of the Week honors since
Mike McLeod in 2005.
Dudek’s Statistics for the Week
25 rushes, 173 yds., 6.9 avg.; 4 rec., 45 yds., 19 long, 11.3 avg. vs. Columbia
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cornell senior safety
Nick Gesualdi (Sykesville, Md.) posted six tackles, including a half-tackle for loss, an interception and a pair of key pass breakups in the Big Red’s 29-28 win over Princeton. Gesualdi moved into second-place on the school's career interception list with his second quarter pick, setting up Cornell's first points on a touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage after the turnover. With Princeton driving in the fourth quarter, Gesuladi had a tackle for loss and two pass breakups, the last of which forcing the Tigers to punt and giving Cornell the opportunity for the gamewinning field goal.
Gesualdi, who served as safety, corner, wide receiver, punt returner and kick returner in high school, also lettered in lacrosse. He earns his sixth career Ivy League weekly award and second Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Gesualdi’s Statistics for the Week
4 tckls., 2 asst., 6 total, 0.5 TFL, 2 PBR, 1 INT, 3 PD; 2 PR, 15 yds., 7.5 avg., 11 long at Princeton
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cornell sophomore kicker
Nickolas Null (Bradenton, Fla.) had a busy day on Saturday, with seven kickoffs, four punts, two extra points and three field goals, the last of which was the 43-yard gamewinner with 48 seconds to play at Princeton.
Null, who was an all-state pick at Central Mountain High School in Pennsylvania as well as Manatee High School in Florida, takes home Special Teams Player of the Week for the second-straight week.
Null’s Statistics for the Week
3-3 FG, 43 long, 9 pts.; 2-2 XP, 2 pts.; 7 KO, 420 yds., 7 TBs; 4 punts, 150 yds., 37.5 avg., 51 long, 1 FC at Princeton
CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Harvard freshman quarterback
Jake Smith (Ithaca, Mich.) passed for 125 yards and three touchdowns in the Crimson’s come-from-behind victory over Dartmouth. Smith, who had two touchdown passes on the year coming into the game, connected on touchdown passes of eight, four and 11 yards. He also ran for 64 yards on nine carries.
Smith is the first Harvard rookie to start at quarterback since current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2001. He is the first Crimson to be named Rookie of the Week since
Justice Shelton-Mosley on Nov. 23, 2015.
Smith’s Statistics for the Week
18-35-0, .514 comp. %, 125 yds., 3 TDs; 9 rushes, 64 yds., 7.1 avg. vs. Dartmouth
HONOR ROLL
Will Allen, Columbia (Fr., DB – Pembroke Pines, Fla.)
5 KR, 99 yds., 42 long, 19.8 avg.; 1 block
Kevin Cadigan, Penn (Jr., DL – Barrington, R.I.)
4 tckls., 2.0 TFL, 15 yds., 2.0 sacks, 15 yds., 1 QBH, 1 FR at Brown
Hayden Carlson, Yale (Sr., DB – Glen Ellyn, Ill.)
4 tckls., 1 asst., 5 total, 1 INT, 1 PD vs. Columbia
Stephen Carlson, Princeton (Jr., WR – Jr., WR – Jamestown, N.Y.)
6 rec., 72 yds., 12.0 avg., 2 TDs vs. Cornell
Kyle Castner, Columbia (Jr., WR – Indianapolis)
6 rec., 97 yds., 16.2 avg. at Yale
Ryan Gilbert, Columbia (Jr., DB – Bellevue, Wash.)
13 tckls., 5 asst., 18 total, 1.0 TFL, 5 yds., 1 PBR, 1 PD at Yale
Hunter Hagdorn, Dartmouth (So., WR – Manvel, Texas)
6 rec., 69 yds., 11.5 avg., 1 TD at Harvard
Richard Jarvis, Brown (Sr., DE – Watertown, Mass.)
5 tckls., 5 asst., 10 total, 0.5 TFL, 1 QBH vs. Penn
Jake Jatis, Cornell (Sr., QB – Crown Point, Ind.)
12 rushes, 61 yds., 5.1 avg., 1 TD; 4-5-0, .800 comp. %, 31 yds. at Princeton
Thomas Johnson, Princeton (Jr., LB – Moorestown, N.J.)
7 tckls., 9 asst., 16 total, 1.0 TFL, 2 yds. vs. Cornell
David Jones, Cornell (So., DB – Sugar Land, Texas)
4 KR, 142 yds., 35.5 avg., 61 long; 4 tckls., 2 asst., 6 total, 1 PBR, 1 PD at Princeton
Chad Kanoff, Princeton (Sr., QB – Pacific Palisades, Calif.)
28-41-2, .683 comp. %, 340 yds., 2 TDs; 5 rushes, 27 yds., 5.4 avg. vs. Cornell
Ryan Kopec, Brown (Jr., P – Alpharetta, Ga.)
8 punts, 382 yds., 59 long, 47.8 avg., 3 TBs, 1 FC, 1 in20 vs. Penn
Tanner Lee, Harvard (Sr., DB – Spanish Fort, Ala.)
2 tckls., 8 asst., 10 total, 2 PBR, 1 INT, 3 PD vs. Dartmouth
Brian O’Neill, Penn (Fr., LB – Roseland, N.J.)
5 tckls., 5 asst., 10 total, 0.5 TFL, 1 yd., 1 PBR, 1 PD at Brown
Zach Schmid, Harvard (Sr., P – San Diego)
6 punts, 256 yds., 61 long, 42.7 avg., 2 TBs, 3 FC, 1 in20 vs. Dartmouth
Jack Soslow, Penn (Jr., K – Bryn Mawr, Pa.)
1-1 FG, 51 yds., 3 pts.; 4 KO, 199 yds., 49.8 avg. at Brown
Jack Traynor, Dartmouth (Jr., LB – Lake Forest, Ill.)
4 tckls., 13 asst., 17 total, 0.5 TFL, 1 yd., 1 PBR, 2 QBH, 1 PD at Harvard
Justin Watson, Penn (Sr., WR – Bridgeville, Pa.)
8 rec., 132 yds., 16.5 avg., 2 TDs at Brown