2025 Columbia Lions football team

Last updated

2025 Columbia Lions football
Columbia Lions wordmark.svg
Conference Ivy League
Record2–8 (1–6 Ivy)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSeitu Smith (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorJustin Stovall (4th season)
Home stadium Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
Seasons
  2024
2026 
2025 Ivy League football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Yale +^  6 1   8 2  
No. 8 Harvard +  6 1   9 1  
Dartmouth  4 3   7 3  
Penn  4 3   6 4  
Cornell  3 4   4 6  
Princeton  2 5   3 7  
Brown  2 5   5 5  
Columbia  1 6   2 8  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
As of November 23, 2025
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Columbia Lions football team represented Columbia University as a member of the Ivy League during 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lions were led by second-year head coach Jon Poppe [1] and play home games at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.

Contents

Preseason

Preseason poll

On August 4, Ivy League announced the preseason poll. Lions were selected to finish in the fourth position. [2]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 196:00 p.m.at Lafayette * ESPN+ L 14–384,206
September 2712:00 p.m. Georgetown *ESPN+W 19–103,909
October 37:30 p.m.at Princeton ESPNU L 10–174,286
October 1112:00 p.m.No. 7 Lehigh *
  • Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
ESPN+L 7–313,049
October 181:30 p.m. Penn Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
ESPN+L 21–3512,704
October 246:00 p.m.at Dartmouth ESPNUL 3–493,471
November 112:00 p.m.at Yale ESPN+L 10–244,375
November 77:00 p.m.No. 9 Harvard
  • Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
ESPNUL 14–313,644
November 1512:00 p.m. Brown
  • Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
ESPN+L 29–323,122
November 221:00 p.m.at Cornell ESPN+W 29–123,212
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[3] [4]

Game summaries

at Lafayette

Columbia Lions (0–0) at Lafayette Leopards (2–1) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Lions770014
Leopards10714738

at Fisher Stadium, Easton, PA

  • Date: September 19
  • Game time: 6:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: E at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 4,206
  • Referee: Justin Ackley
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Gary Laubach (play-by-play), Mike Joseph (analyst) and Megan Caffrey (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (10:13) LAF – Jack Simonetta 37-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 3:24; Lafayette 3-0)
  • (7:32) LAF – Kente Edwards 13-yard run, Jack Simonetta kick (Drive: 3 plays, 61 yards, 1:16; Lafayette 10-0)
  • (2:28) COLU – Hutch Crow 17-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:04; Lafayette 10-7)
Second quarter
  • (12:57) LAF – Kente Edwards 3-yard run, Jack Simonetta kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:31; Lafayette 17-7)
  • (0:59) COLU – Griffin Johnson 4-yard run, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 5:27; Lafayette 17-14)
Third quarter
  • (9:21) LAF – Kente Edwards 3-yard run, Jack Simonetta kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:39; Lafayette 24-14)
  • (6:45) LAF – Ethan Weber 1-yard run, Jack Simonetta kick (Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 1:56; Lafayette 31-14)
Fourth quarter
  • (3:01) LAF – Ethan Weber 1-yard run, Jack Simonetta kick (Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:51; Lafayette 38-14)
StatisticsCOLULAF
First downs1822
Total yards289398
Rushing yards91232
Passing yards198166
Turnovers10
Time of possession25:2634:34
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ColumbiaPassingChase Goodwin15/34, 195 yards, TD, INT
RushingMichael Walters12 carries, 63 yards
ReceivingTitus Evans3 receptions, 58 yards
LafayettePassingDean DeNobile14/17, 166 yards
RushingKente Edwards25 carries, 150 yards, 3 TD
ReceivingMason Kuehner3 receptions, 58 yards

Georgetown

Georgetown Hoyas (2–2) at Columbia Lions (0–1) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Hoyas037010
Lions790319

at Wien Stadium, New York City, NY

  • Date: September 27
  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 3,909
  • Referee: Todd Bowman
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Lance Medow (play-by-play) and Shawn Fitzgerald (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (2:53) COLU – Hutch Crow 4-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 11 plays, 92 yards, 4:11; Columbia 7-0)
Second quarter
  • (12:14) COLU – Chase Goodwin 1-yard run, Hugo Merry PAT failed (Drive: 11 plays, 92 yards, 4:11; Columbia 13-0)
  • (3:18) GTWN – Thomas Anderson 45-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 34 yards, 4:26; Columbia 13-3)
  • (0:00) COLU – Hugo Merry 25-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 3:08; Columbia 16-3)
Third quarter
  • (5:34) GTWN – Jayden Sumpter 21-yard run, Thomas Anderson kick (Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 5:57; Columbia 16-10)
Fourth quarter
  • (3:22) COLU – Hugo Merry 20-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 3:44; Columbia 19-10)
StatisticsGTWNCOLU
First downs1317
Total yards211293
Rushing yards144136
Passing yards67157
Turnovers31
Time of possession29:1230:48
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
GeorgetownPassingDex Thomas II9/24, 67 yards, 3 INT
RushingJayden Sumpter25 carries, 92 yards, TD
ReceivingJimmy Kibble4 receptions, 37 yards
ColumbiaPassingChase Goodwin11/24, 151 yards, TD, INT
RushingMichael Walters16 carries, 48 yards
ReceivingTitus Evans3 receptions, 52 yards

at Princeton

Columbia Lions (1–1) at Princeton Tigers (1–1) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Lions1000010
Tigers0701017

at Princeton Stadium, Princeton, NJ

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 7:30 PM EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 4,286
  • Referee: Bill McKeever
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jack Ford (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (7:51) COLU – Hugo Merry 29-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 5:49; Columbia 3-0)
  • (0:14) COLU – Lucas Bullock 2-yard run, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 5:07; Columbia 10-0)
Second quarter
  • (0:49) PRIN – Asher Weiner 1-yard run, Esteban Nunez Perez kick (Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:43; Columbia 10-7)
Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter
  • (13:27) PRIN – Ethan Clark 2-yard run, Esteban Nunez Perez kick (Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:36; Princeton 14-10)
  • (9:21) PRIN – Esteban Nunez Perez 38-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:40; Princeton 17-10)
StatisticsCOLUPRIN
First downs1817
Total yards315352
Rushing yards110114
Passing yards205238
Turnovers22
Time of possession31:3128:29
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ColumbiaPassingChase Goodwin19/28, 165 yards, 2 INT
RushingGriffin Johnson10 rushes, 46 yards
ReceivingTitus Evans8 receptions, 93 yards
PrincetonPassingKai Colón7/17, 145 yards, INT
RushingBlaine Hipa8 rushes, 38 yards
ReceivingJosh Robinson4 receptions, 73 yards

No. 7 Lehigh

No. 7 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (6–0) at Columbia Lions (1–2) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
No. 7 Mountain Hawks71014031
Lions00707

at Wien Stadium, New York City, NY

  • Date: October 11
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: E at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 3,049
  • Referee: Tom Zetts
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Lance Medow (play-by-play), Shawn Fitzgerald (analyst) and C.J. Brown (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (8:02) LEH – Matt Machalik 4-yard run, Nick Garrido kick (Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 5:38; Lehigh 7–0)

Second quarter

  • (12:27) LEH – Luke Yoder 7-yard run, Nick Garrido kick (Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 2:21; Lehigh 14–0)
  • (0:48) LEH – Nick Garrido 38-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 2:59; Lehigh 17–0)

Third quarter

  • (13:24) LEH – Geoffrey Jamiel 63-yard pass from Hayden Johnson, Nick Garrido kick (Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:29; Lehigh 24–0)
  • (7:50) LEH – Matt Machalik 2-yard run, Nick Garrido kick (Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:17; Lehigh 31–0)
  • (7:00) COLU – Titus Evans 74-yard pass from Xander Menapace, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 2 plays, 83 yards, 0:43; Lehigh 31–7)

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays
StatisticsLEHCOLU
First downs189
Total yards437228
Rushing yards19339
Passing yards244189
Turnovers02
Time of possession37:2722:33
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
LehighPassingHayden Johnson17/23, 240 yards, TD
RushingHayden Johnson8 carries, 68 yards
ReceivingGeoffrey Jamiel9 receptions, 182 yards, TD
ColumbiaPassingXander Menapace11/21, 178 yards, TD, 2 INT
RushingXander Menapace10 carries, 23 yards
ReceivingTitus Evans6 receptions, 111 yards, TD

Penn

Penn Quakers (3–1) at Columbia Lions (1–3) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Quakers01414735
Lions777021

at Wien Stadium, New York City, NY

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: SW at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 12,704
  • Referee: Justin Ackley
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Lance Medow (play-by-play) and Shawn FitzGerald (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (0:48) COLU – Michael Walters 1-yard run, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:39; Columbia 7–0)

Second quarter

  • (9:59) PENN – Jared Richardson 1-yard pass from Liam O'Brien, Mason Walters kick (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 5:37; Tied 7–7)
  • (5:51) COLU – Beckett Robinson 32-yard pass from Caleb Sanchez, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 2 plays, 28 yards, 0:49; Columbia 14–7)
  • (1:17) PENN – Bisi Owens 7-yard pass from Liam O'Brien, Mason Walters kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:34; Tied 14–14)

Third quarter

  • (8:52) PENN – Liam O'Brien 18-yard run, Mason Walters kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:08; Penn 21–14)
  • (3:48) COLU – Hutch Crow 2-yard pass from Caleb Sanchez, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:04; Tied 21–21)
  • (1:38) PENN – Jared Richardson 31-yard pass from Liam O'Brien, Mason Walters kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:10; Penn 28–21)

Fourth quarter

  • (10:18) PENN – Jared Richardson 76-yard pass from Liam O'Brien, Mason Walters kick (Drive: 1 play, 76 yards, 0:14; Penn 35–21)
StatisticsPENNCOLU
First downs2520
Total yards458366
Rushing yards18655
Passing yards272311
Turnovers31
Time of possession31:2028:40
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
PennPassingLiam O'Brien17/26, 272 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
RushingLiam O'Brien15 carries, 81 yards, TD
ReceivingJared Richardson6 receptions, 157 yards, 3 TD
ColumbiaPassingCaleb Sanchez27/47, 311 yards, 2 TD
RushingMichael Walters11 carries, 61 yards, TD
ReceivingTitus Evans7 receptions, 75 yards

at Dartmouth

Columbia Lions (1–4) at Dartmouth Big Green (4–1) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Lions00033
Big Green211414049

at Memorial Field, Hanover, NH

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: NW at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 3,471
  • Referee: Alex Parrella
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jack Ford (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (11:32) DART – Tyson Grimm 75-yard interception, Owen Zalc kick (Dartmouth 7–0)
  • (6:51) DART – Grayson Saunier 24-yard run, Owen Zalc kick (Drive: 5 plays, 83 yards, 2:18; Dartmouth 14–0)
  • (2:56) DART – No'Koi Maddox 19-yard punt return, Owen Zalc kick (Dartmouth 21–0)

Second quarter

  • (5:45) DART – Grayson Saunier 13-yard run, Owen Zalc kick (Drive: 2 plays, 14 yards, 0:50; Dartmouth 28–0)
  • (0:11) DART – Grayson Saunier 1-yard run, Owen Zalc kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:58; Dartmouth 35–0)

Third quarter

  • (12:19) DART – Chris Corbo 35-yard pass from Grayson Saunier, Owen Zalc kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:41; Dartmouth 42–0)
  • (0:06) DART – Desmin Jackson 2-yard run, Owen Zalc kick (Drive: 16 plays, 69 yards, 10:04; Dartmouth 49–0)

Fourth quarter

  • (5:13) COLU – Hugo Merry 26-yard field goal (Drive: 17 plays, 72 yards, 8:05; Dartmouth 49–7)
StatisticsCOLUDART
First downs1718
Total yards271358
Rushing yards156192
Passing yards115166
Turnovers20
Time of possession31:0328:57
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ColumbiaPassingCaleb Sanchez10/25, 105 yards, INT
RushingMichael Walters19 carries, 82 yards
ReceivingTitus Evans2 receptions, 32 yards
DartmouthPassingGrayson Saunier12/13, 162 yards, TD
RushingD. J. Crowther18 carries, 103 yards
ReceivingNick Lemon3 receptions, 61 yards

at Yale

Columbia Lions (1–5) at Yale Bulldogs (4–2) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Lions070310
Bulldogs01410024

at Yale Bowl, New Haven, CT

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Wind: NW at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 4,375
  • Referee: Antonio Marcella
  • TV: ESPN+
Game information
First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter
  • (13:22) YALE – Jaxton Santiago 7-yard pass from Dante Reno, Noah Piper kick (Drive: 14 plays, 82 yards, 5:50; Yale 7-0)
  • (4:52) YALE – Nico Brown 7-yard pass from Dante Reno, Noah Piper kick (Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:46; Yale 14-0)
  • (0:13) COLU – Titus Evans 6-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 1:23; Yale 14-7)
Third quarter
  • (5:35) YALE – Noah Piper 40-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:05; Yale 17-7)
  • (3:43) YALE – Wilhelm Daal 81-yard run, Noah Piper kick (Drive: 1 play, 81 yards, 0:11; Yale 24-7)
Fourth quarter
  • (7:08) COLU – Hugo Merry 29-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 6:54; Yale 24-10)
StatisticsCOLUYALE
First downs1521
Total yards270432
Rushing yards62253
Passing yards208179
Turnovers00
Time of possession29:0930:51
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ColumbiaPassingChase Goodwin15/30, 208 yards, TD
RushingMichael Walters11 carries, 52 yards
ReceivingLucas Bullock3 receptions, 78 yards
YalePassingDante Reno16/25, 179 yards, 2 TD
RushingJosh Pitsenberger25 carries, 132 yards
ReceivingJaxton Santiago5 receptions, 92 yards, TD

No. 9 Harvard

No. 9 Harvard Crimson (7–0) at Columbia Lions (1–6) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
No. 9 Crimson7213031
Lions0001414

at Wien Stadium, New York City, NY

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind: S 14 mph
  • Game attendance: 3,644
  • Referee: Todd Bowman
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jack Ford (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (2:11) HARV – Xaviah Bascon 1-yard run, Kieran Corr kick (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:10; Harvard 7–0)

Second quarter

  • (9:00) HARV – Seamus Gilmartin 2-yard pass from Jaden Craig, Kieran Corr kick (Drive: 1 play, 2 yards, 0:05; Harvard 14–0)
  • (3:55) HARV – Seamus Gilmartin 3-yard pass from Jaden Craig, Kieran Corr kick (Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:45; Harvard 21–0)
  • (0:11) HARV – Xaviah Bascon 1-yard run, Kieran Corr kick (Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 2:47; Harvard 28–0)

Third quarter

  • (6:07) HARV – Kieran Corr 22-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 4:34; Harvard 31–0)

Fourth quarter

  • (13:19) COLU – Titus Evans 15-yard pass from Chase Goodwin (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:48; Harvard 31–6)
  • (1:49) COLU – Titus Evans 6-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Titus Evans pass (Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 1:05; Harvard 31–14)
StatisticsHARVCOLU
First downs1618
Total yards381325
Rushing yards168105
Passing yards213220
Turnovers12
Time of possession25:4534:15
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
HarvardPassingJaden Craig16/24, 213 yards, 2 TD
RushingXaviah Bascon18 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
ReceivingCam Henry5 receptions, 68 yards
ColumbiaPassingChase Goodwin20/38, 205 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingMichael Walters12 carries, 47 yards
ReceivingJordan Kelley3 receptions, 43 yards

Brown

Brown Bears (3–5) at Columbia Lions (1–7) – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bears8731432
Lions0781429

at Wien Stadium, New York City, NY

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C) • Wind: W at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 3,122
  • Referee: Cory Hanson
  • TV: ESPN+
Game information
First quarter
  • (2:42) BRWN – Ty Pezza 7-yard pass from James Murphy, Will Currid pass to Levi Linowes for two-point conversion (Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:12; Brown 8-0)
Second quarter
  • (5:40) BRWN – Pearson Hill 18-yard pass from James Murphy, Drew Crabtree kick (Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 4:22; Brown 15-0)
  • (4:03) COLU – Beckett Robinson 24-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 1:32; Brown 15-7)
Third quarter
  • (8:30) COLU – Titus Evans 2-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Chase Goodwin pass to Beckett Robinson for two-point conversion (Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:41; 15-15)
  • (2:46) BRWN – Drew Crabtree 23-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 5:44; Brown 18-15)
Fourth quarter
  • (13:33) COLU – Michael Walters 1-yard run, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:13; Columbia 22-18)
  • (11:28) BRWN – Matt Childs 10-yard pass from James Murphy, Drew Crabtree kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:05; Brown 25-22)
  • (4:07) COLU – Titus Evans 8-yard pass from Chase Goodwin, Hugo Merry kick (Drive: 3 plays, 28 yards, 1:26; Columbia 29-25)
  • (1:53) BRWN – Matt Childs 5-yard pass from James Murphy, Drew Crabtree kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:14; Brown 32-29)
StatisticsBRWNCOLU
First downs2321
Total yards415330
Rushing yards75162
Passing yards340168
Turnovers03
Time of possession27:5132:09
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
BrownPassingJames Murphy31/43, 340 yards, 4 TD
RushingMatt Childs10 carries, 50 yards
ReceivingTrevor Foley6 receptions, 140 yards
ColumbiaPassingChase Goodwin17/25, 168 yards, 3 TD, INT
RushingMichael Walters27 carries, 123 yards
ReceivingBeckett Robinson6 receptions, 97 yards, TD

at Cornell (rivalry)

Columbia Lions at Cornell Big Red – Game summary
Quarter12Total
Lions0
Big Red0

at Schoellkopf Field, Ithaca, NY

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: TBA
  • TV: ESPN+
Game information
First quarter

Second quarterThird quarterFourth quarter

StatisticsCOLUCOR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ColumbiaPassing
Rushing
Receiving
CornellPassing
Rushing
Receiving

References

  1. "Football Coaches". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  2. "Harvard Voted Preseason Ivy Football Favorite". ivyleague.com. Princeton, New Jersey: Ivy League. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  3. "2025 Football Schedule". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  4. "2025 Columbia Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.