It was no surprise that Butler fell at Top 10 South Dakota State, 55-14. (recap and stats) Butler QB Matt Lancaster, who tossed just three interceptions all of last year, threw three against the Jackrabbits, who piled up 546 yards of total offense. Lancaster was Butler's leading rusher with 63 yards on six carries with All-Pioneer Football League tailback Trae Heeter limited to 17 yards on nine carries.
Maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise that a field goal with 38 seconds left gave Bryant a 17-16 win over Holy Cross. (Recap and stats) The heartbreaking loss continues a pattern that saw the Crusaders lose games last year by 1,1, 3, 3 and 4 points including a 13-10 loss to Dartmouth on a field goal at the final whistle. Against Bryant quarterback Steven Elder was 23-for-41 for 309 yards but was picked off three times and sacked six. The run game was credited with just three yards after sacks and lost yardage were deducted.
In another game of note, old friend Colgate dropped a 38-13 decision at Air Force (stats and recap).
And Roger Hughes, the popular former Dartmouth assistant and Princeton head coach who has been waiting for a year to get the new Stetson program up and running on the varsity level, will have to wait a little longer than he expected. The Hatters of the Pioneer Football League were leading NAIA member Warner early in the second quarter last night, 10-3, only to see the game suspended because of lightning and then a gully-washer. That disappointed a sellout crowd of 6,479. The game will be finished, weather permitting, today at 3 p.m. Find a story here.
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Two rookies from the Ivy League made the Kansas City Chiefs' roster – linebacker Mike Catapano from Princeton and linebacker/defensive end Josh Martin from Columbia. Former Brown defensive end James Develin made the cut with the New England Patriots as a fullback, the same position Harvard's Kyle Juszczyk will play with the Baltimore Ravens. Fellow rookie JC Tretter of Cornell is on the physically unable to perform list as an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers, whose roster features guard-center Greg Van Roten of Penn. The New York Giants, of course, have guard Kevin Boothe of Cornell and longsnapper Zak DeOssie of Brown. Desmond Bryant of Harvard is a defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns and Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is on the Tennessee Titans' roster.
That's at least nine Ivy Leaguers on active rosters, one on the PUP, and very likely one or two I'll slap myself in the head for forgetting.
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That Certain Nittany Lion rode the four-hour fan bus from Happy Valley to the Meadowlands yesterday for Penn State's season-opening win against Syracuse. The bus was free and the ticket? "Best $25 I ever spent," he wrote. His big sister, That Certain '14? She's still got three weeks until her school opens up, a subject addressed in yesterday's Green Alert Premium practice report.
Be sure to visit BGA Premium today for a story out of the first full-pads practice.
