Former Nebraska backup now helms Elis

Nearly two years ago to the day, Yale trailed an Ivy League rival 22-17 with less than six minutes remaining and without possession of the football. The Bulldogs forced the opponent’s freshman (now junior) quarterback into a fumble and recovered, leaving sophomore (now senior) quarterback Patrick Witt to lead a 51-yard touchdown drive and provide the final margin of victory.
Witt, that day, helped spoil the debut of Columbia freshman quarterback Sean Brackett.

This weekend’s visit by Yale (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) marks the first time since then that Witt and company are returning to Kraft Field.

While Brackett has improved significantly since then, so has Witt. A prolific passer, the Georgia native is one of Yale’s best quarterbacks ever, the all-time leader in completions, second with over 5000 yards and nearly 800 attempts, and fourth with 31 passes for touchdowns. This season, he is averaging just under 230 passing yards per game with a strong 58.5 percent completion rate. Brackett, in comparison, averages 198 yards per game. Last year, Witt ranked 15th in the country in passing yards per game at over 246 yards.

“I think he’s got an innate feel for playing the position,” Yale head coach Tom Williams said. “I think he’s got all the physical tools in terms of size and arm strength.”

True to his Ivy League education, Witt is an intelligent leader on the field.

“It’s one thing to understand what you’re supposed to do in terms of the play, but he understands what every guy on the field on offense is supposed to do,” Williams said. “He can anticipate what he sees from the defense.”

This IQ also manifests itself off the field—Witt boasts a 3.91 GPA and is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to the best college football player in terms of combined success in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. Witt transferred to Yale after his freshman year at Nebraska, influenced both by Yale’s academics and his brother’s experience as a quarterback at Harvard,. He was also selected as one of the National Football Foundation’s 16 scholar-athletes this year, winning an $18,000 graduate school scholarship.

Williams also mentioned Witt’s maturation into Yale’s system, and ability to communicate with his teammates confidently as reasons why he has so much success. Yale finished tied for sixth in the Ivy League two years ago, but improved to tie for second the following year, and are currently tied for third with Brown.

Columbia head coach Norries Wilson knows that the Bulldogs’ star will be tough to stop.

“We can’t let Witt just stand back there and pick us apart,” Wilson said.

Making the Light Blue defense’s job even more difficult is the solid front line Yale puts in front of Witt. His offensive line has allowed only seven sacks this season, third in the Ivy League behind Dartmouth’s and Brown’s pass protections, which have each allowed five. Columbia’s ranks last with eighteen sacks allowed, and its defense ranks sixth with nine sacks for the Lions.
Witt is not underestimating the fight in the winless Lions, especially with regard to its defense.

“I think they’re a much improved unit,” he said. “They have two very athletic defensive ends who are going to pose some problems in protection for us.”

In the sides’ meeting last season, Yale prevailed 31-28 in New Haven, building a 31-7 lead before halftime. Both quarterbacks had a rough outing. Brackett completed 16 of 35 passes for 198 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. Witt completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 213 yards and three touchdowns, but also three interceptions. Yale led in time of possession by only 38 seconds.

The only two sides to hold Witt under 246 yards this season are Lehigh and Dartmouth, limiting him to 120 and 203 yards, respectively. While Lehigh won, Dartmouth could not take advantage of its pass defense and lost in embarrassing fashion, 30-0. Witt had a strong first three quarters last week against Penn, but Yale surrendered 27 points in the final quarter to fall 37-25. Yale’s other loss came at Lafayette, where Witt threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. However, he was sacked three times and threw two interceptions.

Stopping the Bulldog under center will be key tomorrow for the Lions. The game is scheduled to begin at noon and will be televised locally on YES.