October 2, 2004
NEW HAVEN, CT - Yale (2-1) scored 17 unanswered points in the final five minutes of the game to rally for a 31-28 upset victory over 11th ranked Colgate (2-2) Saturday afternoon at the Yale Bowl.
The game came down to the final play of the contest with senior Andrew Sullivan kicking a 37-yard field goal for the winning points. Yale’s victory snapped Colgate’s six-game winning streak against Ivy League opponents.
Colgate held a 28-14 lead with 9:12 remaining in the contest before the Bulldogs rallied for the victory. Yale started the comeback on a seven-yard pass play from Alvin Cowan to Ted Stem capping a nine-play, 67-yard drive with 4:47 remaining.
Colgate got the ball back at its own 16-yard line following the kickoff, but on second-and-eight Raider quarterback Chris Brown was intercepted by Matt Handlon at the Colgate 46 with 3:53 left.
Yale quickly tied the contest 28-28 four plays later, when Cowan hit Chandler Henley with a 12-yard strike.
Colgate was forced to punt on its final possession, and Yale took over on the Yale 45 with 1:15 left. After seven plays, Yale was on the Colgate 20, facing fourth-and-four. Sullivan stepped up and drilled the field goal for the win.
Colgate’s Jamaal Branch rushed 31 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He moved into third place in career rushing with 3,310 yards, and he also moved into a tie for fourth place in career points with 222.
Brown completed 17-of-25 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while Luke Graham caught six passes for 70 yards and DeWayne Long had four receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns.
Colgate opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 35-yard pass play from Brown to Long. Lane Schwarzberg added the extra point. It was the first time this season Colgate had scored in the first quarter.
Yale tied the contest on a 10-yard pass play in the quarter, when Cowan threw the first of his four touchdowns, hitting Ralph Plumb. The Raiders came back on Branch’s three-yard run to take a 14-7 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Yale tied the game 14-14 on its first possession with Cowan throwing a 14-yard TD pass to Alex Faherty. Later in the quarter, Long scored his second TD on a six-yard shuttle pass from Brown on third-and-goal to give the Raiders a 21-14 lead.
Colgate upped its advantage to 28-14 with 9:12 left in the contest, when Branch scored on a five-yard run capping an 85-yard drive in 12 plays.
Branch went over 100 yards rushing for the 16th time in his career, tying him with Rich Erenberg for a second place all-time.
GAME NOTES: This was Colgate's first loss against an unranked team since the Raiders lost to Princeton in 2002 ... Both teams had 364 yards of total offense ... sophomore strong safety Geoff Bean was Colgate's leading tackler with 11 ... defensive tackle Jeff Galletly had one quarterback sack.
