Bulldogs fall on day Cozza is honored

NEW HAVEN — On a day when the Yale football program feted a legendary coach, the 2018 edition found itself in a tussle with none other than Princeton.

You may think Harvard is Yale’s chief rival, but Carm Cozza loved nothing more than beating the Ivy League foe from New Jersey. Cozza relished the fact Yale defeated Princeton every season from 1967 to 1980, and he took pride in each and every win over the Tigers.

So it was fitting that Princeton stood on the other side of the Yale Bowl Saturday as the Bulldogs took the field not long after Yale football royalty honored Cozza, who died in January at age 87.

Carm would not have been happy with the start — three Princeton touchdowns in the first 4 minutes, 38 seconds, a seemingly insurmountable hole for Yale.

Yet the Bulldogs embodied Cozza’s spirit, continually clawing their way back even as Princeton scored at will. The final was 59-43, but Yale coach Tony Reno could point to positives in the aftermath of the loss.

Yale (5-4) scored touchdowns late in the first half and early in the second, adding a score late in the third and two touchdown in the fourth to close the gap after falling behind by 31 points.

“You look at the resolve of this team … you look at the squad we have, I’m really excited about this team moving forward,” Reno said. “When you look at what these kids did in the second half. I think it speaks volumes of the culture we have, I think it speaks volumes of the type of kids we have and really, our Yale football family.”

Yale was coming off a 30-point win over Columbia, but the Bulldogs could not corral the Ivy League’s best team. Princeton (9-0) — averaging 53.5 points per game — clinched a shared of the title Saturday and will bid for the outright championship

A year ago, Yale clinched an Ivy title at Princeton. Yale packed the the trophy up this week. “Last year we felt it,” Reno said. “I know what [Princeton] is feeling.”

The Tigers scored on their first play from scrimmage, a 75-yard run by Collin Eaddy (266 yards on 25 carries). After an interception gave Princeton the ball on Yale’s 17-yard line, Eaddy scored on the Tigers’ second play from scrimmage. The next Princeton possession ended with a 37-yard touchdown run by Ryan Quigley (113 yards).

Princeton rushed for 489 yards. Yale freshman Griffin O’Connor passed for a school-record 465 yards and three touchdowns.

It was the highest-scoring game in the 141 meetings between the schools, the second-longest active rivalry in college football.

Reno said he knew there was little to no margin for error against Princeton. So the early mistakes were crucial, yet Yale and its freshman quarterback never faded.

Just hours earlier, Reno was reminded of the spirit and culture of his program as Cozza’s lifed was celebrated.

“It’s an honor to walk the same sideline as Coach Cozza,” Reno said. “I look at my job as doing right by him and the thousands of men that he coached, every single day. When you have guys fight like we did in the second half, that’s what we’re all about. I’m just proud of the kids.”

Inside Coxe Cage Saturday morning, captains wearing Yale sweaters sat in one section as a stream of former players told stories about their former coach. There were remembrances from Pat Ruwe, Dick Jauron, Jon Reese and former NFL star Calvin Hill before a photo montage was introduced by Jack Ford.

More remembrances followed: Ron Vaccaro, Brian Dowling, Steve Skrovan and ex-NFL player Gary Fencik. The Whiffenpoofs sang and members of Cozza’s family spoke.

There was football talk, for sure, but the event was about so much more.

“It was always about more important things than football,” Dowling said. “We learned life lessons.”

Hill later recalled meeting Cozza for the first time and being impressed with his no-nonsense demeanor. Standing among generations of former Yale players after the ceremony, Hill gazed at the crowd.

“With the great Yale football traditions starting with Walter Camp … I mean, he’s up there,” Hill said. “The members of his first teams to the members of his last teams, they all said the same things about him … he had an impact. He had a life where he touched so many people. He was more than a coach.”