Yale tabbed to finish 4th in Ivy

Princeton, Harvard selected co-favorites in preseason media poll

A rash of injuries and other factors led to an overall disappointing 2016 season for the Yale football team.

Yet the Bulldogs finished the season on a very positive note, upsetting Harvard in “The Game” and spoiling the Crimson’s chance for an Ivy League title.

As Yale gets set to kick off its 2017 season, with practices beginning on Aug. 18, can the Bulldogs’ put last season’s 3-7 record in the rear-view mirror yet also draw some positive momentum from the big win at Harvard?

Yes and no, according to head coach Tony Reno.

“Every team’s got to form their own identity in the offseason,” Reno said during Tuesday’s coaches conference call. “We had a good offseason in the weight room, in spring ball. You’ve got to draw from the positive and negative experiences from the past and form who you are. A lot of that will be determined over the next couple of months.”

The Bulldogs are picked to finish in fourth place in the Ivy’s preseason media poll that was released on Tuesday. Princeton and Harvard each finished tied for first with 120 points each, with Penn just behind both at 110 points. The Bulldogs garnered 71 points.

Rounding out the poll were Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia and Cornell. Princeton received six firstplace votes, while Harvard and Penn nabbed five apiece. Brown received the only other first-place vote.

Entering last season, Reno had a four-man battle for the starting quarterback position that went YALE » PAGE 3

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Yale head coach Tony Reno, center, celebrates with his team after their 21-14 win over Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. last November. The Bulldogs are picked to finish fourth in the Ivy League this season.