Return to Bowl heartens Yale players

The day finally came after nearly two years. Even if it didn’t end the way Yale wanted it to end, the football team was still back out there.

“It was a long time coming,” sophomore wide receiver Mason Tipton said during the team’s weekly media availability.

“It was great to see the Yale community back in the Yale Bowl. I can’t tell you how long I was waiting to get back out there, especially because it was taken away from us.”

Yale’s 20-17 loss to Holy Cross on a last-minute Derek Ng field goal on Saturday was the Bulldogs’ first game since 2019. The Ivy League canceled the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It returned on a bright, warm end-of-summer Saturday in New Haven.

“It was an awesome feel

ing, a lot of time spent and a lot of work put in to get to that point,” junior safety Miles Oldacre said.

“It was fun to get out there with your brothers and go compete against somebody else. We spent a lot of time working with each other. It was fun to put that on display versus another opponent.”

Coach Tony Reno ran through an assortment of thank-yous throughout the school for getting the team back on the field.

“I really appreciate all the Yale administration did,” Reno said.

“Everything was just at an incredibly high level. You walked in the stadium and saw that. The stadium never looked so good.”

The team, they had their moments.

On film, Reno still loved the Bulldogs’ effort. The same effort he saw in practice, he said, showed up on the field.

“In spurts, we blocked well and tackled well. In spurts, we looked like a very efficient offense and defense,” Reno said.

“I was happy with a few fourth-down plays to give our offense the ball back. Conversely, a couple of big plays in the pass game were really good signs. We punted the ball really well.”

Consistency of execution, on the other hand, kept Yale from taking control, but he said he believed they’ll get there.

“Like coach always says, it’s the next game, the next day,” Tipton said. “We’ll be back at it, working on stuff we need to work on.”

Steve Musco / Submitted photo Yale’s Mason Tipton goes down low to catch a pass in front of Holy Cross defender John Smith during Saturday’s game.

Steve Musco / submitted photo Yale tight end JJ Howland fends off Holy Cross defender John Smith during Saturday’s game.