Yale Season in Review

Yale entered the 2000 season as the defending Ivy League champions, riding a nine-game winning streak. The Elis, one win away from a milestone 800th victory, would have their first chance in the season-opener against Dayton.

Yale 42, Dayton 6

In their bid to become the first collegiate football team to reach 800 wins, the Bulldogs jumped on the Flyers from the start, and never looked back in a 42-6 rout at the Yale Bowl.

Yale accumulated 548 yards of total offense, while holding the Flyers to only 127 yards for the game. The Bulldogs had 28 first downs to Dayton's 10. Yale rushed for 357 yards, and doubled the Flyers time of possession.

The Bulldog attack was led by senior running back Rashad Bartholomew, who recorded 201 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns. He made his presence felt from the opening drive of the game, breaking free from 25 yards out to score the game's first touchdown and set the pace for the afternoon.

Junior quarterback Peter Lee also had a solid debut for the Bulldogs. He passed for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Lee's favorite target during the game was senior receiver Eric Johnson, who recorded 10 receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Cornell 24, Yale 23

Yale suffered a devastating loss in its Ivy opener at Ithaca, losing to the Big Red by one point.

With a few seconds left in the game, senior kicker Mike Murawczyk's game-winning 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left and ended the Bulldog's attempt at a last minute comeback.

Yale had a 23-17 lead late in the fourth quarter before Cornell embarked on the game-winning drive. Cornell faced a fourth down and long situation in Yale territory, but Big Red quarterback Ricky Rahne found receiver Joe Splendorio to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, he found Splendorio again, this time in the end zone, to give Cornell the 24-23 lead.

The Bulldogs marched down the field with 45 seconds left and no timeouts, looking to set up the game-winning field goal. Lee drove the Elis deep into Cornell territory, but Murawczyk's missed field goal ended the Bulldog's win streak at 10.

Yale 33, Holy Cross 27

Like the week before, Yale was holding its breath into the last seconds of the game, but this time the outcome was in its favor.

After nearly blowing a 27-6 halftime lead, Yale escaped with the win. Holy Cross quarterback Errick Stewart's Hail Mary as time expired was batted down by the Bulldogs and Yale (2-1, 0-1 Ivy) triumphed 33-27 at the Yale Bowl.

Bartholomew, who recorded 158 yards on 32 rushes, led the Bulldog offense. Lee provided the scoring for Yale, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for another in a span of 20 minutes, while amassing 197 yards through the air.

Yale 24, Dartmouth 14

Yale had been winless in Hanover since 1989, but this year's Dartmouth team paled in comparison to the great Big Green teams of the early 90's.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 Ivy) were led by Lee, who completed 21-of-34 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He drove Yale to the game-winning drive in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Trailing 14-10 and facing a fourth and goal situation at the Big Green five-yard line, Lee waited in the pocket and found Johnson in the end zone to give the Bulldogs the 17-14 lead. The Yale defense kept Dartmouth off the scoreboard for the duration of the game and the Bulldogs snapped their losing streak in Hanover.

Yale benefited from the solid play of Bartholomew, who recorded 188 yards on 26 carries. Johnson had eight catches for 70 yards and one touchdown.

Yale 24, Fordham 17

Yale needed a star performance from one of its players in order to defeat Patriot League doormat Fordham. The Bulldogs received it from their running back.

Bartholomew ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs (4-1, 1-1 Ivy) past Fordham, 24-17.

Trailing in the third quarter, the Bulldogs called on Bartholomew to provide the offense. Breaking free for 18 yards, he gave Yale a first down deep in Ram territory and then proceeded to scamper for three yards to give the Bulldogs the lead at 21-17.

Lee completed 18-of-31 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown. His main target was Johnson, who caught eight passes for 108 yards and one touchdown.

Yale 27, Penn 24

Yale entered a five-way tie for the Ivy League lead with a 27-24 win over Penn at the Yale Bowl, while wide receiver Johnson broke the school's record for career receiving yardage.

In the opening series for the Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1 Ivy), Lee found Johnson for a 57- yard gain that broke the record. However, Johnson's day was hardly done, as he finished with a season-high 13 receptions and 172 receiving yards.

Trailing 17-14, Yale took the lead for good in the second half's opening drive. Lee drove the offense downfield and found Johnson for a 14-yard score that put the Bulldogs up 24-17.

The Yale defense then took control, punishing Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman and disrupting the Quaker offense until the end of the game.

Yale 41, Columbia 0

Yale extended its winning streak to five games after crushing Columbia, 41-0, at the Yale Bowl. The shutout was the first in the Ivy League this season, and marked the first time the Bulldogs (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) had shutout the Lions since 1992.

It was the Yale defense that stole the show, limiting Columbia tailback Jonathan Reese to 86 yards, his lowest output of the season. With the running game nullified, the Bulldog secondary then took advantage, especially senior safety Ryan LoProto.

LoProto picked off two passes and returned both of them for touchdowns. He became the first player in Yale's history to accomplish the feat.

The Bulldog offense was led by Lee and Johnson once again. Lee passed for 164 yards and four touchdowns, while Johnson caught seven passes for 95 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first Yale receiver in eight years to catch three touchdowns in a game.

Brown 28, Yale 14

Yale's five-game winning-streak came to a screeching halt with a 28-14 loss to Brown at Brown Stadium. The loss all but mathematically eliminated the Bulldogs (6-2, 3-2 Ivy) from Ivy title contention.

Brown controlled the game from the beginning, with the Bears returning the opening kickoff 61 yards and never looking back.

The powerful Brown offense wasted no time in launching its attack. After the long kickoff return, the Bears faced a fourth-and-one, but tailback Mike Malan easily scampered around the Yale defense for a 7-0 Brown lead.

In the next series, Bear quarterback Eric Webber drove deep into Bulldog territory and passed to tailback Brandon Buchanan for the 14-0 Brown lead.

Malan was not done with his scoring, entering the end zone right before the half to give the Bears a 21-7 lead.

Lee and Johnson played solidly in a losing effort. Lee passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnson caught 10 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

Princeton 19, Yale 14

A dramatic fourth-quarter comeback by Princeton spoiled the Bulldogs remaining hopes for an Ivy title.

The 19-14 loss officially eliminated Yale (6-3, 3-3 Ivy) from the championship race. The Elis would have needed help from other teams anyway in order to gain a share of the crown.

Yale led the game for almost the entire 60 minutes, scoring early in the first and only giving up the lead in the final seconds.

With the Bulldogs only 1:12 from victory, Princeton fullback Marty Cheatham came up with the game-breaking play. The Tigers were backed up in their own end zone, but Tiger quarterback Jon Blevins found Cheatham in the flat, where he hauled in the pass and broke free down the sidelines for 44 yards.

Blevins then found wide-out Chisom Opara in the end zone to give Princeton the lead and the victory. Yale's offensive woes continued, as they were unable to score in the second half and failed to put away the Tigers.