First, the big news. Chris Smith is out for the season because of “personal issues,” according to coach Tony Reno. Read the story from Tuesday’spractice.

Next, I want to apologize for the lack of coverage for the last week. I was busy covering the New Haven Open, so I didn’t have a chance to get over to practice. Now I will spend most of my time covering Yale.

Any questions about the team or if there is something I haven’t addressed, please post and I will do my best to get an answer. With that said, keep in mind Reno is much more tight-lipped than Tom Williams was.

Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage was closed to the media, as will be this Saturday’s scrimmage against Brown and the final intrasquad scrimmage of the preseason.

Yale will practice in the afternoon. Much more convenient, in my opinion anyway, than Williams’ early morning schedule.  

A reader asked why Yale will play Columbia on the road and Dartmouth at home again this year. Reno explained it was done by the Ivy League to “rebalance” the schedule. Every five years the Ivy League reconfigures its schedule, Reno said.

Here’s a couple of tidbits from Tuesday…

Reno on Beau Palin and Chris Dooley: “They are the heart and soul of our front. They are true tough guys, tough football players.”

Will McHale spoke highly of sophomore LB EJ Conway and sophomore DB Charles Cook.

Cam Sandquist on the Bulldogs trio of RBs Mordecai Cargill, Tyler Varga and Kahlil Keys:  “You look at our three backs and it makes you excited to block on the outside. Knowing the confidence we have in those guys is huge, it opens up so much. “

Lincoln High (Fla.) WR Myles Gaines has committed to Yale, Tallahassee.com has reported.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Gaines chose the Bulldogs over Harvard and Princeton.

“I chose Yale because I had the closest relationship with their coaches,” Gaines told Tallahassee.com. “When I went up there this summer for their football camp, that’s when they offered me and that tied the knot. It’s more of a coach-player feeling – it felt like my high school more than any other college I visited.”

Here’s a story on the Bulldogs first practice. Video interview with senior Chris Dooley is below. 

I will be covering the New Haven Open tennis tournament through Aug. 25, but will do my best to get over to practice to get some updates.

The quarterback situation is perhaps the biggest story heading into the season. Head coach Tony Reno is clearly not saying much until a decision is made. It’s a battle between junior John Whitelaw and freshmen Logan Scott and Eric Williams.

When talking to RB Mordecai Cargill, Whitelaw seems to be the guy. Cargill said he worked really hard over the summer and organized 7-on-7s.

“We’re rallying behind him,” Cargill said. “We’re looking forward to him leading the offense.”

As for the freshmen, Cargill said: “They have the tools. But they’re freshman. They have to get used to the speed of the game and the plays coming at them fast. In a week or two, they will rise.”

But Cargill looks much improved. In addition, sophomore Kahlil Keys and freshman Tyler Varga of Canada are two other talented backs. Behind a strong OL, Yale could pound the ball if needed.

Varga, from Canada, is 5-11, 220. He’s a big, fast and athletic, and be a nice addition to the running game.

Longtime sports writer and 1945 Yale graduate Bill Wallace died Friday in Norwalk Hospital.
Wallace wrote for the Yale Daily News, the New York Herald Tribune and the New York Times. Wallace published a weekly online commentary during the Yale football season titled Bullpoop and is also author of the book titled, “Yale’s Ironmen: A Story of Football and Lives in the Decade of the Depression and Beyond.”
You can read some of his stories that The Times has archived at: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/w/william_n_wallace/index.html

Offensive lineman Mason Friedline has verbally committed to Yale, according to The Herald. Friedline is a 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman from Seattle, Wash. He plays offensive and defensive lineman for King’s HS. Friedline had offers from six Pac-10 schools among others.

Here are some notes from Tuesday's Ivy League media teleconference. And here is a link to listen to the complete teleconference.

Below are some videos from Tuesday night's Chalk Talk event at Black Bear in New Haven. The event featured the three college football coaches from New Haven: Reno (Yale), Pete Rossomando (New Haven) and Rich Cavanaugh (Southern Connecticut State. Check back later for notes from Tuesday's Ivy League Media Teleconference.

Yale has been selected No. 5 in the Ivy League preseason media poll. For more, click here.

Yale has 11 players on the collegesportsmadness.com All-Ivy League preseason team. 

Senior RB Mordecai Cargill, along with junior DB Nick Okano and senior DB Kurt Stottlemyer were named to the all-league first team.

Five second-team selections include: Senior WR Chris Smith, junior OL Wes Gavin, senior LB Will McHale, freshman DB Cole Champion and senior kicker Philippe Panico.

Junior C John Oppenheimer, junior WR Deon Randall, freshman OL Braden Meador and Smith as a kick returner were picked for the third team.

For a complete look, click here.

Yale announced Sunday Will McHale's captaincy has been suspended. Read the story here.