Tuesday's news and notes

Here are some notes off of Tuesday’s media luncheon, coming off a 49-43 overtime win over Army. The victory marked the first time an Ivy League opponent beat an FBS school since Penn beat Navy in 1986.

IMPROVING DEFENSE?

Yale’s young defense may have given up a combined 86 points in the first two games, but there were some promising signs toward the end of Saturday’s game against Army.

The Bulldogs stopped Army on a fourth-and-1 attempt and came up with some critical stops down the stretch.

“As the game went on, we made strides,” senior Charles Cook said. “That’s something we can build off of. We see spurts of us playing Yale defense, the kind of defense that we want to be. It’s just a matter of being more consistent. What we did in that last quarter and in overtime is something we can build off of.”

RENO ON SPREAD

Tony Reno on why the spread is his offense of choice: “It’s three fold. The first part, I believe in being aggressive on the field and controlling the tempo. I know what that does to you defensively. Second, recruiting wise I felt I had a good handle on what we could recruit at Yale. I felt we can recruit the type of athlete that can excel in this offense. Third, kids like playing in the system. It’s the type of offense that you know can work and you can recruit it, and control the tempo and kids like it.”

WHAT WOULD RENO DO?

Up 43-36 and facing a fourth-and-1 on the Yale 15 early in the fourth, Army had an opportunity to make it a two-score game. But Black Knights coach Jeff Monken decided to go for it. Jeff Schmittgens came up with a huge stop to end the drive.

What would Reno have done in that situation?

“You go for it,” Reno said. “You run a triple-option offense, you go for it. We just had a great individual effort by Jeff Schmittgens.”

ROBERTS RUNNING

Morgan Roberts has 96 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries so far. When Roberts came to Yale, Reno spoke highly of his elite speed. It’s showing now.

“I like to consider myself a dual threat QB, but only inside the system,” Roberts said. “When the end crashes or a zone read or my progressions aren’t open and then tuck it down and pull it. Last year, I was trying to run too much, trying to make plays that didn’t need to be made.”

TEAM OF THE WEEK

The Football Writers Association of America named Yale its “Big Game National Team of the Week” for its overtime win over Army. The award has been handed out since 2002 and an Ivy League team has never earned the honor, which requires a win over an FBS school.

The only FCS schools to earn this were North Dakota State and Appalachian State.

Also, Tyler Varga picked up a handful of awards for his performance on Saturday. Varga earned The Sports Network's Offensive Player of the Week and a Gold Helmet from the New England Football Writers. That's not all. Varga was named national player of the week by Collegefootballperformance.com and Collegesportsmadness.com, along with being featured on ESPN's College Football Final show and NFL Primetime.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Yale’s 36 first downs against Army were a school record. The previous mark was 32 which was set in 1976.

Also, the Bulldogs are 4-for-4 on fourth down conversions this season.

HOLY CROSS SERIES SET

Yale and Holy Cross have inked a 12-game series, which was finalized last week.

The series will run from 2017-2028. The two teams have met 31 times, the last coming in 2008. Yale leads the series 27-4.

The complete schedule is below.


Oct. 14, 2017

Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.


Sept. 15, 2018

Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.


Sept. 21, 2019

Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.


Sept. 19, 2020

Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.


Sept. 18, 2021

Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.


Sept. 17, 2022

Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.


Sept. 16, 2023

Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.


Sept. 21, 2024

Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.


Sept. 20, 2025

Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.


Sept. 19, 2026

Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.


Sept. 18, 2027

Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.


Sept. 16, 2028

Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.