Ever since graduating from Yale in 2010, all Tom Mante wanted was a chance to prove he was good enough to punt at the professional level.

Although he failed to stick following a tryout with the NFL's Chicago Bears, Mante finally got his wish when he beat out two other punters to earn a spot with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

The UFL's financial instability and an elbow injury limited Mante to just three games but he hopes it was enough to draw interest from the NFL.

Mante struggled in his first game, averaging just 30.4 yards on five punts including a 17-yard effort. Mante chalked that effort up to a case of first-game jitters.

"The first game that we played against Virginia, I was nervous and a bit anxious," Mante said. "I was doing too much thinking instead of just going out there and punting. After that, I took a step back and realized I was putting too much pressure on myself. After that week of practice, I got a lot more comfortable with our snapper and our protection. I think that showed because in the last (two) games that I played, I averaged 43 yards a punt."

Mante only punted once for 39 yards in the next game against Sacramento. Against Las Vegas, Mante had punts of 50 and 53 yards and finished with an average of 43 yards on the five punts. In the three games, Mante averaged 39.3 yards on 17 punts.
"I was happy with the way I finished the season, being at the 43-yard mark but there is definitely room for some improvement," Mante said. "That is what the offseason is for and hopefully I can start making the corrections now.

"It is obviously something I have been preparing for a long time, since graduation," Mante said. "It was a feeling that I definitely relished. Playing for four years at Yale, you kind of take it for granted being out on the field. When you have the opportunity to compete with all of these pro caliber players, it is quite the experience. I took in every single moment of it. I didn’t let the moment get ahead of me. The first day, I was pretty nervous after not playing for about a year and a half. That first practice was a little nerve wracking but after hitting the first couple of punts, everything kind of came back naturally to me. It was validation of all the hard work I put in over the last year and a half so that was a great experience for me. It was one thing to get the job but another to hold onto it."


The UFL canceled its final two weeks of the regular season as a cost-saving move so there is no guarantee the league will even be around in 2012. After getting a taste of pro football, Mante isn't ready to abandon his dreams of a pro football career just yet.

"It is up in the air.," Mante said in reference to his football future "That is kind of out of my control. I was waiting for my next opportunity whether a guy goes down in the NFL. I am going to send my agent all the film I had from all my practices and games. We are going to do the best we can to throw it out to teams. It is just a matter of staying ready. I am hoping something is going to happen, it is just a matter of when and be prepared for it. The next step is to wait for a workout whether it is mid season or after the season as a futures contract."

Former Yale punter Tom Mante had the best game of his young UFL career on Saturday. Mante had punts of 48 and 49 yards and punted six times for an average of 43.7 yards in Omaha's 30-10 loss to Las Vegas on Saturday. Mante also had a tackle.

In Mante's first two games as a pro, he averaged just 31.8 yards per punt.

Omaha will play Las Vegas again on Saturday.

With 2010 Yale captain Tom McCarthy having been released from the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad last month, I believe Mante is the only former Yale player playing professionally in this country.

Former Yale punter Tom Mante has been signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

Mante graduated from Yale in 2009 owning nearly every Yale punting record. He has been working with a kicking coach and the last time I spoke with him, Mante talked about how much better his hang time and directional punting was. He attended a kicking combine with the hopes of getting another shot at pro football (Mante was briefly in camp with the Chicago Bears).

Omaha opens the regular season on Sep. 15 with a home game against the Virginia Destroyers.

Yale's record-setting punter Tom Mante is preparing for a combine Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mante has been living in Arizona, working with a kicking coach and doing some coaching at a local high school. Mante said last year every NFL team had a rep at the combine and that 20 of the 50 participants were signed by NFL, CFL or UFL teams.

The work with a kicking coach has paid dividends.

"I wish I had done this a couple of years ago," Mante said. "I was able to kick it (far) at Yale. Now I am kicking if 45-50 yards consistently with a 5 (second) hangtime."

Senior linebacker Tim Handlon and punter Tom Mante were among 620 players who earned a spot in the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society by combining success on the football field with a grade point average of at least 3.2.

Handlon, a first-year starter, finished as Yale's second-leading tackler in 2009 with 68. He tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles and was second on the squad with two interceptions.

Mante averaged 41.2 yards on 58 punts as a senior and also became the first player in Ivy League history with 50-yard field goals in consecutive games. Mante recently attended minicamp with the Chicago Bears.

Tom Mante, Yale's all-time leader in punts, punting yardage and punting average, has been invited to the Chicago Bears rookie mini-camp.

Mante, the only player to be Yale's leading punter for four straight seasons, will leave Thursday and take part in the camp from Friday-Sunday.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic," Mante said. "I didn't dream of playing (professional football) until a couple years ago. I worked hard and this is a dream come true."

Mante will be competing against former UConn punter Desi Cullen at the rookie camp with the hope of getting invited to the Bears' training camp.

Brad Maynard, who averaged 41.6 yards per punt in 2009, is the incumbent punter for the Bears. Among those with at least 40 punts in 2009, Maynard ranked 26th in the NFL in punting average and was 18th with a 37.4 net punting average.

"They are looking for a combination punter/kickoff guy (to bring in) and that is what I am," Mante said. "I am excited to have this opportunity."

The Yale Bowl scoreboard read Blue 28, White 0 at the end of Saturday's spring game but in reality, the scrimmage ended in a tie.

The offense, especially the first unit, completely dominated the first half while the defense rebounded quite nicely in the second half.

The first team offense scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the first half and would have made it a perfect 5 for 5 if not for a holding call which negated a touchdown pass from Patrick Witt to Chris Smith.

Witt and Smith hooked up for touchdowns of 13 and 30 yards, Jordan Forney caught a 20-yard touchdown reception which I caught on video while Gio Christodoulou had a 91-yard reception to set up Mordecai Cargill's 1-yard touchdown run

The offense had 298 yards on 32 plays in the first half while managing just 51 yards on 17 plays in the second half.

I had Witt going 12 for 17 for 243 yards and three touchdowns and one interception. Christodoulou had two catches for 99 yards, Smith caught four passes for 95 yards and Forney had 43 yards on three receptions.

Yale went mostly with one-back sets today, something that will continue. Alex Thomas (4 carries for 46 yards) and Cargill (8 carries, 24 yards) split time with the first-team offense while Javi Sosa (14 carries, 36 yards) got all the work with the second unit.

Defensively, defensive end Cliff Foreman (four tackles, a fumble recovery and blocked punt) and linebacker Will McHale (six tackles) were the stars. Safety John Powers had an interception while defensive end Allen Davis recovered a fumbled punt by Christodoulou.

Spring games like Yale's when the offense plays against the defense always leads to the "is the glass half full or it is half empty" argument.

Witt looked great throwing the ball and with Yale planning to play Forney, Smith and Christodoulou together, I would expect a more wide-open offense than what I witnessed a year ago. On the other hand, Yale's starting secondary did not distinguish itself as the three receivers got open with relative ease. Bear in mind that the QBs weren't getting hit so it wasn't the same as a regular-season game when Witt would have been rushed more than he was on Saturday but it still was a bit surprising that the Yale secondary, featuring three returning starters, struggled as much as it did when the first team offense and defense squared off.

The other thing of note was that quarterback turned defensive back Bryan Farris was back at quarterback and was the No. 2 QB on Saturday while Dez Duron and Derek Russell got into the game in the second half. If Brook Hart gets taken in the Major League Baseball draft, which could very well happen, and opts to sign the Bulldogs will need to develop another quarterback to serve as insurance behind Witt.

NO NEWS ON MANTE
Just spoke with former Yale punter Tom Mante. He said there is nothing to report but his agent is still in contact with some NFL teams and he is hopeful of getting an invite to an NFL camp.

David White, a former assistant recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma, should be named as Yale's tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator shortly.

White will replace Mike Sanford who held the same position last season before leaving to become the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky.

Thursday was Yale's pro day with punter Tom Mante, tight end A.J. Haase and linebacker Travis Henry representing the Bulldogs. They had plenty of company as there 18 players from various colleges on hand.

While I am not an NFL scout, from my vantage point Mante, former Lyman Hall and Southern Connecticut State defensive back Andrew Pratt and ex-UConn and Pace linebacker Ricky McCollum seemed to help themselves while working out in front of a scout from the Green Bay Packers.

Since highly-touted UMass line prospect Vlad Ducasse was working out for scouts at UMass, that's where most of the scouts went.

Pratt had a 38 1/2 inch vertical leap, just off the 40-inch standard set by McCullough, ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and had a strong effort in the standing broad jump. Mante more than held his own in the agility drills

Mante, who rewrote Yale's punting and some of the kicking record books, knows he isn't likely to be draft but said that about 12 teams have expressed an interest. While he did not punt the ball, his strong efforts in the running and jumping events shouldn't hurt his stock at all.

"It was good, I got to show off my non-kicking skills I guess, show I am an athlete," Mante said. "Obviously these times won’t matter for me but it is good to compete and see how I do against the rest of the competition."

Haase and Henry also had solid efforts although Henry had to shut it down after pulling up lame while running his 40.

Former Yale linebacker Paul Rice did not take part but he was in attendance and said he has a workout with the Cleveland Browns on April 11. Yale's MVP last season, h-back John Sheffield, was also there but I didn't get a chance to talk to him. Word I am hearing is that Sheffield is not focusing on a future in professional football.

Also in the house was former Fairfield Prep and University of Minnesota defensive lineman Garrett Brown. Brown did not work out but said that he had a strong showing for the scouts during Minnesota's pro day and he has been told that it's possible he could be taken as high as the fourth round.

Now for some recruiting tid-bits, Yale is still waiting on Brandis Yarrington, a speedy defensive back from Ann Arbor, Mich while running back Kahlil Keys will attend prep school in the fall with an invitation to play at Yale remaining open after a year of prep school.

Also, reports of running back Jackson Cummings from Rocklin, Calif. backing out of his commitment to Yale to become a preferred walk on at Stanford are correct. What I am hearing if that Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh reached out to Cummings directly Jackson obviously liked what he was hearing.

Also, there is a new player who has committed to Yale, 6-foot-6 tight end Michael Leunen out of Portland, Oregon and the two transfers from BCS teams have been accepted at Yale. I will have more on them including their names in the coming days.

The last time is that rising senior quarterback Brook Hart is indeed skipping spring football practice so he can continue his strong season as a pitcher on the Bulldogs' baseball team but he has every intention of being a member of the football team in the fall. While Hart's absence obviously gives Patrick Witt a chance to take command of the position, it should be noted that Witt did not take part in spring practice after transferring from Nebraska and still ended the season as the starting quarterback. However, my opinion is it is going to be hard for Hart to unseat Witt as the No. 1 QB even if he was around for spring practice. Spring drills begin on April 5 with the spring game set for April 24.

Seniors Tom Mante and John Sheffield were named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star team.

Mante will graduate with nearly every Yale punting record. As a senior he averaged an Ivy League leading 41.2 yards per punt. He also became the first Ivy Leaguer with 50-yard field goals in consecutive games including an Ivy and Yale record tying 54-yarder against Cornell. Mante is a political science major with a 3.32 grade point average.

Sheffield was Yale's leading receiver with 61 catches as a senior, the most since Ashley Wright caught 61 passes in 2005. Named Yale's MVP, Sheffield finished as Yale's third all-time leading receiver. Sheffield, an economics major, has a 3.33 GPA.

Yale senior punter Tom Mante and senior linebacker Paul Rice were named to the New England Football Writers Football Championship Subdivision all-star team.

Mante averaged 41.2 yards per punt to become the first Yale player to lead the Ivy League in punting since Greg Bowman in 1989 his four field goals included a 50 and Ivy League record tying 54-yarder.

Rice led Yale with 74 tackles and 9.5 tackles for losses. He also scored the only touchdown in a win over Lehigh on a fake punt.

Here's the complete team
DEFENSE
DL James Develin Brown Sr.
DL Don Smith Bryant Sr.
DL Jordan Stevens Maine Sr.
DL Carl Ehrlich Harvard Sr.
LB Paul Rice Yale Sr.
LB Sean Ware New Hampshire Sr.
LB Jon Takamura Harvard Sr.
LB Marcus Rodriguez Holy Cross Sr.
DB Terrence Klein New Hampshire Sr.
DB Marcus Dorsey Central Conn. Sr.
DB Michael Wright Holy Cross Sr.
DB Derrick Barker Harvard Sr.
DB Jeromy Miles Massachusetts Sr.

OFFENSE
OL Paul Jasinowski Brown Sr.
OL James Williams Harvard Sr.
OL Chris Poole Holy Cross Sr.
OL Vladimir Ducasse Massachusetts Sr.
OL Kevin Newhall Northeastern Sr.
OL Tom Neill New Hampshire Sr.
QB Dominic Randolph Holy Cross Sr.
RB James Mallory Central Conn. Sr.
RB John Griffin Northeastern Jr.
FB Chris Zardas Massachusetts Sr.
WR Buddy Farnham Brown Sr.
WR Steve Tedesco Sacred Heart Sr.
WR Landis Williams Maine Sr.
WR Shawn Leonard Rhode Island Sr.
TE Scott Sicko New Hampshire Sr.

SPECIAL TEAMS
KS Tom Mante Yale Sr.
RS Shawn Abuhoff Dartmouth So.

Yale punter Tom Mante, defensive back Adam Money, linebacker Paul Rice and tight end John Sheffield were named to the All-Ivy League first team on Tuesday.

Mante, one of eight unanimous first team selections, led the league with a 41.2 punting average and had 10 punts of at least 50 yards.

Money, the first Yale junior named to the first team since running back Mike McLeod and linebacker Bobby Abare in 2007, had 43 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Rice led the 4-6 Bulldogs with 74 tackles and 9 1/2 tackles for losses while Sheffield had a team-leading 61 catches as a senior and his 126 career receptions is third all-time for the Bulldogs.

Defensive tackle Tom McCarthy was named to the second team as was Mante as a kicker while defensive lineman Joe Young and linebackers Travis Henry and Sean Williams were honorable mention selections.

Brown receiver Buddy Farnham and Penn linebacker Jake Lewko shared the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League player of the year while Harvard running back Treavor Scales was named the rookie of the year.

OK, that's the news of the day. Now for my two cents. The obvious Yale omissions were linebacker Tim Handlon (68 tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles), center Jake Koury and defensive lineman Pat Moran. I was also surprised to see Mante on the second team as a kicker. He did become the first Ivy Leaguer with 50-yard field goals in consecutive games but also lost his kicking duties to Alex Barnes and finished 4 for 12 on field goals.

Also, if I were to cast a vote for rookie of the year, it would go to Brown cornerback AJ Cruz.

When he was announced as Yale's 133rd football captain, defensive tackle Tom McCarthy sat in his seat at the front of the room and did not move for several seconds. After getting over the shock of surviving four rounds of voting and beating out cornerback Adam Money, McCarthy rose from his seat and received a huge round of applause from his teammates.

"I never really expected this," McCarthy said. "Just to be elected with this group of guys, it is absolutely amazing. It is an honor."

The ironic part is that McCarthy will not be able to take part in spring drills. He missed the entire 2006 season mononucleosis and was granted a fifth year of eligibility. However, Ivy League rules stipulate that student-athletes can only be enrolled in eight semesters so he will need to skip the spring semester so he can enroll in the fall.

The awards were also given out. John Sheffield was named the Ted Blair Award winner as the team MVP while Paul Rice earned the award annually given to Yale's captain.

Here's the complete list of other award winners
Jordan Olivar Award (given to a senior other than the captain who has earned the most respect from his teammates): Larry Abare
Woody Knapp Memorial Trophy (player who typifies the cheerful disposition, leadership qualities and unselfish disposition to others): Brandon Scott
Robert Gardner Anderson Award (combination of skill, spirit and pride in accomplishment): Reid Lathan and Max Newton.
Norman S. Hall Memorial Trophy (given to an individual for outstanding service to Yale football): Tim Handlon
Gregory Dubinetz Memorial Trophy (linemen who exemplified the spirit of Dubinetz): Cory Palmer
Charley Loftus Award (most valuable freshmen): Mordecai Cargill and John Powers
Chester J. Laroche Award (given to senior who did the most for Yale): Rich Scudellari
Ledyard Mitchell Award (for proficiency in kicking): Tom Mante
Ted Turner Award (top offensive lineman): Cory Palmer
Keppel Award (given to offensive back who exemplified Keppel's work ethic, pride and dedication to Yale football): Rodney Reynolds
LoProto Award (awarded to defensive back who exemplies LoProto's passion and competitive spirit): Adam Money

Also, Tom McCarthy was named the top defensive lineman, Mante the top specialist and Travis Henry the winner of the Hammer Award.

From former Yale star Jon Reese's empassioned remarks to Reynolds' comical impersonation of Yale running back coach Rod Plummer, it was a memorable event.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Yale coach Tom Williams addressed his decision to run a fake punt faced with a 4th-and-22 at the Yale 25 in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Williams has received plenty of criticism, including in this blog, for the decision.

Here is what he said to the invited guests at The Commons at Woolsey Hall.

"I take responsibilities for all those losses, not just the one yesterday but for the other five," Williams said. "The only regret I have is that there is a man who wears a ‘Y’ on his helmet who thinks their opportunity to win the football game was taken from them, that is the only regret I have. I want to sincerely apologize to those men because I worked very hard to earn their trust and I love these guys as if they are my own children."

Just returned home from the Yale Bowl and won't soon forget what I saw today.

We're not only going to start with Tom Williams' decision to attempt a fake punt leading by three points in the fourth quarter, we are going to finish with it as well. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, it was a reckless decision. In the 20 years I have been a sports reporter, I can't remember a coaching decision I disagreed any more strongly than this one. I am not alone. When I checked my phone, I had four missed messages in the hour after the game from people wanting to know why he wouldn't punt the ball and put the game in the hands of his defense.

This Yale team had been through so much this year, disappointing losses to Cornell and Princeton, so many injuries, a constantly changing lineup and a nearly completely new coaching staff. They could easily have had their eyes elsewhere especially in an academic setting like the one they reside in at Yale. But they didn't. They were on the verge of their most complete effort of the season and only needed for their coaching staff to demonstrate a little self restraint.

Faced with 4th-and-22 at their own 25 and Harvard out of timeouts, Tom Mante trotted onto the field to punt. All Mante did was average 51.3 yards on his previous three punts to clinch the Ivy League punting crown. Harvard had enough respect for Mante that their returner lined up 50 yards from the line of scrimmage when Mante dropped back to punt. But he never got the chance. The designed fake was snapped to up back Paul Rice, who twice this season got the call on successful fake punt calls who pitched the ball to freshman safety John Powers. Powers, a former dual-threat runner and passer during his days as the starting quarterback at Hopkins, nearly got the first down but was tackled seven yards short of the first down. Rather than Harvard needed to drive somewhere between 60-80 yards for the winning TD, it only needed to go 40.

There is no defending the decision. If Williams ponders a decision in that situation again that he will remember the post-game scene. Senior linebacker Travis Henry, one of the truly class acts on the team, kneeled on the 50 by himself for what seemed like an eternity or some of the seniors wandering slowly around the field as if they were trying to comprehend what had just transpired. Henry and the other seniors bought into Williams' deal from the outset. Even when some of them saw their playing time cut or their roles diminished, there seemed to be little discord in the program (at least none I discovered). Instead of walking off the field snapping a two-game losing streak to Harvard, the departing seniors were left to deal with a bitter end to their collegiate careers. Many of them will never play in a football game again and this was not the ending they envisioned or deserved.

I have gone on the record saying I am impressed with the job this coaching staff has done but there is no defending a decision like this. If you want to try it in a JV game or spring it early on Harvard, fine but not in the final quarter against your greatest rival. I compare it to fouling a 90 percent free throw shooter with a 1-point lead with 5 seconds to play in a basketball game. The risks simply outnumber the reward but such a large margin that you just don't do it. I also found it ironic that on a day when Yale ran the ball so well, the Bulldogs resorted to a gimmick with their version of the Wildcat formation. Williams scoffed at the impact of the Wildcat when asked about after the Penn game and yet they went to it. Why?

The sad part is that it all seemed to be coming together for this team. They shook the turnover bug, discovered a running game in sophomore Alex Thomas, the offensive line was playing better than it had all season even if the Bulldogs' two best linemen (Jake Koury and Cory Palmer) were dealing with injury issues. Defensively, Yale resembled the stingy unit of the last couple of years. All of that ended with one call which was simply to risky to justify.

The good news is the future is bright. Replacing John Sheffield, who finished third on Yale's career receiving list, and the entire starting linebacking corps will not be easy. But with Alex Thomas and Mordecai Cargill, the Bulldogs have two talented running backs. Speedy receivers Gio Christodoulou and Chris Smith return after dealing with injury-shortened seasons. Four offensive line starters are back and with the development of Chris Stanley and Kurt Stottlemyer, Adam Money should be able to move to safety to help fill the void left by Larry Abare's graduation. I think Yale could compete for the Ivy League title with an experienced group of returning players.

The first of the stories we are writing leading up to Saturday's Yale/Harvard game appeared in the paper today. As promised, it was a story on Yale senior safety Larry Abare's expected return to the field after missing 4 1/2 games with a broken arm.

But I thought it would be a good time to mention a couple of items from my interviews yesterday that have nothing to do with the Yale/Harvard game.

Considering that Yale coach Tom Williams was an assistant at San Jose State under Dick Tomey in 2005 and 2006, I asked Williams for a reaction to Tomey announcing his retirement after five seasons at San Jose State and 33 years as a Division I head coach.

"Coach and I talked earlier in the year and I know that this season has been grinding for him," Williams said. "I know he was expecting better results and I also know Coach (Tomey) is getting older and he has some grandchildren he wants to spend some time with. I had a feeling that this might be the last year for him but we are losing one of the greats in college football. He is one of the icons. He is president of the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) which is a very prestigious honor. I am sad to see him go but at the same time, I am excited for him to get some time with his family because he has earned it.

"I worked with a lot of really good coaches. I have talked about the Bill Walshes and Denny Greens but I would say that Coach (Tomey) is just as influential on me as those guys. He had been through a lot of wars, he had seen a lot of players come and go. He's seen a lot of schools, been around a lot of systems.

Going completely away from football, I have been the beat writer of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament for the last six years before asking off because of all the conflicts with my other assignments. During my meeting with tournament director Anne Worcester, somehow the conversation turned to two-time defending Pilot Pen women's singles champion Caroline Wozniacki. As you may remember, Wozniacki and Flavia Pennetta filmed a commercial in which the Yale Bowl was turned into the world's largest tennis court. Williams thought it would be a good idea to have a professional athlete like Wozniacki speak to his team, which she did.

Anne Worcester told me that whenever she saw Wozniacki at the U.S. Open, she asked when she would be receiving the Yale football jersey she was promised. But it wasn't just any jersey she wanted, she desired the No. 8 jersey. I finally got around to asking Yale punter Tom Mante, who happens to wear No. 8 for the Bulldogs, what that was all about and if he stole Caroline's heart when she visited Yale's practice.

"I understand that she ended up being ranked No. 8 in the world at the time (of her visit) so I think that is why they gave it to her," Mante said with a laugh. "They say that I did (steal her heart), I didn’t meet her but she did see me from a distance."

Finally, a reminded that if you have DirecTV and plan on watching the Yale/Harvard game at home, you will need to go to Plan B. As I mentioned earlier this season, DirecTV dropped Versus from its channel package because of an issue DirecTV has with Comcast's fees for carrying the station. Comcast also took issue with the placement on Versus on the channel grid. The result is that if you are a DirecTV subscriber, you will not be able to see that Yale/Harvard game.

Not much to report from practice. Quarterback Patrick Witt took pretty much all the snaps when I was there except when Dez Duron ran scout team stuff. I didn't see Brook Hart take a snap in the hour or so I was at practice. H-back John Sheffield and receiver Reid Lathan caught everything thrown their way.

Adam Money was out there practicing without limitation while freshman cornerback Kurt Stottlemyer saw plenty of time with the first team.

It was not a great day for the kickers. Tom Mante and Alex Barnes had field goals blocked on consecutive tries and Mante followed up with a horrible shank on his next effort. They both settled down and made some kicks after that. Barnes will continue to handle the extra points and medium range field goals while Mante will punt, kick off and be called upon for long-range field goals.

A few things from the weekly Tuesday press conference at the Yale Bookstore.

First, Yale coach Tom Williams said junior cornerback Adam Money had a stinger late in Saturday's game against Brown but he has been cleared to practice and did just that on Tuesday morning.

There's no change in the injury status of receiver Chris Smith and safety Larry Abare. Williams said there is a chance Smith can play against Harvard while Abare has been trying to persuade the Yale medical staff to slap a cast on his broken right forearm so he can get back on the field. If Abare does manage to get back on the field for the Nov. 21 game against Harvard, I wouldn't want to be one of Harvard's receivers, running backs or the quarterback because Abare will have some lost time to make up for and will be chomping at the bit to hit somebody.

There will be no switch in kickers. Alex Barnes will continue to handle extra points and kicks while Tom Mante will punt, kick off and be called on for the long-distance field goals.

Williams was accompanied by junior receiver Peter Balsam. I spoke to Balsam and Williams about the amount of injuries the receiving corps has had to endure this season and that will be the Yale football story in Wednesday's edition of the Register.

Among the other topics I addressed with Balsam was his reaction to seeing Brown score late in the first half, aided by Balsam's 15-yard penalty on the kickoff after Money's 77-yard interception return. Rather than needing to drive the ball 72 yards, Brown only needed to go 57 yards. When Bears' quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero capped the drive with a 9-yard TD run, Balsam walked in the general vicinity of Williams who voiced his displeasure. Balsam expressed remorse at the role his penalty for retaliating had in aiding Brown's second touchdown.

"I felt terrible," Balsam said. "It is totally unacceptable, it was a totally selfish play and it can’t happen again. It would be one thing if it was the first time it happened but I got one against Lehigh as well. After an interception, I made a tackle and I got up and pushed the guy. In that case I don’t know what to do, I guess get up and clap in the guy’s face who is yelling at you because pushing is unacceptable. It doesn’t get caught all the time but usually it is the second person who does it that gets caught. You just have to keep your head on straight and realize that you are not playing for yourself, you are playing for your 100 and however many teammates. Those guys work just as hard as you and you can’t make that kind of a selfish play that will jeopardize that hard work."

The first half came to an end with Tom Mante's line drive 51-yard field goal attempt sailing wide left allowing Brown to take a 14-12 lead into the break.

Yale's defense has done its job holding the explosive Brown offense in check. Kyle Newhall-Caballero threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Buddy Farnham and had a 5-yard scoring run.

Yale answered as Mordecai Cargill took a Patrick Witt screen pass and rumbled 41 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. Adam Money returned an interception 77 yards for the other score.

Special teams, outside of Mante's 57-yard punt, have not been special. Alex Barnes missed an extra point after the first score and Brook Hart was unable to haul in a 2-point conversion from fellow quarterback Witt.

Peter Balsam was called for a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the kickoff after Money's touchdown to allow Brown to start the drive at the 43 rather than the 28. When Newhall-Caballero scored, Balsam made the mistake of walking in the direction of Yale coach Tom Williams. Williams gave Balsam a serious dressing down about the penalty which likely prevented Yale from heading into halftime with a lead.

As Yale victories go, few are as improbable as Saturday's 23-22 thriller over Columbia.

Yale entered the fourth quarter without an offensive touchdown in more than 11 quarters and slippery freshman quarterback Sean Brackett, who starred at Griswold High, was eluding the usually sure-tackling Yale defense.

When Patrick Witt, who came on for the start of the third quarter for Brook Hart, hooked up with John Sheffield for a 20-yard TD to end the lack of offensive touchdown streak 32 seconds shy of 180 minutes or three complete games, Yale seemed to be in business.

Then Columbia's all-time leading receiver Austin Knowlin beat Yale safety Geoff Dunham for a 32-yard touchdown reception and Leon Ivery's two-run rush gave Columbia a 12-point lead with 8:32 to play.

That's where Adam Money took over. He chased down Ivery from the opposite side of the field, bringing him down at the 2. On the next play Paul Rice jarred the ball free from Zack Kourouma to keep the Lions from regaining the two-score cushion.

When Yale failed to move the ball, Columbia attempted to run the clock out. Brackett rumbled into Yale's side of the field but Money poked the ball out and recovered.

Witt hooked up with A.J. Haase for 22 yards and Peter Balsam for 8 yards and then Yale was given life when a defensive holding penalty on a fourth-down incompletion gave the Bulldogs 1st and goal at the 10. Witt found Haase along the left sideline for a game-winning score.

"It's probably the craziest win I have ever been a part of here," Sheffield said.

Here are a few numbers. Yale was being outgained 246-146 headed into the fourth quarter, was 1 for 8 on third downs entering the last quarter and somehow escaped with a win.

Mordacei Cargill led Yale with 73 yards but he was replaced by Alex Thomas after he lost his second fumble of the game. Two of Columbia's three scores came on the next play after Cargill lost the ball.

Witt was 14 of 23 for 166 yards and two touchdowns and was not sacked. Brook Hart played the first two quarters, was 9 of 15 yards for 64 yards and was sacked four times.

At halftime, John Sheffield had no catches and A.J. Haase caught two balls for 17 yards. They combined for 10 catches in the second half.

Rice led Yale with 14 tackles. Columbia ripped through the stingy Yale run defense for 235 yards despite being without starting tailback Ray Rangel (out for the season after undergoing surgery on his injured foot) and quarterback M.A. Olawale (who was in uniform but did not throw a pass in practice all week because of a shoulder injury).

Yale denied Knowlin a chance to become Columbia's career leader in receiving yards. Knowlin had three catches for 63 yards, leaving him 32 yards shy of the record.

The Bulldogs turned to Alex Barnes at kicker over Tom Mante after Mante missed three fields last week. Barnes kicked a 47-yard field goal while Mante was impressive both on punts and kickoff returns.

The first half ended with Yale's Alex Barnes nailing a 47-yard field goal to answer Columbia's score to allow the Bulldogs to only be down three despite a mediocre first half.

Columbia struck first when Corey Coleman recovered a Mordecai Cargill fumble. Reaching into their playbook, the Lions used a flea flicker with Austin Knowlin taking the ball on a double reverse and pitching the ball to freshman quarterback Sean Brackett, the former Griswold High star who was the surprise starter. Although Yale wasn't fooled as Taylor Joseph was double covered, Brackett's pass avoided the outstretched arm of Yale's Drew Baldwin and fell into Joseph's hands in the right corner of the end zone.

Yale nearly answered back immediately as Adam Money broke free on the ensuing kickoff but rather than just attempting to outrun kicker Greg Guttas, he put a couple of moves on him and ran right into the kicker who had just missed the extra point. Money's 48-yard return gave Yale the ball in Columbia territory.

With Tom Mante having missed all three of his field goals last week, the Bulldogs turned to Barnes when the Bulldogs were faced with a 4th and 15 at the 31. Rich Scudellari got down a low snap and Barnes did the rest.

For the second straight year, Yale lost to Penn despite not giving up an offensive touchdown.

Obviously the three missed field goals by Tom Mante including a 28-yarder which would have made it a one-possession game with 10:01 to play were backbreakers.

Yale managed 189 yards of offense, almost 100 more than last year but not enough.

No report on the status of freshman receiver Chris Smith, who appeared to injure his left knee late in the game. He left the field on crutches.