1995 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL STANDINGS: Columbia strikes down The Streak, 24-14

Tellier calls upset 'the biggest win since the 1933 Rose Bowl' NEW YORK -- Mass confusion overtook Columbia's Wein Stadium Saturday as Lions quarterback Mike Cavanaugh kneeled on the ball, clinching the Lions' upset victory over Penn. As the last seconds ticked off the clock, a mob of jubilant Columbia fans stormed the field and headed for the goal post. Met by a few security guards, the fans politely turned around and headed for midfield, leaving the goal post standing. At center field, the fans joined the Columbia players in an impromptu celebration that had been years in the making. The botched attempt to take down the goal post could have been expected. After all, it has been quite some time since the Baker Field goal posts have had reason to be torn down. But after a flawless performance by the Lions, Columbia fans finally had something to celebrate. The Lions had halted The Streak -- Penn's Division I-AA record and nation-best 24-game winning streak. Unlike previous threats to The Streak, there would be no last-second goal-line stand or game-winning field goal by the Quakers. The game ended simply, with Cavanaugh kneeling on the ball to preserve the 24-14 victory. "It just can't go forever," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Someday a team was going to come up and make some plays and we're not going to make some plays, and we're going to come out on the short end. I think there's a little pressure because you're in uncharted territories. You're doing things that nobody has ever done." Quakers fans have been waiting nearly three years for some team to get lucky, to beat Penn on some freak play. But it did not happen that way at all. Cavanaugh and the Lions offense simply did not make a mistake. Cavanaugh ran the option to perfection, racking up 92 yards on the ground and another 147 in the air. Unlike most option quarterbacks, Cavanaugh had the ability not only to run the ball, but also to throw. The precision of his passes was somewhat unexpected -- he completed 10 of 15 attempts, for an average of almost 15 yards a completion. On the other sideline, Penn quarterback Mark DeRosa walked away with the glitzy numbers: 22 of 39 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. But it was his three mistakes -- two interceptions and the fumble -- that allowed Columbia to stay in the game. Early in the game, it became clear Bagnoli had settled on Aman Abye as the number one back in the offense. After six Abye runs ate up 53 yards on Penn's second drive, DeRosa took his first shot at the end zone. On first and 10 from the 29-yard line, DeRosa placed a pass perfectly over the Columbia defender and into the outstretched arms of receiver Mark Fabish in the front left corner of the end zone. But Fabish bobbled the pass, dropping it before he hit the ground. Seven plays later, on third and goal from the 2-yard line, DeRosa rolled out to his left. Fabish cut across the middle, and DeRosa fired. But Lions safety Joe Cormier stepped in front of the pass and sprinted down the sideline. If not for DeRosa's shoestring tackle at the 39-yard line, Cormier would have gone for six. The Penn defense walked onto the field dazed by the sudden shift in momentum. And 33 seconds later, the Quakers walked off the field in total shock. Cavanaugh hit senior flanker Chris Valvo on a slant pattern for a 27-yard gain. On the next play, Cavanaugh swept left on the option. The defense overpursued the run, leaving a seam right up the middle. Cavanaugh found the lane and sprinted 34 yards untouched for the touchdown. Penn fought back, though. After a 15-yard Felix Rouse kickoff return, the Quakers took over at their own 29-yard line. Three Abye rushes and a 15-yard DeRosa strike to Miles Macik over the middle moved Penn down to Columbia's 39-yard line. On second down, DeRosa went deep to Rouse. As Lions cornerback Roy Hanks tried to step in front of the underthrown pass, he lost his footing on the wet turf, leaving Rouse wide open for the touchdown that tied the game at 7. Columbia kicker Joe Aldrich then nailed a 27-yard field goal to give Columbia a 10-7 halftime lead 11 seconds. However, the Quakers regained the lead on the opening drive of the second half. After marching 33 yards to the Columbia 40, DeRosa faked the play-action to Scott and rolled out to his right. Right tackle Scott Freeman turned his man right, left and around, giving DeRosa the extra second he needed to find Fabish streaking down the right sideline. DeRosa lofted the ball over badly-burned rover Jim Lill. Fabish settled under the ball to put Penn up 14-10. After Penn's possession punter Jeff Salvino took the field, standing 35 yards from Columbia's Roy Hanks -- the most dangerous return man in Division I-AA. Hanks fielded the ball at the Penn 39-yard line and sprinted straight up the middle to about the 20, where he cut left and beat one last defender for the touchdown. It was the second time this season that Hanks took a punt the distance. "Once we went up 17-14, we knew this was our game," Columbia linebacker Rory Wilfork said. The Lion's next big break came with under 11 minutes to go in the contest. On a third-and-16 situation, DeRosa dropped back to pass. With all of his receivers covered, DeRosa tried to step up to avoid the pass rush. Defensive end Charlie Bettinelli got to DeRosa, who lost the ball while trying to shake free. Columbia tackle Eric Keck fell on the loose ball at the Penn 41. Cavanaugh returned to the field to again work his magic. On first down, Cavanaugh fired a pass 17 yards down field for the first down. Three Cavanaugh keepers and a one-yard John Harper run moved the ball all the way to Penn's 1. Two plays later, Cavanaugh kept the ball on a quarterback sweep around the right side. The speedy QB sprinted into the corner of the end zone untouched. With 7:23 remaining in the game, the Quakers took over in a must-score situation. But three plays later, DeRosa tried force a pass to Macik over the middle. Cormier read the play perfectly and picked off his second pass of the game. Penn did have one more chance after forcing Columbia to go three-and-out. But facing a fourth-and-2 situation, DeRosa tried to sneak a pass to Macik. Hanks knocked the pass down to preserve the victory. Streak over. "They've won for two and a half years straight and they don't blow out a lot of people," Columbia coach Ray Tellier said. "This isn't like Nebraska and Florida State scores. They win close games. They win by 10 points, by seven points, by three points, and they win it every way they can. This is the best effort I've been around in a lot of years of coaching."