Though they trail by a pair of touchdowns after two quarters, the Lions have a lot of positives to take out of the first half.

The defense was fairly strong, as it has been all year. Senior linebacker Zach Olinger played especially well, making 10 tackles. He also took an interception back for a touchdown to give Columbia its only points of the half.

On offense, the Light Blue showed some ability to sustain drives, although a couple of interceptions really hurt the Lions. Junior running back Marcorus Garrett has posted good numbers, picking up a total of 38 yards on eight carries for an average of 4.8. Senior quarterback Sean Brackett has struggled a bit through the air, but made some big plays with his legs to avoid sacks.

If they can maintain offensive consistency and their defense continues to play well, the Lions could make it exciting in the second half.

You can check out our keys to the game after the jump, and as always, you can follow all the action on Twitter at our handle, @CUSpecSports.

Keys to the game

1. Protecting Brackett 

Lions senior quarterback Sean Brackett took quite a beating last weekend at the hands of Princeton and won’t be getting any respite this weekend against a Lehigh squad that leads the Patriot League in sacks. Under the circumstances, Brackett and the Light Blue will need to offensive line to be at the top of its game.

2. No big plays

The Lions were hurt badly against Princeton by big plays last weekend, most notably when the Light Blue allowed the Tigers to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Columbia cannot afford to make similar mistakes against a talented Lehigh team today.

3. Road test 

Today’s game will be the Lions’ first road game of the year, and their first road game under the leadership of first-year head coach Pete Mangurian. A fast start may calm the nerves of Lions players and help them settle down in a hostile territory.