Following a defense-dominated first half, the Lions lead the Quakers 6-3 at halftime.

Columbia’s six points came on a pair of field goals from junior kicker Luke Eddy, as the offense failed to come away with touchdowns on a couple of red zone opportunities. Senior quarterback Sean Brackett has made a couple of big plays both on the ground and through the air to give the Lions some chances on offense.

As has been the case all season long, Columbia’s ability to string plays together will determine whether or not the Light Blue can leave Philadelphia with a 1-1 Ivy record.

As always, you can follow along with all the action on Twitter at our handle at @CUSpecSports.

One programming note, our In the Zone postgame show will be posted tomorrow morning instead of this evening, as we’ll be traveling back to New York after the game. 

Keys to the game:

1. Running man

Junior Marcorus Garrett has already nearly doubled his run total from last season with 425 yards on the ground so far in 2012. After being held to 81 yards on the ground last week, Garrett might be able to find some more holes on Saturday as the Quakers have allowed 137.5 rushing yards per game.

2. Shut him down

Penn wide receiver Connor Scott is second in the league in receiving yards with 353, good for 88.2 yards per game. The wideout missed all of the 2011 season with an injury, but is back, healthy, and one of the leaders of the Penn offense. The Lions will have to work hard to limit his receptions on Saturday.

3. On the road again

The Lions had a tough time on the road last week going to Lehigh, and will play the first road game of the Mangurian era in Philadelphia this weekend. They’ll have to get out to a faster start than last week, where they allowed Lehigh to go up 14-0 in the first quarter.