The Lions 2012 campaign kicks off today at 12:30 against a 1-1 Marist team. The players in Light Blue are fired up and ready to go and so are we as we’ll be bringing you live updates throughout the game right here on this page and on Twitter (@CUSpecSports).

Before the season begins, be sure you’re all caught up on all the latest Lions news and developments with our 2012 Football Supplement.

Live Updates

End Game — Final: Columbia 10, Marist 9

End Fourth Quarter

0:00 LIONS WIN! 

1:43 First down Lions. That might do it.

2:13 Following Marcorus Garrett run, Marist calls last timeout.

2:46 Sean Brackett picks up first down on the carry, first and ten Columbia on the Marist 43.

2:51 Sloppy exchange on handoff to Marcorus Garrett, loss of one. Marist timeout.

3:08 Following Zach Olinger interception, Columbia ball at the 46.

3:17 Delay of game on Marist; going for it on fourth and nineteen. INTERCEPTED by Columbia.

3:17 Marist going for it on fourth and nine.

3:21 Ball almost intercepted by Malcolm Thaxton, third and nine for Marist.

4:00 Marist touchdown called back after Penalty: holding; Marist first and ten on the Columbia 39.

4:48 Gutsy run by Sean Brackett falls just short on third down, and Lions punt to Marist 24. First and ten for the Red Foxes.

6:30 Touchback on the kickoff, Lions ball at the 25.

6:30 On a first and goal, TOUCHDOWN Maris. Extra point is NO GOOD, blocked by Wells Childress. Columbia 10, Marist 9

7:35 First down at the 11 on a catch by Matt Tralli.

8:43 First down on a pass to Anthony Calcagni.

9:12 Another first down to Marist on a pass to Armani Martin. First and ten at the 36 for Marist.

10:01 Gain of 29 on a pass to Mike Rios. First and ten at the 50 for Marist.

10:34 Marist ball at the 20. First and ten.

11:03 following another run by Marcorus Garrett, Sean Brackett sacked on third down and Lions forced to punt.

12:30 Carry by Marcorus Garrett, second and seven for Columbia.

12:36 Marist forced to punt; during the return Penalty: fair catch interference. Columbia ball at the 28.

13:30 Sack by Niko Padilla, second and 35 for Marist.

14:24 Holding on Marist, first and 25.

14:45 False start Marist, first and 15.

15:00 Columbia punt, Marist ball at the 27.

Begin Fourth Quarter

End Third Quarter; Columbia 10, Marist 3

0:17 False start on Columbia following first down run; second and 13.

0:56 Defensive pass interference, first down Columbia at Lions’ 47.

1:09 Pass overthrown on third down, but on punt attempt Penalty: roughing the kicker, 15-yard penalty. Columbia ball at the 32. First and ten Lions.

1:32  Gain of eight yards for the Lions on a catch by Isaiah Gross.

2:00 False start; second and 13 at the nine for the Lions.

3:07 Marcorus Garrett picks up first down, now has 100 yards on the ground.

3:29 Marcorus Garrett picks up six, second and four at the seven-yard line.

3:38 Fumble RECOVERED by Josh Martin, Columbia ball on the one.

4:09 Long pass caught by Mike Rios, first and goal at the one for Marist.

4:38 Another first down for Marist, first and ten at the Lions 36.

6:19 Calvin McCoy picks up first down for Red Foxes, first and ten at their own 48.

7:04 Chuckie Looney carries the ball for seven yards, first and ten at the Marist 30 for the Red Foxes.

7:13 Gain of three on another short pass; Seyi Adebayo shaken up again, helped off this time.

7:54 Gain of four for Marist on a checkdown; second and six.

8:07 Red Foxes take return from the goal line to the sixteen, first and ten Red Foxes.

8:14 Lions field goal attempt GOOD, Columbia 10, Marist 3

8:16 Incomplete pass, field goal attempt upcoming.

8:21 Following an unsuccessful run and an incomplete pass, third and goal for the Lions.

9:04 Marist punter caught the ball on his knee; TURNOVER ON DOWNS Lions ball at the Marist four yard line.

9:06 Pass intended for Armani Martin incomplete, fourth and 14 for Marist.

9:11 Ball batted down at the line, third and 14.

9:39 Following a false start, one yard gain for Marist, second and fourteen at the 18.

9:47 Marist takes the kickoff back from the goal line to the twenty two. Seyi Adebayo shaken up on the play, walks off the field unassisted.

9:53 TOUCDOWN Lions on the one-yard run by Marcorus Garrett; extra point is GOOD. Columbia 7, Marist 3

10:15 Marcorus Garrett nine-yard gain, first and goal at the one for the Light Blue; Columbia timeout.

10:41 Nine yard gain for Sean Brackett on the quarterback draw.

11:15 Play-action pass to Connor Nelligan for 12 yards; first down Lions at the 19.

11:59 Carry by Marcorus Garrett, gain of five; good for a Lions first down at the Marist 31.

12:31 Sean Brackett carries ball to Marist 36, third and two.

13:40 Great catch by Connor Nelligan at the Marist 44.

14:54 Lions start drive on their own 14 yard line.

Begin Third Quarter

Halftime Update

After a first half that featured a little bit of everything (except a touchdown), the Lions trail Marist by a field goal.

Junior running back Marcorus Garrett did a lot of the heavy lifting for the Light Blue in the first half, picking up 78 yards on the ground on 16 carries, good for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Garrett also picked up eight yards receiving.

The biggest play on offense for the Lions came on a 46-yard pass by senior quarterback Sean Brackett that featured an amazing fingertip catch on the receiving end by freshman Isaiah Gross. This is Gross’ first collegiate game.

On defense, senior linebacker Mike Waller picked up an interception for the Lions while senior linebacker Zach Olinger paced the Columbia defense with five tackles. Senior linebacker Ryan Murphy picked up a sack.

END FIRST HALF; Marist 3, Columbia 0

End Second Quarter; Marist 3, Columbia 0

0:19 Two yard gain for Marist on third down, followed by a punt on fourth; Lions ball on their own 20.

0:40 Marist carry for three yards.

0:47 Marist pass broken up, second and 10

0:50 Lions punt, first down Marist at their own 47.

0:57 Marist timeout following Garrett run to sixteen.

1:02 Marist timeout after Marcorus Garrett run, third and six for the Lions.

1:49 Punt out of bounds at the eight, Lions ball.

2:08 HOLDING penalty declined by Lions, Marist punt from Columbia 42.

3:01 Back-to-back sacks for the Lions! Third and 24 for Marist.

3:46  Columbia three-and out, Marist ball at the Columbia 40 following the punt.

5:09 Ball tipped by Wells Childress and then INTERCEPTED by Mike Waller, Lions ball at their own five.

5:54 Interception by Marquel Carter; interception wiped out by Penalty: roughing the passer, Marist ball at the Columbia 11. 30-second timeout Marist.

6:03 Mike DiTommaso breaks up pass intended for Armani Martin, third and six for the Red Foxes.

6:43 First down for Marist at the Lions’ 26; 30 second timeout Columbia.

7:03 Nice catch by Armani Martin for Red Foxes. First and ten at the Columbia 40 for Marist.

7:44 Great 59-yard punt by Paul Delaney, Marist ball on their own 22.

9:24 Sean Brackett sacked at the ten, second and 17 for the Lions.

9:31  Marist punt, Columbia ball at the 17.

9:49 Chuckie Looney scrambles for Marist, tackled by Ryan Murphy after five yards, fourth down.

10:30 Sack by Marquel Carter, third and ten for Marist.

11:30 Lions field goal NO GOOD, Marist ball at the 25.

11:36 Hamilton Garner just misses catch, fourth and long Lions.

12:33 Amazing fingertip catch by Isaiah Gross, first down Lions at the Marist 23.

13:07 Carry by Marcorus Garrett, first down Lions at the 33.

14:16 First and ten Lions at the 22.

14:55 Fair catch Alec Fisher, Lions ball at their own 11.

Begin Second Quarter

 

 

End First Quarter; Marist 3, Columbia 0

Third and eight for Marist at the Columbia 42.

Marist fair catch, Red Fox ball at Columbia 44.

Sean Brackett sacked at the nine yard line, fourth and long.

Scooter Hollis overthrown, third and eight for the Lions from their own 17.

Lions ball at their own 15 following 16-yard return and 10-yard penalty.

28-yard field goal GOOD, Marist-3, Columbia-0

Fourth down for Marist at Lions’ 11.

Fumble by Marist quarterback Chuckie Looney, recovered by Marist.

First down Marist on the 27.

Marist pass complete, first down Red Foxes on the Columbia 38.

Sean Brackett fumble, recovered by Marist at the 23.

Lions’ ball on the Marist 30 following a 15-yard penalty on the punt.

Seyi Adebayo on the sack, forces Marist to punt.

First down for the Lions at the Marist 44.

Lions defense forces a three-and-out in their first drive of the year, the Lions get ball at their own 45.

Begin First Quarter

 

Our keys to the game.

1) Stay strong, front seven

Marist’s offense comes in led by its junior quarterback Chuckie Looney who has completed 66 percent of his passes (40/61) in two games. He has four touchdowns to just one interception. The Lions will need to put pressure on him all day to force some incompletions and perhaps force some turnovers as well.

Senior running back Calvin McCoy leads the team in rushing with 141 yards on 25 carries, but it’s really a two-headed attack with him and Looney, as he’s also gained over 100 yards—but lost 50. Stopping the run will also be key, as in Marist’s only victory, the team was able to control the ball and the clock with 269 yards on the ground.

2) Get the offense going early

The Lions offensive approach is somewhat of a mystery, but either way, it’s very important that the Lions score early and often. In the Red Foxes victory two weeks ago, they held Bryant to just three points in the first half. This allowed them to control the clock, and pretty much sucked the life out of Bryant for the rest of the game.

Senior quarterback Sean Brackett’s leadership and knowledge of the offense will be key to ensuring the Lions can go down the field and get an early score. His chemistry with junior tight end Hamilton Garner really progressed towards the end of last season, so look for that paring to also connect a bunch today.

3) Start off the Mangurian era right

Everybody knows the Lions struggles of not just last year but the last 50 years. Of course, one game does not a season make, but starting off this new era with a big W could do wonders for the team’s confidence and help validate everything it has been working on during the offseason.

The Lions are ready to bury the past, and so is everybody else. We’ll be bringing you live updates right here on this page all game long (keep refreshing!), as well as live tweeting the game on Twitter @CUSpecSports.