Columbia

In 2005, the Columbia football team started out 2-0 and then proceeded to lose its next eight games, including all seven in the Ivy league. It was the Lions' 41st losing season in the last 44 years.

This year, they again start 2-0, with victories over Fordham and Georgetown. However, no one on the Columbia gridiron squad has any fear that they will repeat last year's disappointment.

What is different this year?

In the offseason, the Lions let go of head coach Bob Shoop and brought in Norries Wilson, Connecticut's former offensive coordinator, to be Columbia's 18th head coach.

Wilson carries a resume that inspires confidence in his team. He helped the Huskies make the move from I-AA to the Big East and I-A. Connecticut made the transition seamlessly, ranking eighth in the nation in yardage in 2003 and first in yardage and scoring in the Big East in 2004.

Just as impressive as his resume, Wilson is the first African American football coach in Ivy League history.

Wilson and his coaching staff have used their new status to reshape the attitude of the Columbia football program.

"Whenever you bring in a new coach, there is new excitement in the program with alumni and players," junior quarterback Craig Hormann said. Perhaps more importantly, "they really don't know what it was like here in the past."

It may be better that Wilson and his staff don't remember what the past was like, because Shoop's 7-23 record at Columbia is not something anyone wants to reminisce over.

"We started 2-0 last year as well. . No one is satisfied being 2-0 right now," Hormann said. "We've left a lot of points on the field."

Wilson has worked diligently to change the attitude of a formerly complacent team.

"The most important thing the coaches have stressed so far is attitude," senior captain and linebacker Adam Brekke said. "Our practices are very tough; our conditioning drills are very tough. If one person does not sprint through the line, everyone has to do it again."

Columbia returns a lot of players but is unafraid to play inexperienced athletes. In the first game of the season, six sophomores and three freshmen started.

Freshman defensive starters Andy Shalbrack and Lou Miller rewarded Wilson's confidence. Miller has seven tackles on the season, while Shalbrack has 14 and a forced fumble. Though he did not start, freshman wide receiver Austin Knowles had 68 receiving yards against Fordham.

As for the proven starters, the workhorses of the squad are Hormann and sophomore running back Jordan Davis. Hormann has competed 28 of 47 pass attempts for 312 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions so far this season. Davis has rushed 45 times for 156 yards.

Hormann is enjoying the transition from being a member of a rotation to being the full-time quarterback.

"It's a lot easier to get in the flow of the game and to keep your focus on what's going on on the field," he said.

Columbia hopes to keep that focus on the field present in all players. Brekke summed up the attitude of the team:

"We were satisfied being

2-0 [last year]; we were happy," he said. "This year, we're not satisfied at all. Every game is huge; you can never rest on your laurels."

Given the opportunity to write the headline for his team's season, Brekke would write, "This is a team on a mission, and they have something to prove."

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