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The FCS Playoffs brings surprise Ivy League champion Yale to Ohio for the first time in years. Let's take a look at their past games against Buckeye State schools.
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The Ivy League’s participation in the FCS Playoffs is one of the more intriguing stories of the postseason. The conference exceeded many experts’ expectations by sending two teams in their first year of participation. With Harvard and Yale’s appearances come rare matchups.
Harvard plays Villanova in the first round for a surprising first all-time meeting. Perhaps even more astonishing is Yale’s trip to Youngstown State. The Bulldogs will travel to Ohio for just the second time ever and first time since 2004. The game with the Penguins marks the Bulldogs’ fourth time playing a school from the Buckeye State. Despite the rarity of their matchups with Ohio schools, Yale enters Saturday’s game with an interesting history against them.
Believe it or not, Yale’s first game against an Ohio school came against Miami (OH) in 1977. The then-Redskins were two years removed from back-to-back Tangerine Bowl wins over SEC teams in 1974 and 1975 when they went 19-0-1. Yale was fresh off an 8-1 Ivy League co-champion campaign. The visit from Miami was Yale’s first intersectional game in 29 years. Miami (OH) defeated Yale 28-14 on the strength of two fourth quarter touchdowns by Mark Hunter. Both teams went on to win their conference title, with Miami (OH) finishing 10-1 in the MAC and Yale finishing 7-2.
Twenty-three years passed before Yale faced another Ohio school, and the occasion turned out to be momentous. Yale became the first program to win 800 games when it beat Dayton at the Yale Bowl 42-6 in 2000. Rashad Bartholomew ran for 201 yards, while the defense held the Flyers to 127 yards of offense. Yale and Dayton would finish the year with matching 7-3 records.
Four years later, Yale returned the favor and visited Welcome Stadium to face Dayton in 2004. This time, Yale had much more difficulty with the Flyers, escaping with a 24-17 win. The Flyers drove 71 yards in the final 40 seconds before time ran out with the ball on the Yale 8. Robert Carr nearly replicated Rashad Bartholomew’s exploits against Dayton four years prior with 172 rushing yards on 37 carries.
Yale's return to Ohio adds another chapter to the Bulldogs' abbreviated history with the Buckeye State. However, this time, much more is at stake.
