Yale 31, Columbia 28

Published Oct. 30, 2010 5:31 p.m. ET

foxsports

Patrick Witt threw three second-quarter touchdown passes and Yale withstood a Columbia comeback to win 31-28 on Saturday.

Witt found Cameron Sandquist for 10- and 15-yard scores and hit Allen Harris for a 16-yarder 35 seconds before halftime to give the Bulldogs (5-2, 3-1 Ivy League) a 31-7 lead.

Alex Thomas carried 19 times for 137 yards for Yale, including a 42-yard run for the game's first touchdown.

Turnovers helped the Lions (3-4, 1-3) rally in the fourth quarter. A 41-yard Sean Brackett pass to Nico Gutierrez after an interception made it 31-21. A fumble deep in Yale territory led to Brackett's 5-yard pass to Andrew Kennedy, their third touchdown connection of the day, to make it 31-28.

The Lions were pinned at their 8 by Greg Carlsen's 51-yard punt with 4:26 left and lost the ball on downs at their 35.

Brackett was 16-for-35 with two interceptions.