Elmhurst native Schmidt helped lead Yale’s incredible playoff comeback
For the first time, Ivy League schools joined the FCS playoffs, and they actually got two bids — Yale and Harvard.
By mid-afternoon last Saturday, it seemed like a terrible idea. While Harvard lost to Villanova 52-7, Yale was struggling badly against another team with “Y” on its helmets.
Youngstown State led visiting Yale 42-14 with 7:37 left in the third quarter. While the scoreboard told a hopeless story, the Bulldogs kept battling and pulled off an impossible comeback, winning 43-42. They'll face Montana State in the second round on Saturday.
Safety J.P. Schmidt from IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst was in the middle of it all. The sophomore finished with 7 tackles, a forced fumble and pass breakup.
“I think it just speaks to the character of the team that we have here and the culture we've been building,” Schmidt said in a phone interview. “Be a 'One Play Warrior,' that's kind of our motto. We decided to live that and bite down in the second half.”
Yale's comeback began with an 11-play, 77-yard touchdown drive. The defense added some steam by recovering a fumble on the first play after the ensuing kickoff.
“That's when the tide really started to turn for us, on the defensive side, at least,” Schmidt said. “Once we got that fumble, we started to be in control a little bit more. We knew that we had to keep stacking plays if we wanted to come out with a win.”
After the fumble Yale scored on the opening play of the fourth quarter to close within 42-29. Youngstown missed a 46-yard field goal and Yale went on another touchdown drive to make it a one-score game. Then following a three-and-out by the Bulldogs defense, Josh Pitsenberger ran 56 yards for a TD to put Yale ahead with 2:43 left.
Yale got a quick fourth-down stop and ran out the clock. Schmidt was credited with 2 tackles and a pass breakup on the final two possessions.
Maybe the slow start could be chalked up to the emotional challenge of coming back from a huge win over Harvard at a raucous Yale Bowl. In the pre-playoff past, the Ivy League season ended with the rivalry game and everyone went home for Thanksgiving.
“It was for sure a challenge,” Schmidt said. “The brotherhood we have here and the character of this team is we love playing football, we love being around each other. So that made things a little bit smoother.”
Schmidt won a high school state title with ICCP as a junior in 2022. He connected with Yale coaches after attending one of the North Central mega-camps before his senior year.
Is taking classes in the gothic setting of one of the world's premier universities, while also playing football, as daunting as it sounds? Yeah, probably.
“It's the most challenging thing I've ever done in terms of how to manage time and priorities with football and school,” said Schmidt, who plans to major in economics. “But I found that the people here only want you to succeed, whether that's academically or athletically.
“So leaning on those people, everybody's there to help you — coaches, professors. Then I made some of my best friends at this school. Just leaning on the people here made the experience awesome.”