ITHACA, N.Y. -- As the clock wound down, a card got handed to the announcer and with that, the draft was underway.
"With the first pick of the 2018 Purity Ice Cream Bowl Draft, the Red-White Spring Game, defensive back
Phazione McClurge."
Head coach David Archer's pronouncement gave the White Team seniors their cornerstone underclassman, and the Red Team immediately followed with junior defensive lineman
Jordan Landsman.
But while NFL fans watching the collegiate draft on Thursday night will need to wait months to see if their team's pick will make an impact, Cornell fans will need to wait one more day.
The 2018 Purity Ice Cream Bowl Spring Game will take place on Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. The contest will be the culmination of more than a month's work, spread out over 12 full practices. In all, 75 players will take part in the contest.
Team captains for the two teams were determined by the highest average Big Red Power scores from the spring. For the Red team, JD PicKell and
Reis Seggebruch earned spots as captains, and the White team was represented by
Henry Stillwell and
DJ Woullard.
Saturday's live-action game will be played with 12 minute running quarters, with the last four minutes of the half and the game played with normal stoppage rules. The practice will commence with a stretch and a scripted field goal kicking competition - each team will have two kickers and can earn points for their team.
While the action on the field is always entertaining, Archer will serve up additional entertainment as the voice in the sky, acting as commissioner and public address announcer.
The 2017 season saw Cornell climb to fifth in the Ivy standings at 3-4 as the Big Red was in contention for the Ivy title in November for the first time since 2000. The team's three Ivy wins were the most since 2011 and tied for the best Ivy record by the program in more than a decade. The Big Red defeated both Ivy League preseason co-favorites, Princeton and Harvard, defeating the Crimson for the first time in 12 years. The Big Red's non-conference schedule (Delaware, Patriot League co-champ Colgate and Bucknell) also proved to be the most challenging in the conference, with those three teams posting a 19-14 record. Seven players earned All-Ivy honors, three captured Academic All-District honors and
Seth Hope became Cornell's first first-team Academic All-American since 2006.
Defensively, Cornell allowed 110 yards per game fewer than the previous year. The Big Red led the Ivy League in fewest passing yards allowed, a mark that ranked 32nd nationally. The offense, meanwhile, rushed for nearly 25 yards per game more than the previous season and posted the highest rushing total by a Cornell team since 2006. On special teams,
Nickolas Null earned All-Ivy accolades as both a place-kicker and punter, earning Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week four times.
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