Box Score Box Score
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The defending Ivy League champion Harvard Crimson showed they are still a team to be reckoned with despite picking up an early conference loss, using a quick-strike attack on offense and good field position in the first half to roll to a 38-17 victory over Cornell on Saturday afternoon at Harvard Stadium. The Crimson improved to 3-1 (1-1 Ivy), while Cornell fell to 3-1 (1-1 Ivy) in picking up its first loss of the season.
Cornell was able to move the ball against the Crimson defense, picking up 28 first downs and controlling the ball for more than 33 minutes, but Harvard had three scoring plays of over 20 yards. The Cornell run defense again did a nice job, allowing just 102 yards on 25 carries, but Harvard went to the air effectively. Senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti was 16-of-23 passing for 281 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the victory, while classmate Matt Luft hauled in four passes for 139 yards to lead the receiving corps. With a pair of top receivers out due to injury, Harvard unveiled a new weapon in freshman Adam Chrissis. The rookie took his first career reception 67 yards just 1:34 into the contest and added a 22-yard scoring run in the second quarter on a reverse. By the half, Chrissis had 115 total yards.
The Big Red's Jesse Baker became the 14th receiver in school history to surpass 1,000 yards with his six-catch, 50-yard effort. He ended the game with 1,008 career yards. Classmate Zac Canty added 10 catches for 102 yards and an 11-yard touchdown reception, while quarterback Nathan Ford ended the afternoon 32-of-53 for 279 yards. He was intercepted twice. Defensively, the Big Red got 11 tackles from senior safety Tim Bax, while junior linebacker Chris Costello notched nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Cornell defense forced Harvard into a third-and-4 on the very first series, and when Pizzotti found Adam Chrissis for a short wide receiver screen in the middle of the field, it looked like Cornell might get the stop. The receiver, touching the ball for the first time in a varsity game, took two strong blocks at the point of reception and used them to burst into the open field, going 67 yards untouched to grab a 7-0 lead just 1:34 into the game.
A three-and-out series by Cornell ended with punt, putting the Crimson on their own 45. An end-around to Chrissis went for 21 yards down to the 28 before Ostrowsky sacked Pizzotti on first down to push it back to the 32. An excellent pass breakup by Mark Longo on third down brought up a Crimson punt from the 32. The short pooch was downed on the Big Red 2, giving Cornell 98 yards to go to tie the game. That field position advantage would prove crucial in the first quarter.
Another three-and-out by the Big Red offense gave the home team the ball back at the Cornell 42. The Crimson picked up a short third-down conversion to get inside the 30, and Pizzotti caught Matt Luft over the middle to the 4 for a first-and-goal. After a 2-yard run, Ho broke through the line and powered over the goal to make it 14-0 with 5:36 left in the quarter.
A solid return by Walters out to the 33 gave the Big Red its best opening field position of the day, and Ford found Baker on a well-executed 12-yard pass to give Cornell its initial first down 10 minutes into the contest. That gave Cornell some momentum, and a Liuzza 5-yard reception on the next play pushed the Big Red offense past midfield. Facing a third-and-4 at the Harvard 48, Siwula broke off a 10-yard run to keep the drive going. With its eyes on the end zone, Ford looked for Zac Canty on a deep ball down the right side of the field, but Matthew Hanson read the ball and intercepted it at the Crimson 6 for Cornell's first turnover of the day.
The home team wasn't able to do much with the free possession, punting it away after three plays after Ruch wrapped up Ho at the 15 on a third-and-4 attempt. Time ran out on the Big Red trailing 14-0 after one.
Liuzza went around the right end on a direct snap for 11 yards down to the 18, and a late hit brought it down to the 9. Another run by Liuzza after he reversed his field fooled the Harvard defenders enough to get down to the 2, and Barbour did the rest of the work, bowling it over the end line with 12:47 left on the first half clock. Greenway's kick made it 14-7.
After a three-and-out by Harvard, Cornell lined up Liuzza at quarterback, but the receiver was tackled for a big 13-yard loss on first down. Ford got all those yards back and then some after hitting Canty for a 20-yard gain on the next play, but Barbour was stopped for no gain to force another Nick Maxwell punt. The senior's kick went only 23 yards out tot he Harvard 44, where it was downed, setting the home team up with the short field. Harvard took advantage with a quick-strike drive that culminated in Pizzotti finding a wide open Levin Richards from 21-yards out to make it 21-7.
Another Big Red drive stalled as the Harvard defense was able to get in the backfield, putting Ford down for the first two sacks of the season against the senior. Maxwell shanked a punt for only 14 yards, but Harvard wasn't able to take advantage. Patrick Long attempted a 41-yard field goal with 1:23 left in the half, but the kick went wide left. Hoping to get back within a touchdown on its final drive, Ford's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and came down into the waiting hands of Harvard's Glenn Dorris for the team's second turnover of the game.
Chrissis again made the highlights, this time taking the ball on a reverse and going 37 yards for the score on the first play from scrimmage. Long's kick made it 28-7 with 1:03 left.
Cornell ran out the clock, picking up a pair of first downs on the drive, but not getting into scoring position as the Crimson went into the locker room trailing by three scores.
The Big Red opened the second half with the ball and moved it swiftly down the field, setting up a fourth-and-3 from the 24 that the Big Red went for. Liuzza ran behind a convoy of Big Red blockers for the conversion to get inside the red zone. Passes to Bleymaier and Walters gave Cornell a first-and-goal from the 7, but the drive stalled right there, setting up sophomore kicker Brad Greenway for a 25-yard field goal. He split the uprights to make it 28-10 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.
Harvard didn't let the score change their gameplan, marching the ball downfield to the Cornell 16 before Frank Kunis and Ricky Ballou got in on a sack on third down to force a field goal attempt. Long's 35-yard kick hit the right uprights and bounced through to extend the lead back to three touchdowns with 1:58 left in the quarter.
Cornell had the final drive of the third quarter, posting the second of four consecutive 10-play drives. The 10-play march ended when the Big Red turned it over on downs Consecutive touchdown drives, the first, a six-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Pizzotti hitting Jason Miller for a 7-yard touchdown, made the score 38-10. Cornell respinded with a 10-play, 71-yard drive of its own that ended when Canty hauled in an 11-yard lazer from Ford to close the scoring. Cornell ended the contest with a strong 13-play, 75-yard drive, but came up empty when a Ford pass for Baker went incomplete with 46 seconds left. Harvard ran a final rushing play as the clock ran out on the Big Red.
The Big Red returns home on Saturday, Oct. 18, to face Central New York rival Colgate at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell has won the last two meetings between the teams and leads the all-time series 48-39-3.
