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GAME INFORMATION
Game #5: Colgate at Cornell
Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1:00 p.m. ET
Site: Schoellkopf Field (25,597), Ithaca, N.Y.
2008 Records: Colgate (4-2, 1-0 Patriot); Cornell (3-1, 1-1 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads 48-39-3
Last Meeting: Cornell won 17-14, Oct. 13, 2007, in Ithaca, N.Y.
Television: None
Radio: WHCU 870 AM, Barry Leonard (play-by-play), Buck Briggs (color)
Live Stats: Available at www.CornellBigRed.com
Live Video: Available at www.CornellBigRed.com|
Tickets: Available by calling (607) 254-BEAR
HEAD COACH JIM KNOWLES '87
The Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Football Jim Knowles is in his fifth season at the helm of the Big Red (23-21 overall, .523; 14-16 Ivy, .467) ... Knowles, an All-Ivy defensive end and three-year letter winner on the gridiron, was hired by his alma mater as head coach on Jan. 30, 2004.
ITHACA, N.Y. — The Big Red football team will look to close out an undefeated non-conference season for the second straight year when it meets Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell will be attempting to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it meets its Central New York rival for the 91st time. The game can be heard locally on WHCU 870 AM with Barry Leonard on the call, or at www.CornellBigRed.com as part of the RedCast subscription service. Live video of the game can be viewed at IBNSports.com at no charge.
The Big Red is coming off a 38-17 defeat at the hands of defending Ivy League champion Harvard last weekend in a game that featured big plays outstanding individual efforts. Senior wide receiver Zac Canty hauled in 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown to lead the Big Red offense, while classmate Tim Bax notched a game-high 11 tackles.
The Big Red's defense, ranked fifth nationally against the run, will be put to the test against the Raiders' Jordan Scott, the Football Championship Subdivision's leading rusher at 186.0 yards per game. For the season, Cornell has allowed just 253 rushing yards in its first four games total. Colgate head coach Dick Biddle will be in search of his 100th career victory when the Raiders visit Ithaca for the third straight campaign.
A WIN OVER COLGATE WOULD:
• make Cornell 4-1 for the first time since 1999.
• extend the Big Red's non-conference win streak to eight games, the longest stretch since joining the Ancient Eight in 1956.
• cap the Big Red's second straight unbeaten non-conference season.
• extend Cornell's home win streak to five games, beginning with a 17-14 win over Colgate during the 2007 campaign.
• extend Cornell's lead in the all-time series to 49-39-3.
• give the Big Red its first three-game win streak over Colgate since winning five consecutive games from 1970-74.
• be the 613th in program history (10th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).
THE CORNELL-COLGATE SERIES: (Cornell leads 48-39-3) Cornell and Colgate will be meeting for the 91st time dating back to the first meeting in 1896. The Big Red owned the early series, going 13-0-1 in the first 14 games (1896-1911), while also posting nine and seven-game win streaks before 1951. Colgate has had the better of the series since 1975, capturing 23 of the last 30 meetings, including 10 straight (1993-2005) before the Big Red commenced on its current two-game win streak.
SCOUTING COLGATE:
• Colgate brings a 4-2 record into the game after topping Princeton 27-24 last weekend. The victory extended the team's win streak to three games, including wins over both the Tigers and Dartmouth.
• The Raiders got an unexpected bye week on Oct. 4 when its game against Georgetown was cancelled due to an outbreak of the norovirus on the Hoyas' campus.
• All-American tailback Jordan Scott enters the week leading the nation in rushing at 186.0 yards per game and is second nationally in scoring with his 11 touchdowns. In his career against the Big Red, Scott has two career 100-yard games, but has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and has scored just two touchdowns.
• Senior Jacob Stein booted a 33-yard field goal with two seconds left to help Colgate knock off Princeton 27-24 last weekend at Andy Kerr Stadium. All-American Jordan Scott ran 27 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
• Cornell leads the all-time series 48-39-3, including two consecutive wins. Prior to this winning streak, the Big Red had lost 10 straight games to its Central New York rival.
• Head coach Dick Biddle, the all-time winningest coach at Colgate, will be looking for his 100th career victory with the Raiders. He has posted a 99-48 mark in 13 seasons as head coach.
• Colgate is 30-8 against Ivy League teams under head coach Dick Biddle, including 2-0 this season.
CORNELL VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Cornell has a 125-69-7 record against the seven current members of the Patriot League football conference, including a 48-39-3 edge on Colgate. Cornell has advantages over Bucknell (37-11-0), Fordham (4-2-0), Georgetown (2-1-0), Holy Cross (5-0-0), Lafayette (14-8-2) and Lehigh (15-8-2).
PATRIOT GAMES: Dating back to the 2005 season, the Big Red has had a clear advantage against Patriot League opponents, going 8-2 with a six-game win streak heading into the contest vs. Colgate.
THE NUMBERS GAME — THROUGH WEEK 4: Here is some fun with numbers through four games for the Big Red.
• The Big Red has posted 11 sacks and have allowed only two this season.
• Cornell opponents have fumbled 14 times (six lost) in three games, while the Big Red has not put the ball on the ground once.
• Cornell has held the ball for more than 33 minutes in each of its first four games and has had greater possession in three out of four quarters in each contest.
• Using halftime adjustments, the Big Red has outscored its opponents 16-3 in the third quarter this season.
• Cornell has run 315 offensive plays this season as compared to 235 for its opponents, giving the Big Red an extra 20 plays per contest.
• The Big Red offense has put together 11 drives of 10 plays this season.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: While still early in the season, the NCAA statistical rankings shed some light on the early 3-1 start for the Big Red. As a team, the Big Red ranks fifth nationally against the run (63.3 ypg.). The Big Red also stands fourth in the nation with its two sacks allowed and ranks among the top 20 nationally in total defense (19th, 306.5) and tackles for loss (15th, 7.8).
REVIEWING THE HARVARD LOSS (Oct. 11): Facing a defending league champion looking to stay in the Ivy League race, Cornell had no answer for a tremendous Harvard effort in a 38-17 loss on Saturday at Harvard Stadium. Big plays doomed Cornell, as Harvard converted seven offensive plays of 20 yards or more to keep the unbeaten Big Red at bay. In front of a national television audience on the VERSUS Network, senior Zac Canty showed why he is one of the top wide receivers of all-time at Cornell, hauling in 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, moving up the school charts in receptions and yards. Senior Tim Bax had a game-high 11 tackles, while Nathan Ford had his second straight game of at least 250 yards, completing 32-of-53 passes for 275 yards.
BALL CONTROL: The Big Red has preached not turning the ball over this season and the Cornell skill players have heeded that call, failing to fumble this season in 271 touches (145 rushing attempts, 102 receptions, 24 total returns). The Big Red defense has recovered six of its opponents' 14 fumbles over that four-game span.
BALL CONTROL II: Cornell has dominated the time of possession category this season, holding the ball for an average of 33:40 per game, an average of more than seven minutes per game than its opponents. The Big Red has had the ball for better than 33 minutes in each of its four contests and has held the ball an average of nearly 10 minutes per game in the fourth quarter alone.
VOTERS TAKE NOTICE: After starting the season 3-0, the Cornell football team found itself receiving votes in both the Sports Network FCS Poll and the FCS Coaches' poll on Oct. 6. In the Sports Network poll, Cornell received 28 points and also received two votes in the coaches' poll. Cornell was one of last five undefeated teams in the FCS.
NO TIME TO CELEBRATE: Cornell's win over Lehigh as time expired was the first time a Big Red game was decided with a score on the final play since Princeton's Derek Javarone kicked a 35-yard field goal in overtime during the 2005 season, ending a 20-17 contest in favor of the Tigers.
ALL SHALL PASS: The Big Red's passing game struggled in the win over preseason Ivy League favorite Yale with just 96 yards on 23 passing attempts, but it bounced back in a big way the last two weeks. Cornell posted a school record 472 yards through the air in the win over Lehigh and added 279 more yards against Harvard. Senior quarterback Nathan Ford completed 39 of 63 passes for 438 yards against the Mountain Hawks, the third-highest total in school history, while junior Stephen Liuzza connected with Bryan Walters for a 34-yard pass play on his only attempt. Seniors Zac Canty (11 catches, 120 yards) and Jesse Baker (10 catches, 141 yards) both recorded double-digit catches and 100-yard games in the win over the Mountain Hawks as 10 different players caught at least one pass. Against the Crimson, Ford completed 32-of-53 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown, with 10 of those passes going to Canty for 102 yards and a score.
THE "C" RETURNS: Head coach Jim Knowles '87 took the block "C" off the Cornell football helmets this spring as a motivational tool after the Big Red staff reviewed the 2007 season and wasn't happy about the way his team was physically beaten up in several games. With the goal of becoming tougher, both physically and mentally, in 2008, Knowles said that the "C" wouldn't return to the helmets until the team proved it deserved to wear it. That proof was laid out in the team's season-opening win over Bucknell last weekend. The Big Red defense allowed Bucknell's option attack just 46 yards rushing, while the offensive line didn't allow a sack as Cornell piled up nearly 400 yards of offense.
THAT'S EVERYONE: Cornell's vaunted senior class of 33 earned a distinction of defeating each of the other seven Ivy schools at least once during their career with a win over Yale in the Ivy League opener. It is the second straight senior class to defeat each team.
A HOME THAT FEATURES FIELDTURF: Cornell played its first game on Schoellkopf Field's new FieldTurf surface that was installed this summer in the Big Red's Homecoming victory over Yale. The new field features a large block "C" at midfield, bright green synthetic grass and the even brighter red end zones with white lettering. The end zone on the South end reads "Cornell", while the North end zone spells out "Big Red." FieldTurf is a blend of polyethylene and polypropylene, silica sand and rubber granules that give years of grass-like appearance and use, without the regular maintenance of natural grass. The installation process includes a layer of decomposed granite, the company's patented polyethylene and polypropylene blades and a rubber granule infill system. It is resistant to temperature extremes, drains quickly and is extremely low-maintenance.
LATE START: For the fourth time in five years, Cornell was the last NCAA Division I football team to be scheduled to play its opener. Due to a postponement of Nicholls State's game at New Mexico State on Sept. 4, however, the Big Red was not actually the last Division I team to kickoff. Due to Hurricane Gustav, that contest was postponed and forced Nicholls State to actually open at Memphis at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 20, two hours after Cornell and Bucknell kicked off. The game against New Mexico State has yet to be rescheduled. Cornell was one of four teams to open simultaneously at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2004 and was the final team to start in 2006 with its 7 p.m. start on Sept. 16 at Bucknell. Last season, the Big Red opened on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.
BUZZ AROUND CAMPUS: In its five home games in 2007, Cornell averaged 8,897 people with a high of 13,035 to see the Big Red top Colgate on Homecoming weekend. That was nearly twice as many as the 2006 average of 5,008 fans per game. Cornell's five-game total of 44,486 fans surpassed the six-game total of 30,045 from 2006. In the 2008 opener, Cornell drew 13,142 for Homecoming against Yale.
BLOCKING OUT: The Big Red practice live special teams everyday, and a focus is blocking kicks. Cornell has been exceptional in that category under head coach Jim Knowles '87 with 22 blocked kicks, including a school record eight in 2004 and seven more in 2007. Cornell's Graham Rihn swatted away an extra-point that proved to be the difference in the season-opening 21-20 victory over Bucknell, then got his hands on a 42-yard field goal attempt by Yale's Tom Mante in a three-point win.
WALK, DON'T RUN: The Cornell defense built a reputation for being stingy against the run until last season, when it struggled against teams that wanted to keep the ball on the ground. The Big Red showed where its focus would be in its first four contests this season. Against Bucknell, the Big Red limited the Bison to 46 yards on 31 carries, the fewest yards by a Bison team since the 2000 season, which predates the start of the program running the spread option. Cornell then held Yale and All-America running back Mike McLeod to a total of 0 yards on 28 carries as a team. Lehigh and senior running back Matt McGowan were able to muster on 65 yards on 22 carries.
EXTRA POINTS: Sophomore Brad Greenway has continued the team's tradition of perfection on extra-point kicks, connecting on all eight attempts this year. That extends the team's mark to 94 straight conversion kicks dating back to Peter Zell's miss against Columbia on Nov. 13, 2004. Since then, A.J. Weitsman made 30 in a row in 2004, while Zell made a school record 54 straight kicks in 2006 and 2007, including a single-season record of 32 without a miss in 2007.
TURNAROUND IS FAIR PLAY: Cornell's 17-14 victory over Yale in the Ivy league opener marked just the second time in program history the Big Red defeated an opponent after losing to a team by 35 or more points the season before. The 1925 Big Red football team dropped a 62-13 decision at Dartmouth under Hall of Fame coach Gil Dobie, but responded with a 24-23 triumph the following season in Ithaca.
SACK ATTACK: The Big Red registered six sacks in the victory over Yale, the most since also registering six against Dartmouth in a 28-25 win on Nov. 4, 2006. The Cornell defense has registered 10 sacks over the first four games this season, while the offensive line has allowed only two.
CHARTING FORD'S RISE: Senior quarterback Nathan Ford continues to move up the career passing charts. Here is where he stands entering the Colgate game.
Career Yardage
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 7,710
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 5,697
3. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 4,449
Career Completions
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 678
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 470
3. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 434
Career Attempts
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 1226
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 873
3. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 723
Career Completion Percentage
1. Mike Hood (1996-98) .607
2. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) .600
3. Steve Joyce (1994-95) .567
THIRD TO FOUR GRAND: With his 438-yard effort in the last-second win at Lehigh, senior quarterback Nathan Ford became the third player in Big Red history to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a career. His career total now stands at 4,449 yards, behind only Bill Lazor '94 (5,697) and all-time leader Ricky Rahne '02 (7,710).
HITTING THE MARK: Senior Nathan Ford threw for 279 yards and a touchdown against Harvard, marking the 12th time Ford has tossed for at least 200 yards in a game. The native of Palo Alto, Calif., threw for at least 200 yards in each of the Big Red's first seven games in 2007, the most 200-yard passing games since Ricky Rahne surpassed 200 yards in all 10 games of the 2000 season. He did not attempt a pass after being injured early in the game at Dartmouth, did not play vs. Columbia and saw only second half duty against Penn in the season finale.
DOZEN FORDS IN A ROW: From the last possession of the first quarter until the second possession of the fourth against Bucknell, senior Nathan Ford completed 12 consecutive passes, including a third quarter in which he went 8-of-8 for 92 yards and a touchdown. He ended the day 21-of-26 passing for a completion percentage of .807. Accuracy like that is nothing new for Ford. The school's all-time leader in completion percentage, Ford set a Cornell record by completing his first 17 passes against Princeton in 2007.
HALF DOZEN AT TWO GRAND: With his 81-yard effort against Bucknell in the 2007 opener, senior Luke Siwula became the sixth player in program history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards. The Cortland, N.Y., native, joined Ed Marinaro '72, Chad Levitt '97, Derrick Harmon '84, John McNiff '92 and Gary Wood '64 at the milestone. He enters the Lehigh with 2,357 yards. Next up on the list is McNiff with 2,557 yards.
SIWULA FOR SIX: Senior Luke Siwula scored a career-best three touchdowns in the season opening win over Bucknell in 2007, and three more against Georgetown, giving him 18 career rushing touchdowns and 22 total scores. His 22 total touchdowns is tied with Pete Larson '67 and Scott Oliaro '93 for sixth on the school's list. Siwula is tied for ninth on the school's all-time scoring list with 132 career points.
ANOTHER HUNDRED: Luke Siwula enters the Colgate game with nine career 100-yard rushing games, fifth all-time in Cornell history. In 2005, Siwula became the first Cornell running back to record six 100-yard games in one season since Malaga in 1988. He was the fifth player to post a season with six or more 100-yard games (Ed Marinaro in 1969, 1970 and 1971; Dan Malone in 1972; Joe Holland in 1978; Malaga; and Siwula), with Heisman Trophy runner-up Ed Marinaro doing it in three straight seasons.
BIG-PLAY BAX SURPASSES 200 TACKLES: After finishing second in the Ivy League in tackles in 2007 with 100, senior safety Tim Bax posted a team-best 12 tackles in the season opener against Bucknell, giving him 209 career stops. With that effort, Bax became the 20th Cornell defender to register 200 career knockdowns. Bax has since upped that total to 230 career tackles.
VALENTA LEADS THE LINE: All-America candidate Steve Valenta enters the season as a three-year starter at left tackle and has made 24 consecutive starts while playing in all 28 games in which he has been available. During his three seasons as a starter, the Big Red has averaged 22.5 points and 143.1 rushing yards per game with 40 total touchdowns on the ground.
PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE: Senior tackle Steve Valenta has earned a great deal of recognition heading into 2008, earning preseason all-conference honors from a variety of publications. With the success of recent graduate Kevin Boothe '06 fresh in the minds of NFL scouts, the 6-5, 309-pound Valenta has already brought several to campus to see him practice. He is currently rated among the top 100 tackles in college football by nfldraftscout.com.
WALTERS OBLITERATES PUNT RETURN RECORDS: After just three seasons with the Big Red, junior Bryan Walters already holds the career punt return yardage record (637 on 63 returns) and the top two single-season marks (345 in 2007, 273 in 2006). He enters the Colgate game tied for first in career punt return attempts (63) with Brian Romney '06.
Career Punt Return Yardage
1. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 637
2. Chris Allen (1994-97) 545
Career Punt Return Attempts
1. Brian Romney (2004-05) 63
Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 63
3. Chris Allen (1994-97) 57
WALTERS AN ALL-PURPOSE OPTION: Junior Bryan Walters is among impressive company as an all-purpose threat, ranking third in school history behind Hall of Famers Ed Marinaro and Derrick Harmon with his 139.7 yards per game. Marinaro averaged an incredible 183.2 yards in his career, good for 5,117 total yards. If Walters continues at his current pace for his remaining 16 contests, he will end with 5,309 all-purpose yards. Below is how he ranks all-time at Cornell.
Career All-Purpose Yardage
1. Chad Levitt (1993-96) 5,117
2. Ed Marinaro (1969-71) 4,947
3. Derrick Harmon (1981-83) 3,800
4. John McNiff (1989-91) 3,558
5. Gary Wood (1961-63) 3,352
-- Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 3,074
-- Luke Siwula (2005-pr.) 2,725
Career All-Purpose Yardage (Average)
1. Ed Marinaro (1969-71) 183.2
2. Derrick Harmon (1981-83) 140.7
3. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 139.7
4. Chad Levitt (1993-96) 134.7
OH YEAH, HE'S ALSO A RECEIVER: Junior Bryan Walters became an All-Ivy candidate as a sophomore wideout, hauling in 48 passes for 592 yards and four touchdowns. His receptions and receiving yards ranked him among the top 60 nationally. As a freshman, Walters caught three passes for 33 yards in limited action. In his first four games of 2008, Walters has hauled in 15 passes for 167 yards, including seven for 63 yards against Bucknell in the opener.
HONORS NOT NEW TO WALTERS: Junior Bryan Walters is a three-time weekly Ivy League honoree, capturing Special Teams Player of the Week twice during his career and Rookie of the Week honors once as a freshman.
CANTY OUT TO JOIN THE 100-1,000 CATCH CLUB: Senior Zac Canty became the sixth player in school history to tally 100 career catches and the 13th to reach 1,000 receiving yards with his performance against Lehigh. His 11 catches for 120 yards were both career highs. He has since lifted his four-year totals to 116 receptions for 1,203 yards.
CANTY WITH THE GRAB: Senior Zac Canty has at least two catches in 23 of the Big Red's last 24 games. Canty did not play against Columbia last season, snapping a streak of 18 straight games with a catch.
BAKER TO MAKE A RUN ON BOTH LISTS AS WELL: Senior Jesse Baker became the 14th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career yards with his five-catch, 60-yard effort at Harvard. He could also surpass 100 catches by matching his 2007 totals of 42 catches for 420 yards. He enters the Colgate game with 85 receptions for 1,008 yards and six scores in 24 varsity contests.
BAKER THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Senior wide receiver Jesse Baker opened his final season with a bang, catching five passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns against Bucknell. He also had a career-high 10 catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns against Lehigh, including a 20-yard scoring grab as time expired to beat the Mountain Hawks. Entering the season, Baker had just two scores on 64 catches, with both touchdowns coming during his sophomore season of 2006.
CAN YOU SPARE A RECEIVER: The Big Red returns all 14 players that caught a pass a season ago, accounting for 100 percent of the team's 281 catches for 2,611 yards and nine touchdowns from a season ago.
• Nine receivers reached double figures in catches, with two more catching eight balls.
• Six players hauled in at least 20 passes and three caught at least 40.
• Eight players had a reception of at least 20 yards.
• Rising seniors accounted for 179 catches (63.7 percent) and 1,600 yards (61.3 percent).
• Tight ends accounted for 19 catches (6.8 pct.) and 169 yards (6.5 pct.).
• Tailbacks accounted for 23 catches (8.2 pct.) for 190 yards (7.3 pct.).
LIUZZA SETTLES IN AT WR: Junior Stephen Liuzza has settled in at wide receiver after being the definition of a utility athlete in his first two seasons. The converted quarterback has seen action behind center, in the slot and in the backfield in his 21 varsity contests. The Slidell, La. native caught 23 passes for 196 yards a season ago, but also saw action in three games at quarterback. He posted 423 yards of total offense in just three quarters of play against Dartmouth in front a national television audience on YES, the third-best total in school history.
THE CAPTAIN: Senior Tommy Bleymaier had a breakout junior season, hauling in career highs of 29 catches for 224 yards, easily surpassing his totals from his first two seasons (11 catches, 162 yards). A third-down specialist out of the slot, 18 of his 46 career receptions have extended drives for the Big Red. The son of Boise State AD Gene Bleymaier and a former walk-on, the 5-9, 170-pound receiver had 16 catches for 145 yards in the team's final three contests a season ago, including a career-high nine catches for 107 yards at Dartmouth. He had his first three catches of 2008 go for 25 yards in the win over Lehigh and has six catches for 40 yards in four total games this year.
KILCOYNE ALWAYS DANGEROUS: Senior Shane Kilcoyne is one of the team's most dangerous threats in the open field, and the Big Red will attempt to find a way to get him the ball in open space in 2008. The senior caught 10 passes for 61 yards and rushed 42 times for 124 yards a season ago, but it was his seven kick returns that averaged 27.0 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown return vs. Columbia, that showed his true potential. Kilcoyne enters the Colgate game with 958 all-purpose yards and six career touchdowns.
LINE 'EM UP: A year after starting three All-Ivy linemen that ended the season with 100 career starts, the 2008 campaign have had a new look in the trenches this season. With three-year starter Steve Valenta returning at left tackle (20 starts) and two-year starter Quentin Bernhard (10 starts) bookending the right side, Cornell worked in three brand new starters in the interior — junior Andrew Bohl (right guard) and seniors Justin Mortensen (left guard) and Babak Motamedi (center). The trio brought a combined 13 games of reserve experience into the year. The starting offensive line averages 6-3 and 297 pounds. So far, so good. The offensive line didn't allow a sack in its first 129 passing and has surrendered just two in four total games.
NO SACKS ALLOWED HERE: The Big Red offensive line has been a wall so far this season, allowing only two sacks in four contests this season. The Big Red offensive line did not allow a sack in its first 129 pass attempts of the season and didn't allow a sack for the first three games of 2008, the first time Cornell didn't allowed a sack in three straight games since it became an official NCAA statistic in 2000.
BARBOUR CUTS CLOSE: Junior Randy Barbour entered the season the team's leading returning rusher after posting 477 yards and six scores a season ago. The 5-9 tailback picked right up where he left off, registering his second career 100-yard game with 114 yards on 23 carries and a score in the season-opening victory over Bucknell and has rushed for a team-best 199 yards and three scores through four games. Barbour earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 159 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win over Brown a season ago, the sixth-best rushing total this decade. He will again tandem with senior Luke Siwula to form Cornell's own version of "thunder and lightning."
RIHN BIG TACKLER: Senior captain Graham Rihn is recognized as one of the top defensive players in the Ivy League, and he will have a chance to give the league's coordinators headaches one last time this fall. In the opener against Bucknell, Rihn had four tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and a sack, but it was his play on special teams that proved to be the difference in the 21-20 victory. Rihn blocked a Bison game-tying extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter to help Cornell retain a one-point lead. Rihn also blocked a field goal and recovered a fumble in the win over Yale.
KRIMM A SAFETY VALVE: Senior Gus Krimm has been a steady playmaker in the defensive backfield over the last two seasons, ranking fourth on the team each year with 58 total tackles. He registered six tackles, including one for a loss, and recovered a fumble in the opener against Bucknell. Krimm then had three tackles, including two sacks and a fumble recovery, in the victory over Yale. Krimm enters the Colgate game with 24 consecutive starts and 137 tackles to go along with 10 pass breakups.
SABO STEPS INTO SPOTLIGHT: After seeing extensive time as a reserve the last two seasons, everyone in the Cornell football program had confidence that senior Anthony Sabo would be an impact player. They have been right. Sabo was all over the field in the win over Yale, recording a team-high nine tackles with 3.5 coming for a loss, including two sacks. He also forced a fumble to open the fourth quarter that was recovered by the Big Red. In his three seasons with the varsity, Sabo has posted 77 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss with 3.5 sacks.
COSTELLO, OSTROWSKY TAKE THE REIGNS AT LINEBACKER: With the loss of two-year starters Ryan Blessing and Doug Lempa to graduation, junior Chris Costello and senior Brian Ostrowsky have capably filled their slots and excelled in the first four games. The duo rank first and fifth on the team in tackles, respectively, combining for 52 stops, 8.0 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. Ostrowsky and Costello each had eight tackles, including a stop for a loss, in the win over Yale. Costello posted a career-best 11 stops in the win over Lehigh, adding 2.5 TFL to his totals.
CORNERING THE MARKET: A pair of sophomore cornerbacks have emerged to give the Big Red pass defense a much-needed boost. Emani Fenton and Andy Wade were outstanding in the win over Yale, combining for 14 tackles and four pass breakups to help keep the powerful Bulldog offense at bay. Fenton ranks third on the team with 23 tackles, including 3.5 behind the line of scrimmage, and has six pass breakups. Wade, in his two starts, has 13 tackles and three pass breakups.
LINE THEM UP: The senior-laden defensive line of Dario Arezzo and Lucas McCarthy on the ends and Frank Kunis at nose guard have been stout against the run, building up a front line that has allowed just 63.2 yards rushing per game. While combining for just 22 tackles, the line strung out a Bucknell offense running the spread option, a Yale team that ranked eight nationally in rushing a season ago and a Lehigh squad featuring 100-yard rusher Matt McGowan to a total of 111 yards rushing, including a net total of 0 yards against the Bulldogs.
MAXWELL SMART PUNTER: Senior punter Nick Maxwell has been among the top punters in the Ivy League in his three seasons as a starter. Maxwell has averaged 38.1 yards on 115 career punts, putting 33 of his kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He has had only five touchbacks and one kick blocked in his career. The Lacey, Wash., native averaged a career-best 39.2 yards per punt as a junior. His hangtime, as well as the team's punt coverage team, allowed just 166 return yards on 28 returns, an average of 5.9 yards per attempt. He has been just as good in 2008, averaging 38.5 yards on 22 punts with eight being downed inside the 20.
A LOT OF LEG: Senior punter Nick Maxwell was busy in the Big Red's win over Yale, kicking 11 times for an average of 41.0 yards per punt. He dropped six of those kicks inside the 20 and was part of a group that allowed Yale average field position of its own 24. Cornell's offense, meanwhile, averaged starting on its own 41, a key 17-yard difference.
BOOTHE '06 BECOMES SECOND CORNELLIAN TO WIN SUPER BOWL RING: Former All-American offensive lineman Kevin Boothe '06 joined former star tailback Derrick Harmon '84 as the second Cornell alumnus to earn a Super Bowl ring. Boothe played on special teams during the New York Giants' run to Super Bowl XLII. Boothe and the Giants upset the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, 17-14, on Feb. 3, 2008 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Harmon earned his ring as a running back and returner for the San Francisco 49ers, joining Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and company in a 38-16 triumph over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 20, 1985 in Super Bowl XIX.
RING MY BELL: When head coach Jim Knowles '87 returned to his alma mater in 2004, he introduced a Victory Bell and a new Cornell fight song. After every win, the Cornell team gathers in the locker room and sings the fight song, and one player is chosen to ring the bell. After 10 wins, the bell is retired and a new one is introduced. The Big Red retired its second bell after a 34-14 victory over Columbia in the 2007 home finale. A new bell was rung with its first win of 2008, a 21-20 triumph at Bucknell on Sept. 20.
STORIED RIVALRIES: The Big Red is involved in three of the top 20 most-played rivalries in college football. Heading into the 2008 campaign, the Cornell-Penn series ranks fifth in most games played with 115. The 95 meetings between Cornell and Columbia ranks 12th, while the Cornell-Colgate rivalry stands 17th with 90 games played. The Big Red's oldest active rivalry is with Lehigh. Although the teams have met just 24 times, the squads first faced off during the 1887 season, Cornell's first season of football. The Cornell-Dartmouth and the Cornell-Penn series are the second-longest uninterrupted active series, as the teams have met every season since 1919, a span of 88 years. They trail only the Lafayette-Lehigh series, which has been played every year since 1897.
AP NO. 1: Cornell is the only Ivy League school to be ranked No. 1 in the weekly Associated Press poll, holding the top ranking for three weeks (10/15-10/29) of the 1940 season. The No. 1 ranking ended with the historic "Fifth Down Game" against Dartmouth. The Big Red ended that campaign with a 6-2 record that included wins over Army, Syracuse and Ohio State.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Cornell has won five national titles in its storied football history. The Big Red claimed at least a share of the 1915 (Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1921 (Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1922 (Helms, Parke Davis), 1923 (Sagarin) and 1939 (Litkenhous, Sagarin) titles. All five teams went undefeated and dominated their opponents. The 1915 team was 9-0 and outscored its opponents 287-50 with four shutouts. The 1921, 1922 and 1923 squads each went 8-0 and outscored their opponents 392-21, 339-27 and 320-33, respectively. The teams allowed more than one touchdown in a game just once during that 24-game span while scoring 40 or more points 14 times. The 1939 team was 8-0 and defeated Syracuse, Penn State and Ohio State.
LIVE AND IN YOUR HOME: You can see live streaming video of each of the Big Red's five home games courtesy of Cornell athletics and IBN Sports. Visit www.CornellBigRed.com or www.IBNSports.com for more information. For subscription information for Cornell's other sports through the Redcast subscription service, visit Cornell's web site, www.CornellBigRed.com.
WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY?: All of the Big Red's football games in 2008 are carried live on WHCU (870 AM) in the Ithaca area and on the internet at www.CornellBigRed.com. Barry Leonard returns for his 11th season in the booth and ninth season in the play-by-play chair, while Buck Briggs '76 is back to provide the color commentary for an eighth season. Special guests will also make appearances throughout the year.
GET SIRIUS: The Cornell football team will make two live appearances on SIRIUS Satellite Radio during the upcoming 2008 season as part of a 12-game Ivy League Game of the Week package. This season will mark the fourth year of SIRIUS Radio's broadcast of the football and men's basketball. The Big Red will face Brown on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 12:30 p.m., then plays host to Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. SIRIUS will feature both football and basketball games from all eight Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale), and showcase some of the best matchups of the season. All games will be broadcast on Sirius 130.
LIVE STATS: If you can't make it to Schoellkopf Field, you can follow the Big Red live on the internet with Live Stats. Just follow the link on www.CornellBigRed.com for official stats updated in real-time for each of the Big Red's home games.
UP NEXT: The Big Red returns to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. when it meets Princeton. The two teams have split the last four meetings with each team claiming victory at home. The Tigers lead the all-time series 55-33-2.
