* Buy tickets online to Saturday's game
* Game Notes vs. Columbia
* Watch the game live (SideLion subscription required)
* Listen to the game live on the internet (Cornell Redcast subscription required)
* Live Stats
* Weather forecast for Saturday's game
GAME INFORMATION
Game #9: Cornell at Columbia
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 15, at 12:30 p.m. ET
Site: Wien Stadium (17,000), New York, N.Y.
2008 Records: Cornell (4-4, 2-3 Ivy); Columbia (1-7, 1-4 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads 60-32-3
Last Meeting: Cornell won 34-14, Nov. 10, 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 (24-24 overall, .500; 15-18 Ivy, .455) ... 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. — In all, 57 seasons have gone in the books since 1951. Included during that span are 250 wins, 23 winning seasons, 10 head coaches and three Ivy League championships (1971, 1988, 1990). A win over Columbia this weekend would provide something none of those campaigns or coaches could accomplish since the 1951 campaign when the two teams meet on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 12:30 p.m. at Wien Stadium. The Big Red football team will be in search of its fourth-straight season at or above .500, something that hasn't happened since the 1948-51 squads combined to go 27-9 under Hall of Fame coach Lefty James. The senior class of 33 will look to make a run at history on WHCU 870 AM with Barry Leonard on the call, or at www.CornellBigRed.com as part of the RedCast subscription service.
Cornell is coming off its most complete game of the year in a 37-14 win over Dartmouth last weekend, capitalizing on the big play to put away the Big Green. The Big Red scored on a 96-yard pass play (second-longest in school history) and a 69-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown en route to a 17-0 halftime lead and led by as much as 30-0 in the third quarter before Dartmouth got on the scoreboard. The home team, which entered the contest with just two interceptions on the season, got picks from seniors Dario Arezzo and Tim Bax, as well as the first career INT by freshman Rashad Campbell.
The Big Red got a record-breaking afternoon from senior quarterback Nathan Ford, who not only completed the 96-yard flea-flicker pass to junior Bryan Walters from his own end zone, but also ended the day 25-of-30 passing, setting a new standard for completion percentage in a game (.833). His 306 yards passing marked his fourth career 300-yard game, his third this season and his second in a row. Walters also corralled his fourth 100-yard receiving game with 116 yards on just four receptions. The running back tandem of senior Luke Siwula and Randy Barbour combined for 116 yards and three touchdowns, with Siwula capping the day with a pair of touchdown runs, his first of the season and 23rd and 24th of his career.
While Columbia brings a 1-7 record into the contest, teams have taken notice of the marked improvement under Lions' head coach Norries Wilson and his staff. The Lions are coming off a 42-28 loss to first-place Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., last weekend. Columbia's young defensive front managed five sacks and had 13 total tackles for loss.
Of the team's seven losses, four have come by a touchdown or less despite the fact the Columbia only has seven seniors on its offensive and defensive two-deep depth charts, with six holding down starting positions. In comparison, that list is littered with 14 sophomores and eight freshmen, while Cornell has 25 seniors on its depth chart. Led by a defense ranked third in the Ivy League in total defense (surrendering just 304.4 yards per game), Columbia will be playing strength vs. strength when it faces the Big Red. The Lions enter the contest second in the Ancient Eight in pass defense, allowing just 2004. yards per game, while the Big Red is No. 1 in the league and No. 8 nationally in passing offense at 287.1 yards per contest.
A WIN OVER COLUMBIA WOULD:
• improve the Big Red to 5-4 overall (3-3 Ivy League).
• guarantee the fourth straight season at .500 or better under head coach Jim Knowles '87, the longest stretch for the program since the 1948-51 teams went a combined 29-7 under head coach Lefty James.
• extend Cornell's lead in the all-time series to 61-32-3.
• be the second straight over the Lions and the first win in New York City since 2004.
• be the 615th in program history (10th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).
THE CORNELL-COLUMBIA SERIES: (Cornell leads 60-32-3) This will be the 96th meeting between Cornell and Columbia, with the Big Red holding a 60-32-3 lead in the series. The two teams first met in 1889, a 20-0 Cornell win. The Lions won last year's matchup 21-14 in New York City. The two teams have been fairly evenly matched in recent years, with the Big Red holding a narrow 11-9 edge in the last 20 meetings after Cornell had won 12 straight contests between the teams, the longest streak in series history. The Big Red captured last year's meeting by a 34-14 margin at Schoellkopf Field.
SCOUTING COLUMBIA:
• Columbia enters the contest with a 1-7 record (1-4 Ivy) after a 42-28 loss at Ivy leader Harvard last weekend. The Lions held the Crimson to five rushing yards in the contest, but senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti threw for 376 yards and four touchdowns to send Columbia to its 11th loss in the last 12 Ivy League contests.
• The Lions young defensive front was exceptional in putting pressure on the Crimson despite the score, getting in on five sacks and managing 13 total tackles for loss.
• Columbia only has seven seniors on its offensive and defensive two-deep depth charts, with six holding down starting positions. In comparison, that list is littered with 14 sophomores and eight freshmen.
• Columbia has used a pair of starting quarterbacks in Shane Kelly and M.A. Olawale, with the duo combining for 1,497 yards and eight passing touchdowns, while gaining 455 yards on the ground with five scores. They will try to get the ball to junior All-Ivy receiver Austin Knowlin, who has 31 catches for 311 yards and four touchdowns.
• Third-year head coach Norries Wilson has posted a 7-21 record, but has significantly upgraded the talent base on Morningside Heights. The former assistant at Connecticut and Bucknell served as team captain as a player at Minnesota, playing in two Bowl games.
• Cornell leads the all-time series 60-32-3 in a series that began back in 1889. The series has been much closer over the last 19 years, with the Big Red holding a slim 10-9 advantage, including last year's 34-14 triumph over the Lions at Schoellkopf Field.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The NCAA statistical rankings shed some light on the team's 4-4 start. As a team, the Big Red ranks in the top 30 nationally in passing offense (8th, 287.1), kickoff return average (17th, 22.6) and total offense (28th, 398.5), but is ranked in the bottom 30 in pass efficiency defense (89th, 136.00), pass defense (94th, 241.3), and net punting (104th, 29.6).
REVIEWING THE DARTMOUTH WIN: After a season of watching other teams make big plays in key situations, the Big Red executed explosive plays in all three phases of the game in a 37-14 win over Dartmouth. Offensively, Nathan Ford found Bryan Walters for a 96-yard touchdown reception, the second-longest pass play in Big Red history, en route to his fourth career 300-yard passing game. Defensively, Cornell defenders intercepted three passes by Dartmouth freshman quarterback Conner Kempe, including the first career INT by freshman Rashad Campbell. Seniors Tim Bax and Dario Arezzo also had picks. On special teams, senior Graham Rihn broke through the line on a first quarter field goal and blocked his third kick of the season. The loose ball was picked up by sophomore Andy Wade and returned 69 yards for a touchdown to swing the momentum of the contest and give the Big Red a 14-0 lead. It wouldn't be challenged the rest of the way.
ALL SHALL PASS: Over the last six weeks, the Big Red's passing game has been exceptional under senior quarterback Nathan Ford and his group of experienced receivers. Cornell posted a school record 472 yards through the air in the win over Lehigh and added 431 more yards in the loss to Princeton. The Big Red piled up 310 yards in the air against Dartmouth. Cornell ranks eighth nationally in passing at 287.1 yards per game, a number that has risen to 332.3 yards per game in the last six contests. Over that span, Ford has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for nine touchdowns and has connected with 14 different receivers, including six that are averaging at least two catches per game.
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 24 blocked kicks, including a school record eight in 2004, seven more in 2007 and five in the first eight contests in 2008. 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. Rihn blocked a field goal last weekend against Dartmouth that was returned 69 yards by sophomore Andy Wade for a touchdown before Horatio Blackman got his fingertips on a last-second field goal to end the first quarter.
RUN, PASS, CATCH: When senior Luke Siwula flipped a 3-yard pass over the offensive line in the first half to classmate Zach Vredenburgh for a touchdown against Colgate, he became just the third Cornell player since 1980 to run, pass and catch a touchdown during their varsity careers. John Tagliaferri '86 (8 rush, 1 throw, 2 receptions) and Derrick Harmon '84 (26 rush, 1 throw, 2 receptions) have also hit on that statistical oddity. Four other players on the current Big Red team have touchdowns in two criteria: Randy Barbour (run, pass), Nathan Ford (run, pass), Shane Kilcoyne (run, catch) and Stephen Liuzza (run, pass).
CHARTING FORD'S RISE: Senior quarterback Nathan Ford continues to move up the career passing charts. Here is where he stands entering the Columbia game.
Career Yardage
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 7,710
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 5,697
3. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 5,670
Career Completions
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 678
2. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 546
Career Attempts
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 1226
2. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 897
Career Completion Percentage
1. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) .609
2. Mike Hood (1996-98) .607
3. Steve Joyce (1994-95) .567
THIRD TO FIVE GRAND: With his 431-yard effort against Princeton, senior quarterback Nathan Ford became the third player in Big Red history to surpass 5,000 passing yards in a career. His career total now stands at 5,670 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 306 yards and a touchdown against Dartmouth, marking the 16th time Ford has tossed for at least 200 yards in a game and the fourth time he has surpassed 300 yards 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 No. 1 quarterback in completion percentage, Ford set a Cornell record by hitting on his first 17 passes against Princeton in 2007. While all of that was good, his 25-of-30 passing day against Dartmouth last week set a school record for completion percentage in a game by a Cornell quarterback (.833).
BIG HITTER ON THE DIAMOND: A highly-recruited baseball player out of high school, Nathan Ford chose Cornell in part because of the opportunity to play on the gridiron as well as on the diamond. In 2008, while Ford was going through spring football practice, the catcher/third baseman was named to the All-Ivy first team. Ford earned his second all-league honor after being named to the second team in 2007 as a third baseman. This past season, Ford pitched in at two key spots on the diamond, playing 11 games at third base and nine games behind the plate in Ivy League action in place of injured starter Adam Jacobs. He led the Big Red in batting (.410) and RBI (28). He also had a school-record 17 doubles, more than twice as many as anyone else on the roster. He added two triples to go along with three home runs. Ford also drew 16 walks to just 15 strikeouts on the year. He enters his senior season hitting .358 for his career, a mark that ranks second all-time behind Erik Rico '02 (.362).
FORD HUNDRED: Senior Nathan Ford threw for 431 yards against Princeton on Nov. 1, his second 400-yard game this season after a 436 yard effort at Lehigh earlier this year. Ford is the first-ever Big Red quarterback to post two 400-yard games in one season and joins Ricky Rahne '02 as the lone Cornell signal callers to collect two such games in their career.
RECORD HOLDER: Junior Bryan Walters still has 12 career games left to continue to rewrite the Big Red record book, but he's already done a pretty good job. Below are his rankings in Cornell history in a variety of categories.
Season Punt Return Yards — 1st, 345 yards in 2007
Career Punt Return Yards — 1st, 733 yards
Career Punt Returns — 1st, 75 returns
Career Kick Return Yards — 1st, 1900 yards
Season Kick Returns — 1st, 40 returns in 2007
Career Kick Returns — 1st, 89 returns
Season All-Purpose Yards — 2nd, 1,702 yards in 2007
Career All-Purpose Yards — 4th, 3,765 yards
Career Receiving Yards — 14th, 1,132 yards
WALTERS OBLITERATES PUNT RETURN RECORDS: After just three seasons with the Big Red, junior Bryan Walters already holds the career punt return yardage record (733 on 75 returns) and the top two single-season marks (345 in 2007, 273 in 2006).
Career Punt Return Yardage
1. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 733
2. Chris Allen (1994-97) 545
Career Punt Return Attempts
1. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 75
2. Brian Romney (2004-05) 63
WALTERS AN ALL-PURPOSE OPTION: Junior Bryan Walters is among impressive company as an all-purpose threat, ranking second in school history behind Hall of Famer Ed Marinaro and ahead of former NFL player Derrick Harmon with his 144.8 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 12 contests, he will end with 5,503 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. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 3,765
Career All-Purpose Yardage (Average)
1. Ed Marinaro (1969-71) 183.2
2. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 144.8
3. Derrick Harmon (1981-83) 140.7
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 seven games of 2008, Walters has caught 36 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns, including seven for 83 yards against Colgate and eight for a career-high 138 yards and a TD vs. Princeton. Walters has four career 100-yard receiving games, including a four-catch, 116-yard effort last weekend against Dartmouth that included a 96-yard touchdown reception from Nathan Ford, the second-longest pass play in school history.
TOP 10: Junior Bryan Walters is listed among the top 20 active players in the Football Championship Subdivision in two categories: career kick return yardage (seventh, 1,900), career punt return yardage (seventh, 733) and career all-purpose yardage (18th, 3,765).
BACK AT 1: Junior Bryan Walters is second in Ivy League history in kick return yardage with 1,900 yards. Terry Brown of Columbia is the all-time leader with 1,977 yards.
CANTY, BAKER JOIN THE 100-1,000 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 129 receptions for 1,333 yards. After joining the 1,000-yard club earlier in the season, Baker surpassed 100 career catches with an eight-grab effort vs. Princeton. He now has 109 receptions for 1,285 yards. Junior Bryan Walters has already surpassed 1,000 yards and could get to 100 catches with a strong finish, as he currently has 86.
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. He also had a TD at Brown. 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 24 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 surpassed the 50-reception milestone with a pair of catches vs. Princeton and is nearing the 500-yard mark as well, entering the Columbia contest with 53 catches for 466 yards in his four seasons. 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). 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 13 catches for 80 yards in eight 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 Columbia game with 1,283 all-purpose yards and seven career touchdowns.
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 262 career tackles, good for 10th overall. Below is where he ranks for the Big Red all-time:
No. Player Tackles
8. Tom Bernardo '87 291
9. Tom Nunes '99 277
10. Tim Bax (2005-pr.) 262
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 384 yards and five scores through eight 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.
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, and blocked another field goal that was returned for a touchdown by sophomore Andy Wade against Dartmouth. For the season, Rihn has posted 43 tackles, including 4.5 TFL, a pair of sacks and three blocked kicks.
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 Columbia game with 28 consecutive starts and 155 tackles to go along with 12 pass breakups. He had his first interception of the year against Brown, adding five tackles and two 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 95 tackles, including 7.0 for a loss with 4.5 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 eight games. The duo rank second and fifth on the team in tackles, respectively, combining for 100 stops, 11.0 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. Costello and Ostrowsky also had 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, in the loss to Colgate.
CORNERING THE MARKET: Sophomore Emani Fenton has emerged as the team's starting corner and has been a difference-maker against the pass. Fenton ranks third on the team with 45 tackles, including 4.5 behind the line of scrimmage, and a team-high nine pass breakups.
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 38.2 yards on 131 career punts, putting 36 of his kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He has had only seven 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 38.7 yards on 38 punts with 11 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.
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 Columbia game with 2,463 yards. Next up on the list is McNiff with 2,557 yards.
SIWULA FOR SIX: Senior Luke Siwula scored a pair of rushing touchdowns last weekend against Dartmouth, giving him 20 career touchdowns on the ground and 24 total scores. His 24 total touchdowns ranks fifth on the school's list. Siwula is tied for sixth on the school's all-time scoring list with 146 career points.
ANOTHER HUNDRED: Luke Siwula enters the Columbia 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.
SIWULA NAMED ACDADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FOR FOURTH TIME: Senior Luke Siwula became a rare four-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection when he was named to the District 1 first team on Nov. 6. The two-time Academic All-American was honored for his achievements on the gridiron and in the classroom and was part of a group of 11 Ivy League players who will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America honors. In the classroom, Siwula has posted a 3.51 grade point average in industrial and labor relations and is a two-time Academic All-Ivy pick. The team is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America within the district, which covers all Division I-A and Division I-AA schools in New England, New York and the eastern Canadian provinces. In order to be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve, have completed at least two semesters and maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30.
VALENTA LEADS THE LINE: All-America candidate Steve Valenta enters the season as a three-year starter at left tackle and has made 28 consecutive starts while playing in all 31 games in which he has been available. During his three seasons as a starter, the Big Red has averaged 22.5 points and 139.2 rushing yards per game with 44 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.
VOTERS LIKE CORNELL: 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.
UP AND GOOD: Sophomore place-kicker Brad Greenway enters the Columbia contest having hit six of his last seven field goals after missing two of his first three career kicks. His streak of six consecutive field goals that ended against Dartmouth was the most by a Big Red kicker since Peter Zell '08 made eight straight in 2006.
EXTRA POINTS: Sophomore Brad Greenway has continued the team's tradition of near-perfection on extra-point kicks, connecting on 17-of-18 attempts this year, making his first 16 before a false start penalty moved Cornell back five yards, just enough to throw off the timing and Greenway missed the kick. That ended the team's mark to 102 straight conversion kicks dating back to Peter Zell's miss against Columbia on Nov. 13, 2004. Since then, A.J. Weitsman had 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.
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.
GAME NUMBER 1,100: Cornell's games against Brown on Oct. 25 was the 1,100th contest in Big Red football history. The Big Red has a storied history that includes many of the following highlights over the first 1,102 games.
By The Numbers
• 2 Ivy League Rookies of the Year (Derrick Harmon - 1981; John McNiff - 1989)
• 3 Ivy League championships (1971, 1988, 1990)
• 4 Ivy League Players of the Year (Ed Marinaro - 1970 and 1971; Derrick Harmon - 1983; Chad Levitt - 1996)
• 5 national championships (1915, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1939)
• 12 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans
• 18 members of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame
• 41 Big Red players who have gone on to play professionally
• 120 years of Cornell football
• 126 All-Americans
• 136 Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame members
• 143 first-team All-Ivy League selections
• 614 victories (10th-most among Football Championship Subdivision teams)
• 4,715 rushing yards by Ed Marinaro in three years, No. 2 all-time in the Ivy League
• 7,710 passing yards for Ricky Rahne, No. 3 all-time in the Ivy League
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.
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 and Cornell-Dartmouth rivalries stand 17th with 91 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.
UP NEXT: Cornell closes out the 2008 season and celebrates the efforts of its 33 seniors when Penn visits Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. The battle for the Trustees Cup will be the 115th meeting between the teams, the fifth-most games played between two teams in NCAA history.
