Game #8: Dartmouth at Cornell
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1:00 p.m. ET
Site: Schoellkopf Field (25,597), Ithaca, N.Y.
2008 Records: Dartmouth (0-7, 0-4 Ivy); Cornell (3-4, 1-3 Ivy)
Series Record: Dartmouth leads 51-39-1
Last Meeting: Dartmouth won 59-31, Nov. 3, 2007, in Hanover, N.H.
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 (23-24 overall, .489; 14-18 Ivy, .438) ... 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. — A rivalry that features such classic contests as the legendary “Fifth Down Game” and 39 games decided by a touchdown or less will be renewed when Cornell and Dartmouth square off on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. 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. Video of the contest will also be available at no charge on IBNSports.com.
When these two teams desperate for a win meet this weekend on Schoellkopf Field, something will have to give. Cornell, coming into the contest with a four-game losing streak, will attempt to get back on track, while Dartmouth hasn't won since defeating the Big Red by a 59-31 margin last season in Hanover, N.H., a span of nine games. It will be the 92nd all-time meeting between the programs who have met every year since 1919.
Cornell dominated nearly every category except on the scoreboard last weekend against Princeton in a 31-26 defeat. Senior quarterback Nathan Ford completed 33-of-55 passes for 431 yards and three touchdowns in the game and nearly led the team to a pair of touchdowns in the final 41 seconds to give the Big Red the improbable win, but his last-second attempt for classmate Jesse Baker in the end zone fell incomplete. Junior Bryan Walters caught eight passes for 138 yards and a touchdown and piled up 202 all-purpose yards.
Cornell held dominating advantages in first downs (29-16), total yards (555-390), total plays (90-54) and time of possession (31:57-28:03), but it was a strong effort on the ground by Princeton's Jordan Culbreath that proved to be the difference. The junior, who entered the game as the league's leading rusher, grinded out 169 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Senior quarterback Brian Anderson was extremely efficient, completing 13-of-17 passes for 160 yards and two scores and also ran for 43 yards and a touchdown in the win.
While Cornell wants to get back to the form that saw it open 3-0 on the year, head coach Buddy Teevens and his Big Green would take a win any way they can get it after starting the year 0-7. Dartmouth is coming off a 35-7 loss to Harvard at home, allowing the powerful Crimson offense to pile up 368 rushing yards. Dartmouth has struggled in the run game itself, ranking No. 117 out of 118 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing at 54.3 yards per game.
A WIN OVER DARTMOUTH WOULD:
• improve the Big Red to 4-4 overall (2-3 Ivy League).
• snap a four-game losing streak, tied for the longest in head coach Jim Knowles' tenure.
• make Cornell 2-2 at home in 2008 and 18-7 at Schoellkopf Field under Knowles '87.
• narrow the Big Green's lead in the all-time series to 51-40-1.
• be the seventh victory in the last nine games vs. Dartmouth.
• be the 614th in program history (10th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).
THE CORNELL-DARTMOUTH SERIES: (Dartmouth leads 51-39-1) This will be the 92nd meeting between Cornell and Dartmouth, with the Big Green holding a 51-39-1 lead in the series. The two teams first met in 1900, a 23-6 Cornell win. The Big Green won last year's matchup 59-31 in Hanover, N.H. The two teams have been fairly evenly matched in recent years, with 10 of the last 15 meetings being decided by a touchdown or less (Cornell holds a 9-6 lead during that stretch).
SCOUTING DARTMOUTH:
• Dartmouth enters the contest winless at 0-7 (0-4) Ivy after dropping a 35-7 decision to Harvard last weekend in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green allowed the Crimson to rush for 368 yards in dropping their ninth-straight game dating back to their 59-31 victory over the Big Red a season ago.
• Senior safety Ian Wilson is among the Ivy League's leader in tacklers for the second consecutive year and currently ranks third in the Ancient Eight with 10.0 tackles per game.
• Dartmouth ranks second nationally in net punting behind Brian Scullin at 37.5 yards per game. As a team, Dartmouth ranks 100th or below among 118 FCS teams in 11 of 17 major national statistical categories entering the weekend.
• While Cornell has Stephen Liuzza, Dartmouth utilizes Tim McManus in much the same way. McManus is the team's leading receiver with 35 catches for 356 yards and three touchdowns, but has also completed 15-of-26 passes for 107 yards and has run 16 times for 35 yards and a score.
• Head coach Buddy Teevens is in his second go-around directing the Big Green and has a 33-52-2 in nine seasons. He has posted a 67-129-2 record in 20 campaigns as a college head coasch with stops at Maine, Tulane and Stanford.
• Dartmouth leads the all-time series 51-39-1, though the Big Red has had the better of the matchups lately. Cornell has captured six of the last eight meetings between the teams, though Dartmouth claimed a 59-31 triumph a season ago.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Midway through the season, the NCAA statistical rankings shed some light on the team's 3-4 start. As a team, the Big Red ranks in the top 30 nationally in passing offense (10th, 283.9) and kickoff return average (15th, 22.7), but is ranked in the bottom 30 in pass efficiency defense (110th, 151.59), net punting (108th, 29.4) and turnover margin (102nd, -0.7).
REVIEWING THE PRINCETON LOSS (Nov. 1): The Big Red nearly completed its second miracle win of the season, but the Big Red ran out of time in an exciting 31-26 loss to Princeton at Schoellkopf Field. The game featured 945 yards of offense and two touchdowns in the final 1:40 of the game, with nearly a third coming as time expired. Trailing 31-19 after Tiger quarterback Brian Anderson ran in from 20 yards out with 1:40 to go, the Big Red mounted a five-play, 58-yard drive to get back within 31-26 with 41 seconds to play. After senior Jesse Baker recovered an on-sides kick, the Big Red drove 47 yards to the Princeton 15 before a controversial penalty marched the Big Red back five yards for one quick play. Senior quarterback Nathan Ford's pass for Baker sailed incomplete as the horn sounded, the opposite result from their game-winning connection at Lehigh in week three. Ford was outstanding throughout the day, completing 33-of-55 passes for 431 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, seniors Tim Bax (nine tackles) and Graham Rihn (eight tackles, sack) led the unit, while Emani Fenton and Brian Ostrowsky each had seven tackles and a pass breakup in the loss. The Big Red will remain at home next weekend to meet Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
WELCOME TO THE HALL: The Cornell Department of Athletics and Physical Education will induct 11 new members into the Athletics Hall of Fame, including former gridiron greats Don Jean '72 and Mike Raich '88. Below are bios on both players.
Don Jean '72, Football
A defensive back, Jean was named to the Coaches All-Ivy first team and the Associated Press All-Ivy first team in 1971 when Cornell tied with Dartmouth for the Ivy championship. He tied for the team lead in interceptions in 1971. He received Coaches All-Ivy second-team honors and was an AP All-Ivy honorable mention pick in 1970. Jean was the recipient of the Cornell Football Coaches Award for most consistency throughout a career in 1971 and earned three letters (1969, 1970, 1971).
Mike Raich '88, Football
Raich was a two-time All-Ivy first-team cornerback (1986 and 1987). He was named to the All-Ivy second team and was runner-up for Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors in 1985. He received Associated Press All-America honorable mention in 1986 and 1987. Raich was a two-time ECAC Division I-AA All-Star second-team selection (1986 and 1987). He set the Cornell record for punt returns in a season (30 in 1987). Raich was the recipient of the 1987 Cornell Football Coaches Award, given for most consistency during his career. Over his three years with the varsity, he recorded 213 tackles, which ranks him in the top 20 all-time on the career tackles list. Raich graduated second on the school's career interception list with 11. He was named to Cornell's all-time team in 2003 in a vote by the members of the Cornell Football Association.
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. While not quite at the same mark, the Big Red has a chance to knock off a Big Green team that won their matchup by 28 points a season ago (59-31).
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 five weeks. Cornell posted a school record 472 yards through the air in the win over Lehigh and posted 431 more yards in the loss to Princeton. Cornell ranks 10th nationally in passing at 283.9 yards 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 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.
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 Dartmouth game.
Career Yardage
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01)......... 7,710
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93)............... 5,697
Career Completions
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01)............. 678
Career Attempts
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01).......... 1226
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93).................. 873
Career Completion Percentage
1. 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 5,364 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 431 yards and a career-high three touchdowns against Princeton, marking the 15th 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 No. 2 quarterback in completion percentage, Ford set a Cornell record by hitting on his first 17 passes against Princeton in 2007.
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 13 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, 716 yards
Career Punt Returns — 1st, 72 returns
Career Kick Return Yards — 1st, 1836 yards
Season Kick Returns — 1st, 40 returns in 2007
Career Kick Returns — 1st, 86 returns
Season All-Purpose Yards — 2nd, 1,702 yards in 2007
Career All-Purpose Yards — 4th, 3568 yards
Career Receiving Yards — 15th, 1016 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 (715 on 71 returns) and the top two single-season marks (345 in 2007, 273 in 2006).
Career Punt Return Yardage
2. Chris Allen (1994-97)............... 545
Career Punt Return Attempts
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 142.7 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 13 contests, he will end with 5,423 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
Career All-Purpose Yardage (Average)
1. Ed Marinaro (1969-71).......... 183.2
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 32 passes for 391 yards and a touchdown, including seven for 83 yards against Colgate and eight for a career-high 138 yards and a TD vs. Princeton.
TOP 10: Junior Bryan Walters is listed among the top 10 active players in the Football Championship Subdivision in two categories: career kick return yardage (seventh, 1,836) and career punt return yardage (seventh, 716).
BACK AT 1: Junior Bryan Walters is second in Ivy League history in kick return yardage with 1,836 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 126 receptions for 1,304 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 104 receptions for 1,237 yards. Junior Bryan Walters has already surpassed 1,000 yards and could get to 100 catches with a strong finish, as he currently has 83.
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 Dartmouth contest with 50 catches for 452 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 10 catches for 66 yards in seven 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 Dartmouth game with 1,238 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 258 career tackles, good for 10th overall.
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 314 yards and four scores through seven 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. For the season, Rihn has posted 39 tackles, including 4.5 TFL and a pair of sacks.
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 Dartmouth game with 27 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 seven games. The duo rank second and sixth on the team in tackles, respectively, combining for 89 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 42 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 129 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 36 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 Dartmouth game with 2,417 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 Dartmouth 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.
VALENTA LEADS THE LINE: All-America candidate Steve Valenta enters the season as a three-year starter at left tackle and has made 27 consecutive starts while playing in all 30 games in which he has been available. During his three seasons as a starter, the Big Red has averaged 22.0 points and 139.0 rushing yards per game with 41 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 Dartmouth contest having hit five consecutive field goals after missing two of his first three career kicks. It's the longest streak of consecutive field goals 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 perfection on extra-point kicks, connecting on all 13 attempts this year. That extends the team's mark to 99 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.
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.
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 and is averaging 9,602 fans per game this season.
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 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.
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 hits the road for the final time in 2008, visiting Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 12:30 p.m. at Wien Stadium. Cornell holds a 60-32-3 edge in the all-time series and has won three of the last four meetings, including a 34-14 triumph last season at Schoellkopf Field.
