Box Score
Postgame Audio (Head coach Jim Knowles, senior LB Graham Rihn, senior WR Jesse Baker)
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LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Senior Graham Rihn blocked an extra-point kick in the fourth quarter to hold off unbeaten Bucknell as the Big Red opened the 2008 season with a 21-20 victory over the Bison on Saturday evening at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. Seniors Nathan Ford and Jesse Baker connected for a pair of touchdowns as the visitors escaped with a win in Lewisburg for the first time since the 1992 campaign.
Ford ended his afternoon 21-of-26 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns, with five receptions for 77 yards coming from Baker. Bryan Walters had a team-high seven catches for 63 yards for the Big Red. Junior Randy Barbour had his second career 100-yard game to lead the Big Red offense, rushing 23 times for 114 yards and a score. Luke Siwula also added 15 carries for 61 yards omn the ground. Senior Tim Bax led the defense with 12 tackles, including one for a loss, as Cornell limited Bucknell's option attack to 46 rushing yards on 31 carries.
The Big Red offense was balanced throughout, garnering 187 rushing yards and putting up 207 in the air for its total of 394 yards of offense. Cornell controlled the line of scrimmage with nearly 34 minutes of possession and piled up 21 first downs with both rushing and 10 passing. The defense, which had focused on causing turnovers since the end of the 2007 season, forced seven fumbles and recovered two of them. Rihn, who played with a club on his hand after injuring it in the preseason, added four tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and a sack, to go along with his huge blocked kick. Emani Fenton chipped in with seven tackles, and both Gus Krimm and Chris Costello notched six.
Bucknell was looking for its first 3-0 start since 2002, but instead fell to the Big Red for the second straight year. Receiver Shaun Pasternak and linebacker Sam Nana-Sinkam were all over the field for the Bison, with Pasternak hauling in a game-high 11 catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns and Nana-Sinkam making a career-best 18 tackles to go along with a fourth quarter intrception. Quarterback Marcello Trigg completed 19-of-27 passes for 219 yards and the two scores.
The Big Red offense used a Bison penalty to extend its first drive to midfield, but Ford's attempt at a screen pass at the Cornell 48 backfired as Todd Rinaldo stepped in front of a screen pass and brought it back 40 yards all the way to the 8-yard line. Ford stripped the ball, but the loose pigskin was recovered by a Bison player to set up the very short field. On the first play, Trigg called his own number and went in for the score. The extra-point was wide, giving Bucknell a 6-0 lead just 2:14 in.
Cornell's second possession went nowhere, forcing a punt by Maxwell that was fair caught at the Bucknell 15. A big 12-yard sack by Graham Rihn on a dropback forced a third-and-22 from the 5, and the Big Red defense held, forcing the Bison to kick the ball right back. An 11-yard return by Walters after two broken tackles started the Big Red offense at the Bucknell 38, giving the visitors its best field position of the day. Making his first appearance of the season, Siwula's first carry of the season went for four yards, and his next carry garnered a new set of downs. The senior continued to churn out the yards, getting six yards on first down, then going for 10 yards on his next carry to get inside the red zone at the 12. Two more Siwula carries brought it to the 6, and Ford's drop back found an open Jesse Baker in the flat at the 4. The senior did the rest of the work, just breaking the plane of the end zone to put the Big Red up 7-6 with 4:51 to play after Greenway's kick.
Facing a deficit for the first time in the contest, the home team responded with a great kick return from Kizekai, who seemingly was down three times before breaking all the way out to the Bison 41. The Cornell defense stiffened and forced a punt after three plays, with Phil Azarik doing his job for Bucknell with the punt, pinning Cornell inside the 9. After picking up a first down to give the offense some breathing room, a great jumping grab by senior Zac Canty over the middle went to the 38. The drive stalled on the first play of the second quarter, with Maxwell getting another chance to kick. His punt drove the Bison back to the 21 to open their first drive of the second 15 minutes.
With the Bison still in the game after posting -1 yards on seven plays in the first 15 minutes, Bucknell commenced on its first sustained drive of the evening. A great tackle by Big Red cornerback Emani Fenton in the backfield on third down seemingly got the Cornell offense the ball back, but Cornell's special teams were penalized for running into the kicker on fourth-and-4, giving the home team the ball back at midfield. Two plays later, however, the Big Red defense caused its first turnover of the year when Brian Ostrowsky smashed Ryan Smith and caused a fumble that was recovered by classmate Gus Krimm at the 39. Ford went deep on the first play to Baker, who made a great leaping catch between two Bison defender to go all the way to the Bucknell 22. A completion to Alex Spooner to the 13 set up a nice Barbour run around the right end to paydirt. Greenway's kick made it 14-6 with 9:09 left in the half.
Two apparent big plays by the Cornell defense on the next possession went for naught, as Anthony Sabo broke up a pass by ripping the ball out of Pasternak's hands on a deep Trigg pass midway through the second quarter, then Chris Costello forced a fumble on a sack, but the home team was able to jump on the loose ball. Facing third-and-5, Trigg found an open Kizekai who went 35 yards to the Cornell 42 before being dragged out by Emani Fenton. Picked up two straight third-down conversions after starting 0-of-5, but the third straight would not come as the Big Red held from 3-and-4 from the 23. Bucknell decided to go for the fourth-down conversion, and Trigg moved the chains on a QB sneak by the nose of the ball as the clock ticked under 1:30 left in the half. The Bison moved the ball swiftly inside the 5, and after two stops Trigg found Shaun Pasternak in the short right corner of the end zone to get within 14-12 with 50 seconds left. The Bison went for two, and Trigg hit Pasternak in the far right corner for the conversion despite being drilled in the pocket by Gus Krimm as he released the ball to tie the contest at 14-14.
Cornell would pick up a first down, but wasn't in position to strike with just 30 seconds to play and one timeout, and the Big Red ran out the clock tied at 14-14 at the break.
A tackle for loss and a botched snap were the causes of an early Bucknell punt after a three-and-out to start the second half. Taking the ball at its own 39, the Big Red got nothing on its first two plays before a flea-flicker from Barbour to Ford with a bomb to Walters for 29 yards on third down set up the Big Red just outside the red zone at the Bucknell 25. Cornell brought the ball down to the 5, and Baker made an outstanding catch in the back of the end zone, tapping one foot down to put Cornell up 21-14 after the conversion kick at the 9:13 mark of the third quarter.
The Bison picked up the pace with Andrew Lair taking over for Marcello Trigg for part of the next series, moving the ball to the Cornell 40 while picking up a pair of first downs. With Trigg back in, the offense stalled to set up a fourth-and-4 from the visitor's 35. Bucknell again went for it, but the quarterback again hit Pasternak for a first down to the 28. The Bison hit on an apparent long touchdown pass, but a holding call brought the play back. On the next play, Ricky Ballou hit Trigg, who coughed up the football. Jeff Rosage quickly pounced on the pigskin at the Big Red 38 to give the visitors the ball back.
The offense started to control the line of scrimmage and Siwula took over with carries of two and eight, the second with Siwula carrying a pile an additional five yards with his hard leg drive. A pass from Ford to Baker ended the quarter as the 21-yard grab gave the visitors the ball at the 15 to open the fourth. Siwula took the handoff to open the fourth and went around the end for an apparent score, but like Bucknell on the drive earlier, was called for holding to nullify the score. The penalty stalled the drive and Brad Greenway attempted his first career field goal, a 37-yard effort. His kick had plenty of leg, but went wide left to keep the Big Red's leading margin at seven points.
A long pass from Trigg to Pasternak that covered 45 yards on the next possession highlighted a potential game-tying scoring drive. An A.J. Kizekai 5-yard run to the Cornell 9 set up a Trigg pass to a wide open Pasternak for the score with 10:56 left. Carney's kick was blocked by senior Graham Rihn, who broke through the line and got the ball with his wrapped hand to keep the visitors up 21-20.
With the momentum of the key special teams play, the Big Red methodically moved the ball on its next possession into the red zone. Alex Spooner opened the Big Red's ensuing drive with his third reception of the contest to get Cornell to midfield, with Ford then finding Walters in the middle of the field down to the Bucknell 43. Barbour then broke off a nine-yard rush through a big hole to the 34, followed by Ford calling his own number for a six-yard gainer. The Big Red, faced with a fourth-and-inches from the 14, ran the senior quarterback behind his interior line and picked up the inches for a new set of downs as the clock ran under six minutes left. Siwula picked up four hard yards in the red zone, then went for three more to set up a key third-and-3 from the 7-yard line. Ford's quick pass was picked off by Nana-Sinkam and returned out to the 27 to end Cornell's scoring chance.
With momentum back on its side, Bucknell took over with just under five minutes looking to regain the lead. After a five-yard gain on first down, the Bison again fumbled but recovered, losing a yard to bring up a third-and-6, but Trigg's pass was broken up by sophomore Andy Wade to force a Bucknell punt. Walters was tackled on the return at Cornell's own 31 with 3:13 left on the clock. After being stopped on a short run on first down, Barbour exploded through the line for a 12-yard gain to get a new set of downs and roll the clock under two minutes. Two timeouts by Bucknell put the Big Red in a third-and-4 situation from midfield, but Barbour skipped through the line and marched 32 yards to essentially run out the clock for Cornell. The Big Red downed the ball three times in their victory formation to earn the victory.
The Big Red will open its 2008 home slate on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. when it meets preseason Ivy League favorite Yale at Schoellkopf Field. The game will be part of Homecoming 2008 festivities and will also be Cornell's first game on the new FieldTurf surface that was installed this summer. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 42-26-2 and have won six of the last seven meetings between the teams. The contest will also serve as the Ivy League opener for both teams.
