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GAME INFORMATION
Game #2: Yale at Cornell
Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET
Site: Schoellkopf Field (25,597), Ithaca, N.Y.
2008 Records: Yale (1-0, 0-0 Ivy); Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: Yale leads 42-26-2
Last Meeting: Yale won 51-12, Sept. 22, 2007, in New Haven, Conn.
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 (21-20 overall, .512; 13-15 Ivy, .464) ... 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. — After starting out the 2008 season with a non-conference win at Bucknell, the Big Red will face its biggest challenge on the home schedule when preseason Ivy League favorite Yale (1-0) visits Schoellkopf Field for Homecoming on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. The contest will feature Cornell's first game on the new FieldTurf surface (see page 63). As if any other motivation ws needed, the game also features the return of the "C" to the teams' helmets after being stripped for the spring and fall practices, as well as the season opener. 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.

Cornell used a balanced offensive attack (207 yards passing, 187 yards rushing) and a stingy defense that surrendered just 46 rushing yards to the Bison's spread offense, to pick up the season-opening win. The most important play came on one of the most innocent of all plays in football, as senior Graham Rihn blocked an extra-point with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, a play that would prove to be the difference in the one-point victory. In the process, Cornell picked up its first win in Lewisburg, Pa. since 1992.

Defeating the high-powered Yale attack will be no easy matter, as the Bulldogs are coming off a 9-1 season that included a 51-12 victory over the Big Red in New Haven, Conn. Senior All-America running back Mike McLeod enters the game with 49 career touchdowns and already holds school records for career rushing yards, attempts and all-purpose yards. Head coach Jack Siedlecki has posted a 65-45 record with a pair of Ivy League titles during his 12-year tenure at Yale.

A WIN OVER YALE WOULD:
• make Cornell 2-0 in a season for the first time under head coach Jim Knowles and the first time overall since 1999 (4-0).
• make Cornell 32-27-2 all-time in Homecoming football games and 1-0 on Schoellkopf's new FieldTurf.
• cut the Bulldogs' lead in the all-time series to 42-27-2 and snap a three-game Yale win streak in the series.
• give the senior class at least one victory against each of the other seven Ivy schools (0-3 against Yale).
• improve Cornell's record in Ivy League openers to 25-26-2.
• extend the team's home win streak to four games.
• be the 612th in program history (10th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

THE CORNELL-YALE SERIES: (Yale leads 42-26-2) Cornell and Yale have met 70 times on the gridiron, dating back to the first encounter in the 1889 season. The two teams have met in Ithaca 30 times, with the two teams splitting those contests at 14-14-2. The largest margin of victory in the series was a 70-0 Yale win during the 1889 campaign. Cornell's longest win streak over Yale is four games (1990-93), while the Bulldogs claimed seven straight victories over the Big Red (1973-79). The series has recently tilted toward the Bulldogs, who have won six of the last seven meetings between the squads.

SCOUTING YALE:
• The Bulldogs, coming off a 9-1 campaign in 2007, routed Georgetown in its season opener last Saturday, pulling through with a dominating 47-7 triumph over the Hoyas in New Haven.
• Yale has won 18 of its last 21 games over the last three seasons, including an impressive 12-2 mark in Ivy League play.
• While the running game is expected to be the focus of the offense with returning All-America tailback Mike McLeod, the quarterback tandem of Ryan Fodor and Brook Hart dominated the headlines against the Hoyas. The duo combined to go 24-of-34 passing for 361 yards and four touchdowns, with Hart throwing three.
• The main recipient of the passing was Jordan Forney, who caught four balls for 136 yards and a pair of scores. Shebby Swett and Shane Bannon also reached the end zone on receptions.
• Yale didn't forget the running attack, with Mike McLeod posting 78 yards and a touchdown on his 22 carrries. He already holds career records at Yale for rushing yards (3,750), rushing touchdowns (49), points (300), rushing attempts (839) and consecutive games with a touchdown (19).
• Defensively, the Bulldogs shut down any semblance of a Georgetown rushing attack, limiting the visitors to 46 yards on 31 carries, exactly the same number Cornell held Bucknell to in its season opening win.
• Directing the Bulldogs for his 12th season is Jack Siedlecki, who is 65-45 during his time on the Yale sidelines. Siedlecki has guided Yale to a pair of Ivy titles (1999, 2006).

THE IVY OPENER: Cornell opens the 53rd official season of Ivy League play with a 24-26-2 record in the previous 52 conference starters. The Big Red has faced Yale eight times (each of the last eight seasons) in Ivy openers previously with a 2-6 mark. Included was last year's 51-12 Bulldogs win at the Yale Bowl.

FOR OPENERS: The Big Red continued its pattern of success in season openers by knocking off Bucknell on Sept. 20 on the road. The Big Red now sports an all-time record of 88-29-4 (.744) in season openers and is 9-4 against Bucknell when Cornell plays the Bison to open the season.

BIG RED ON HOMECOMING: Cornell football has a 31-27-2 record dating back to 1948 in Homecoming games, winning the last three contests against Georgetown (57-7 in 2005) and Colgate (38-14 in 2006 and 17-14 in 2007) by a combined score of 112-35.

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.

REVIEWING THE BUCKNELL WIN: It wasn't senior day for the Big Red in the 2008 opener, but the highlights sure made it look that way in a 21-20 triumph over Bucknell. Senior Graham Rihn blocked an extra-point with under 11 minutes left to secure Cornell's victory, a lead that was built on a pair of touchdown passes from the senior connection of quarterback Nathan Ford and wide receiver Jesse Baker. Three-year starter Tim Bax, the Ivy League's returning leading tackler, had 12 stops to pace a defense that allowed Bucknell's dangerous spread option just 46 rushing yards on 31 attempts. To continue the theme, senior Luke Siwula, the school's fifth-leading all-time rusher, made his return after missing a majority of the 2007 season and rushed 15 times for 61 yards. He complemented junior Randy Barbour, who posted his second career 100-yard game with 114 yards on 23 carrries and a touchdown. The Big Red continued its pattern of success in season openers in improving its all-time record of 88-29-4 (.744) in its 121 season openers.

HOME SWEET HOME: Head coach Jim Knowles made his first priority regaining Schoellkopf Field, and that message has been received loud and clear. In his first four seasons, the Big Red have gone 16-5 at home with wins over three ranked teams. The first of those 16 wins came against Yale in the 2004 home opener, a dominant 19-7 victory over a Bulldog team that featured an All-America candidate at running back in senior Robert Carr. Carr was limited to 41 yards on 15 carries in that game.

A HOME THAT FEATURES FIELDTURF: Cornell will be playing its first game on Schoellkopf Field's new FieldTurf surface that was installed this summer. 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.

NOTES VS. BUCKNELL:
• The win was the second straight in a season opener for the Big Red and improved Cornell to 88-29-4 all-time in season openers.
• Cornell extended its non-conference win streak to six games.
• The 46 rushing yards Cornell allowed Bucknell is the fewest by the Bison since beginning to run the spread option attack (33 yards on 22 carries at Richmond in 2000).
• Senior Jesse Baker set a career-high with his two touchdown catches. He entered the season with three scores in the air.
• Senior Nathan Ford tied his career-high with two passing touchdowns.
• Senior Graham Rihn's blocked extra-point was his third career blocked kick.
• After ranking 115th nationally in turnover ratio, the Big Red was even with two takeaways and two giveaways.
• The Cornell defense forced four of the Bison's seven fumbles, recovering two.
• Making their first collegiate starts were Tommy Bleymaier (WR), Matt Kenney (WR), Justin Mortensen (RG), Babak Motamedi (C) and Andrew Bohl (RG) on offense, and Trevin Cowman (NG), Jeff Rosage (DE) and Chris Costello (LB) on defense.
• Making their first varsity appearances were juniors Ricky Ballou (DE) and T.J. Hochanadel (S), sophomores Brad Greenway (PK), Ben Heller (S), Marcus Hendren (TB) and Aaron Randolph (CB), and freshmen K.C. Aharanwa (S), Zach Imhoff (LB) and Zak Murdock (LB).

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.

POINTS AND MORE POINTS: Cornell's 270 points in 2007 ranked 13th on the single-season list. The record is an incredible 434 set in 1892.

MOVING THE CHAINS: The Cornell offense set a school record for first downs in a season in 2007 with 231, surpassing the previous mark of 224 in 1996. The Big Red piled up 21 first downs in the season opener at Bucknell.

WHOLE LOTTA SCORING: The Big Red scored at least 30 points in four straight weekends during the 2007 campaign, the first time it reached the 30-point mark in four consecutive weekends since Coach Gil Dobie's 1921 national championship team had six straight games over 30 points. Cornell opened that 8-0 season with 41 (St. Bonaventure), 55 (Rochester), 110 (Case Western), 31 (Colgate), 59 (Dartmouth) and 41 (Columbia). In 2007, the Big Red scored at least 30 points in consecutive games vs. Brown (38), Princeton (31), Dartmouth (31) and Columbia (34).

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.

NOTES VS. YALE IN 2007:
• The 51 points allowed were the most given up by a Cornell defense since Brown scored 56 against the Big Red in a 56-40 Bears victory in 2000.
• The 39-point margin of defeat was Cornell's largest since dropping a 59-7 contest at Penn in the final game of the 2003 campaign.
• The Big Red allowed Yale to pile up 293 rushing yards, the most against a Cornell defense since Colgate had 291 yards during the 2003 campaign.
• Bryan Walters became the first Cornell receiver to catch two touchdown passes in a game since Keith Ferguson caught two scoring throws against Brown in 2000.
• Walters also had a school record 10 kickoff returns in the loss, piling up 183 return yards, just shy of the record of Vince Bates (198 at Brown, 2000).
• Junior Tim Bax had 15 tackles, including 13 solo stops, the most by a Cornell player since Joel Sussman had 18 against Harvard in 2005.

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 21 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.

EXTRA POINTS: In his first varstiy game as the team's place-kicker, sophomore Brad Greenway continued the team's tradition of perfection on extra-point kicks, connecting on all three attempts. That extends the team's mark to 89 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.

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 it's focus would be against Bucknell, holding 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.

CHARTING FORD'S RISE: Senior quarterback Nathan Ford continues to move up the career passing charts. Here is where he stands entering the Yale game.

Career Yardage
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 7,710
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 5,697
3. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 3,658

Career Completions
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 678
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 470
3. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 356

Career Attempts
1. Ricky Rahne (1998-01) 1226
2. Bill Lazor (1991-93) 873
3. Shawn Maguire (1983-85) 562
4. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) 585

Career Completion Percentage
1. Nathan Ford (2005-pr.) .609
2. Mike Hood (1996-98) .607
3. Steve Joyce (1994-95) .567

UP TO THIRD: With his 207 yard effort in the season-opening win at Bucknell, senior quarterback Nathan Ford moved past Mike Hood into third on the school's career passing list with 3,658 yards. Hood finished his career with 3,406 yards in his three seasons on the varsity.

HITTING THE MARK: Senior Nathan Ford threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns in his first contest of the 2008 campaign, a 21-20 win over Bucknell. It marked the 10th 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.

TOTALLY ACCURATE: Senior Nathan Ford completed 21-of-26 pases against Bucknell to open the season, good for an 81 percent completion rate. The effort moved him into first-place on the school's career completion percentage chart at .609, just a shade better than Mike Hood's record of .607.

DOZEN FORDS IN A ROW: From the last possession of the first quarter until the second possession of the fourth, 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.

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 Yale with 2,256 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 Yale 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.

VALENTA LEADS THE LINE: All-America candidate Steve Valenta enters the season as a three-year starter at left tackle and has made 21 consecutive starts while playing in all 25 games in which he has been available. During his three seasons as a starter, the Big Red has averaged 22.9 points and 152.2 rushing yards per game with 3365 total touchdowns on the ground.

PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE: Senior tackle Steve Valenta has earned a level 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 two seasons with the Big Red, junior Bryan Walters already holds the career punt return yardage record (628 on 59 returns) and the top two single-season marks (345 in 2007, 273 in 2006). He enters the Yale game tied for second in career punt return attempts (59) and needs five to surpass Brian Romney '06 atop that list.

Career Punt Return Yardage
1. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 628
2. Chris Allen (1994-97) 545

Career Punt Return Attempts
1. Brian Romney (2004-05) 63
2. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 59

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 140.6 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 19 contests, he will end with 5,354 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.) 2,672
-- Luke Siwula (2005-pr.) 2,619

Career All-Purpose Yardage (Average)
1. Ed Marinaro (1969-71) 183.2
2. Derrick Harmon (1981-83) 140.7
3. Bryan Walters (2006-pr.) 140.6
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 the 2008 opener at Bucknell, Walters hauled in seven passes for 63 yards.

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 enters the Yale game with 93 career catches for 972 yards and is likely to become the sixth player in school history to tally 100 career catches and the 13th to reach 1,000 receiving yards this season.

CANTY WITH THE GRAB: Senior Zac Canty has at least two catches in 20 of the Big Red's last 21 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 could also surpass 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yards by matching his 2007 totals of 42 catches for 420 yards. He enters the Yale game with 69 receptions for 817 yards and four scores in 21 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. Entering the contest, 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 percent) and 169 yards (6.5 percent).
• Tailbacks accounted for 23 catches (8.2 percent) for 190 yards (7.3 percent).

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 18 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, 16 of his 40 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.

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 Yale game with 921 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 had a new look in the trenches in the season opener at Bucknell. 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.

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. 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. An honorable mention All-Ivy pick as a junior, Rihn is the team's active leader in tackles for loss (14.5) and has posted 68 career stops in total. He was a two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2007, earning the award after dominant performances in wins over Bucknell (5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) and Columbia (8 tackles, 4.5 TFL, blocked kick).

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 enters the Yale game with 21 consecutive starts and 122 tackles to go along with 10 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 96 career punts, putting 27 of his kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He has had only three 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 was even better in the 2008 opener at Bucknell, averaging 41.3 yards on three punts, putting two kicks inside the 20 and allowing -1 yards of return yardage.

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.

CORNELL MENTIONED TWICE ON ESPN'S LIST OF TOP 40 MOMENTS THAT DEFINE COLLEGE FOOTBALL: No list about the greatest college football moments would be complete without Cornell, but the Big Red was mentioned twice in the top 40 Plays, Performances and Moments that Define College Football by ESPN's Ivan Maisel in 2007. Big Red Hall of Famer Pete Gogolak and the Fifth-Down Game were each placed among the list of the top 40. Gogolak's 41-yard field goal against Princeton on Oct. 28, 1961 that made him the first soccer-style kicker in college football was placed No. 38 on Maisel's list. Here is what Maisel wrote about that contest:

"It wasn't that Cornell sophomore Pete Gogolak made a 41-yard field goal against Princeton. It was the way he made it. The Hungarian immigrant kicked the football from the side, soccer-style. In three seasons, Gogolak made 44 consecutive extra points but only 9 of 27 field-goal attempts. It didn't matter. Gogolak revolutionized place-kicking. Straight-on kickers, like milkmen and typewriter repairmen, became relics."

The Fifth-Down Game of Nov. 16, 1940, against Dartmouth was also on the list at No. 35.

"It wasn't that No. 2 Cornell scored on a fifth-down, 6-yard pass in the final minute to defeat Dartmouth 7-3 in 1940 that made referee Red Friesell's blunder so memorable. It was that, after seeing the films, Cornell president Dr. Edmund Ezra Day directed his team to forfeit the game. Cornell lost its 18-game unbeaten streak but gained stature for playing with honor, instead of merely by the rules."

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 Bucknell. Although the teams have met just 48 times, the squads first faced off during the 1888 season, Cornell's second 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.

SWEET 600: Cornell became the 10th Football Championship Subdivision program and 42nd among all NCAA classifications to reach 600 wins when it defeated Penn 16-7 in the 2005 season finale at Franklin Field. Entering the 2008 season, 38 Division I programs (I-A and I-AA) have reached that mark.

CORNELL ALL-TIME: The Big Red has an overall record of 611-450-34 (.574) in its 120 years of football. The program's 611 wins rank 10th among all FCS schools. Over the years, Cornell has taken on 87 different opponents, with its most frequent opponent being Penn (115 meetings).

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.

CORNELL VS. HARVARD ON VERSUS: The Cornell football team will meet preseason Ivy League favorite Harvard as part of the Ivy League Game of the Week package on VERSUS. The matchup will be the first of five games presented by TIAA-CREF. This agreement marks the first time since the early 1990s that Ivy League football games have been packaged together nationally. 'The Ivy League Game of the Week, Presented by TIAA-CREF,' will reach more homes than any other games in Ivy League football history, as VERSUS is currently in more than 73 million U.S. homes.

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: Cornell returns to the road to face another Patriot League team, visiting Lehigh on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 12:30 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pa. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2001. Cornell leads the all-time series 14-8-2, though the Mountain Hawks have captured the last three meetings.