GAME #2: Cornell at Mansfield University
GAMETIME: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 12:30 p.m.
SITE: Karl Van Norman Field, Mansfield, Pa.
2008 RECORDS: Cornell (0-1, 0-0 CSFL); Mansfield (0-0, 0-0 CSFL)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
LIVE STATS: None
THE HEAD COACH: Coach Terry Cullen's record dropped to 144-121-7 (.543) after the 17-3 loss to Penn in the season opener last weekend. Cullen has been a member of the coaching staff since 1964 and officially became the Terry Cullen Head Coach of Sprint Football in 2001.
THE MATCH UP: Cornell travels to Mansfield University to play in Mansfield's first ever CSFL game in the program's history. Cornell will try and recover from the loss last weekend while Mansfield has its first chance to play in an official game against one of the CSFL power houses.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTIES: Last October Mansfield announced it would sport a sprint football team for the 2008 season. Since then, the town has gone wild for the upcoming sprint football season. The school has widely publicized the sport, using all resources from billboards to newspaper advertisements. The result is going to be a definite home field advantage for the Mounties. At last weekend's scrimmage against Princeton alone, an estimated 1,000 people attended. The team is coached by Dan Davis, who brings 19 years of experience to the young Mansfield team. The team is predominantly freshman (29 freshmen out of 50 total players), but there are a several players to watch out for this weekend with football experience. Danny Moss will lead the offense as the quarterback. Moss threw to seven different receivers with two touchdowns in last weekend's scrimmage. One of his main targets will be Ryan Bernaiche, who was a wide receiver during the Mounties' final season of Division II varsity football two years ago. On defense, Solomon Isom, another remaining varsity player, leads the team at defensive end with standouts from last weekend, Will Williams and Dorsea Palmer.
CORNELL'S LAST GAME: The Big Red opened the season with a tough loss to Penn last weekend, 17-3. Defense dominated the game as both teams went into halftime scoreless. The offense picked up a little in the second half when the Quakers were able to execute on a 34-yard field goal with 9:50 in the third quarter to give Penn the 3-0 lead. As the third quarter ended, Penn quarterback Michael D'Angelo connected to Clarke Armatis to give Penn the 10-0 advantage. Cornell was able to cut the lead to one score after Mitch Ottinger kicked a 32-yard field goal through the uprights, but Penn's Wifi Fernandez ran for a late 13-yard touchdown run to seal the game for Penn. The Big Red could find an offensive rhythm as the Penn defense contained quarterback Zak Dentes to just two completions in 15 attempts and 12 yards. Michael Brennan's 39 yard catch from Elliot Corey was the longest play from scrimmage for Cornell. Meanwhile, the Big Red defense showed it could be a tough obstacle for CSFL offenses. Clay Hemminger led the team with 13 tackles (nine solo) and one interception. Four Cornell players had at least five tackles on the day, and the Big Red only allowed 1.8 yards per run.
RECORD WATCH: Zak Dentes threw for 12 yards to accumulate a career total of 1,748 career passing yards. He is now just 60 yards behind yards behind Evan Williams '93 for fourth place, and just 160 yards behind Paul Freeman '85 for third. Meanwhile, Michael Brennan's team leading 39 reception yards moves him to within 12 yards of Henry Kim '04 for fifth place on Cornell's career list.
DEFENSIVE STAR ON THE RISE: Sophomore linebacker Clay Hemminger played this weekend as if he has never heard of a sophomore slump. Hemminger last season was third on the team with 22 tackles and led the team with four sacks. This year, he is setting the pace on defense with an outstanding first game, leading the Big Red with 13 tackles (nine solo), tackles for a loss (three), passes broken up (2), interceptions (1), and blocks (1).
READY FOR SOMETHING NEW: In Cornell's storied history of having a sprint football team, the Big Red have been ready for newcomers to the CSFL. Cornell has a 8-5 record the first time it faces an opponent in its history since 1938. The last time the Big Red faced a team for the first time was in 2005, when the Big Red dominated VMI to a 39-12 win. The last time Cornell lost in its first game against an opponent was a 48-0 loss to Army in 1957.
UP NEXT: Cornell travels to Saratoga, N.Y. to take on Navy the fourth annual Adirondack Trust Allegiance Bowl on Oct. 4 at noon.
