Box Score * Box Score
* Postgame Press Conference Video
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Columbia senior quarterback M.A. Olawale scored a pair of second half touchdowns and the Lions settled the game down after a crazy start, winning a 30-20 decision over Cornell on the Big Red's Senior Day at Schoellkopf Field. The Lions improve to 3-6 (2-4 Ivy), while the Big Red slipped to 2-7 (1-5 Ivy) with the loss.
Olawale rushed for 95 yards on 11 carries and closed out the win with a 19-yard scamper with 1:51 to play to seal the deal. Zack Kourouma added 105 yards and a touchdown as the Lions rushed for 260 yards in the victory. Ross Morand, the younger brother of Cornell senior safety Frank Morand, intercepted two of the Lions six picks in the victory, with Augie Williams adding 10 tackles and an interception.
Senior Randy Barbour had a big day running the ball for the Big Red, posting 120 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, including a career-long 55-yard gallop in the first quarter in what turned out to be a wild first two minutes of the contest. Classmate Bryan Walters also had a big day with 260 all-purpose yards, including 89 receiving yards and two scores. Dempsey Quinn had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss, while senior Chris Costello intercepted a pass, had a sack and registered eight stops.
If you decided to buy a hot dog and drink at kickoff, you may have missed one of the most exciting first two minutes of football in the more than 100-year history of the series. Just 55 seconds into the game, the Big Red found itself down, 13-0, thanks to an 80-yard run by Kourouma on Columbia's first play of the game, before Ross Morand intercepted a Ben Ganter pass on Cornell's first offensive play, setting up a 4-yard touchdown rush from freshman quarterback Sean Brackett. Kicker Greg Guttus missed the first extra-point, but Dean Perfetti connected on the second one.
Not to be outdone, the Big Red regrouped on its next possession and used a couple of big plays to make it a 13-7 game. The drive began when Bryan Walters returned a kickoff 37 yards to the 45-yard line before Randy Barbour broke off a career-long 55-yard touchdown rush. Brad Greenway added the extra point.
Mike Spooner was a one-man show on defense during Columbia's next possession, as he racked up three tackles for a loss, including a sack, to force a Lion three-and-out.
Another solid return by Walters gave Cornell great field position at the Columbia 35-yard line. A 12-yard pass from Ganter to Sean Savage, followed by a pair of Stephen Liuzza rushes for 11 yards set up a 12-yard touchdown reception from Ganter as Walters made a great catch in the corner of the endzone. Greenway missed the extra-point and the game was knotted at 13-13 with 10:30 to play in the first quarter.
After trading possessions, Perfetti connected on a 33-yard field goal attempt to put the visitors up, 16-13, with 4:08 to play in the first quarter.
The teams continued to battle back and forth for the rest of the quarter and just when it seemed the Big Red offense had stalled deep in its own end early in the second quarter, the home team used a trick play for new life. The play started with Ganter sending a backwards pass to Savage, who then hit Blackman, who made a brilliant pass while falling backwards for a gain of 37 yards. That led to a 32-yard touchdown reception from Ganter to Walters. A Greenway PAT gave Cornell the 20-16 lead, a mark that would stand into halftime. It would also be Cornell's final points of the game.
Neither team's offense could get it going in the third quarter, but the Lions took advantage of a Andy Shalbrack interception of Ganter that was returned 37 yards to the Big Red's 21-yard line with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. The Lions would take the lead for good three plays later when Olawale went in from the 1-yard line and Perfetti's kick made it 23-20.
After trading possessions to open the fourth, Columbia marched downfield and looked intent on getting into the red zone, but All-Ivy linebacker made an acrobatic interception in the end zone on a first-and-goal play from the 9, ending the drive.
The Big Red gave it right back three plays later on another pick, but the Cornell defense held and forced a punt. Taking the ball with 4:47 to play, a Ganter to Shane Savage connection gained 13 yards, and Ganter then scrambled for six more on the ground. Later in the drive, facing a thord-and-10 from the Cornell 36, Ganter locked in on a receiver and Augie Williams stepped in front of the pass, ending the drive and getting all the way to the 19 with 2:09 left.
Cornell's defense tightened on the first two plays, bringing up a third-and-10 at the Cornell 19. Looking to hold the visitors to a field goal attempt, Olawale broke contain and marched the final 19 yards to seal up the game with 1:46 left. A desperation pass late was picked off for Cornell's sixth turnover of the day, and the Lions took a knee to run out the clock.
The Big Red will attempt to pay spoiler next weekend when it heads to Penn for a season-ending showdown with the Quakers at Franklin Field. Penn won at least a share of the 2009 Ivy League title with its 17-7 win over Harvard on Saturday.
