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GAME INFORMATION
Game #8: Cornell at Dartmouth
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 7, at 12:30 p.m. ET
Site: Memorial Field (17,000), Hanover, N.H.
2009 Records: Cornell (2-5, 1-3 Ivy); Dartmouth (1-6, 1-3 Ivy)
Series Record: Dartmouth leads 51-40-1
Last Meeting: Cornell won 37-14, Nov. 8, 2008, in Ithaca, N.Y.
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 sixth season at the helm of the Big Red (26-31 overall, .456; 16-23 Ivy, .410) ... 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.

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ITHACA, N.Y. — When Cornell meets Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Field, one of the oldest and longest rivalries in college football will add another chapter. The contest 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.



In a series that dates back to 1900 and features some of the greatest moments in college football history, the two teams will be meeting for the 93rd time, making it the 17th-most played series in college football. Having met every season since 1919, it also is the second-longest uninterrupted active series. Games between the teams have been played at the old Polo Grounds and Fenway Park, and arguably the most famous football game in history, the “Fifth Down Game,” occurred between the teams.

Cornell is coming off a 17-13 loss at Princeton last weekend to extend its losing streak to five games after a 2-0 start. The Big Red  were victimized by a long scoring pass play in the fourth quarter, as Trey Peacock got behind the defense for a 78-yard touchdown from Tommy Wornham with 6:22 left to earn the win. It was the sixth pass play of 45 yards or better in the last three contests. Cornell held advantages in rushing (219-107), total offense (400-305) and first downs (23-14), but the one long play and a career-long 40-yard field goal by kicker Ben Bologna proved to be the difference.

The Big Red offense had four drives of 10 plays or more and rushed for 219 yards while piling up 400 yards of offense, but could only find the end zone once in four trips into the red zone and squandered two scoring opportunities with missed field goals. Senior running back Randy Barbour had 47 yards and a touchdown and junior Marcus Hendren had 76 yards on 11 carries to lead five players with at least 20 rushing yards in the contest. Sophomore tight end Ryan Houska was a big part of the offense, hauling in six passes for 50 yards, while senior wide receiver Bryan Walters caught three passes for 62 yards.

The defense had three players with double figure tackles in the loss, with senior linebacker Chris Costello leading the way with 14 stops. Junior linebacker Brandon Lainhart also had 14 tackles, while junior safety Dempsey Quinn notched 11 tackles. Sophomore defensive lineman Matt MacFarlane had two tackles for loss, a sack and forced a fumble. Cornell allowed just 305 yards of offense and 14 first downs, but forced just one turnover, that coming on a fourth down play as the Tigers were trying to run out the clock.

Junior punter Drew Alston continued his outstanding play, punting just twice, but pinning one of his kicks inside the Tigers' 5-yard line. Alston and the Big Red coverage team again didn't allow a return. Junior place-kicker Brad Greenway hit a pair of field goals, while he put one of his four kickoffs in the end zone and allowed just 13.0 yards per returns on the other three kicks to help flip field position. 

Dartmouth brings a deceptive 1-6 record into the game, with three of the losses coming to FCS powers New Hampshire, Colgate and Holy Cross out of league play, as well as to Ancient Eight co-leaders Harvard and Penn. An impressive 28-6 win over upstart Columbia to snap a 17-game losing streak. Head coach Buddy Teevens, in his second go-round at Dartmouth after winning Ivy League titles in 1990 and 1991, has a young squad that features eight sophomore starters on offense and five sophomores and a freshman on defense.

A WIN OVER DARTMOUTH WOULD:
• snap Cornell's five-game losing streak.
• make the Big Red 4-1 against the Big Green under head coach Jim Knowles '87.
• keep alive Cornell's chance for a .500 record overall and in Ivy play.
• be the 617th in program history (10th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

THE CORNELL-DARTMOUTH SERIES: (Dartmouth leads 51-40-1) This will be the 93rd meeting between Cornell and Dartmouth, with the Big Green holding a 51-40-1 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 16 meetings being decided by a touchdown or less (Cornell holds a 10-6 lead during that stretch). Included was a 37-14 Big Red victory over Dartmouth at Schoellkopf Field a season ago.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
• Senior wide receiver/quarterback Stephen Liuzza has 910 rushing yard and needs 90 yards to become the 29th player in Big Red history to reach 1,000 for his career.
• With 898 career punt return yards, senior wide receiver Bryan Walters is four yards away from matching the Ivy League record of 902 set by Penn's Mark Fabish 13 years ago.

PLAYER NOTES VS. PRINCETON:
• Senior linebacker Chris Costello had 14 tackles, his fourth double figure tackle game of the season.
• Sophomore tight end Ryan Houska had a career-high six catches for 50 yards.
• Junior running back Marcus Hendren had 76 rushing yards on 11 carries, also a career-best.
• Junior place-kicker Brad Greenway booted a pair of field goals, giving him seven on the year.
• Sophomore Matt MacFarlane had a pair of tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. It was MacFarlane's first TFL since the season-opening Bucknell game.

HOLD ON: The Big Red offense hasn't lost a fumble this year in 442 plays, putting the ball on the turf just four total times and recovering each. The team has lost only one fumble all season, with that coming against Bucknell in the opener when Cornell fumbled away the ball on an interception return.

NO NEED TO RETURN: Cornell's special teams, particularly the return coverage teams, have both been among the best in the country. The punt coverage team has allowed just 10 return yards, the second-fewest yards allowed in the country (Southeastern Louisiana with -10). The Big Red is one of just two teams nationwide to allow less than a yard per return at 0.63. Cornell is also 10th nationally in kickoff return yardage allowed at 17.23 per return and 379 total yards (third fewest in the country). Cornell and Cal Poly (sixth in punt, second in kickoff) are the only schools to rank in the top 10 in both categories.

UP NEXT: Cornell will close out the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, Nov. 14 when it celebrates Senior Day prior to its 12:30 p.m. kickoff against Columbia.