ITHACA, N.Y. – In the first game under the Friday night lights of Schoelkopf Field in 2009, the Big Red opened up its sprint football season against Penn. The matchup has become one of the better rivalries in the CSFL and tonight's game was no different Penn escaping Ithaca with the 20-14 victory.

           

Elliot Corey completed 5-of-9 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. He also had 55 yards on the ground. DJ Schiavetta, also excelled in his first game as a starting running back, leading the team with 71 yards with a rushing touchdown and 74 yards and a receiving touchdown. Schiavetta also posted a game-high 179 all-purpose yards.

           

The Cornell defense had a solid game, starting with lineman Tim Kozen who led the team with two sacks for a total loss of 21 yards. Meanwhile, the Big Red showed why it has one of the best linebacking corps in the CSFL as Clay Hemminger had a game-high 14 tackles and a blocked punt, while Matt Ferrari added 11 tackles and a sack. The defensive unit posted nine tackles for a loss in the game.

 

The game opened very quietly, with both teams trading the ball off twice to no avail until just over 22 minutes in the game. Penn's quarterback Todd Busler capped off a scoring drive with 26-yard pass to his favorite target, wideout Whitman Shaw, for the score. Shaw snuck past the Cornell secondary to score the first points of the sprint season. After the extra point by Raiam Dos Santos, the Quakers led 7-0.

           
Cornell retaliated instantly. After the ensuing kickoff brought the ball out to the Cornell 26-yard line, Corey found Schiavetta at midfield. Schiavetta tipped the ball around the Penn defender to himself at the 50-yard line, and with the help of some good blocking, sprinted untouched to the end zone. The 74-yard pass was the longest pass for the Big Red in nearly two years. After the extra point from rookie field goal kicker, Alex Perilstein, the game was tied at 7-7.

           
Busler and the Penn offense strolled back onto the field to drive 67 yards for another touchdown. Busler was a one-man player on the drive, going 2-for-3 on the drive with 62 yards in the air. With Penn down on the four-yard line, Busler ran right and was awarded the touchdown after stretching the ball across the plane of the end zone. After another extra point, Penn led 14-7. That score stood as both teams entered the locker room at halftime.

           
In its first possession of the third quarter, the Quakers went 90 yards, ending with Busler's one-yard drive into the end zone. Penn had five first downs in the drive that lasted nearly eight minutes. Cornell's Clay Hemminger blocked the extra point to keep the Penn lead at 20-7.

           
The Big Red tried to put some fourth quarter magic together, as Corey stepped up to lead the team. He had two passes of over thirty yards, including a reception by veteran wide receiver, Chris LaBerge, down the sidelines that brought the Big Red inside the red zone. After two thwarted rushing attempts at the one yard line, Corey handed the ball off to Schiavetta for the score. The extra point brought the team within six points.

           
Unfortunately, the Penn defense caused some big stops and a big turnover to prevent Cornell from threatening the lead. The Quaker's ran out the clock deep in Cornell territory to hold onto the 20-14 victory.

           
Cornell (0-1) will try and recover as the team travels to Pennsylvania to take on Mansfield next Saturday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m.