GAME INFORMATION
GAME #5: Cornell vs. Penn
GAMETIME: Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Schoellkopf Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (4-0, 2-0 CSFL), Penn (4-0, 2-0 CSFL)
SERIES RECORD: Penn leads, 58-33
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 27-24 (OT), on Oct. 16, 2009
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/football/index.htm
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/#liveevents

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red returns to Ithaca for the first of three straight home games to close out the 2010 season as it welcomes Penn to Schoellkopf Field on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Cornell and the Quakers are both coming off a bye week and are rested and ready to battle for the top spot in the CSFL standings as they are the only two remaining undefeated teams in the conference (4-0, 2-0 CSFL).

THE HEAD COACH: Coach Terry Cullen begins his 45th season at the helm of the big Red program with a 160-125-7 record (.560). 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 CO-HEAD COACH: In August, 2008, it was announced that Bart Guccia would assume a majority of the on-field coaching and gameday decisions for the Big Red. Guccia is in his fifth year with the sprint football team and has posted a 13-5 record (.722) in his new role.

THE SERIES VS. PENN: The Cornell-Penn sprint football rivalry dates back to 1938, just the second varsity season for the Big Red. Cornell won that contest, 20-0, and 10 of the first 13 meetings, before the Quakers finally won back-to-back games (1954, 1955). A 19-game winning streak by the Big Red from 1974-88 helps account for Cornell's commanding 58-33 lead in the series. From 1997-2004, the Quakers managed to gain some ground with 13 straight victories, but since that time the series has tipped back towards Cornell with the Big Red winning seven of the last 10 meetings.

SCOUTING THE QUAKERS: Penn is off to a 4-0 start (2-0 CSFL) after defeating Princeton, Post, Navy and Mansfield. Quaker quarterback Todd Busler has taken every snap this season, completing 42-of-78 attempts for 567 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Busler's favorite target has been Whit Shaw, who has hauled in nearly half of Busler's throws (20) for 287 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, Mike Bagnoli leads Penn with 95 carries for 577 yards (6.1 yards per carry). The defense is led by Alexander Starr's 33 tackles, while Sam Biddle and Zak Klinvex have registered 25 and 24 tackles, respectively. Mike Paci has just 12 tackles, but a team-high six have gone for a loss of 37 yards, while Matt Cuccinello and Jack Miller have both tallied 2.5 sacks. As a unit, the defense has forced 12 turnovers on seven fumbles and five interceptions.

LAST TIME VS. PENN: On a chilly night in Philadelphia, Cornell completed one of its best comebacks in what has turned into one of the better rivalries in the Collegiate Sprint Football League. Down eleven points in the fourth quarter, the Big Red came back to tie the game before winning it in overtime, 27-24. The Cornell defense had its best performance of the season. Against an offense that was averaging over 450 yards a game, Cornell only allowed 341 yards, including only 141 in the air to the league's leading passer. John Parke led Cornell with 10.5 tackles, and Jon Mackintosh had six tackles and an interception. DJ Schiavetta had his third 100-yard game of the season, accumulating 146 yards on the ground on just 24 carries. Elliot Corey threw for a touchdown and had no interceptions, going 12-for-25 for 116 yards. Three Big Red receivers – Clay Hemminger, Chris LaBerge, and Upal Sarker – had at least 20 yards receiving, with Sarker catching Corey's touchdown pass.

A WIN OVER THE QUAKERS WOULD:
* give the Big Red sole possession of first place in the CSFL with an undefeated record of 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
* give Cornell a 5-0 start to a season for the first time since 2006, when the Big Red went 6-0 and won the CSFL title.
* make the Big Red 8-3 in its last 11 meetings with Penn.

STREAKS:
* Cornell has registered at least one interception in each of its last 10 games, dating back to the second game of the 2009 season.
* Cornell has registered at least one field goal in each of its last seven games.
* Cornell has scored at least 20 points in each of its last five games, dating back to the last game of the 2009 season.
* Cornell has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of its last eight games.
* Cornell has registered at least five tackles for loss per game over the span of the last 36 games, dating back to the first contest of the 2005 season.

GET DEFENSIVE: Junior linebacker Tim Dooley was named the CSFL Defensive Player of the Week after dominating throughout the Big Red's game against Army. Dooley was the team's top tackler and also forced three turnovers. He had 14 stops in the game, forced two fumbles, and also picked up an interception. Two of Dooley's tackles went for losses.

ISN'T THAT SPECIAL?: Alex Perilstein was named the CSFL Special Teams Player of the Week three straight times prior to Cornell's bye week, earning the honor after the Princeton, Post and Army games. The senior kicker earned the award for the first time this season after accounting for 14 of Cornell's 33 points in its win over Princeton. In addition to two extra-points, Perilstein converted four field goals from distances of 23, 22, 40 and 27 yards out. He also kicked off seven times for an average of 49.7 yards and punted three times for an average of 21.7 yards. Perilstein won the award again after connecting on three field goals against the Eagles. He finished the game with 10 total points as he kicked an extra point and connected on field goals from 34, 39 and 42 yards out. Perilstein also punted six times for 221 yards with one of his punts going for 60 yards. Against the Black Knights, Perilstein accounted for eight of the Big Red's 20 points. He booted field goals from 32 and 33 yards out and kicked a pair of extra points. He also punted 11 times for 401 yards, with his longest going 52 yards.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Doug Famularo was named the CSFL Offensive Player of the Week following the Big Red's victory over Post on Oct. 1. The junior running back was a workhorse as he rushed for 159 yards on 28 carries and accounted for both Big Red touchdowns. His first touchdown came on a 13-yard pass reception, while his second came on a 37-yard run that put the game away in the fourth quarter.

BALANCED ATTACK: In six of Cornell's last eight games, the Big Red has registered at least one rushing and one passing touchdown.

WELCOME POST: With its 22-14 victory over Post on Oct. 1, the Big Red improved to 10-5 when it faces an opponent for the first time ever. The last time Cornell lost the first game in a series was a 48-0 loss to Army in 1957.

JUST FOUR KICKS: When Alex Perilstein connected on four field goals against Princeton, he became the first Big Red kicker to hit four field goals in a single game since Chris Garnic did so, also against the Tigers, on Sept. 26, 2003.

PRINCETON REVIEW: With the win over the Tigers earlier this season, Cornell improved its record to 17-0 against Princeton this decade. Five of those wins have been shutouts and the Big Red has scored more than 40 points on five occasions. Cornell has allowed the Tigers to score more than 10 points in just seven of those games, and the Big Red has an average margin of victory of 22.5 points (533-150).

WINNING STREAKS: With its victory over Princeton earlier this season, the Big Red improved its current winning-streak against the Tigers to 17 games, tying the longest streak Cornell has ever had against a current member of the CSFL (17 vs. Penn; 1974-88). The longest winning streak Cornell has ever had against an opponent was 19 games against Columbia, starting in 1958 and lasting until 1976 when the team disbanded.

UP NEXT: Cornell will take on perennial CSFL power Navy at Schoellkopf Field on Friday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.