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Cornell University Athletics

Senior FB Day 2010

Cornell Looks To Wrest Trustees’ Cup From Penn

11/16/2010 7:34:56 PM

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GAME INFORMATION
Game #10:
Penn at Cornell
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 20, at 12:30 p.m. ET
Site: Schoellkopf Field (25,597), Ithaca, N.Y.
2010 Records: Penn (8-1, 6-0 Ivy); Cornell (2-7, 1-5 Ivy)
Series Record: Penn leads 67-44-5
Last Meeting: Penn won 34-0, Nov. 21, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pa.
Radio: WHCU 870 AM, Barry Leonard (play-by-play), Buck Briggs (color)
Live Stats: Available at www.CornellBigRed.com
Live Video: Available at www.IBNSports.com
Tickets: Available by calling (607) 254-BEAR

HEAD COACH KENT AUSTIN
Kent  Austin, the Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Football, is in his first season at the helm of the Big Red (2-7 overall, .222; 1-5, Ivy, .167) ... Austin has won CFL Grey Cups as a player, assistant coach and head coach ... most recently the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Ole Miss, Austin was hired as head coach on Jan. 27, 2010.


ITHACA, N.Y. — On Senior Day, the Cornell Big Red football team will have the chance to play spoiler against one of its oldest and fiercest historical rivals when it faces Penn on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 12:30 p.m. Schoellkopf Field. You can listen to the game locally on WHCU 870 AM with Barry Leonard and Buck Briggs on the call, or watch the game at no charge on IBNSports.com.

Prior to Saturday's contest, Cornell will honor its 20 seniors for their dedication to the program and football family. With the new culture of Big Red football emerging under first-year head coach Kent Austin, the Cornell seniors have set a work ethic that will establish a culture of winning.

The Big Red is coming off a heartbreaking 20-17 loss in the inaugural Empire State Bowl to fellow Ivy League rival Columbia. The Lions scored the game-winning touchdown with 37 seconds remaining after trailing the entire contest. Senior Ben Heller intercepted a pass to end a potential scoring drive, freshman Jeff Mathews threw for 197 yards and ran for a touchdown, and junior tight end Ryan Houska became the fourth player at Cornell in the past 30 years to run, throw and catch a touchdown in a career with his 27-yard strike to fellow tight end, sophomore J.C. Tretter.

Penn's seniors will also be playing their final game and will be attempting to clinch an unbeaten Ancient Eight season. With their only loss coming to then-No. 1 Villanova on the road, the Quakers will be out to avoid an upset in a series that has had many instances of them. The second-longest uninterrupted series in college football history dating back to 1919, the matchup has been the final game of the year for both teams every year for the last 91 seasons. Prior to not fielding a team in 1918, the Big Red had also played Penn in its final game every season since 1895. In all, over the last 115 years, Cornell and Penn have played in the final game of the year every year except one. Since 1995, the winner of the annual matchup has been awarded the Trustees' Cup, with the Quakers leading 10-5 over that span.

A WIN OVER PENN WOULD:
• surpass the 2009 win total overall (2-8) and in Ivy play (1-6).
• send the team's 20 seniors out with a victory.
• snap a three-game Penn win streak in the Trustees' Cup series and cut the Quakers overall lead in the series to 67-45-5.
• be the 619th in program history (10th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

THE CORNELL-PENN SERIES: (Penn leads 67-44-5) This will be the 117th meeting between Cornell and Penn, with the Quakers holding a 67-44-5 lead in the series. The series is the fifth-most played in college football history. The two teams first met in 1893, a 50-0 Penn win. Five years ago, Cornell claimed a 16-7 win at Franklin Field for the 600th victory in program history. Last season, the Quakers earned a dominant 34-0 win in the season finale, the fourth straight victory  by the Quakers in the series.

THE TRUSTEES' CUP: Since 1995, the winner of the Cornell-Penn football game has been awarded the Trustees' Cup. Alumni from Penn and Cornell gathered at the New York Penn Club on Sept. 6, 1995 for the dedication of the Trustees' Cup, which thereafter has been presented to the winner of the annual football game. The idea evolved from a series of discussions between officials and alumni of both universities, focusing on what would be the best way to honor one of college football's most celebrated rivalries. The decision was made to establish an award to be presented at an annual luncheon, with the winning team taking the prize home and displaying it for a year. Penn leads the Trustees' Cup series 10-5.

REVIEWING LAST YEAR'S GAME VS. PENN (Nov. 21, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pa.): The Penn football team used a dominating defense all season to enter the 2009 finale unbeaten in Ivy League play, and it sealed the outright title with a performance worthy of a champion, limiting Cornell to 110 yards of offense in a 34-0 shutout win at Franklin Field. Cornell was shut out for the first time since Harvard topped the Big Red 27-0 during the 2003 campaign. Bryan Walters posted 105 all-purpose yards to finish his outstanding four-year career with 5,791, good for second all-time in Ivy League history. He also closed his career with Ivy records of 972 punt return and 2,790 kickoff yards. The Quaker defense didn't force a turnover, but didn't need to. The Big Red had just 49 yards of offense and one first down before taking the ball over midfield with 5:50 left and trailing 34-0. Penn had nine tackles for loss, four sacks and blocked a punt, leading to the team's first touchdown and getting the Quakers on the board.

STORIED RIVALRIES: The Big Red is involved in three of the top 20 most-played rivalries in college football. Heading into the 2010 campaign, the Cornell-Penn series ranks fifth in most games played with 117. The 97 meetings between Cornell and Columbia ranks 12th, while the Cornell-Colgate rivalry stands 17th with 93 games played. The Cornell-Dartmouth and the Cornell-Penn series are the second-longest uninterrupted active series, as the teams have met every season since 1919, a span of 91 years. They trail only the Lafayette-Lehigh series, which has been played every year since 1897.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
• Cornell and Penn will close out the 2010 season with its annual matchup for the Trustees' Cup.
• The Quakers have won three straight contests in the series and enter the game after clinching at least a share of the Ivy title this season after topping Harvard last weekend at home, 34-14.
• The Big Red's 20 seniors will take the field for the final time and will be honored in a pregame ceremony before looking to play the role of spoiler against its longtime rival.
• Heading into the 2010 campaign, the Cornell-Penn series ranks fifth in most games played with 117. It is also tied with Cornell's series against Dartmouth as the second-longest uninterrupted active series in college football, as the teams have met every season since 1919, a span of 91 years. They trail only the Lafayette-Lehigh series, which has been played every year since 1897.

NOTING THE COLUMBIA GAME:
• The Lions' touchdown with 37 seconds left gave Columbia possession of the Empire State Bowl trophy in the first-ever trophy game between the two squads.
• Junior tight end Ryan Houska threw for a 27-yard touchdown to sophomore J.C. Tretter out of the wildcat formation, giving him at least one touchdown rushing, receiving and passing this season. He became just the fourth Cornell player since 1980 to do all three during a career, joining Luke Siwula '08, John Tagliaferri '86 and Derrick Harmon '84.
• It was Tretter's first career touchdown reception.
• Senior Ben Heller intercepted his third pass of the season. He now has six in his career, matching classmate Emani Fenton for the most on the team.
• Junior K.C. Aharanwa registered his first career sack in the game.
• Senior Drew Alston set the school's single season record for most punts (73) and pinned four of his nine kicks inside the 20.

UP NEXT: The Big Red will suit up for the 2011 season next September.

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