Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Big Red sprint football team saw its hopes of winning the CSFL end Friday night with a 35-28 loss to league rival and co-defending champion Penn.

Despite quarterback Brendan Miller's 262-yard passing night, five catches for 103 yards from Abe Mellinger, and another eight catches and 113 yards by Spenser Gruenenfelder, the Big Red defense could not stop Penn when it counted and was outscored 11-7 in the fourth quarter.

Penn got on the board first thanks to a 91-yard touchdown pass from Todd Busler to Matt Wetherell early in the first quarter. Busler then found Kamil Okroj on a 32-yard pass midway through the second quarter.

Cornell (2-3, 2-3 CSFL) first scored late in the second quarter when Miller found his favorite target, Mellinger, for a 37-yard touchdown. The celebration was short-lived, though, as Penn kicked a field goal with six ticks remaining in the first half to go into the third quarter ahead 17-7 and then scored a touchdown right after the break to extend its lead to 17 points.

The Big Red fired back with the next two touchdowns to bring the game within seven again when Miller rushed for a one-yard score and Doug Famularo followed it up with a 17-yard rush.

The fourth quarter started with promise for Cornell but ultimately belonged to the Quakers. A 24-yard field goal by Michael Bass extended Penn's margin to six points, and Busler kept the ball himself on the Quaker's next drive on an eight-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion made the score 35-21, and the drive took up six valuable minutes to give Cornell little opportunity to catch up.

The Big Red managed to score late on a 33-yard pass from Miller to Gruenenfelder, but Penn got the ball back, got one first down and then knelt on the ball as time expired.

Cornell stays on the road next week with a trip to Annapolis, Md., a game against Navy. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.