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CORNELL INFORMATION
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HARVARD INFORMATION
Roster I Schedule & Results I Statistics

GAME INFORMATION
Game #4: Harvard at Cornell
Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 8, at 12:30 p.m. ET
Site: Schoellkopf Field (25,597), Ithaca, N.Y.
2011 Records: Harvard (2-1, 1-0 Ivy); Cornell (2-1, 0-1 Ivy)
Series Record: Harvard leads 41-32-2
Last Meeting: Harvard won 31-17, Oct. 9, 2010, in Cambridge, Mass.
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 KENT AUSTIN
Kent  Austin, the Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Football, is in his second season at the helm of the Big Red (4-9 overall, .308; 1-7, Ivy, .125) ... Austin has won CFL Grey Cups as a player, assistant coach and head coach ... previously was offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Ole Miss, Austin was hired as head coach on Jan. 27, 2010.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Entering week two of the Ivy League season riding a wave of confidence that only winning can bring, the Cornell football team will face perennial Ivy League contender Harvard on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 12:30 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. You can watch a live video stream of the game by subscribing to RedCast at www.CornellBigRed.com. If you are in the Ithaca area, you can also tune in to listen to Barry Leonard and Buck Briggs on the call on WHCU 870 AM.

With sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews in his second year as the starter, the Big Red offense has begun to put together explosive plays in bunches. In just three games this season, Cornell has already posted 12 offensive plays that have covered 20 yards or better. Mathews ranks in the top 20 nationally and first in the Ivy League in both total offense (270.7) and pass efficiency (153.33). His classmate, Grant Gellatly, has rushed for two scores of better than 20 yards and leads the team in rushing for the second straight year. Mathews' primary receivers, senior Shane Savage and juniors Kurt Ondash and Luke Tasker, have combined to haul in 38 passes for 653 yards and five touchdowns. They are averaging a lofty 17.2 yards per catch. The offensive line, which doesn't feature a senior, has surrendered just two sacks this season after giving up a nation's worst 49 sacks a year ago.

The defense has been much improved over the 2010 season. Cornell has surrendered just 115.3 rushing yards per game (down from 246.1 ypg. in 2010) and 335.0 total yards per game (down from 437.2 ypg. in 2010). Cornell has registered 11 sacks and 28 total tackles for loss and is on pace to obliterate last season's totals of 12 sacks and 38 TFL. Leading the way has been linebackers Brandon Lainhart (27 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and Brett Buehler (24 tackles, 7.0 TFL, 2 FF). The duo is joined at the top of the tacklers' list by Rashad Campbell (19 tackles, 2.5 TFL, INT) and Michael Hernandez (17 tackles). The defensive line, led by Zack Imhoff (13 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 2 FF) and Hugh Stewart (12 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks), has been one of the best units in the Ivy League over the first three weeks. Opposing running attacks are averaging just 3.1 yards per carry, a far cry from last year's 5.8 yards per carry.

The special teams have been led by senior place-kicker Brad Greenway, a nominee for the Fred Mitchell Award. Greenway has been perfect so far this season, making all three of his field goals and each of his nine extra points. He has also averaged 34.2 yards per punt, including a 58-yard kick. Campbell is averaging a robust 25.2 yards per kickoff return, a mark that ranks 45th nationally. Special teams have also blocked four total kicks (two punts, an extra point and a field goal) in the first three games.

While Cornell brings a 2-1 mark into the contest, so does Harvard. The Crimson are on a two-game winning streak made up of impressive victories over Brown (24-7) and Lafayette (31-3). The team's only defeat came in its season opener, a 30-22 loss at the hands of Holy Cross. The Harvard defense continues to be its strong point, ranking second nationally in scoring defense (13.3 ppg.) and fourth in rushing defense (74.0 ypg.).The offense has been directed by backup Colton Chapple in the last two contests as All-Ivy quarterback Collier Winters has been recovering from an injury. Combined, the duo has thrown for 593 yards and five touchdowns. Crimson head coach Tim Murphy has won five Ivy titles and is in search of his sixth this season. He is one of just five coaches to win 100 games in the history of the Ivy League.

A WIN OVER HARVARD WOULD:
• make Cornell 3-1 on the year.
• guarantee Cornell a winning home record.
• surpass the Big Red's win total from 2010 overall (2-8) and match its total of Ivy wins (1-6).
• be the 621st in program history (11th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

THE CORNELL-HARVARD SERIES: (Harvard leads 41-32-2) Cornell and Harvard will be meeting for the 76th time dating back to the first meeting in 1890. The Crimson owned the early series, capturing the first 10 games (1890-1913), while Cornell 11 won straight from 1986-1996. Harvard has won nine of the last 10 contests, with the Big Red's last win coming during the 2005 campaign, a 27-13 victory at home. The Crimson won last year's meeting 31-17 at Harvard Stadium.

NOTING THE WIN OVER WAGNER
• Cornell avenged a 41-7 loss to Wagner in the 2010 season opener, Kent Austin's first year as head coach of the Big Red.
• Senior Shane Savage hauled in four passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns. In the process, he became the eighth Big Red player to hit the 100 career catch mark. He also became the first Cornell player to catch two touchdowns in a game since Bryan Walters '10 against Columbia in 2009.
• Sophomore Jeff Mathews threw three touchdown passes, all in the first half. It was the first time a Big Red quarterback threw three touchdown passes in a game since Nathan Ford accomplished the feat against Princeton in 2008.
• Cornell's eight sacks ranks second in a single-game in school history, behind the 10 it made against Harvard in 1992.
• Senior Zack Imhoff posted 3.5 sacks, a mark that ranks third all-time at Cornell in a single game. Tom McHale, a future NFL player, set the record with 4.5 sacks against Dartmouth in 1986.
• Imhoff and sophomore Brett Buehler each were credited with two forced fumbles, marks that tie the single-game Big Red record.
• Senior Brad Greenway launched a 58-yard punt, his career-long and the 15th-longest punt in school history.
• The Big Red blocked a pair of punts, making it two straight games Cornell has blocked multiple kicks.



IMHOFF, GREENWAY HONORED: Senior defensive end Zack Imhoff (Defensive Player of the Week) and Brad Greenway (Special Teams Player of the Week) have each earned Ivy League weekly honors after helping the Big Red defeat Wagner 31-7 on Oct. 1. Imhoff posted six tackles, including 3.5 sacks, while forcing two fumbles and blocking a punt. Greenway made a field goal, all four extra points, kicked off and averaged 36.6 yards on five punts, including a career-long 58-yarder.

BLOCKED PUNT GOES VIRAL: Video of Cornell senior Zack Imhoff's blocked punt against Wagner went viral over the weekend, with everyone from ESPN to NESN and Deadspin.com picking it up and using it on their highlights. In the first 48 hours, the clip received more than 20,000 views and counting. Click below to watch it again.



GREAT START FOR MATHEWS: Sophomore Jeff Mathews is off to a strong start through three contests, completing 66 percent of his passes (59-of-90) for 800 yards and six touchdowns. His 153.33 quarterback rating would be the highest single-season mark in school history. He is also on pace to toss for 2,667 yards, a mark that would rank fourth all-time at Cornell.

WHERE MATHEWS RANKS: Sophomore Jeff Mathews has gotten noticed for his strong start in 2011. He ranks 16th nationally in total offense at 270.7 yards per game, while sitting 14th nationally in passing efficiency (153.33). He is first in the Ancient Eight in both categories.

SAVAGE WARRIOR: Senior Shane Savage, who will be fifth-year eligible in 2012, became the 16th player in school history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards with his four-catch, 99-yard effort against Bucknell in the season opener. He later became the ninth Cornellian to haul in 100 passes with four catches for 32 yards and two scores vs. Wagner. Savage has upped his career numbers to 101 receptions for 1,120 yards and seven touchdowns. Savage has a reception in all 23 career contests and could potentially catch a pass in 40 varsity appearances barring injury or being blanked in a contest. If he catches passes in 40 consecutive games, he would break the school record of 39 set by Keith Ferguson '03, Cornell's all-time leading receiver (202 receptions, 2,569 yards). Savage enters the weekend with 97 receptions and five touchdowns. 

RECEIVERS AT THE TOP: Cornell's three top receivers so far in 2011, senior Shane Savage and juniors Kurt Ondash and Luke Tasker, have combined to haul in 38 passes for 653 yards and five touchdowns through three contests. They are averaging a lofty 17.2 yards per catch.

UP TO THE TASK: Junior Luke Tasker posted his first career 100-yard game in the season-opening win over Bucknell (102 yards) and ranks third on the team with 10 catches in three contests. Tasker is averaging 18.3 yards per catch with a touchdown so far in 2011. He enters the Harvard game needing one catch to reach 50 for his career.

DASHING THROUGH THE DEFENSE: Junior wide receiver Kurt Ondash entered the season with 11 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. He's matched or surpassed those numbers already this season, sitting on top of the team's charts with 15 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown in the first three contests. His 18.1 yards per catch ranks second on the Big Red. Ondash hauled in an 87-yard touchdown to seal the win over Bucknell in the season opener, the fifth-longest touchdown pass in school history.

GELLATLY ON THE RUN: Sophomore Grant Gellatly was the leading rusher for the Big Red a year ago despite missing two contests. He has picked up right where he left off, scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns from outside of 20 yards over the first two contests, averaging 3.7 yards per carry and 52.0 yards per game. Gellatly recorded 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against Yale in the 2011 Ivy opener.

RUN, PASS, CATCH: Senior tight end Ryan Houska was named the team's Most Valuable Player a year ago. Houska was third on the team in receiving (27 receptions, 268 yards, 2 touchdowns) and rushing (27 carries, 106 yards, 1 touchdown) in 2010. He became the fourth Cornell player since 1980 to run, pass and catch a touchdown during their varsity careers - Houska did it all in one season. Luke Siwula '08 (20 rush, 1 throw, 4 receptions), John Tagliaferri '86 (8 rush, 1 throw, 2 receptions) and Derrick Harmon '84 (26 rush, 1 throw, 2 receptions) have also hit on that statistical oddity. This season, Houska is second on the team in rushing yardage and is averaging 15.7 yards per catch.

KEEPING THE QB UPRIGHT: Cornell's offensive line has been its most improved group this season, allowing just two sacks in the team's first three contests to rank 10th nationally for fewest sacks surrendered. Last year, the Big Red gave up 49 in 10 contests, the most of any school in the nation.

GREENWAY CLIMBING THE KICKING CHART: Senior Brad Greenway has 132 career kicking points and has seven games remaining to add to that total, which currently ranks third in program history.

GREENWAY A NOMINEE FOR FRED MITCHELL AWARD: Senior place-kicker Brad Greenway has been named to the 2011 Fred Mitchell Award Watch List. He is among 50 kickers on the Watch List for excellence on the field and in the community. Greenway has led the team in scoring in each of his first three varsity seasons and will be attempting to become the first player in school history to lead the team in scoring all four years. Last season, Greenway led the team in scoring with 26 points on 4-of-5 field goals and 14-of-15 extra-point kicks. Off the field, Greenway has been very active serving not only the Ithaca community, but also communities throughout the world. He was part of a program that gathered school supplies, cleats and jerseys to bring to children in Ghana as part of community service initiative. He also visited an Agent Orange community in Vietnam that has disabled children whose parents were impacted during the Vietnam War. There, he visited several schools to play with children. He reads to elementary school students as a volunteer as part of the Big Red Readers program. He also served as a volunteer coach in the Challenger Soccer Camps for special needs children. Greenway has also volunteered at Ithaca's Salvation Army by helping organize clothes and goods throughout the store, as well as volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego.

SACK IMHOFF: Senior defensive end Zack Imhoff registered a monster game in the win over Wagner with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. The 3.5 sacks ranks as the third-most by a Cornell player in a single game, while the two forced fumbles tied the school record. For the season, Imhoff is third nationally in sacks per game (1.5) and is seventh in tackles for loss (2.2). He leads Cornell's defensive line in tackles (13) after being converted from linebacker, where he was an honorable mention All-Ivy pick in 2010.

LINEBACKERS MAKING PLAYS: Senior Brandon Lainhart and sophomore Brett Buehler have been putting it all on the line to make plays for the Big Red and rank 1-2 in tackles with 27 and 24, respectively. Lainhart has added two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery, while Buehler has a team-best seven tackles for loss (fourth nationally), a sack, a pass breakup and two forced fumbles. Lainhart is also closing in on 200 career tackles, entering the Harvard game with 189.

STEWART DOMINATING UP FRONT: Junior defensive tackle Hugh Stewart has been his dominant best in the interior of the defensive line, registering four tackles for a loss and two sacks. He recorded a pair of sacks against Bucknell in the opener and notched six tackles vs. Wagner.

CAMPBELL IN CONTROL: Senior cornerback Rashad Campbell sits third on the team with 19 tackles and has also posted 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Campbell has tallied exactly one interception in all four of his varsity seasons and is halfway to his career total of 5.0 tackles for loss entering the year. As the team's primary kick returner, the senior is averaging a robust 25.2 yards per return for the year and 24.1 yards for his career.

PICKING UP A LOSS: Cornell's defense has been spending much more time in the offensive backfield in the 2011 season, already posting 28 tackles for loss in three contests (9.3 per game). That mark ranks fifth nationally in the FCS. Two players rank among the top seven nationally in tackles for loss (Brett Buehler - fourth with 2.3; Zack Imhoff - seventh with 2.2).

MATHEWS SETS FRESHMAN RECORDS: Sophomore Jeff Mathews had a record-breaking season in 2010 en route to earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year accolades. Since freshmen became eligible for varsity competition in 1993, no Cornell rookie had ever opened a game at quarterback until Mathews lined up for the start against Yale during the home opener a season ago. He responded by setting school freshman records for completions (23), attempts (35) and yardage (248). Mathews, who became the only freshman in Cornell history to throw a touchdown pass, ended the season with 1,723 yards and seven scores. He ranked second among all true freshmen in the Football Championship Subdivision in passing.

THE CORNELL CAPTAINS: The Cornell football team has elected six team captains to lead the Big Red into the 2011 season, including the first-ever sophomore captain in school history. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews joins senior defensive end Zack Imhoff, corner back Rashad Campbell and place-kicker Brad Greenway, junior wide receiver and punt returner Luke Tasker and center Bob Bullington as team captains. The top two vote getters on offense, defense and special teams earned the honor.

BIG PASS PLAYS HIGHLIGHT WIN OVER BUCKNELL: Cornell used three plays of 64 yards or more in the passing game en route to its 24-13 victory over Bucknell on Sept. 17. Junior Luke Tasker hauled in a 65-yard pass from Mathews, while senior Shane Savage went 64 yards for a touchdown on a deep ball from the quarterback. Mathews then sealed the win with an 87-yard toss to junior Kurt Ondash, the fifth-longest pass play in school history.

BIG RED IN SEPTEMBER: The Big Red football team has had great success in the early fall over the years, particularly in September. The Big Red is 101-57-5 (.635) all-time during the month.

NEW VIDEO BOARD: Cornell unveiled a brand new video board during its Homecoming contest against Bucknell on Sept. 17. The 18x31 video board produced by Daktronics is being run by Cornell athletics with assistance from Varsity Media out of Rochester, N.Y.  The board will have many exciting interactive features for fans and the multi-camera production will also allow for instant replays and multiple angles of the action.

STATING THE STATES: Cornell's 105-player roster includes student-athletes from 27 different states and the District of Columbia. Leading the way is the talent-rich state of California with 15 student-athletes, one of four states that have produced at least 10 current Big Red players (New York - 13; Ohio - 10; Pennsylvania- 10).

IVY PRESEASON POLL: The Cornell football team, under second-year head coach Kent Austin, was picked to finish tied for seventh in the Ivy League media preseason poll. Overall, there were 17 voters in the poll (two media representatives per school and one national media representative). PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Penn (12 first-place votes) 129 points; 2. Harvard (2 first-place votes) 118 points; 3. Yale (1 first-place vote) 95 points; 4. Brown (2 first-place votes) 90 points; 5. Dartmouth 73 points; 6. Columbia 45 points; 7. Cornell 31 points; 7. Princeton 31 points.

BOOKER-TANDY NAMED TO ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM: Senior corner back Nick Booker-Tandy was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I first-team in 2010. He was one of 12 Ivy League players named to the Academic All-District team. In the classroom, Booker-Tandy has posted a 4.0 grade point average in Applied Economics and Management and was an Academic All-Ivy nominee.

CORNELL ALL-TIME: The Big Red has an overall record of 620-473-34 (.565) in its 124 years of football. The program's 620 wins ranks 11th among all FCS schools. Over the years, Cornell has taken on 87 different opponents, with its most frequent opponent being Penn (118 meetings).

THE IVY OPENER: Cornell opened the 56th official season of Ivy League play with a 37-17 loss at Yale on Sept. 24. The Big Red now has a 26-28-2 record in 56 conference starters. The Big Red has now faced Yale 12 times (each of the last 12 seasons) in Ivy openers with a 4-8 mark.

BOOTHE, WALTERS ON NFL ROSTERS: Former Cornellians Kevin Boothe '06 and Bryan Walters '10 are on opening day NFL rosters this season. Boothe, an All-American offensive lineman for the Big Red, is in his sixth season in the National Football League and fifth with the New York Giants. He joined former star tailback Derrick Harmon '84 as the second Cornell alumnus to earn a Super Bowl ring after playing on special teams during the New York Giants' run to Super Bowl XLII. Boothe and the Giants upset the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, 17-14, on Feb. 3, 2008 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Walters is in his first season as a wide receiver with the San Diego Chargers after setting Ivy League and Cornell records for career kick return and punt return yardage. He ranks first at Cornell and second in Ivy League history in all-purpose yardage.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF GOGOLAK'S HISTORIC KICK: This season marks the 50th anniversary of Pete Gogolak becoming the first soccer-style kicker in football history. His 41-yard field goal at Princeton on Oct. 28, 1961 went into the record books.

AP NO. 1: Cornell is the only Ivy League school to be ranked No. 1 in the weekly Associated Press poll, holding the top ranking for three weeks (10/15-10/29) of the 1940 season. The No. 1 ranking ended with the historic “Fifth Down Game” against Dartmouth. The Big Red ended that campaign with a 6-2 record that included wins over Army, Syracuse and Ohio State.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Cornell has won five national titles in its storied football history. The Big Red claimed at least a share of the 1915 (Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1921 (Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis), 1922 (Helms, Parke Davis), 1923 (Sagarin) and 1939 (Litkenhous, Sagarin) titles. All five teams went undefeated and dominated their opponents. The 1915 team was 9-0 and outscored its opponents 287-50 with four shutouts. The 1921, 1922 and 1923 squads each went 8-0 and outscored their opponents 392-21, 339-27 and 320-33, respectively. The teams allowed more than one touchdown in a game just once during that 24-game span while scoring 40 or more points 14 times. The 1939 team was 8-0 and defeated Syracuse, Penn State and Ohio State.

STORIED RIVALRIES: The Big Red is involved in three of the top 20 most-played rivalries in college football. Heading into the 2011 campaign, the Cornell-Penn series ranks fifth in most games played with 118. The 98 meetings between Cornell and Columbia ranks 12th, while the Cornell-Colgate rivalry stands 17th with 94 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.

LATE START: For the fourth time in the last eight years, Cornell was the last Division I football team to kick off its season. The 6:07 p.m. kick-off against Bucknell on Sept. 17 was the latest of the Ivy League schools to open its season. Penn (vs. Lafayette), Brown (at Stony Brook) and Princeton (vs. Lehigh) were scheduled for 6 p.m. kickoffs. The Big Red was also the final team to open in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

FOR OPENERS: The Big Red continued its historical pattern of success in season openers with a 24-13 victory against Bucknell on Sept. 17. The Big Red sports an all-time record of 90-30-4 (.742) in season openers.

BIG RED ON HOMECOMING: Cornell football improved its record in Homecoming games to 33-29-2 record dating back to 1948 with its 24-13 triumph over Bucknell on Sept. 17.

INSIDECORNELLFOOTBALL.COM: Cornell football launched a new web site, www.InsideCornellFootball.com, this spring to provide all the latest information on the Big Red program. Tune in for new, exclusive videos and other information.

WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY?: All of the Big Red's football games in 2011 are carried live on WHCU (870 AM) in the Ithaca area and on the internet at www.CornellBigRed.com. Barry Leonard returns for his 14th season in the booth and 12th season in the play-by-play chair, while Buck Briggs '76 is back to provide the color commentary for a 11th season. Special guests will also make appearances throughout the year.

LIVE STATS: If you can't make it to Schoellkopf Field, you can follow the Big Red live on the internet with Live Stats. Just follow the link on www.CornellBigRed.com for official stats updated in real-time for each of the Big Red's home games.

UP NEXT: The Big Red returns to action when it heads to Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. Cornell will be out to snap a three-game skid against the Raiders, while picking up its first win in Hamilton since the 1992 campaign.