Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. – One week after suffering a heartbreaking loss at home, the Big Red sprint football team got right back into the win column Friday night with a 49-7 crushing of visiting Princeton at Schoellkopf Field.

Quarterback Brendan Miller, who missed last week's loss against Post University with an injury, returned in impressive form. The sophomore completed 13 of his 15 pass attempts for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Receivers Abe Mellinger and Spenser Gruenenfelder each caught two of the touchdowns.

Running backs Doug Famularo and Brendan Bruno each had touchdown runs of double-digit yards, and William Edmonds caught an interception in the end zone for the Big Red's seventh touchdown.

The offensive explosion was the largest for Cornell (2-1, 2-1 CSFL) since a 49-26 win at Princeton (0-3, 0-2) on Sept. 21, 2007. Cornell is now second place in the league with three league games left to go.

The Red compiled 364 total yards of offense despite the Tigers having nearly 10 minutes more of possession. Cornell scored touchdowns on all four of its red zone possessions, recorded three sacks and picked off five passes from Princeton's Jaison Zachariah.

The defense allowed a mere 159 total yards from the Tigers and stopped them on all three fourth-down attempts.

The result of Friday's game was never in doubt. The Red – after getting fooled on a Princeton onside kick to start the game – stopped the Tigers' offense and gained possession of the ball at its own 39-yard line. Four players later, Miller and Gruenenfelder hooked up for a 23-yard touchdown on a floater to the left corner of the end zone.

Just four minutes after that score, Mellinger earned his first score of the game thanks to a nine-yard dart by Miller, this one also to the left side of the end zone. A mere 2:22 after that, Gruenenfelder had his second touchdown. The senior ran a streak down the right side, and he dove past his defender in the end zone to make it a 21-0 game with 5:13 showing on the clock in the first quarter.

Famularo got on the board at the 8:30 mark of the second quarter, blasting through the Tigers' defensive line for a six-yard touchdown. At that point, the game was effectively over.

Princeton scored with 1:17 remaining in the half and appeared to have some momentum heading into the break, but the Big Red silenced any Princeton hopes when they drove 54 yards in five plays to score with just 24 seconds left on the second quarter clock. Mellinger caught his second touchdown of the game, this one a 16-yarder from Miller, to make it a 35-7 contest at halftime.

Mellinger now has six touchdowns on the season, catching two in each game, and is averaging 21.4 yards per catch. Gruenenfelder is not far behind with three touchdown receptions and 16.8 yards per catch. In his two games this season, Miller has an efficiency rating of 186.03 and has thrown seven touchdowns to one interception.

The Red spent most of the second half running out the clock and giving bench players time in the game. That didn't do much to slow down the offense or hamper the defense, though.

The defense had its best stretch of the night early in the third quarter. After a Chase Funderburk punt back Princeton up to its own nine yard line, Cedric Ahn sacked Zachariah for a loss of six yards. On the next play, three Cornell defenders put intense pressure on Zachariah, hitting him as he threw up a wobbly pass. Junior defensive lineman William Edmonds was under the floating ball and caught it in the end zone to put the Big Red ahead 42-7.

Chris Sitko led all Cornell defenders with 11 total tackles including two for a loss. Alex Erdmann, David Duber, Evan Zittel and Ahn all had sacks. Simon Greenberg, Matthew Rosenthal, Daniel Sussman and Edmonds each caught interceptions.

The team's final score of the game came on a 10-yard run by Bruno up the gut of Princeton's defense.

The Big Red has next week off before returning to action at home against Army on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.