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CORNELL INFORMATION
Roster I Schedule & Results I 2011 Statistics I History and Records

FORDHAM INFORMATION
Roster I Schedule & Results I Statistics

GAME INFORMATION
Game #1: Cornell at Fordham
Date: Saturday, Sept. 15, at 1:00 p.m. ET
Site: Franklin Field (52,598), The Bronx, N.Y.
2011 Records: Cornell (5-5, 3-4 Ivy); Fordham (1-10)
Series Record: Cornell leads 4-3
Last Meeting: Fordham won 39-27, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ithaca, N.Y.
Radio: WHCU 870 AM, Barry Leonard (play-by-play), Buck Briggs (color)
Live Stats: Available at www.FordhamSports.com
Live Video: Available at www.FordhamSports.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 (7-13 overall, .350; 4-10, Ivy, .286) ... 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.

STORY LINES
• Cornell opens its 125th season of football when it visits Fordham on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx, N.Y.
• The Big Red sports a 90-30-4 record in its first 124 season openers and have won four of the last five.
• Expectations are high with head coach Kent Austin's Big Red returning 45 letterwinners and 19 total starters, including nine on the offense and eight on the defensive side of the ball (two on special teams).
• Cornell enters the season on a two-game win streak after it captured trophy series wins over Columbia (62-41 for the Empire State Bowl) and at Penn (48-38 for the Trustees' Cup)  to close out 2011. The 110 points were the most in consecutive games by the Big Red since 1930.
• Junior quarterback Jeff Mathews(250-368-11, 3412 yds., 25 TDs), the reigning Ivy League Bushnell Cup Award winner and a Walter Payton Award Watch List selection, and fifth-year senior All-America wide receiver Shane Savage(65-1080, 12 TDs) lead an explosive offense into 2012.
• Cornell ended 2011 with 313 points, the most by any Big Red team since the 1923 national champions scored 320 points. The Big Red enters the new season with a school-record streak of scoring at least 24 points in eight straight contests.
• In addition to Mathews and Savage, Beyond Sports College Network preseason All-America receivers Luke Tasker(57-827, 4 TDs) and Kurt Ondash(54-856, 5 TDs) also return for their senior seasons, as does preseason All-American and NFL prospect J.C. Tretteron the offensive line.
• After being decimated by injuries a year ago, the Big Red defense return eight starters, as well as several other players expected to be key contributors who return from injury.
• Second year safeties Josh Barutand Andrew Nelsonranked third and sixth on the team in tackles, respectively, a year ago.
• Junior Brett Buehler(68 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles) will also have the chance to make a name for himself as one of the top defensive players in the Ancient Eight, as will senior defensive tackle Hugh Stewartand junior defensive end Tre' Minor.

A WIN OVER FORDHAM WOULD
• improve Cornell's record in season openers to 91-30-4.
• push head coach Kent Austin's record in non-conference games to 4-3.
• give Cornell a 101-56-5 record all-time in the month of September.
• be the 624th in program history (11th most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

THE CORNELL-FORDHAM SERIES
• Cornell leads the all-time series 4-3 dating back to the first meeting in 1909.
• The Rams took home the first two meetings, winning 12-6 in 1909, then knocking off the Big Red 27-6 in 1917.
• After a 76-year hiatus, the two teams met again in consecutive years (1993 and 1994).
• Cornell won the 1993 meeting handily, earning a 48-6 triumph to begin a four-game win streak.
• The Rams won the last meeting during the 2009 season, with Fordham topping the Big Red 39-27 at Schoellkopf Field.

ABOUT FORDHAM
• Fordham slipped to 1-1 on the season after a 28-13 loss at Villanova on Sept. 8. The Rams had opened the year with a 55-0 shutout of Lock Haven in its season opener.
• The Rams are rushing for 210.0 yards per game, while allowing just 77.5 passing yards per outing.
• Fordham became the 15th NCAA school to reach 750 wins when it topped Lock Haven.
• The Rams are led by first-year head coach Joe Moorhead.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• A week after scoring 62 points to capture the Empire State Bowl, the Cornell football team scored 48 points to knock off defending Ivy League champion Penn at Franklin Field to take home the Trustee's Cup with a 48-38 victory over the Quakers at Franklin Field.
• Jeff Mathewsset numerous Cornell and Ivy League marks with his second consecutive record-breaking effort, completing 35-of-45 passes for 548 yards and five touchdowns to lead the offense.
• The Big Red signal caller established Ivy and Cornell records for passing yards in a game and posted new school and conference marks for passing yards in a season with his performance.
• Three of his receivers passed the 100-yard mark and a fourth finished with 91 receiving yards. Mathews found Shane Savagefour three touchdowns, giving him a school record 12 on the year.
• Kurt Ondashhad 10 catches for 197 yards, Grant Gellatlycaught eight balls for 106 yards and a touchdown (his first career 100-yard game) and Luke Taskerhauled in nine passes for 91 yards and a score.
• In his final return to his hometown, senior Rashad Campbell had a team-high eight tackles and two interceptions.
• Brad Greenway set the school's career records for PATs and became the first Big Red player to lead the squad in scoring four straight seasons by going 7-of-7 on extra-point kicks.

CORNELL ON OPENING DAY
• If the Big Red continues its historical pattern of success in season openers, it could be big trouble for this year's opponent, Fordham.
• The Big Red sports an all-time record of 90-30-4 (.742) in its 124 previous season openers, including a mark of 13-15 away from home.
• Cornell opened the 2011 campaign with a 24-13 victory over Bucknell at Schoellkopf Field behind 332 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Jeff Mathews.
• The Big Red has won four of the last five season openers and is 1-1 under head coach Kent Austin.
• In four of the last nine years, Cornell has been the last Division I football team to kick off its season (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2011).

NEXT UP
• Cornell will play its Ivy League and home opener against Yale.
• The game will also serve as the Big Red's Homecoming game.
• Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. and will be televised by NBC Sports Network.