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THE BRONX, N.Y. -- Carlton Koonce ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns as Fordham overcame Cornell's 518 yards of offense in a 34-27 victory over the Big Red on Saturday afternoon at Jack Coffey Field. The Rams improved to 2-1 in front of a Homecoming crowd of 6,087, while Cornell (0-1) dropped its season opener.

Jeff Mathews completed 38-of-56 passes for489 yards and three touchdowns without turning it over, with his favorite targets being Grant Gellatly (13 receptions, 181 yards, TD) and Luke Tasker (10 receptions, 177 yards, TD). Kurt Ondash also caught 10 passes for 92 yards and Jesse Heon hauled in two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Silas Nacita had a team-high 26 yards on nine carries. Defensively, Kevin Laird had two interceptions and picked off a two-point conversion pass with six total tackles. Jarrod Watson-Lewis made nine tackles with a sack and a pass breakup and Rush Miller made eight stops. Michael Hernandez posted seven tackles, including three for a loss.

Koonce carried 31 times for his 176 yards to pace Fordham. The Rams piled up 470 yards of offense themselves, including 305 yards in the air. Fordham converted 9-of-15 third-down conversions and scored all five times it reached the red zone. Ryan Higgins completed 19-of-26 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, with his favorite target being Brian Wetzel (8 receptions, 153 yards, TD). Michael Martin had 10 tackles, while Jake Rodrigues had eight stops, including one of the team's three sacks on the day.

The game started off looking like the Rams were two games into the season and the Big Red hadn't played. On the Big Red's first play from scrimmage, Mathews hit Tasker for a short gainer, but the senior was stripped of the ball and the Rams pounced on the loose football. Six plays later, Fordham converted the short field with a 30-yard field goal to put the home team up 3-0 just 1:34 into the contest.

The Rams extended the lead to 6-0 when Murray booted a 29-yarder to cap off a 12-play, 68-yard drive with exactly nine minutes remaining before halftime.

While Cornell continued to move the chains without denting the scoreboard, the Big Red finally broke through with under three minutes before the half ended. Mathews capped a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a beautifully placed fade into the right corner of the end zone to Heon. The junior adjusted to the ball and jumped over the defensive back to come down with the pigskin to get Cornell on the board. John Wells' extra-point kick put the Big Red into the lead at 7-6.

The Big Red defense didn't force a turnover, but limited the big play and held the Rams to 42 yards on 16 carries. The Cornell offense, meanwhile, started to click late. Mathews ended the half 17-of-24 for 201 yards and the touchdown. Tasker caught six first half passes for 97 yards, while Gellatly notched five catches for 62 yards.

The Cornell defense flipped the script to open the second half, intercepting Higgins on the very first play of scrimmage in the second half to put the offense back on the field. The Big Red couldn't take advantage of the miscue, punting the ball back to the Rams a minute later. Defensively, Cornell continued to hold, forcing a punt, and the offense went to work. A tipped pass ended in the hands of Gellatly, the second of two good gainers for the junior wide receiver. A pass to Ondash got the visitors into the red zone, and two plays later he appeared to get into the end zone, but was called down at the half-yard line. The Big Red didn't waste any time cashing in, as Mathews dove over for the six. Well's PAT kick made it 14-6 with 7:21 left in the third.

Fordham answered quickly, with a 63-yard pass from Higgins to Wetzel doing most of the work. With confusion still reigning on the field, the Rams snapped the ball and Koonce ran into his quarterback, but was able to reverse field and go in for the score from 15 yards away to make it 14-12 with 6:17 left in the quarter. The Rams decided to go for two to tie the game, but Emmitt Terrell got pressure on the quarterback, flushing him out of the pocket, and his dying quail attempt into the end zone was intercepted by Laird to break up the conversion attempt.

Cornell's ensuing drive ended with a 50-yard field goal attempt by Wells that fell short, and the Rams took the momentum to separate from the Big Red. A 47-yard pass from Higgins to Greg Wilson switched fields, and four plays later the quarterback found Wetzel for a 23-yard touchdown. The kick made it 27-14 with exactly 12 minutes to play.

The Big Red responded immediately, going on a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that lasted just 2:23. Mathews cashed in on the drive, that included a roughing the passer call, with a 40-yard strike to Tasker.

Cornell's defense again stepped up, with Laird intercepting his second official pass of the game after it was tipped, and the Big Red offense seemed to be on the move. A sack killed the drive, forcing Cornell to punt. The Rams, smelling blood, started to kill the clock with Koonce with less than five minutes on the clock. He carried the ball on all seven plays, accounting for 71 yards and his 10-yard touchdown with 54 seconds to play.

With one last chance to score quick, the Big Red did … just not quick enough. Eight plays and 75 yards later, the Big Red chewed up the final 54 seconds, with Mathews hitting Gellatly perfectly for a 19-yard touchdown as time expired. The PAT wasn't attempted and the Rams were able to celebrate their second home win in as many games.

Next up for Cornell - Homecoming on national television. The Big Red will open Ivy League play on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. when it plays host to Yale at Schoellkopf Field. A Homecoming crowd and a tv audience on NBC College Sports Network will be watching.