ITHACA, N.Y. -- Down 10-0 late in the first quarter, with rain pouring down and a crowd of more than 15,000 starting to head for cover, the Cornell football team took a cue from first-year head coach David Archer '05. He told them it was Cornell weather, that it was just a matter of time.

He was right. He was very right. Cornell outscored the Bison 45-3 the rest of the way and the Big Red made everyone forget about the weather in a 45-13 victory on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.

On a slippery field that grew harder to manage as the day went on, Cornell (1-0) secured the football and Bucknell didn't. The Big Red didn't commit a turnover on offense while taking advantage of six Bison miscues. The home team scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and didn't allow a touchdown (Bucknell's lone one came from its special teams).

Senior Tre' Minor scooped up a fumble and returned it 18 yards for a third quarter score. Five minutes later, sophomore Jarrod Watson-Lewis went one better and scrambled 82 yards for a touchdown. Those scores turned a 24-13 contest into an insurmountable 38-13 game. The list of defensive heroes was long, however.

Senior Brett Buehler posted a team-best nine tackles, while junior Michael Turner had a fumble recovery and an interception. Senior Kevin Marchand forced a fumble with a sack, and both junior Rush Imhotep and sophomore Brett Jones were also credited with forced fumbles. The Big Red defense surrendered 348 total yards on the fewest surrendered by the unit since last year's 15-10 win over the Bison in Lewisburg, Pa.

Senior quarterback Jeff Mathews continued to rewrite the Cornell record book with a 15-of-23 passing day for 285 yards and three touchdowns despite adverse passing conditions. With his strong afternoon, Mathews became the school's all-time leader in completions (688) and total offense (8,096), surpassing Ricky Rahne '02 on both lists. His career touchdown total also reached 53, just one shy of Rahne's mark. Mathews' favorite target was junior Lucas Shapiro, who hauled in five passes for 113 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter that put the Big Red into the lead. Senior Grant Gellatly added 66 yards on five catches, while Luke Hagy and Chris Lenz, both sophomores, each caught touchdown passes. For Lenz, his 44-yard scoring catch was his first career reception.

Senior place-kicker John Wells booted a 38-yard field goal and seven successful PAT kicks. Freshman Chris Fraser handled the punting duties and averaged 43.6 yards on five punts and sophomore Ben Rogers averaged 22.0 yards on three kick returns.

Bucknell (1-1) was led running back CJ Williams, who rushed 30 times for 148 yards, and do-everything Kyle Sullivan who returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown, punted three times and caught a pass. Quarterback Brandon Wesley connected on just 7-of-16 passes for 118 yards with one interception. Defensively, Lee Marvel had a team-high 10 tackles and Evan Byers had five tackles, a sack and a pass breakup.

Bucknell steadily moved down the field on its opening drive, but Turner snuck under a route and came up with an interception in Big Red territory. Cornell went three-and-out and Bucknell converted on special teams to set the early tone. Sullivan returned the punt 59 yards for the touchdown and the home team was in an early hole.

The Big Red couldn't get much going on the next drive either, but a 56-yard punt by Chris Fraser pinned the Bison deep in their own territory. A 56-yard hookup from Wesley to Josh Lebo put Bucknell in business, but the defense came up with a big stop and held the visitors to a 35-yard field goal from Derek Maurer to make it a 10-0 contest with 2:03 left in the first quarter.

The teams traded punts before the Big Red got the first points of the Archer era, using three plays to go 76 yards for the touchdown. The drive culminated in back-to-back completions from Mathews, first to Gellatly for 14 yards and ultimately to Lenz for a 44-yard strike in the end zone to make it a 10-7 game. The Bison responded with a sustained 13-play, 71-yard drive, but once again, Cornell's red-zone defense was up to the task and the visitors were forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Maurer to go up, 13-7, with 5:19 to go before the half.

Then the Big Red took over, both literally and figuratively.


Mathews hit Shapiro for a 45-yard gain on the Big Red's next possession to set up a 38-yard field goal by Wells to bring the Big Red within three points, 13-10, with 2:08 showing on the clock. Bucknell fumbled on the very next play and Turner fell on it for his second turnover of the game. Moments later, Mathews hit Shapiro again, this time with a 30-yard bullet into the end zone, and Wells connected to give Cornell the 17-13 lead going into the break.

Cornell opened the second half with the ball and once again, the skies opened up. Still, the Big Red managed to move down the field, using a steady running game, before Mathews hit Gellatly (18 yards), Shapiro (10 yards) and then Hagy for a 14-yard touchdown. Wells added the PAT and Cornell went up 24-13.

The Big Red's defense got in on the action on the Bison's next possession as Marchand forced a fumble on the Bucknell 18-yard line and Minor picked it up and scampered into the end zone for his first career touchdown. Wells' kick was true to make it a 31-13 game. The Bison, still very much in the game, got deep into Cornell territory, but once again, the red-zone defense was outstanding as Kendall Brown forced a fumble and Jarrod Watson-Lewis picked it up and ran 82 yards to give the Big Red its second defensive touchdown of the game. Wells connected on the PAT and Cornell went up, 38-13.

Bucknell turned it over again on its next possession when the ball slipped out of Wesley's hand and Bobby Marani recovered the ball on the Bison 10-yard line. Four plays later, facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1, senior Dustin Dillard punched it in for his first collegiate touchdown. He led Cornell with 31 yards on 10 carriers.

Neither team put much together as backups took over in the fourth, though Cornell's defense held down Bucknell late from inside the red zone in the final minute. Sophomore Del Barnes and senior Taylor Engstrom each made tackles to keep CJ Williams out of the end zone to prevent any further Bucknell damage on the scoreboard.

Cornell opens Ivy League play on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 12 p.m. when the Big Red visits the Yale Bowl.