Box Score (PDF) I Postgame Press Conference Video

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For more than 30 minutes, the Cornell football team went toe-to-toe with the defending Ivy League champions at their home stadium, but the Crimson was able to pull away after halftime for a 24-7 victory on Saturday at Harvard Stadium. Harvard improved to 4-0 (2-0 Ivy), while the Big Red slipped to 0-4 (0-2 Ivy).

The Big Red defense forced five Crimson turnovers, held the high-scoring Harvard offense scoreless in the first half and cut the lead to 17-7 late in the game before the home team scored an insurance touchdown in the final minute.

Cornell's defense, shelled for 51 points last week against Yale, was the story of the first half. The Big Red forced three turnovers and allowed just 71 total yards to the powerful Harvard offense in the first quarter and kept the Crimson off the scoreboard. Senior Justin Harris forced a pair of turnovers himself, intercepting a pass on the first play from scrimmage and later forcing a fumble that wasd scooped up by freshman Jeremiah Shaw. Fellow seniors Rush Imhotep intercepted a pass, while Michael Turner forced a fumble. Late in the game, junior JJ Fives forced a fumble that Imhotep pounced on it.

Miles Norris had a game-high 15 tackles with two for a loss and a sack, while freshman Nick Gesualdi, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, made eight stops. Fives had seven tackles, two for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble and Imhotep posted seven tackles, a tackle for loss, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Jarrod Watson-Lewis broke up two passes and had six tackles.

Offensively, the Big Red was able to post just 175 yards of offense, though freshman Jake Jatis found sophomore Collin Shaw for a 26-yard touchdown with 3:18 left to put Cornell on the baord and get the visitors back in the game at 17-7. The ensuing on-sides kick went out of bounds and Harvard was able to score the late touchdown to clinch the game.

Jatis ended the day 14-of-22 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown while also being intercepted once. Lucas Shapiro caught three passes for 32 yards, while Shaw had a pair of receptions. In all, eight different pass receivers were recipients of Jatis' throws. Sophomore punter Chris Fraser punted eight times for a 36.8 yard average with three kicks downed inside the Harvard 20.

Neither team had a drive of more than five plays until late in the first quarter, and only one of 16 combined drives in the first 30 minutes ended up with more than 40 yards on offense. There were 10 punts, two interceptions, two fumbles, a failed fourth down conversion and a missed field goal as part of the scoreless first half.

Harvard's defense controlled the line of scrimmage, with senior All-America defensive end Zack Hodges had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, becoming the school's career sack leader (22.0). In all, the Crimson had seven total tackles for loss as a team and limited Cornell to 175 total yards of offense.

Scott Hosch completed 19-of-34 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown, while Andrew Casten and Paul Stanton combined for 125 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Anthony Firkser hauled in four passes for 71 yards and a score.

The second half was a virtual shootout compared to the first half, though it wasn't until the fourth quarter that the home team pulled away. The Crimson got on the board on a gutsy fourth down call, as Hosch completed a 24-yard score to Firkser on a wheel on fourth-and-14 to open the second half. After a Big Red punt, the Crimson drove 74 yards on nine plays with Andrew Flesher converting a 23-yard field goal to make it 10-0 late in the third.

Cornell punted to open the second and the Crimson made it three-for-three on scoring drives in the second half as Stanton ran the ball on five of seven plays for a total of 21 yards, including the final four to make it 17-0. The drive was set up by a huge 28-yard punt return by Seitu Smith to the Harvard 40.

The Big Red put together its best sustained drive of the night, a 12-play effort that ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down. Harvard took over on downs with 4:13 remaining, but Fives hit Casten in the backfield and Imhotep fell on the ball to give Cornell another shot. After Hagy ran for a yard to the Harvard 26, Jatis found a wide open Shaw in the back right corner of the end zone for a touchdown to make it 17-7 with 3:18 left.

The on-sides kick bounced high, but short of the 10 yards necessary before going out of bounds. Cornell was able to force a third-and-6, but the Crimson converted with a Hosch pass to Joseph Foster down to the 3, and Casten took it the rest of the way on the next play.

The Big Red will be the center of Homecoming weekend festivities when Lehigh visits Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. Cornell leads the all-time series 15-8-2, including a last-second 25-24 victory in the last meeting back in 2008 in Bethlehem, Pa.