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PRINCETON, N.J. – Cornell sprint football bounced back in a big way on Friday evening, crushing Princeton 55-0 at Princeton Stadium. The Big Red set a new record in the victory, rolling up 48 points in the first half, the highest total in the 75 year history of the program.
 
Cornell (2-2) jumped on Princeton (0-3) early and often as the offense found little trouble moving the ball against the Tigers overmatched front-seven. The Big Red punched in touchdowns on its first five drives of the contest.
 
Quarterback Rob Pannullo and running back Benjamin Herrera carried the load on the initial drive of the game as the Big Red went six-plays and 56-yards for the game opening score. Pannullo finished the 1-minute 36-second drive with a one-yard scoring plunge.
 
Pannullo would finish with 29-yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown, while going 5-for-5 with 76-yards and an additional score through the air.
 
Herrera put in similarly strong work before ceding the majority of the snaps after the Big Red secured the large lead. He rumbled for 83-yards on 11-carries with two scores, while adding one catch for 18-yards.
 
The Cornell defense was just as stout as the offense on this night. The Big Red held the Tigers to just 63-yards in the opening half, forcing five punts and two turnovers-on-downs, while adding one interception.
 
Kevin Nathanson shouldered the load on the Big Red's second drive. He rushed for 26-yards and added a 12-yard reception, capping the 39-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown.
 
Herrera jumped back in as the lead back on the third drive score. The running back took care of the final 27-yards on the ground to score the first of his two touchdowns. Pannullo worked the aerial attack on the fourth drive, connecting on a 16-yard pass to Jonathan Roth and a 14-yard touchdown strike to Trevor Marrero. The score pushed the Big Red lead to 28-0, while still in the first quarter of play.
 
Herrera finished the five-for-five start with two-yard rush to pay dirt just 1:22 into the second quarter.
 
With the large lead, Karriem Royster and Benjamin Pham took over the lead backfield roles for the Big Red. Pham looked to be heading toward Cornell's sixth consecutive touchdown to start the game on offense, but a fumble on the Princeton ten-yard line stymied the Big Red drive. He made up for the miscue on the following drive. Set up inside the Princeton ten, thanks to an 18-yard punt return by Joshua Begleiter and 13-yard pass from Royster to Daniel Anderson, Pham punched it in from 3-yards out.
 
Dan Ferguson picked off Princeton quarterback Chad Cowden on the Tigers ensuing drive, setting Cornell up at the Princeton 38-yard line after an 18-yard return. On the ensuing Big Red drive Royster hooked up with Ferguson for a 25-yard touchdown to cap the first half scoring with 3:30 remaining. He would finish 2-of-4 for 38-yards and the one scoring strike to Ferguson.
 
Both teams locked in defensively in the second half with the result in little doubt. The Big Red did add one touchdown in the fourth quarter. Set up by a Jino Park fumble recovery inside the Princeton red zone, Jensen Cheung punched in a scoring run from two-yards out to become the fifth different Big Red player to score on the evening.
 
Noah Shepard led the way defensively in the shut out, pacing the Big Red with eight stops on the evening. Nick Lussier was extremely active, creating splash plays all over the field. He recorded four tackles, adding a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception.
 
Sprint football will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 18. The Big Red will return to Schoellkopf Field for homecoming as it welcomes Navy for a 10 a.m. kick in the first game of a double header. Varsity football will take on Lehigh at 3 p.m.