ITHACA, N.Y. — The season started on a high note for Cornell sprint football on Saturday as the team sailed to a 33-7 victory over Mansfield. The Big Red, which features a large core of returners this season, will strive to repeat the success it saw in Week 1 when the team travels to Franklin Pierce this weekend. In a league where the champion is crowned based on regular season record, every game is as important as the next.
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #2: Cornell Big Red at Franklin Pierce Ravens
WHEN: Saturday, Sept.  26, 2015, Noon
WHERE: Sodexo Field — Rindge, N.H.
2015 RECORDS: Cornell 1-0, Franklin Pierce 0-1
STREAMING VIDEO ($):  BoxCast.com
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
In the season opener last weekend, Cornell maintained its perfect record against Mansfield with a commanding 33-7 win over the Mounties. The Big Red is now 12-0 all-time against Mansfield. Senior wide receiver Trevor Marrero opened the scoring, catching a 25-yard pass from junior quarterback Rob Pannullo, before Mansfield evened the score late in the quarter, the Mounties' only points of the game. In the second quarter, Pannullo added a touchdown of his own, running for two yards after the Big Red recovered a fumble on the Mansfield 5-yard line. Cornell capitalized on another Mansfield turnover later in the quarter when senior linebacker Jino Park returned an interception 69 yards. Marrero added his second touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter before senior running back Benjamin Pham closed the scoring with a 20-yard run. ... A win against Franklin Pierce would give the Big Red their first 2-0 start and first consecutive wins in a season since 2012.
 
PRODUCTIVE PANNULLO
Junior quarterback Rob Pannullo picked up right where he left off last season in the opener at Mansfield, completing 13 of his 19 pass attempts and throwing for 116 yards and two touchdowns. His 68.4 percent completion rate was the best in the CSFL in Week 1. He also rushed for 72 yards and picked up a running touchdown of his own. In 2014, his first season as the Big Red's starting quarterback, Pannullo made an impression, notching 408 rushing yards and 982 passing yards, averaging just under 200 all-purpose yards per game. He also threw 12 touchdown passes and ran for four touchdowns on the ground. In Cornell's season finale 38-21 win over Mansfield in 2014, Pannullo finished with 266 all-purpose yards, ran for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass.
 
NONE SHALL PASS
Cornell ranked first in the CSFL in pass defense in Week 1, allowing just nine pass completions for 63 yards on Mansfield's 26 attempts. The Big Red defense held the Mounties to an average of just 2.4 yards per attempt.
 
BIG RED ZONE
Cornell also ranked No. 1 in the CSFL in red zone defense in Week 1, not allowing Mansfield to score in either of their trips to the red zone. The Big Red was tied for first in red zone offense as well, converting all three of their chances in the red zone.
 
CAPTAIN QUARTET
Cornell will be led by four captains this season, two offensive and two defensive. Seniors Benjamin Herrera and Trevor Marrero have been tabbed to lead the offense, as both return playing experience and leadership skills to the Big Red's roster. On the other side of the ball, seniors Evan Zittel and Jared Meichner will head the defense.
 
FRESH FACES
Cornell boasts 14 freshmen this year, one of the largest incoming classes the team has had in recent years. Co-head coach Bart Guccia has noted that this young group is one of the best he's seen in terms of athletic ability. Two members of the incoming class, quarterback Connor Ostrander and defensive back Conrad McCarthy come to Cornell from Longmeadow High School, where they played for the Massachusetts state championship. In addition, the group includes two athletes who are natural centers and played the position in high school, something Guccia notes is difficult to find in an incoming sprint football class.
 
ABOUT HEAD COACH TERRY CULLEN
Cullen, The Terry Cullen Head Coach of Sprint Football, has been the patriarch of the program at Cornell for over half a century after joining his father, former head coach Bob Cullen, in 1964. In his 51-year tenure, Terry Cullen has posted a 173-145-7 record, including two undefeated seasons and six league championships. His title was endowed in 2001 and, in 2008, he requested to relinquish some everyday coaching duties to co-head coach Bart Guccia.
 
ABOUT CO-HEAD COACH BART GUCCIA
Now in his eleventh season on the Cornell sprint football coaching staff and his eighth as co-head coach, Guccia's teams have amassed a 39-29 record since he joined the program in 2005. Typically offensive-minded, Guccia has developed the Big Red's balanced offensive attack.
 
ABOUT FRANKLIN PIERCE
The Ravens dropped their season opener to Penn, 51-7, last weekend, giving up 20+ points in each of the first two quarters. Senior quarterback Derek Reddy passed for 200 yards and led the league for Week 1 in pass completions with 19, but was sacked nine times. Senior tight end Michael Holdridge and freshman wide receiver Jalen Oliver led Franklin Pierce in receiving, each catching five passes for 49 yards. Senior running back D.J. McDonald scored the Ravens' only touchdown and rushed for 17 yards on the game.
 
THE SERIES WITH FRANKLIN PIERCE
Cornell holds a 2-1 advantage over the Ravens since Franklin Pierce joined the CSFL. The Big Red opened its 2014 campaign with a 28-7 win over the Ravens on Sept. 20 at Schoellkopf Field. Kevin Nathanson and Trevor Marrero caught touchdown passes and Rob Pannullo added two rushing touchdowns in his first game as starting quarterback. Cornell's only loss to Franklin Pierce came in 2013 when the Ravens took a 13-6 win in a defensive battle.

UP NEXT
After travelling to Franklin Pierce, the Big Red comes home to Schoellkopf Field for a 1 p.m. start on Oct. 3 against Army West Point. Co-head coach Bart Guccia tabbed this game as one of the highlights of this season's schedule as the Black Knights are typically one of the CSFL's teams to beat.