LEWISBURG, Pa. – At pregame meal, senior captain Matt Sullivan talked to his teammates about the confidence they had built over the offseason. Then, when a winning play needed to be made, the big tight end snatched a 22-yard touchdown out of the air that helped Cornell to a 24-16 season-opening win over Bucknell at Christy Mathewson Stadium.

The Big Red overcame the usual early season jitters that manifested itself in penalties (11 for 85 yards) and missed execution early. It didn't affect Cornell's ability to hold on to the ball (zero turnovers) or the defense's ability to separate Bucknell from it (three turnovers). That made all the difference for the Big Red.

Sophomores played an undeniable role in the victory. Quarterback Dalton Banks accounted for three touchdowns, running back Chris Walker ran 16 times for 133 yards and cornerback DJ Woullard intercepted two passes. Sophomore place-kicker Zach Mays made a career-long 41-yard field goal and all three PAT kicks and placed all five of his kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks.

Cornell found itself trailing 10-0 before it could get itself up to game speed. Having dug itself a hole, the Big Red slowly started climbing out a little at a time.

The Big Red had three penalties on the first offensive drive alone, which ended in a punt. Eight plays and four minutes later, the Bison were in the end zone. Joey DeFloria, whose feet kept churning all afternoon to the tune of 154 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, found paydirt from 1-yard out. He would later give Bucknell another lead when he capped the first drive of the second half with a 26-yard scoring scamper.

After a three-and-out by the Big Red offense, the home team had a short field to work with, but Woullard intercepted a Matt Muh pass in the end zone to end the scoring threat. A third first quarter punt by the offense set up the Bison for a chip shot 21-yard field goal midway through the second to make it 10-0.

Cornell then found its legs, embarking on an 11-play, 46-yard drive that ended with Mays booting through a 41-yard kick. The Big Red forced a three-and-out on the defensive side, and despite being backed up to their own 16, marched 84 yards to knot the score. Walker ran for 43 yards on the drive and Banks passed for 18 more before running for the final 10 himself on third-and-goal and just 28 seconds remaining before halftime. The PAT tied the score heading into the locker room.

Bucknell answered out of halftime, but Geno DeMarco was able to get through the line to block the extra-point less than four minutes into the second half. That swung the momentum back to the visitors. Banks completed 3-of-4 passes for 36 yards on the ensuing drive and took it in himself from the 1. Mays booted the PAT to give Cornell its first lead at 17-16 with 7:05 left in the third.

Woullard's second interception of the day, this time reacting off great outside coverage, got the ball back to Cornell and set up Sullivan's touchdown to put the Big Red up eight. Bucknell had a pair of chances to have a chance to tie, but Malcolm Chaka's forced fumble and Kurt Frimel's recovery ended the first chance inside the red zone, and Cornell turned the Bison over on downs.

Walker iced the game with a pair of first downs and the Big Red went into victory formation for the first time in 2016.

Special Teams
• Cornell's special teams proved to be a weapon in the opener.
• Sophomore place-kicker Zach Mays was a perfect 4-for-4 on kicks, including a career-long 41-yard field goal, and also booted all through of his kickoffs through the end zone.
• All-America punter Chris Fraser put the pressure on the Bison in the fourth quarter with a 58-yard punt that flipped field position that ultimately left Bucknell 20 yards from the end zone on its final drive.
• Cornell's coverage was outstanding on punts, allowing only one return for a total of three yards, the only return yards allowed all day.
• Senior Ben Rogers averaged 20.5 yards on his four kickoff returns and returned one punt seven yards.

First Starts
• The Big Red had a number of first-time starters when the ball was kicked off against the Bison.
• On offense, sophomores Dalton Banks (QB), Henry Stillwell (RT) and Chris Walker (RB), junior Islam Mohamed (LT) and senior Jake Waltman (LG) all made their first career start.
• Defensively, sophomores Malcolm Chaka (OLB), Chase Wickenheiser (NG) and DJ Woullard (CB) and juniors Daniel Crochet (MLB), Kurt Frimel (MLB) and Jelani King (CB) all debuted in the starting lineup.

Miscellaneous
• Sophomore DJ Woullard became the first Cornell player to intercept two passes in a game since Nick Gesualdi picked off a pair of Columbia throws in 2014.
• The Big Red scored on all four possessions spanning the second and third quarters, including on three consecutive 11-play drives.
• Junior Daniel Crochet posted a career-high 11 tackles in his first career start.
• Nine different receivers hauled in a catch and none had more than three receptions.
• Cornell was 0-6 a season ago when its opponent scored first.
• The win snapped an eight-game non-conference losing streak and a five-game road skid.
• It also improved Cornell's record in the series to 43-13, ending a two-game losing streak to Bucknell.
The Big Red is now 92-33-4 in season openers, 131-80-7 against Patriot League teams and 104-62-5 in the month of September.

Team Up Day
• Cornell head football coach David Archer '05 and his team participated in Team Up Day this past week.
• The Concussion Legacy Foundation encouraged organizations, coaches, parents, and especially athletes to sign up to participate in Team Up Day at TeamUpDay.org, where you can learn more about the program.
• Those who pledged to participate in Team Up Day were asked to post on social media using #TeamUpSpeakUp and include a "teamie" – a photo of teammates with their arms around one another and index fingers in the air pointing up, signifying that they're teaming up.
• Coach Archer recorded this message, which was distributed on Cornell's social media outlets this week.



Next Up
• The Big Red will open the 2016 home schedule with a Homecoming matchup against Yale on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 47-29-2 and have won the last three meetings, including a 33-26 matchup last September in New Haven, Conn.