PRINCETON, N.J. -- Sophomore place-kicker
Nickolas Null drilled a 43-yard field goal with 48 seconds remaining to lift Cornell into first place in the Ivy League standings thanks to a 29-28 comeback win at Princeton on Saturday evening.
Facing the defending Ivy League champion and preseason favorite Tigers in the 100th meeting between the programs under the lights on national television, the Big Red added another chapter to one of the most exciting series in college football. The game was the 14th time in the last 28 years the Cornell-Princeton game was decided by a field goal or less or in overtime.
Null's field goal, his second of the fourth quarter and third of the game, erased a 12-point fourth quarter deficit and pushed the Big Red to 3-1 in Ancient Eight play for the first time since 2000 - matching Columbia and Yale at the top of the standings. With three games remaining, the Big Red controls its own destiny in search of its fourth Ivy League title in school history.
The Big Red defense did yeoman's work against a Princeton offense that had scored 50 or more points in three straight games. The Tigers were limited to just one touchdown and 152 total yards after halftime. Cornell's two takeaways helped an offense that remained committed to the run against a defense that entered the day as the third-stingiest in the country. Cornell piled up 163 yards on the ground,a season-high against the Tigers, allowing the Big Red to keep the explosive Princeton offense off the field. Cornell held a 32:44-27:16 edge in time of possession, including for nearly 19 minutes in the second half.
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Nick Gesualdi recorded his 13th career interception in the first half, then later broke up a pair of passes and had a tackle for loss as Cornell forced a Princeton punt midway through the fourth that resulted in the game-winning field goal. Junior
Cyrus Nolan had a sack, classmate
DJ Woullard intercepted a pass and senior captain
Kurt Frimel had seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.
The offense was balanced, with Cornell rushing for 163 yards and passing for 202. Senior
Jake Jatis ran for a team-high 61 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while junior
Dalton Banks completed 23-of-29 passes for 171 yards. Junior
Chris Walker ran for a score and senior
Hayes Nolte pulled down a second quarter aerial for a touchdown. Ten different receivers caught passes in the win.
Princeton's Chad Kanoff was again exceptional, completing 28-of-41 passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns while running for a third. His favorite targets were Jesper Horsted (10 catches, 133 yards), Stephen Carlson (six catches, 72 yards, two touchdowns) and Tiger Bech (seven catches, 97 yards). Defensively, Thomas Johnson had a team-best 16 tackles and both Quincy Wolff and Ben Ellis had interceptions.
Standings Watch
• With its win, the Big Red moved into a tie for first place with Columbia and Yale at 3-1.
• The Bulldogs still have to play Brown, Princeton and Harvard, while the Lions meet Harvard, Cornell and Brown.
• Cornell closes the season with contests against Dartmouth, Columbia and Penn.
Turning Point
• Trailing 21-10 at the break, the Big Red got a 61-yard kick return by
David Jones to the Cornell 38 to open the second half.
• On the very first play from scrimmage, Princeton intercepted a pass.
• The Big Red defense was up to the sudden change, forcing a three-and-out.
• Cornell regained the momentum by embarking on a 10-play, 67-yard drive that allowed the visitors to cut the deficit to 21-16 when junior
Chris Walker leapt on top of a sky-high pile for his seventh career touchdown.
• Though Princeton would add a touchdown to push the lead back to 12 late in the third, the defense had twice forced three-and-outs, allowing the Big Red to gain confidence.
Notes To Know
• Sophomore
Nickolas Null, the reigning Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week, will be a great candidate to repeat. Not only did he connect on all three field goals, including the game-winner with under a minute to play, but he also put all seven kickbacks through the end zone for touchbacks and netted 37.0 yards on four punts.
• Senior
Nick Gesualdi moved into a tie for second on the school's interception list with a first half pick, the 13th of his career.
• The Big Red rallied from a two-touchdown deficit for the second time this season, as Cornell rebounded from a 14-0 deficit against Harvard as well in a 17-14 victory.
• The Cornell offensive line didn't allow a sack for the second time in four Ivy League games.
• Sophomore
David Jones had a pair of long kick returns and averaged 35.5 yards per effort on the day.
• Sophomore
Tommy McIntyre (TE) and junior
Mason Banbury (DL) each made their first college starts.
Tiger Tales
• Cornell cut its deficit in the all-time series to 61-37-2 dating back to 1891.
• Nine of the last 14, 12 of the last 18 and 19 of the last 28 meetings between the teams have been decided by a touchdown or less.
• Half of the last 28 meetings have been decided by a field goal or less or in overtime.
• The last Big Red win came in similar fashion when John Wells kicked a 23-yard field goal with 50 seconds remaining for a 37-35 triumph back in 2012.
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Sights and Sounds
Next Up
• Cornell will visit Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H.
• The Big Green squeaked out a 17-13 victory over the Big Red a season ago, extending its lead in the all-time series to 59-40-1.
• Dartmouth has won eight consecutive matchups between the two programs.
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