ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell defense dominated early and an opportunistic offense took advantage of five Harvard turnovers to knock off the No. 20 Crimson 27-13 on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The win snapped a nine-game win streak in Ivy play for the Crimson and gave the Big Red its first-ever win over a Top 25 team since joining Division I-AA in 1982.
Cornell shut out the high-powered Crimson offense for the first 51:25 and limited All-America running back Clifton Dawson to a career-low 39 yards on 24 carries. The junior did score a touchdown as Harvard made a late run. Senior Joel Sussman was all over the field for the Big Red, making a game-high 18 tackles, including two for a loss (-7 yards). Junior Ryan Kiscadden added 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and also blocked an extra-point in the win, while Kevin Rex had nine stops with an interception.
The offense was efficient, as the running game pounded out 148 yards and the passing game accounted for another 106 yards. Senior Ryan Kuhn had 47 yards rushing and a touchdown and also tossed for another score while going 9-of-19. Senior Brian Romney was the main recipient of Kuhn's passes, catching five balls for 76 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Luke Siwula fell just short of his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing day, but still had 89 yards and a touchdown.
There were many players who earned the hero title on the day, as senior Jason Cloyd, who didn't start a week ago, made a triumphant return to the lineup. He made three tackles, intercepted a pass and also forced a fumble on defense. In all, nine different players had at least five tackles on the afternoon, while Cornell dropped Harvard ball carriers behind the line seven times. On special teams, Michael Bolling averaged 40.7 yards on six punts, putting two inside the 20-yard line and booting a career-long 53-yard kick, Senior A.J. Weitsman connected on both field goals, including a 38-yard effort in the second quarter to put the Big Red up 17-0, and also made all three extra-point kicks.
Gallery: (10/8/2019) Football vs. Harvard, 10.08.05
Harvard was led offensively by Liam O'Hagan, who rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown and threw for 95 yards on 13-of-24 attempts. He was also intercepted three times. With the Crimson's top two receivers out of action, the Harvard offense still had seven different players record at least one catch.
Defensively, Harvard got 16 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, from Ryan Tully. Keith Howell posted 10 tackles, while Michael Berg had nine and also forced a fumble. The Harvard defense limited Cornell to 3.9 yards per play on the afternoon.
The Big Red set the tone early, as special teams dropped Harvard inside its own 15 on the kickoff, then after dropping Dawson for a 6-yard loss on first down and giving up a modest gain on second down, watched as Rex jumped in front of an O'Hagan pass for his second interception fo the season. On the first play on offense, Kuhn used a bootleg to help free Romney and hit him for a 21-yard strike 1:36 in. Weitsman's extra-point made it 7-0 Cornell.
Cornell's defense forced a turnover or a punt on Harvard's first 13 possessions, including limiting the Crimson to four plays or less on 10 of them and to eight yards or less on 10.
The Big Red extended the lead to 14-0 when Siwula rushed right up the middle for a 28-yard score with 8:43 remaining in the second quarter. It was the longest rush of his career. On the ensuing kickoff, Steve Williams was hit by Patrick Blakemore and coughed up the football, with freshman Tim Bax receovering the ball. After three short gains, Weitsman put the Big Red up 17-0 with his 38-yard effort that split the uprights.
The third quarter saw seven punts and a turnover in a scoreless 15 minutes of play, but the fourth begain with the Big Red taking a 20-0 lead just 2L26 in after Weitsman connected on a 21-yard kick. The Crimson went on its first real sustained drive of the afternoon after a personal foul gave the Crimson the ball on Cornell's 48-yard line. Twelve plays and 48 yards later, the Crimson Dawson found the end zone from 1-yard out to cut the deficit to 20-7 after Matt Schindel's conversion kick with 8:35 remaining.
Cornell decided to put the game out of reach o nits next drive, marching 52 yards on seven plays after a short kick and a long return of 29 yards by Anthony Jackson. Included was a big third-and-5 conversion by Kuhn, finding an Romney for 31 yards down to Harvard's 16. After three straight rushes, Kuhn faked a hand-off and went around the end for a 6-yard score to help Cornell regain it's 20-point cushion at 27-7 with 4:35 to play. The Crimson went on a 14-play drive to get on the scoreboard again, getting within 27-13 after O'Hagan scored on a 4-yard keeper with 53 seconds remaining, but Kiscadden put the damper on any Harvard comeback thoughts with his blocked extra-point kick. The Crimson recovered the ensuing on-side kick, but gave it back on downs with 23 seconds remaining. Cornell took a knee and celebrated on the field after improving to 2-0 at home this season.
Cornell returns to action next weekend when it hosts Georgetown on Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. The Hoyas lead the all-time series 1-0 after a 42-20 win over the Big Red during the 2003 campaign.
