ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior
Richie Kenney threw for 268 yards and an 87-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by senior
Jelani Taylor at the end of the first half spurred the Cornell football team's rally on Saturday, but Colgate forced a turnover on downs in its own territory in the final minute to hold on for a 21-20 victory over the Big Red at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell fell to 1-4, while the Raiders improved to 1-7.
Gallery: (10/19/2019) Football vs. Colgate, 10.19.19
Senior
Harold Coles rushed for 89 yards on 17 carries for Cornell, which scored on its first drive of the game on a 39-yard field goal by junior
Garrett Patla. Colgate responded with a pair of touchdowns late in the second quarter to take a 14-3 lead, then it was in prime position to push the lead further from the Cornell 3-yard line just before the half. Freshman
Jake Stebbins' sack of Colgate quarterback Grant Breneman forced a fumble and led to Taylor's dramatic return. Instead of 17-point deficit at the half, Patla's extra-point pulled Cornell to within four points at the break.
The Big Red took the lead in the third quarter on Kenney's 5-yard touchdown pass to junior
SK Howard. The Raiders answered back with a touchdown on their next drive to take a lead into the fourth. Cornell made it a one-point game on Patla's 28-yard field goal with 13:49 to play, but could get no closer.
Senior
Jake Watkins led the Cornell defense with nine tackles, and sophomore
Eric Stoxstill-Diggs had a first-quarter interception — his first at the collegiate level. Stebbins, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, had six tackles, including two for a loss and a sack, to go along with his forced fumble.
Offensively, Kenney completed 22-of-42 passes for a career-high 268 yards in his third career start. He hit eight different receivers, with
Phazione McClurge catching a game-high six passes for 87 yards.
Owen Peters grabbed three passes for 78 yards. On special teams, Patla was a perfect 2-of-2 on field goals and hit his only extra-point kick, while
Nickolas Null averaged 42.4 yards on five punts with two downed inside the 20.
Scott Lees, in his first collegiate action, averaged 61.0 yards on four kickoffs with one touchback.
Colgate's Alex Mathews had 94 yards on nine carries and scored once and Malik Twyman also found the end zone on the ground. Breneman ended the day 19-of-27 passing for 224 yards and a touchdown, while Collin Heard had a team-best seven tackles.
First Quarter
• Cornell got on the board first on the opening possession of the game on a 39-yard
Garrett Patla field goal. A 20-yard completion from
Richie Kenney to
Phazione McClurge and a 16-yard
Harold Coles run on back-to-back plays were vital in getting the Big Red in field goal range and giving Cornell an early 3-0 advantage.
• The Big Red defense came up big on the ensuing Colgate possession, and with the Raiders driving down the field,
Eric Stoxstill-Diggs stopped Colgate in its tracks, intercepting Grant Breneman's pass and helping Cornell re-gain possession.
• Cornell closed out the first quarter with a 3-0 advantage.
Second Quarter
• Colgate was the first to strike in the second quarter, as Grant Breneman connected with Nick Gill on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Following a Chris Puzzi extra point, the Raiders took a 7-3 lead. Colgate drove all the way down the field for the score, putting together an 11 play, 83-yard drive that was highlighted by an 18-yard completion from Breneman to Michael Kane.
• Cornell fumbled the ball on the next possession and Colgate recovered, giving the Raiders the ball on the Cornell 41-yard line. After a pair of 20-yard Breneman completions to Nick Draught and Nick Gill, the Raiders found the end zone once again on a 1-yard Malik Twyman rushing touchdown. After a good Puzzi extra point, Colgate extended its lead to 14-3.
• On the closing drive of the first half, Colgate was threatening to score again, but
Jake Stebbins and
Jelani Taylor turned the tables for the Big Red. The Raiders opened the drive on their own 23 yard line with 1:27 left in the second quarter, and started driving down the field immediately. The Raiders worked all the way down to the Cornell one yard line, at which point the Big Red defense came up big. Stebbins sacked Breneman for a loss of six yards, forcing him to fumble the football. Taylor seized the opportunity, scooping up the football and running the ball back 87 yards for a Cornell touchdown. Following a Patla extra point, the Big Red entered the locker room trailing, 14-10.
Third Quarter
• Colgate got the ball to open the second half, and the Cornell defense picked up right where they left off, forcing the Raiders to go three-and-out.
• The Big Red offense took over, and Kenney connected with
Owen Peters on a 51-yard pass to bring Cornell to the Colgate 13-yard line. A costly red zone fumble halted the Big Red's drive, as Colgate recovered and took over on their own one yard line.
• The Cornell defense stepped up once again, as Colgate went three-and-out for its second consecutive possession and was forced to punt. The punt went out of bounds at the Colgate 29-yard line, giving the Big Red fantastic field position.
• Cornell took advantage, as Kenney completed a five-yard touchdown pass to
SK Howard. With the Patla extra point, Cornell was back on top, 17-14.
• Colgate did not waste any time, scoring on the next drive. After a 49-yard run two plays earlier, Alex Mathews ran the ball into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run, capping off a seven play, 78 yard touchdown drive. With the extra point, Colgate reclaimed a 21-17 advantage.
Fourth Quarter
• Cornell cut the gap to one point in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard
Garrett Patla field goal, his second field goal of the game.
• Cornell would knock on the door as the quarter wound down, but was unable to score again, as Colgate held on for the 21-20 victory.
Next Up
• The Big Red continues with its three-game home stand when it welcomes Brown to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m.
• The Bears lead the all-time series 37-28-1 dating back to the first matchup in 1895, though Cornell has won two straight.
• Cornell hasn't won three or more consecutive games in the series since embarking on a four-game streak from 1990-93.
• The Big Red won last season's meeting 34-16 in Providence, R.I., it's first win in the Ocean State since 2002.
