ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell sprint football looks to continue its success in its home-opener against Penn.
Penn at Cornell
DATE: Friday, September 20
TIME: 12:00 PM
SITE: Schoellkopf Field
RECORDS: Cornell 1-0; Penn 0-1
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 59-40
STREAMING: ESPN+ (link coming soon)
STATS:
CornellBigRed.com
About the Big Red
- Cornell enters Friday's matchup with a mark of 1-0, after beating Alderson Broaddus, 38-21, last weekend.
- Senior captain Will Griffen ran in four of five touchdowns for a total of 24 points earned against the Battlers. Jacob Wynkoop scored the last touchdown.
- Ben Finkelstein successfully kicked each of the extra points in addition to one field goal for a total of eight individual points.
- Cornell finished the 2018 season with a 4-2 record that included victories over Caldwell, Chestnut Hill, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Post.
- Cornell had 12 members from last year's squad named to the all-league teams. Brooks Panhans, Matthew Luebke, Jonathan Klobus, Will Griffen, and Marcus Weeks were tabbed first team selections. Alfonso Nazzaro, Harold Green, Peter Sanchez and Amanze Udebiuwa were named to the second team while Connor Ostrander, Conrad McCarthy and Colton Kotecki earned honorable mention honors.
- Of the 12 who received honors, five are on the roster this season: Luebke, Klobus, Griffen, Weeks and Sanchez.
Wearing More than One 'C'
- The Big Red announced its three captains for the 2019 season: Will Griffen, Marcus Weeks, and Jonathan Klobus.
- A two-time All-CSFL selection, Griffen is one of the team's strongest returning players. Last season Griffen collected a total of 184 yards rushing, including three touchdowns scored and 112 reception yards, including 2 touchdowns scored. Also a beast defensively, Griffen ranked second on the 2018 team with 23 solo tackles.
- Weeks was also a defensive force on the field totaling 21 tackles during last season.
- Klobus served as an offensive lineman in 2018, making an appearance in every game.
- Terry Cullen, The Terry Cullen Head Coach of Sprint Football, has been a coach with the sprint football program since 1964, when he joined the staff with his father, former head coach Bob Cullen.
- In his 54-year tenure, Cullen has an overall record of 239-220-11, and his record as a head coach is 182-157-7. Cullen has had two undefeated seasons (1982 and 2006) and won six league championships.
- His title was endowed in 2001 and, in 2008, he requested to relinquish some of his everyday coaching duties to then co-head coach Bart Guccia.
About Associate Head Coach Bob Gneo
- Cullen and his associate head coach Bob Gneo are leading the team in tandem for the third season together.
- Prior to his promotion, Gneo spent a season on the Big Red's coaching staff working specifically with Cornell's defensive backs.
- In his first and second seasons sharing primary coaching responsibilities with Cullen, Gneo helped direct the Big Red to an overall 8-5 record.
About Penn
- In its first game of the season Penn fell to Army, 24-21.
- Quarterback Eddie Jenkins ran in all three of Penn's touchdowns. In total he threw for 176 yards and ran for 129.
- Matteo Murgia led the Penn defense with 10 total tackles. The defense collected a total of 63 tackles and four sacks.
- It proved to be an equal-leveled field for both teams as each completed 14 first downs.
The Series vs Penn
- Friday's matchup will mark the 100th overall meeting between the two schools. Cornell leads the series 57-42. The two have played multiple games that did not qualify as regular season games.
- The Quakers have won the last six meetings. The last time Cornell won was on Sept. 14, 2012 in a 6 OT game. The Big Red won 42-34 with the regulation score being 21-21.
- Penn and Cornell are the oldest remaining members of the CSFL. Penn, who was one of the charter members first fielded a team in 1934, while the Big Red joined the league in 1937.
Up Next
- The Big Red stays at home to host Army West Point on Friday, Sept. 27 for a 7 p.m. game.
