ITHACA, N.Y. -- Columbia rallied from a 13-0 first half deficit, forcing five turnovers and holding off Cornell late for a 34-26 victory on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field in the season finale for both teams. The Big Red close the 2021 season 2-8 (1-6 Ivy), while the Lions conclude the year 7-3 (4-3 Ivy).
Cornell outgained the Lions 431-257 and held the ball on offense for more than 36 minutes, but turnovers killed off Cornell's chances of retaining the Empire State Bowl. The Big Red's three quarterbacks combined for five interceptions, one off a single-game Columbia defensive record. Cornell's defense was game, allowing just 4.3 yards per play and allowing the visitors a miserable 10-of-24 passing game with one interception of its own, but three of the Lions' scoring drives covered less than 46 yards.Â
Jake Stebbins registered a game-high nine tackles to finish the year with 95, while senior captain
Lance Blass made five stops, including one for a loss, and intercepted a pass.
Isaiah Hogan made six tackles and both
Kenan Clarke and
Logan Thut had four apiece in their final games in a Cornell uniform. Offensively,
Devon Brewer had a career-high 87 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Big Red rushing attack, while
Alex Kuzy hauled in eight passes for 102 yards.
Curtis Raymond III caught a fourth quarter touchdown and
Thomas Glover had four catches for 49 yards to close the season with 767 receiving yards. The trio of
Richie Kenney,
Ben Mays and
Jameson Wang completed 26-of-42 passes for 273 yards and aa touchdown from Mays, but also had the five picks.
Senior
Scott Lees had a big day on special teams, matching a single-game school record with four field goals, adding a pair of PATs, booting four of his six kickoffs through the end zone (one was an on-sides kick) and averaged 34.3 yards on three punts.
Dante Miller and Gabriel Hollingsworth each had touchdown runs and Joe Green threw for a pair of scores, one to Wills Meyer and another to Bryson Canty. Alex Felkins booted two field goals and both Ryan Rhoden and Scott Valentas had nine tackles apiece. Will Allen had two interceptions for the Lions, while Ben Mathiasmeier, Jordan Colbert and Cameron Brown each recorded one.
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Gallery: (11-20-2021) Football vs. Columbia, 11.20.21
First Quarter
• The Big Red took control early with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive after winning the toss and deciding to receive.
• Cornell marched down the field in chunks, including a 26-yard run by Devon Brewer to the 8.
• Two plays later, the senior went over from the 2, and after Lees booted the PAT, made it 7-0 just 4:24 in.
• The defense forced a three-and-out on Columbia's first possession and
Christoph Sontich pounced on a fumble to get the ball back after a second.
• That turnover led to a Lees' 24-yardfield goal to make it 10-0 with 3:12 left.
•
Jameson Wang had a 24-yard run to set up the eventual score.
• Another Columbia three-and-out allowed Cornell to run out the first quarter clock with the double-digit lead.
• After 15 minutes, Cornell held a 9-1 edge in first downs and outgained the Lions 195-21.
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Second Quarter
• The Big Red started at first-and-goal from the 9, but a negative play and a penalty pushed them all the way back to the 26.
• Richie Kenney got a chunk of the yards back on third down when he hit SK Howard out of the backfield for 12 yards to set up Lees' second field goal of the day.
• Lees split the uprights for the 31 to extend the home team's lead to 13-0.
• Columbia took over, using a pair of interceptions and a punt to knot the score going into the break.
• Alex Felkins made field goals from 41 and 25 yards to make it 13-6, then the Lions needed to go just 46 yards to tie it up with 1:44 remaining before halftime.
• Columbia built some momentum with a defensive penalty before Joe Green found an open Wills Meyer for a 29-yard score.
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Third Quarter
• The Lions took their first lead on the opening drive of the second half, going down the field quickly much like the Big Red had in the first.
• A pass interference on third-and-5 set up a first down from the Cornell 42, and Dante Miller took it the rest of the way on the next play to take a 20-13 advantage.
• After Cornell went three-and-out, senior captain Lance Blass intercepted a pass at the Columbia 44 and returned it to the 23.
• The Big Red couldn't do much with it, though the short field led to a 40-yard field goal by Lees to make it 20-16.
• A 10-play, 45-yard drive after another defensive stop ended with a 34-yard field goal by Lees to make it 20-19 with 2:55 left in the second.
Fourth Quarter
• Gabriel Hollingsworth made it an eight-point Columbia lead when he went over from 2 yards out just four seconds into the fourth.
• The Big Red, looking to answer back, started the drive with a 12-yard pass from Kenney to Thomas Glover, followed by a 15-yard penalty for pass interference.
• Facing a second-and-9, Kenney's pass was intercepted by Will Allen, who ran the ball back 47 yards to the Cornell 11.
• Three plays later, Columbia was back in the end zone.
• Green's pass to Bryson Canty from 6 yards saw the Lion make an acrobatic catch in the end zone for six to make it a two-score game.
• A fifth interception with 5:35 largely ended the Big Red's hopes, though Ben Mays led a scoring drive that ended with a 23-yard pass to Curtis Raymond III.
• Lees' PAT made it 34-26.
• The senior then attempted an on-sides kick, but his effort was snatched out of the air by Columbia with 2:47 remaining.
• The Lions picked up a third-and-2 for a first down and was able to run out the clock on the game and the season.
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Next Up
• The 2021 season is complete.
• Cornell opens the 2022 campaign when it visits VMI on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Lexington, Va.
