ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell sprint football team will honor its seniors when it plays its final home game of the 2022 season against Chestnut Hill College on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. Both teams will be in search of their first win this fall.

The Big Red is coming off a competitive 17-0 loss to Penn on Oct. 14. Cornell trailed just 3-0 at halftime and 10-0 into the final four minutes, but could not find the end zone. Evan Nicholas posted nine tackles with an interception and two pass breakups, while Cooper Wise made seven stops with 2.5 sacks. Zac McPherson also registered eight tackles. 

At 0-4, Cornell is eyeing its first win of the year and also looking to snap a five-game skid dating back to last year. The Big Red's Xavier Martinez has thrown for 471 yards and two touchdowns this season with Luke Verzella (13 receptions, 177 yards, one touchdown) and Colin Boyle (12 receptions, 128 yards) his favorite targets. Ralph Fleuranvil has a team-best 193 rushing yards. Head coach Terry Cullen's defense is led by Will Anderson (35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss) and Billy Turner (27 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 2 breakups). 

Chestnut Hill is 0-4 this season after a 28-6 defeat at the hands of Caldwell the followed losses to Navy (27-7), Mansfield (41-20) and Penn (9-6). Third-year head coach Gio Thomas has kept itself in games this year thanks to a defense that is allowing just 346.8 yards per game. Led by freshman defensive lineman Jonathan Havrilak, who ranks second on the team with 30 tackles and has 10.0 for a loss with 5.0 sacks, the Griffins held Penn to nine points. The offense has done most of its damage through the air, with three different quarterbacks throwing touchdowns with five of the six scores coming on passes. CHC is looking to snap a 10-game losing skid.

The Big Red leads the all-time series 2-1, winning two straight in vastly different ways. In 2018 in Ithaca, it was a 49-41 Big Red triumph behind 220 passing and 161 rushing yards from quarterback Connor Ostrander. He accounted for four touchdowns in the win (three passing, one rushing). Cornell won last year's meeting between the two teams in Philadelphia, 6-0. Xavier Martinez ran in a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter and that was all it took in wash-out conditions. Jacob Wynkoop ran for 186 yards to pace the Big Red offense, while Will Anderson made 10 tackles with two for a loss.