The Big Red Head to Philly for Penn Homecoming

David Archer '05
The Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Cornell Football

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS
• Cornell seeks win number four of the season when it travels to Penn to take on the Quakers. The contest will go down on Saturday, November 4 at Franklin Field.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The Quakers enter the contest searching for their third Ivy League win after opening the conference slate at 2-2 coming off of a loss to Brown. The Quakers were receiving votes in last week’s FCS Coaches Poll.
• A win this weekend would mark the most conference wins since 2019, when the Big Red went 3-4.
• The Big Red notched a rare achievement against Brown when brothers Paul and Jeremiah Lewis each caught an interception. It was the second time in Cornell’s history this has happened.
• Picked to finish seventh in the Ivy League preseason media poll, Cornell seeks to again surpass expectations after turning a last-place preseason selection in 2022 into a sixth-place finish and .500 record.
• Cornell’s captainship is held by two this year, seniors Micah Sahakian and Jake Stebbins. Each game will have a third game captain. The game captain for Lehigh and Yale was senior Holt Fletcher. Jackson Kennedy served as game captain against Colgate. Manny Adebi was the game captain at Harvard and vs. Bucknell. Connor Morgan was captain against Brown. Last week, Brody Kidwell served as the captain against Princeton.
• Stebbins is a three-time All-Ivy honoree including a first-team selection in 2021. Sahakian earned an honorable mention All-Ivy nod.
• The Big Red returns 18 starters, boasting one of the most experienced line-ups in the Ivy. 

A LOOK BACKWARDS
• The Big Red finished the 2022 season with a 5-5 overall record (2-5 Ivy). 
• Two of the five losses were by a single touchdown.
• The five-win season marked the best record for the Big Red since 2011, when the team also went 5-5.
• The 2022 season saw a 3-2 road record, the best for the Big Red since the 2016 season.
• Cornell put 12 student-athletes on All-Ivy teams, a mark matching the 2005 total, which was the most since 1995 when the team boasted 14.
• The Big Red return 18 of the 28 starters from last season, including a three-time All-Ivy honoree in Jake Stebbins, who is back for his fifth season in the Carnellian and White.
• Stebbins will serve as a two-time captian for the team after being one of four last season.
• Another returner to note is junior quarterback Jameson Wang, who passed for over 1,600 yard in 2022, while also scoring eight rushing touchdowns.
• Other All-Ivy returners include Jackson Kennedy (PK), Davon Kiser (Ret.), Paul Lewis III (DB), Connor Henderson (LB), Matt Robbert (TE), and co-captain Micah Sahakian (OL).

A WIN OVER PENN WOULD...
• improve the conference mark to three wins for the first time since the 2019 season.
• be the 85th Ivy League road win in program history.
• up Cornell’s record in the all-time series to 48-76-5.
• give Cornell a 236-228-15 (.553) record all-time in the
month of November.
• mark the fouth win in seven games hosted in Philadelphia since the 2011 season.
• prevent the start of a two-game skid.
• be the 657th in program history (15th-most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

ABOUT PENN
• Penn fell to 2-2 in Ivy League play with its 30-26 loss to Brown at home last week.
• The Quakers rank second in the Ivy League in total offense (400.7 yards per game) and passing offense (306.1). They are fourth in scoring (27.4 points per game).
• Penn is second to Cornell in time of possession, averaging 32:38 per game.
• Penn quarterback Aidan Sayin has completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,103 yards, the second-most in the Ivy League and the 13th-most in the FCS. He has 13 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
• Sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson has been Sayin’s top target. One of the top playmakers in the FCS, Richardson leads the Ivy League in catches (57) and is second in yards (623) and touchdowns (5).
• Richardson has caught 12 or more passes in three games this season. He had 17 receptions for 191 yards and a score in a win over Yale two weeks ago.
• Penn is second in the Ivy League in total defense (278.9 yards per game), rushing defense (96.3 yards per game) and passing defense (182.6 yards per game). Its 17 sacks lead the league.
• Senior defensive linemen Joey Slackman (9) and Jack Luliano (8.5) rank third and fourth in the Ivy League in tackles for a loss. Luliano leads the Quakers with four sacks. 
• Senior defensive back Shiloh Means has three interceptions, tied for the most in the league. 
• Kicker Graham Gotlieb has made 10 of his 12 field goals this season. He’s 1 of 1 from inside 20 yards, 5 of 5 from 20-29, 2 of 3 from 30-39 and 2 of 3 from 40-49. 

THE SERIES
• Penn has a 76-47-5 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1893. Cornell has lost seven of the last eight games. 
• Cornell and Penn have been playing for the Trustees’ Cup since 1995. The Quakers have a 19-8 advantage over the Big Red in trophy games. 
• The Big Red trails 60-35-4 in road games against the Quakers. Cornell beat Penn 15-12 in Philadelphia two seasons ago. 
• Four of the last five meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer. 

THE LAST MEETING WITH PENN
• Penn took advantage of short fields and Cornell mistakes to race out to a 28-7 lead, then held off a Big Red comeback to capture a 28-21 victory over the Big Red at Schoellkopf Field. 
• Cornell limited Penn to 272 yards of offense and 10 first downs and dominated time of possession (35:29-24:31), but two turnovers, two blocked punts and penalties at key junctures allowed the Quakers to put together three touchdown drives that totaled 80 yards. 
• Penn’s Trey Flowers gained 124 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and Aidan Savin threw a pair of touchdown passes, a 47-yard pass to Sterling Stokes another for 38 yards to Joshua Casili. 
• The Quakers were credited with 11.0 tackles for loss and three sacks, with Garrett Morris adding 10 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. 
• Jonathan Melvin made 3.5 tackles for loss and broke up a pass.
• Jake Stebbins and Connor Morgan each were credited with seven tackles, while Trey Harris had six stops, forced a fumble and had an interception wiped out due to penalty. 
• Anthony Chideme-Alfaro intercepted a pass and Manny Adebi, the reigning Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week blocked his school-record fourth kick of the season and third in two weeks. 
• Both Paul Lewis III and Noah Taylor broke up two passes apiece.
• Sophomore Jameson Wang accounted for three touchdowns, including throwing two scoring passes to fifth-year senior Thomas Glover. 
• Wang gained 84 rushing yards on 25 carries and scored once against the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing defense. 
• Penn entered the day surrendering just 54.0 rushing yards per game, though the Big Red piled up 134 yards without two of its top three running backs. 

LAST TIME OUT
RECAP I BOX SCORE I HIGHLIGHTS I GALLERY I POSTGAME NOTES
• Jackson Kennedy became the 25th player in Cornell history surpass the century mark in points in Cornell’s 14-3 loss to the Tigers.
• The defensive dead-lock was broken only twice all afternooon, when Princeton scored on two passing plays, each over 30 yards.
• The Tigers opened the scoring in the first quarter after breaking open the Cornell secondary and sending a long pass down for a 77-yard score.
• Cornell answered in the second quarter with a Jackson Kennedy field goal, but the Tigers found paydirt to close out the half on a 33-yard pass.
• Both defenses held strong, with neither team allowing a point the rest of the way.
• Senior Jackson Kennedy’s 14 field goals has tied AJ Weitsman’s season school record of 14 from 2005.
• With 100 career points, Kennedy is the 25th player overall and sixth kicker with reach the 100-point milestone.
• With 88 career points, Kennedy is up to 10th place all-time in kicking points.
• His 21 career field goal makes ranks fourth all-time at Cornell.
• With 54 points through seven games, Kennedy sits fifth in a season in kicking points at Cornell. He is approaching Brad Greenway’s single-season kick scoring record of 75 points from 2011.
• With 4,825 yards of total offense, junior Jameson Wang ranks sixth all-time at Cornell after surpassing Chad Levitt (4,657 yards) and Ed Marinaro (4,715 yards).
• With 1,222 rushing yards for his career, Wang moved into 23rd place on the school’s career list. Next up is Don Fanelli ‘76  (1,291) and Randy Barbour (1,343).
• Wang also upped his career passing yardage total to 3,603 yards, just 76 yards from matching Richie Kenney ‘22 for sixth all-time.
• Senior linebacker Connor Henderson’s four tackles upped his career total to 101, making him the 141st player at Cornell to reach that milestone.
• After compiling seven catches for 55 yards against Brown, senior wide receiver Nicholas Laboy upped his career receiving total to 881 yards (31st all-time).

HALL OF FAME FIGURES
• Over Homecoming weekend, Cornell honored the 2023 Cornell Hall of Fame honorees with an on-field ceremony.
• From football, J.C. Tretter ‘13 was inducted in this years class. During his time at Cornell, the offensive lineman was named a unanimous All-Ivy First Team selection. At the time, he protected Jeff Matthews’ blindside, helping the Big Red to set a new Cornell and Ivy passing record. Tretter’s protection also earned him a second-team All-American recognition. He was the 25th pick of the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Green Bay Packers. He also spent time with the Cleveland Browns. In the spring of 2020, Tretter was named the President of the NFL Players Association.
• A “special category” inductee alongside Tretter is the former Meakem Smith Director of Athletics & Physical Education, Andy Noel. Noel was the head of Cornell athletics for 24 years. Under him, the Big Red won 106 Ivy League team titles and 37 national championships. Nearly, 2,300 athletes earned All-Ivy honors, including 850 first-teamers and 400 All-Americans.
• 13 other inductees were honored alongside Tretter and Noel.
 

BIG RED RANKINGS
• The Big Red ranks number one in all of Division I football (FBS and FCS) in time of possession, averaging over 35 minutes per game.
• Cornell ranks 20th in the FCS in first down defense, allowing 130 across five games.
• The Big Red ranks third in the Ivy in passes intercepted with eight.
• Cornell turnovers lost ranks 13th in FCS, losing just seven turnovers.
• Cornell ranks eighth in the FCS in passes had intercepted, with just three interceptions across the season.
• Cornell is tied with Yale in Red Zone Offense, scoring on 88 percent of trips within the top-20.
• Jackson Kennedy leads the FCS in field goals per game (2.00).
• Kennedy also ranks atop the Ivy League in scoring, averaging 7.7 points per game.
• Manny Adebi ranks third in FCS in blocked kicks (3).
• Jameson Wang has the 13th most total offense in FCS, averaging 280.4 yards per game.
• Wang has the 10th-most completions per game in the FCS, averaging 22.57.
• Hunter Sloan ranks sixth in the FCS and is tied for first in the Ivy League in fumbles recovered, scooping two in just five games.

THE KENNEDY FILE
• Kennedy became the 25th player in Cornell history to hit the 100-point watchlistas he sent a field goal up and in against Princeton.
• With 88 career field goal-points, Kennedy is up to 10th place all-time in kicking points.
• His 21 career field goal makes ranks fourth all-time at Cornell.
• With 54 points through seven games, Kennedy sits fifth in a season in kicking points at Cornell. He is approaching Brad Greenway’s single-season kick scoring record of 75 points from 2011.
• In the game against Brown, he drilled a 28-yard field goal as time expired to end the first half. The senior has now ended five of the past 11 halves of play with a walk-off kick.

RED WEEKLY HONORS
• After week one, Big Red punter and placekicker, Jackson Kennedy, was named the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Kennedy earned the nod after booting the second longest punt in school history (81 yards). He also went 2-for-2 in field goals in the fourth quarter, providing the winning points for the Big Red. He was the only player in the Ivy League to kickoff, punt and placekick in the opening weekend.
• In week two, Kennedy repeated with the Special Teams POTW award, and he was joined by Connor Henderson, who was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
• Kennedy drilled the winning field goal from 37 yards out as the clock expired to life Cornell over Yale for the first time since 2016. He went 3-for-3 on field goals, while also securing both extra points and punted his first-career I20 punt.
• Henderson matched his career-high in solo tackles with five, and added two assists for a season-high seven. He tallied his second-career interception and returned it for five yards at the perfect time,  preventing Yale from marching down the field, holding the Bulldog lead to 14-3 at halftime. Henderson headlined a Cornell defense that held the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, Nolan Grooms, to his second-lowest completion percentage of his collegiate career (38.9%). The senior linebacker and the rest of the defense held Yale to just 301 yards, over 60 yards less than what the Bulldogs put up against #5 Holy Cross.
• Kennedy was the first back-to-back Cornell awardee since 2019.
• Week two marked the first time since 2017 that the Big Red had multiple honorees in the same week since October 30, 2017 when Nick Gesualdi and Nickolas Null were named Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
• In week six, Kennedy earned his third Ivy Special Teams POTW honor following his three-field goal performance against Brown in the team’s 36-14 win.
• Kennedy is the third Cornellian to be a mutli-time special teams honoree, and the first since 2017 when Nolan Null earned the honor four times.

The Class of 2023

• Schoellkopf Field has been an indelible mark of Cornell football since it opened in 1915 and this year will be the 107th season at the home field. 
• A gift from Willard Straight ‘01 and the family of Henry (Heinie) Schoellkopf ‘02 made the construction possible for the current stadium. 
• The Big Red’s first year on the field was one of its best, going 9-0 and winning the national championship. 
• In 1915, General Electric Company completed work on a flood searchlight system for the field, and in 1924 a construction project was completed to bring capacity from 9,000 to 21,500 by adding the famed Crescent. 
• In 1947 that capacity was increased to 25,597 and a press box was added. 
• In 1971 a gift was made to put artificial turf on the field, and it was resurfaced three times, the last time in 1999. 
• A new press box was built in 1986.
• The 2008 season saw installation of FieldTurf synthetic grass to replace the artificial turf. 
• In 2016, the West Stands were demolished and the field was moved 15 feet toward the Crescent while replacing the FieldTurf to ready for more construction at the site, lowering the capacity to 21,500 in the process.

Few collegiate football programs have the storied history of Cornell University. With more than 130 seasons of football in the books, the Big Red has collected five national titles, won over 650 games and has had legendary players and coaches perform on historic Schoellkopf Field. Names such as Glenn "Pop" Warner and Heisman Trophy finalist and NCAA record-breaker Ed Marinaro have suited up for Cornell, while seven College Football Hall of Famers (including Warner, Gil Dobie and Carl Snavely) and multiple-time Super Bowl winner George Seifert have set the strategy as head coaches. Now, with David Archer '05 leading the program, there’s little doubt that history will continue to be made.

NEXT UP
• The Big Red will remain on the road for the final away contest of the year. The team travels to Hanover, N.H to take on Dartmouth.
• Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Memorial Field. Fans at home can catch the game on ESPN+.