The Big Red's Brotherly Duo In The Secondary

ITHACA, N.Y. — Paul Lewis III and his brother Jeremiah have often been in the same place, though they have always been a few steps apart. 

They were on the same varsity team at  Archbishop Curley in 2018, but Paul was a senior starter, and Jeremiah was a freshman with a limited role and hungry for his chance. The defensive backs joined forces again at Cornell University last year, but, like their high school days, Paul had a starting role while Jeremiah got most of his snaps on special teams. 

This season — Paul’s last in college — has finally brought them to the same level. The Lewis brothers have been a defensive backfield duo for the Big Red, with Paul starting and Jeremiah right behind him on the depth chart. It’s the situation they dreamed of as kids, playing on and producing for the same Division I team. 

“When I was in high school watching him (Paul) make plays, it was cool,” Jeremiah said. “But in my mind, I was thinking, ‘I want to play with my brother. I want to be on the field at the same time.’ Now that we’re here, that’s happening.”

Neither Paul nor Jeremiah will soon forget Cornell’s 36-14 victory over Brown on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Schoellkopf Field. They became the second set of brothers in Cornell history to record interceptions in the same game, joining John and Ron Vitullo, who did it in a 1992 victory against Lehigh. Not even the most notable brother duos in recent memory — Jason and Devin McCourty (Rutgers) and Shaquill Griffin and Shaquem Griffin (UCF) — pulled off the rare feat in a collegiate game. 

Paul recorded his interception in the third quarter and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown, Cornell’s longest pick-six since 2011. Paul said Jeremiah told him before the play to “trap” the flat, which is exactly where the quarterback threw the football. 

“I saw the QB look at me,” Paul said. “He looked my way, and I was like, ‘He’s not going to throw it.’ He threw it because he didn’t see me behind everything. I caught it, and I sprinted to the end zone. I remember (after the play) Jeremiah said, ‘Alright, I am going to get me one now.’ I was like, ‘Alright. Bet.’” 

Jeremiah said, “I was happy for him, but I knew I had to make something happen.” 

He did in the fourth quarter when he leaped and snagged a pass away from a Brown receiver in the end zone. 

“I saw the ball, jumped and caught it on my shoulder,” Jeremiah said. “I was falling down (to the ground) and was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ Once I realized I had it, I got up and we were hyped up. My brother was like, ‘You got a pick, and I got a pick!’ We were talking about it in the locker room after the game.” 

No matter what happens next in their football careers, it would be hard for anything to top those moments. 

“I was more happy for his pick than mine,” Paul said. “I totally forgot about mine. My dad was lit in the stands. I heard him by the sideline screaming, ‘Yeahhhhh!’ Our mom and sister were happy too. They were watching from home and taking videos and all that. It was awesome.” 

Paul and Jeremiah Lewis recently accomplished a rare feat, intercepting passes in the same game.