Football Hosts Instate Rival Colgate for 2023 Homecoming

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

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS
• Cornell celebrates Homecoming against Colgate for the teams’ 104th meeting all time. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Nick LaMarca and Matt Miller on the call.
• The Raiders enter the contest with an 0-4 record after losing to FBS foe Syracuse, and three FCS schools which are either ranked of recieving votes in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll.
• The Big Red is looking to keep its nonconference win streak alive, which sits at five after defeating Lehigh, 23-20, in the season opener on Sept. 16, 2023 in Bethlehem, Pa.
• 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.
• 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. The two-deep consists of 24 seniors, 16 juniors, eight sophomores, and five freshmen.
• The Meakem Smith Director of Athletics & Physical Education, Dr. Nicki Moore, will get the chance to celebrate her first Big Red Homecoming this weekend, and it is against her former school. Under Dr. Moore, whose leadership began in January of 2023, Cornell is 5-2-1 against the Raiders.

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 COLGATE WOULD...
• be the first 3-0 start since the 2016-17 season when Cornell defeated Bucknell, Yale, and upset #25 Colgate.
• a 3-0 start would mark the 10th time in program history.
• improve the all-time mark against Patriot League opponents to to 137-86-7.
• up Cornell’s record in the all-time series to 52-49-3.
• give Cornell a 107-68-5 (.607) record all-time in the
month of September.
•  mark the fifth consecutive win against a Patriot League opponent.
• be the 656th in program history (15th-most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

ABOUT COLGATE
• Colgate fell to 0-4 over the weekend with a 47-7 road loss to Holy Cross, the No. 6 team in the FCS. 
• Colgate’s other losses came against Syracuse (65-0), Villanova (42-19) and Penn (20-6). 
• Raiders quarterback Michael Brescia enters the week with 2,846 career passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The 2021 Patriot League Rookie of the Year has rushed for 1,349 yards and 24 touchdowns. He’s rushed for two touchdowns so far this season. 
• Sophomore receiver Treyvhon Saunders leads Colgate in catches (17), yards (247) and touchdowns (1). Freshman Winston Moore has 12 catches for 121 yards. 
• Colgate returned 2022 All-Patriot League offensive tackle Bardhyl Gashi. 
• Fifth-year senior linebacker Tyler Flick leads the Raiders with 27 tackles. Senior linebacker Christian Sweeney has 24 stops. 
• Senior linebacker Drew Frankel and senior defensive lineman Nick Marsh each have 1.5 sacks. Marsh leads the team with 3.5 tackles for a loss. 
• Junior defensive back Asauni Allen has broken up a team-high three passes. Sophomore Justin Lawrence and senior Arthur Hamlin each have an interception. 
• Punter Shelby Pruett has punted 15 times for 606 yards for an average of 40.4 yards. He had a 56-yard punt against Syracuse and a 50-yarder against Holy Cross. 
• Kicker Jacob Jaworski is 4 of 4 on-field goals through four games. He’s 9 of 12 for his career, with his longest make coming from 40 yards out in 2021.

THE SERIES
• Cornell has a 51-49-3 advantage in the series, which began in 1896. Saturday’s meeting will mark the 104th between the in-state rivals. 
• The Big Red had lost 10 of 11 games against Colgate before starting a two-game win streak in 2021. The Big Red won 34-20 that year in Ithaca and 34-31 last season in Hamilton. 
• Cornell has a 39-37-3 record against Colgate in Ithaca. 
• Cornell has not won more than two games in a row against Colgate since a five-game win streak from 1970-75. 

THE LAST MEETING WITH COLGATE
• Jackson Kennedy’s 45-yard field goal with under two minutes was the last momentum swing in a game full of them and lifted Cornell to a 34-31 win at Colgate at Andy Kerr Stadium. 
• The win improved the Big Red to 2-1, guaranteed it a winning non-conference slate for the first time since 2016 and served as the program’s 650th all-time.
• Kennedy’s perfect kicking day was the difference, but it was a win that showed the team’s grit. 
• It answered the bell numerous times - after surrendering the first score, after coughing up an 11-point first half lead and even after entering the fourth quarter trailing by a touchdown. 
• Cornell’s offense was balanced in piling up 474 yards of offense (190 rushing, 284 passing), the defense got off the field on third downs (Colgate was 2-for-11) and special teams delivered when asked. 
• Jameson Wang completed 18-of-27 yards for a career-high 284 yards and a touchdown and ran for 98 more and two scores, including the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. 
• His favorite target was 2021 first-team All-Ivy receiver Thomas Glover, who hauled in seven passes for 160 yards, totaled 182 all-purpose yards and scored twice.
• Defensively, Trey Harris posted a career-best nine tackles and Demetrius Harris had eight to pace the Big Red.
• Jake Stebbins posted six tackles and a quarterback hurry in the fourth quarter that forced a punt, leading to the Big Red’s tying score.
• Colgate quarterback Michael Brescia ran for 83 yards and a touchdown and completed 19-of-40 passes for 195 yards. 
• Jaedon Henry added 80 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. 
• Tyler Flick posted nine tackles with three for a loss while Mikey Jarmolowich made eight tackles, intercepted a pass and ran a fumble back 48 yards for a score.

LAST TIME OUT
RECAP I BOX SCORE I HIGHLIGHTS I GALLERY I POSTGAME NOTES
• For only the second time this century, Cornell football earned the right to sing Cornell Victorious at the Yale Bowl after defeating the Bulldogs, 23-21, on Sept. 23, 2023.
• It marked the first time since the 2016 season the Big Red started 2-0.
• The Big Red showed true grit in the face of adversity. Cornell trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, until the Big Red dominated the latter half of the game and scored 20 consecutive points to go out in front.
• A late conversion on fourth-and-20 for the Bulldogs resulted in a touchdown with 3:14 remaining in the game. 
• The Big Red stayed calm under pressure, marching down the field to set Jackson Kennedy up for a field goal try, which he drilled as the clock hit zero, securing the win.
• Junior quarterback Jameson Wang was sensational, completing 26-of-36 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown and running for 34 more and a score. He directed the offense to 371 yards and 38:41 in time of possession, executing the game plan effectively and efficiently.
• Sophomore running back Gannon Carothers piled up 95 rushing yards on nine carries as the Big Red ran for 174 yards on the ground as a team.
• Kennedy, the reigning Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week, was again a difference maker. He was 3-for-3 on field goals, nailed both PAT kicks, averaged 59.8 yards on kickoffs with two touchbacks and had two punts that yielded zero return yards while placing one inside the 20.
• Rasean Thomas added six tackles and Holt Fletcher was credited with five, with both recording tackles for loss and Thomas adding a pass breakup to his sack. 
• The Cornell defense held the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, Nolan Grooms, to his second-lowest completion percentage of his collegiate career (38.9%)
• The defense held Yale to just 301 yards, over 60 yards less than what the Bulldogs put up against #5 Holy Cross
• The win over Yale is only the fourth since 2000, and the first since the 2016 season.

RECORD ON HOMECOMING
• Cornell has a 37-25-2 record dating back to 1948 in Homecoming games.
• The Big Red was defeated by Yale, 38-14, in last season’s Homecoming contest.
• Cornell is 9-8 on Homecoming in the past 17 seasons, and 3-6 under head coach David Archer `05.

HALL OF FAME FIGURES
• At halftime this weekend, Cornell will honor the 2023 Cornell Hall of Fame honorees with an on-field ceremony.
• From football, J.C. Tretter ‘13 is set up to 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 will be honored alongside Tretter and Noel.

HUDDLE TOGETHER FOR MENTAL HEALTH
• This upcoming week, the Big Red is using its athletics platform to help promote mental health awareness.
• The week long celebration begins with the Homecoming football game when Cornell hosts Colgate at 2 p.m. on Schoellkopf Field.
• Throughout the week, the Cornell community is invited to participate in sessions geared towards promoting positive mental health.

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 is the first back-to-back Cornell awardee since 2019.
• This week marks 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.

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 returns to the road to take on Harvard in a Friday night nationally-televised battle on Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at Harvard Stadium. Fans at home can catch the game on ESPNU.