Football Hosts Harvard For ESPN2 Friday Night Lights

Dan Swanstrom
The Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Cornell Football

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS
• Cornell football hosts Harvard in the final outing of an early season three-game homestand when the teams face off on Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y., for Friday Night Lights. Kick-off is set for Friday, October 1 at 6:00 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Eric Frede and Jack Ford will be on the call.
• The Crimson is seeking their first Ivy win, after dropping its lone road game to Brown, 31-28. 
• Harvard was picked to finish second in the 2024 Ivy League Preseason Poll. The Crimson finished second in the voting despite receiving the most first-place votes.
• Picked to finish seventh in the Ivy League preseason media poll, Cornell seeks to surpass expectations again after turning a last-place preseason selection in 2022 into a sixth-place finish and .500 record, the best record for the Big Red since a 5-5 finish in the 2011 season. The Big Red is currently tied for first after a 1-0 start in Ivy play.
• Cornell will take a different approach to the captainship this season compared to years past. Each week, Cornell will name game captains, rather than having a pair host the duties the whole season. In week one, Jameson Wang, Damon Barnes, Hunter Sloan, and Jack Powers shared the honors at Colgate. Muhammad-Ali Kobo, Joey Cheshire, Brendan Chestnut, and Jameson Wang served as the homecoming captains. Jameson Wang, Eddy Tillman, Luke Banbury, and Mason Yacovelli were the captains against UAlbany.

A LOOK BACKWARDS
• The Big Red finished the 2023 season with a 3-7 overall record (2-5 Ivy) after a hot start. 
• In the second game of the season, Cornell grabbed a road win against a Yale team receiving votes in the national polls, 23-21, when then-senior Jackson Kennedy booted in a last-second 37-yard field goal to take just the second Big Red road victory over the Bulldogs this century.
• The Big Red also bested Ivy foe Brown at a time when the Bears' offense led the league in offense. The Big Red defense stifled the Bears, allowing no points until 5:48 remained in the third quarter. Cornell's defense allowed just two scores all game and forced three turnovers, including a 55-yard pick-six.
• Cornell put six student-athletes on All-Ivy teams, accounting for seven spots with Jackson Kennedy earning the nods for second-team punter and place kicker.
• The Big Red returns just six of the 22 starters from last season. Two-time All-Ivy quarterback Jameson Wang is the lone true starter back on the offense.
• Wang is the only returning 2023 All-Ivy honoree after the other five student-athletes graduated.

A WIN OVER HARVARD WOULD...
• mark the second straight Ivy win for the Big Red.
• be the second win at the Division I level for Coach Swanstrom.
• cut Harvard's lead in the all-time series to 51-35-2.
• give Cornell a 315-254-14 (.552) all-time record in the month of October.
• be the first back-to-back Ivy wins for Cornell since weeks nine and 10 of the 2019 season when the Big Red bested Dartmouth and Columbia in back-to-back weeks.
• move Cornell back to .500 for the second time in the Coach Swanstrom era.
• be the 658th in program history (15th-most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

ABOUT HARVARD
• Harvard comes into this weekend at 2-1, most recently besting #16/#21 New Hampshire Maine, 28-23, on Friday evening at Harvard Stadium.
• Despite dropping its Ivy League opener to Brown on Saturday, September 28, the Crimson is receiving votes in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, the national polls for FCS football.
• Junior Jaden Craig has completed 34-of-66 passes for 599 yards and 6 touchdowns. He threw just one pick so far this season, coming in the Ivy battle against Brown. Craig did not see action in 2022, and in 2023 did not become a mainstay at quarterback until November 4th at Columbia.
• In the meeting between the Big Red and the Crimson last season, the Cornell defense primarily went up against then-junior Charles DePrima, who is still rostered with Harvard but serves more as an athlete now, totaling 17 rushes and a reception, in addition to a touchdown.
• Sophomore Xaviah Bascon and senior Shane McLaughlin are the primary rushers for the Crimson. Bascon has totaled 148 yards on 34 rushes including two scores. McLaughlin, who missed the game against New Hampshire, has accumulated 116 yards on 29 attempts and two house calls. DePrima is the third-leading rusher with 67 yards and a score already this season.
• Junior Cooper Barkate is the favorite target of the Crimson's offense, catching 13 passes for 244 yards and a trio of touchdowns. He was honored in 2023 as an All-Ivy honorable mention. Senior Scott Woods II follows with 9 targets for 177 yards and two scores.
• Harvard returns 2023 All-Ivy honorees Austin Gentle and Mike Entwistle on the offensive line.
• Senior linebackers Michell Gonser and Marcus Alexander lead the Crimson defense with 21 tackles apiece. Gonser has posted a pass breakup and interception this season, while Alexander has a sack for 10 yards.
• Freshman defensive back Xaden Benson has also grabbed an interception.
• Seniors Jacob Psyk and Gavin Shipman have each forced a fumble. Senior linebacker Eric Little has the lone fumble recovery for the Crimson.
• Punter Sebastien Tasko has punted 16 times for 670 yards for an average of 41.88 yards per boot. He sent away a season-high 55-yarder last weekend against New Hampshire. Lawson is a junior transfer from Arkansas. He appeared in 20 games for the Razorbacks as a punter.
• Freshman kicker Kieran Corr is a perfect 12-for-12 on PAT attempts but has yet to attempt a field goal this season. Corr's last lineup at a field goal was with 45 seconds left in the game against Brown. With a chance to ice the game against the Bears, a bad snap turned into a turnover, and Brown converted on its first play from scrimmage for a touchdown, securing the winning points with 21 seconds left.

THE SERIES
• Harvard holds the edge in the series, leading 51-34-2. The Crimson, have won the last four meetings.
• In the last meeting, Harvard went wire-to-wire in a 41-23 meeting in Cornell's first-ever Cornell football appearance on ESPN2.
• Harvard entered the contest ranked 21st in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and 19th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
• Cornell has won just four out of 23 meetings since 2000. Three of the four meetings happened on Schoellkopf Field.
• In 2017 and 2018, Cornell bested Harvard in back-to-back meetings, each with the Big Red posting second-half comebacks, and scoring the winning points in the fourth quarter.
• Harvard has a one-game advantage in the all-time record at Schoellkopf Field, leading 18-17-2.

THE LAST MEETING WITH HARVARD
• The Big Red appeared on ESPN2 for the first time in program history, falling to the Crimson, 41-23.
• The promotion from ESPNU to ESPN2 marked the first time Cornell has appeared on one of the two primary ESPN networks since 1990.
• Senior Manny Adebi’s two blocked kicks give him a school record for blocks in a career with seven, surpassing the previous mark of six by Joel Sussman ‘05.
• Adebi blocked two kicks in the contest, both PAT attempts, to become the first player in school history to block multiple kicks in multiple games during a career. He also blocked two kicks at Princeton on Oct. 29, 2022.
• Freshman Samuel Musungu caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, the first of his career. He became the first Big Red freshman to catch a touchdown pass since Eric Gallman II at Delaware to kick off the 2017 campaign.
• With 1,115 rushing yards for his career, Jameson Wang moved into 28th place on the school’s career list. Next up in 27th is former Big Red fullback Moose Miller ‘51 (1,138)
• Wang has upped his career scoring total to 106 points after becoming the 24th player in Cornell history to surpass 100 for a career and the first since Harold Coles ‘20.
• Senior place-kicker Jackson Kennedy is 15-of-20 on field goals over the past two seasons. His .750 field goal percentage is second among all Big Red kickers with at least 15 career made field goals (Nickolas Null ‘20 at .762 is first).
• Matt Robbert’s five catches give him 51 for his career, making him the 55th player in school history to record 50 career catches.
• The 15 penalty yards surrendered are the fewest in a game by the Big Red since being whistled just once for 7 yards at Penn in 2017.

LAST TIME OUT
RECAP I BOX SCORE I HIGHLIGHTS I GALLERY I POSTGAME NOTES
• Cornell football gave the Great Danes all they could, but UAlbany pulled away in the second half en route to a 31-10 win on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
• The Great Danes improved to 2-3 (0-1 CAA) while Cornell fell to 1-2 (1-0 Ivy). 
• Jameson Wang finished the day completing 22-of-31 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. For the third consecutive game, Wang threw no picks.
• Former quarterback, now-wide receiver,  Chad Martini, threw one pass for 26 yards on a trick play.
• Samuel Musungu led the receiving core in receiving yards, catching six passes for 87 yards.
• Ryder Kurtz was the favorite target of Wang, grabbing seven passes for 54 yards. Ean Pope caught two throws for 32 yards. Parker Woodring posted three receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown.
• Cornell's top receiver entering the contest, Brendan Lee, was held to just 12 yards on three catches.
• Cornell had three rushers total at least 20 yards in Johntu Reed (36), Musungu (20), and Tillman (20).
• Michael O'Keefe led the Big Red defense with 11 tackles, with Luke Banbury close behind with nine stops.
• Johnny Williamson tallied an 11-yard strip sack after forcing a fumble when making contact with the Great Danes' quarterback.
• Alan Zhao drilled a new career-long field goal, putting a 35-yarder through the uprights.
• Myles Burkett completed 21-of-30 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown.
• Seven McGee was the favorite target, grabbing eight tosses for 70 yards. Jacari Carter hauled in two grabs for 52 yards and a score. Levi Wentz caught five passes for 37 yards.
• Faysal Aden took 12 rushes for a team-high 133 yards and a house call. Jojo Uga neared the 100-yard mark with 91 yards and a touchdown. Griffin Woodell put up 23 yards to round out the top Great Dane rushers.
• Troy Berschwinger let the UAlbany defense with eight tackles, including a sack. Cam Stodghill followed with six stops. John Opalko was 3-for-4 on field goals on the day.

HALL OF FAME FIGURES
• This year, Cornell honored a class of 11 inductees during halftime of the Homecoming game against Yale.
• Included in this group is two-time All-American quarterback Jeff Mathews '14, who ended his storied Cornell career as the most prolific quarterback in Ivy League history and one of the top in all of college football. He ranks among the top 20 all-time in career passing yards in the FCS and set the Ivy League's all-time passing record by more than 2,000 yards. Mathews owns 47 Big Red school records and 18 Ivy League marks for passing and total offense. The three-year team captain was named one of 16 finalists for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy which recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. The three-time All-Ivy selection was a Capital One Academic All-District first-team selection and a two-time finalist for the Bushnell Cup for the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, winning in 2011. Mathews also was a two-time member of the Walter Payton Award Watch List as FCS national player of the year. After the season, Mathews became the fifth Cornellian to accept an invitation to the East-West Shrine game, serving as a team captain for the East team, and also accepted an invitation to the NFL Draft Combine before signing a contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Mathews also spent time on the practice squad with the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals before playing four seasons in the CFL, including winning a Grey Cup in 2017 with the Toronto Argonauts.
• Joining Mathews is special category honoree Bernie DePalma.
• A legendary figure in Big Red athletics, DePalma served generations of student-athletes and shaped one of the nation's most respected sports medicine departments over 42 years. After arriving at Cornell in 1980 as Head of Physical Therapy and Supervisor of Athletic Training and Rehabilitation and taking over as head athletic trainer three years later, DePalma's expertise provided a significant impact on national athletics legislation. He served on numerous NCAA committees, including the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport Safety, which he chaired; the NCAA Special Committee on Student-athlete Welfare, access and equity; and the National Athletic Trainer's task force which developed medical coverage guidelines for all intercollegiate athletic programs. He played an important role in the initial development of the Ivy League's collaboration with the Big Ten on concussion research while developing a return to academics and play protocols in the league and nationwide. DePalma was honored in 2001 by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) with the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. That same year he was honored with the Thomas Sheehan Award for character, commitment, and achievement in athletic training by the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association. He presented at numerous national conventions, published dozens of papers and written chapters in textbooks that are used in Athletic Training curriculums, and served on professional committees at the university, state, regional, and national levels as a recognized expert in various topics around health and safety. He has been instrumental in developing and implementing various programs, including strength and conditioning initiatives when he arrived at Cornell, graduate assistant internship programs, and undergraduate athletic training student clinical experiences. One of DePalma's outstanding achievements was his innovative approach to injury prevention and rehabilitation as seen in his many publications and invited national presentations. His enduring commitment to athletic training, dedication to the athlete's health, safety, and welfare, leadership in the profession, and pioneering contributions to sports medicine contributed to his impact on the profession of athletic training.
 

ALL EYES ON JAMESON WANG
• Wang was named the Phil Steele Ivy League Preseason first team coming off the heels of a season where he ranked atop the Ivy (and 21st nationally) in completion percentage, connecting on 64.8 percent of his throws.
• In his junior season, Wang threw for over 2400 yards, good for third-most in the conference.
• This year, Wang has become the Ivy's top touchdown passer, accumulating eight touchdowns in three games. His passing efficiency of 165.7 leads the conference, and his completion percentage of 71.1 ranks second. He is one of two starting Ivy QBs who have not thrown a pick.
• The El Segundo, Calif. native has etched his name in the Cornell record books in nearly every major passing category, including passing attempts (774, 6th), pass completions (488, 5th), passing yards (5204, 6th), passing touchdowns (35, 3rd), pass completion percentage (63.0%, 1st), pass efficiency (129.1, 4th), passing yards per game (173.5, 7th).
• He also ranks top-20 in rushing attempts (343, 18th), rushing yards (1431, 17th), and rushing touchdowns (21, T-6th).

• Schoellkopf Field has been an indelible mark of Cornell football since it opened in 1915 and this year will be the 108th 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 the 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 be 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. A new era begins in 2024 when Dan Swanstrom takes the helm.

NEXT UP
• The Big Red hits the road for the first time in three weeks when the team travels to Lewisburg, Pa. to take on Bucknell on Saturday, October 19.
• The game kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.