Football Out To Regain Trustees' Cup On Saturday at Schoellkopf

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

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS
• The Trustees' Cup and late season momentum are on the line when Cornell welcomes Penn to Schoellkopf Field to renew one of college football's oldest and fiercest rivalries on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• Cornell and Penn will play for the Trustees' Cup for the 29th time when the two teams meet on Schoellkopf Field.
• It will be the 130th meeting all-time between the teams, the fifth-most played series in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 
• The series was played 101 straight years, from 1919 until 2019 before the 2020 campaign was cancelled due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
• The teams played on Thanksgiving a total of 60 times, including annually from 1895-1917 and again from 1919-34. They last played on turkey day in 1989, a 20-6 Big Red victory on ESPN.
• Cornell head coach Dan Swanstrom has done two stints as an assistant coach at Penn, including the past two seasons as offensive coordinator.
• The Quakers have won seven consecutive contests against the Big Red on Schoellkopf Field.

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 PENN WOULD...
• move Cornell into no worse than third place in the conference standings and allow the Big Red to keep pace at the top of the Ivy standings.
• make the Big Red 3-2 in Ivy League play for the first time since 2017.
• cut the Quakers' lead in the all-time series to 77-48-5.
• snap a two-game skid against Penn.
• narrow Penn's lead in the Trustees Cup series to 20-9.
• give Cornell a 232-229-15 (.503) all-time record in the month of November.
• be the 659th in program history (15th-most in the Football Championship Subdivision).

ABOUT PENN
• The Quakers are flying high after last weekend's 38-28 win at Brown snapped its two-game skid and handed them a first Ivy win of 2024.
• The Quakers were picked third in the Ivy League preseason poll after going 6-4 (3-4) Ivy in 2023.
• Penn owns wins over Colgate (27-17) and Bucknell (31-21) in addition to Brown and suffered one-score defeats at the hands of Delaware (29-22), Dartmouth (20-17) and Columbia (23-17).
• The offense features known weapons like Aidan Sayin and Malachi Horsley in the offensive backfield.
• Sayin ranks fourth in Penn history with 45 passing touchdowns, though he was spelled against Brown by Liam O'Brien, who tossed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for 247 yards in the win over Brown.
• Horsley is the Ivy League's leading rusher and sits in the top 10 nationally after his 102-yard, two-touchdown effort against the Bears. He now has 735 yards and seven scores while averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
• Cornell fans may remember his 261-yard performance against the Big Red last fall that included a 96-yard touchdown burst.
• Jared Richardson leads three receivers with at least 24 catches with 30 receptions for 455 yards and four of the team's eight scores through the air.
• Defensively, four players have at least 40 tackles, with John Lista (55) and Kadari Machen (55) leading the way.
• Shiloh Means has a team-best seven pass breakups.
• Special teams have been among the best in the Ivy League all season, with Penn ranking first in the league and 12th nationally in net punting (41.2 yards) and second in kickoff returns (24.0 yards), as well as No. 1 nationally in punt return defense (-0.3 yards per return).
• Albert Jang is averaging 43.6 yards per punt with seven kicks placed inside the opponent's 20.
• Sam Smith is 8-of-11 on field goal attempts, including a perfect 7-for-7 inside of 40 yards, and has made all 18 PAT kicks.
• In the return game, Julien Stokes is posting 25.7 yards per return on kickoffs.
• Tenth-year head coach Ray Priore had spent 16 seasons as defensive coordinator and secondary coach and nine as the associate head coach under legendary Al Bagnoli, winning two Ivy titles in his first four seasons.

THE SERIES
• This will be the 130th meeting between Cornell and Penn, with the Quakers holding a 77-47-5 lead in the series. 
• The series is the fifth-most played in college football history. 
• The two teams first met in 1893, a 50-0 Penn win. 
• The Quakers have won two straight meetings between the teams, including a 23-8 decision a year ago in Philly.
• Cornell's last win over Penn in Ithaca came in 2006 (28-27), with the Big Red losing eight consecutive since.
• The Big Red's last victory in the series came in the 2021 meeting at Franklin Field 15-12, as Jameson Wang ran for two touchdowns. 

THE LAST MEETING WITH PENN
• Two breakaway rushes by Penn helped power the Quakers to a 23-8 victory over the Big Red in Philadelphia, Pa.
• All three touchdowns Penn scored came off the run game, two of which came on gains over 65+ yards, including the longest single offensive play in Quaker history, a 96-yard rush.
• Despite the loss, Jameson Wang etched his name in the Cornell record books by completeing the most passes since Jeff Mathews threw for 33 completions at Penn nearly a decade ago on Nov. 23, 2013, also at Penn.
• Cornell was shut out the entire first half, but come out of half time hungry when the team stormed downfield and Wang connected with Doryn Smith for a five-yard passing touchdown.
• The Big Red was held off the scoreboard the remaining 26:11 of play, while Penn added one more score to put the game away.
• Wide receiver Doryn Smith set career highs in catches (10) and yards (93). He scored his second career touchdown
• Wide receiver Davon Kiser matched his career high with nine receptions.
• With 325 passing yards and 54 rushing yards, quarterback Jameson Wang accounted for a career-high 379 yards of total offense. It was Wang’s fourth career game with more than 300 yards passing.
• Wang now has 3,928 career passing yards, the sixth most in program history.
• Wang’s 1,276 yards rushing rank 23rd in program history. 
• Wang moved into sixth place in program history in total offensive yards (4,925), passing  Chad Levitt (4,657 yards) and Ed Marinaro (4,715 yards). 
• Wang is tied for 13th place in Big Red history with 43 touchdowns. 
• Linebacker Noah Taylor led the Big Red with 10 tackles. He’s had at least that many in a game twice this season. 
• Linebacker Luke Banbury recorded his first sack of the season and the third of his career.

LAST TIME OUT
RECAP I BOX SCORE I GALLERY I POSTGAME NOTES
• Cornell raced out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter and cruised to a 49-35 victory over Princeton at Princeton Stadium.
• Senior quarterback Jameson Wang accounted for three touchdowns (one rushing, three passing) and six different Big Red players reached the end zone in the win.
• Sophomore wide receiver Samuel Musungu caught eight passes for 165 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown, as well as an 82-yard grab that went down as the sixth-longest pass play in school history.
• Hunter Sloan had two of the defense's six sacks, and the Big Red unit was stout against the run, allowing just 86 rushing yards on 32 attempts.
• Ryder Kurtz tied a school single-game record for touchdown catches by a tight end with a pair of first quarter scores.
• Wang ended the day by completing 23-of-30 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 31 more and an 8-yard score to get the visitors on the board.
• The 49 points in an Ivy road win were the third-most in school history and the highest total since registering a 52-13 victory at Penn to open the 1979 campaign.
• Cornell led by as many as 35 points, going up 49-14 enterign the fourth quarter.
• The Big Red offensive line did not allow a sack for the fourth time this season and for the third time in Ivy contests 
• Running backs Ean Pope, Eddy Tillman and Robert Tucker III each scored touchdowns on the ground.
• The Tigers scored three of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the last one with 14 seconds to play, to narrow the final margin. 
• Princeton quarterback Blaine Hipa completed 26 of his 40 pass attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns.

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.

NATIONAL NOTICE
• For his efforts against Bucknell, Luke Banbury became the second defensive player in Cornell history to earn the National Player of the Week honors (he joins Chris Zingo '93), and the first Big Red to be honored nationally since the 2022 season when Jackson Kennedy was named the FedEx Ground National Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Banbury became the second player in single-game recorded history at Cornell (since 1995) to tally a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pick-six. In addition to his turnover prowess, the Pittsburgh, Pa., native posted seven tackles including five solo stops. He also tallied three PBUs, the most by a Cornellian since the 2021 season. The fumble recovery, which came on Bucknell's first drive of the game, stopped a Bucknell touchdown after Jeremiah Lewis forced it at the Cornell two-yard line, and Banbury dove on it at the one. The interception came on the subsequent Bucknell drive, which he returned for 26 yards to the house.
• In addition to the national recognition, Banbury was also named the Ivy League's Defensive Player of the Week.

 BIG RED BY THE NUMBERS
• Cornell's team completion percentage .674 ranks atop the Ivy League and is ninth nationally.
• The Big Red has collected more fumbles than anyone else in the Ivy, recovering six. The number is good for 31st nationally.
• The Big Red offensive line has held strong this season, allowing just 0.43 sacks per game and 2.71 tackles for loss per game. The sack number is the lowest nationally. • The TFL mark is fewest in the Ivy and second in the FCS.
• The Big Red has committed the fourth-fewest turnovers in all of FCS, coughing up five. That number is good for second best in the Ivy, behind only Dartmouth (four).

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 2,400 yards, good for third-most in the conference.
• This year, Wang has become the Ivy's top touchdown passer, accumulating 17 touchdowns in seven games. His passing efficiency of 144.9 ranks third in the conference, and his completion percentage of .671 ranks first. His 1,766 passing yards rank third in the Ivy.
• The El Segundo, Calif., native has etched his name in the Cornell record books in nearly every major passing category, including passing attempts (932, fifth), pass completions (590, fourth), passing yards (6,192, fourth), passing touchdowns (44, third), pass completion percentage (.633, first), and pass efficiency (129.8, second).
• He also ranks top 20 in rushing yards (1,630, 13th), and rushing touchdowns (25, fifth).

• 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
• Cornell will close out its 2024 home slate against Ivy leader Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Schoellkopf Field.
• The game kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• The Big Green leads the all-time series 63-42-, though the teams have split the past four matchups.