Football Welcomes Raiders to Schoellkopf for Homecoming Clash

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

PRE-SNAP READ

• Cornell hosts Colgate in its return to Schoellkopf Field for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 at 2 p.m.

• The Big Red are coming off a 41-24 road loss to Yale on Saturday, Sep. 27.

• Nick DeLuca and Matt Miller will have the call on ESPN+.

THE SERIES

• It will be the 106th meeting all-time between Cornell and Colgate dating back to 1896.

• The Big Red have lost each of the last two meetings with the Raiders and hold a 51-51-3 record all-time with its Finger Lake Region rival.

• At home, Cornell is 39-38-3 all-time against the Raiders.

A WIN OVER COLGATE WOULD...

• Give the Big Red its first win over the Raiders since Oct. 1, 2022 when it defeated the Raiders 34-31 in Hamilton, N.Y.

• Give Cornell its first win in 2025.

• Give the Big Red its first win at home over Colgate since 2021 when it defeated the Raiders 34-20.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS

• Colgate is 1-3 on the season and coming off a bye week.

• Prior to the bye week, the Raiders defeated Fordham 44-21 on Saturday, Oct. 20 at home.

• The Raiders have suffered losses to #22 Monmouth, #12 Villanova and Syracuse, all three of which came on the road.

• Colgate averages 309 passing yards per game with a balanced QB rotation. Zach Osborne leads with 820 yards and six TDs, while Jake Stearney has added 398 yards and four TDs. Watch for deep shots to Treyvhon Saunders, who has been exceptional with 43 catches for 591 yards and four TDs.

• The Raiders run for 151.5 yards per game behind Cole Fulton (88.5 ypg, 7.4 ypc) and Zach Osborne (34.0 ypg). Multiple ball carriers make them difficult to key on defensively.

• Winston Moore (22.2 yards per catch, two TDs) and Reed Swanson (three receiving TDs) provide big-play capability. Saunders is their workhorse with nearly 150 all-purpose yards per game.

• Colgate has forced six interceptions while only throwing two, showing strong ball-hawking ability. Leading tacklers Trooper Price (28) and Dane Picariello (26) anchor a defense that's been effective at creating turnovers.

OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK TWO

• Cornell outgained Yale significantly (400-297 total yards) and dominated time of possession (35:52 to 24:08), but couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. The Big Red went just 3-for-4 in the red zone with a blocked field goal at the end of the first half, while Yale was perfect at 5-for-7. Cornell also converted only 4-of-19 third downs (21%), making it difficult to sustain drives despite moving the ball between the 20s.

• While the Cornell defense forced three Yale turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to just 297 total yards, they couldn't make critical stops in key moments. Yale converted 4-of-13 third downs but scored on quick strikes—including a one-play, 20-yard touchdown drive after a Cornell fumble and two field goals following Cornell interceptions deep in their own territory. The defense bent repeatedly in the second half, allowing 27 points after halftime.

• Cornell's four interceptions thrown by quarterback Devin Page proved catastrophic, with Yale converting these mistakes into 14 points—including Abu Kamara's 65-yard pick-six in the final minute. The Big Red also lost two fumbles, giving them six total turnovers compared to Yale's three.

IVY PRESEASON POLL

• After earning a share of the Ivy League crown in each of the past two seasons, Harvard has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2025 Ivy League Football Preseason Poll. The poll was conducted among 16 media members who regularly cover Ivy League football.

• Harvard, one of three teams to share last season’s title, received 114 points and garnered nine first-place votes. Dartmouth, which also claimed a share of the title the last two seasons, edged out Yale for second place with 105 points and four first-place votes. Yale followed closely with 103 points and three first-place selections.

• Columbia, fresh off its first Ivy League title since 1961, was picked fourth with 72 points.

• Rounding out the poll were Princeton (55), Penn (49), Cornell (42), and Brown (32).

PHIL STEELE PRESEASON ALL-IVY

• A total of eight Cornellians were selected to the Phil Steele All-Ivy preseason teams.

• Wideout Samuel Musungu and long snapper Nolan Albright were selected to the first team.

• Ryder Kurtz (TE), Alan Zhao (K), and Caden Lesiewicz (P) made the second team, and Max Van Fleet (DL), Joey Cheshire (LB), and Jeremiah Lewis (RB), were selected to the third team.

• The eight preseason honree's for the Big Red are the most since placing nine on the 2023 Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy Teams.

NEXT UP

• Cornell travels to Cambridge, Mass., to take on Harvard Friday, Oct. 10 on ESPNU.

• It will be the 89th meeting all-time between the Big Red and Crimson.

• Schoellkopf Field has been an indelible mark of Cornell football since it opened in 1915 and this year will be the 109th 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.