ITHACA, N.Y. -- Behind a dominant rushing attack and a resilient second-half comeback, Cornell defeated Brown 30-24 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field, earning the Big Red its second win of the season and first Ivy League victory.
 
Cornell (2-4, 1-2 Ivy) trailed 17-6 entering the fourth quarter before rallying to force overtime, then outlasted Brown (3-3, 0-3 Ivy) in the extra periods to win its first overtime game since Oct. 20, 2007, also against the Bears.
 
Brown controlled the early portion of the game, taking a 7-6 lead in the first quarter when quarterback James Murphy connected with Ty Pezza on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Bears extended their advantage to 10-6 on a 38-yard field goal by Drew Crabtree in the second quarter and pushed the lead to 17-6 on Qwentin Brown's one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
 
The Big Red's comeback began late in the fourth quarter when junior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio capped an eight-play, 69-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, then connected with freshman John McAuliffe on the two-point conversion to cut Brown's lead to 17-14 with 3:44 remaining.
 
Cornell forced a turnover on downs on Brown's ensuing possession and drove into field goal range, where freshman Jonathan Roost drilled a 25-yard field goal with 46 seconds left to tie the game at 17-17 and force overtime.
 
In the first overtime, Brown appeared to take control when Murphy threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Pezza, putting the Bears ahead 24-17. But Cornell answered immediately as sophomore tail back Jordan Triplett punched in a two-yard touchdown run, and Roost's extra point tied the game at 24-24.
 
The second overtime proved decisive. Cornell got the ball first and Triplett scored his third touchdown of the game on a one-yard run. The Big Red's two-point conversion attempt failed, but the defense rose to the occasion. Brown drove to the Cornell 5-yard line but was stopped on fourth down when Matt Childs was tackled for no gain, securing the victory for the Big Red.
 
Bass-Sulpizio finished 28-of-48 passing for 346 yards while rushing 19 times for 70 yards and a touchdown. Triplett led the ground attack with 64 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, while McAuliffe added 15 yards rushing and 31 receiving yards. Freshman Ryan Matulevich grabbed six passes for 100 yards.
 
On defense, junior Braylon Howard paced Cornell with nine tackles, while senior Damon Barnes added eight stops. Johnny Williamson recorded a sack and four tackles for loss.
 
For Brown, Murphy completed 31-of-49 passes for 471 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked three times. Pezza was his top target with nine catches for 172 yards and two scores, while Solomon Miller added seven receptions for 166 yards.
 
Cornell held a decisive advantage on the ground, rushing for 157 yards on 46 carries compared to just 32 yards on 33 attempts for the Bears.
 
Next Up
Cornell will conclude its three game homestand with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 1.
 
It will be the 107th all-time meeting between Cornell and Princeton, with the Tigers leading the series, 66-38-2.