Football Looks for Third-Straight Win Saturday Against Princeton

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

PRE-SNAP READ

• Cornell looks to wrap up its three-game homestand with its third-straight win on Saturday, Nov. 1 when it hosts Princeton for the 107th all-time meeting between the Big Red and Tigers.

• Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.

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

THE SERIES

• Saturday will mark the 107th meeting all-time between Cornell and Princeton.

• The Tigers lead the series 66-38-2.

• Cornell has a 21-25-1 record at home against Princeton, but have not defeated the Tigers on its home turf since Oct. 27, 2012 when it earned a 37-35 win over Princeton.

• The Big Red defeated Princeton a season ago 49-35 on the road.

• The Tigers have won eight of the last 10 meetings over Cornell.

A WIN WOULD...

• Give Cornell a 3-4 record on the season and a 2-2 mark in conference play.

• Give the Big Red a three-game win streak, its first since the 2016 season when it defeated Bucknell (24-16), Yale (27-13), and Colgate (39-38).

• Give Cornell its first back-to-back wins over Princeton since 2000 and 2001.

• Make Cornell 311-208-15 all-time at Schoellkopf Field.

• Improve the Big Red to 199-276-5 all-time in Ivy League action.

• Give Cornell its first three-consecutive home wins in three-consecutive weeks since 1949.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

• Led by RBs Ethan Clark (310 yards, 4.6 YPC) and Kai Honda (188 yards, 4.6 YPC), Princeton has shown they can move the ball on the ground, though they average only 119 yards per game as a team.

• QB Kai Colón has been productive with a 140.82 passer rating, completing 61% of passes for 1,049 yards and 8 TDs. The receiving corps is well-distributed with Josh Robinson (274 yards), Roman Laurio (159 yards), and several other contributors creating matchup problems.

• Princeton has generated only 5 sacks in 6 games compared to surrendering 17, giving opposing quarterbacks too much time and contributing to allowing 266.2 passing yards per game.

• Opponents are converting 53.76% of third downs (50-of-93), indicating Princeton's defense has difficulty in critical situations and sustaining stops.

• Princeton has forced 8 interceptions (returning one for a TD) while throwing only 3, and their punter Brady Clark averages 45.7 yards per punt. However, they're being outgained significantly in overall yardage (350.7 vs 424.0 per game), suggesting they'll need to continue winning the turnover battle to stay competitive.

• Princeton has been highly efficient in the red zone, scoring on 21 of 24 opportunities (87.5%) with 17 touchdowns. However, they've only reached the red zone 24 times compared to opponents' 23 trips, suggesting they struggle to consistently sustain drives into scoring territory.

• Princeton is being dominated in time of possession (28:36 vs 31:24 per game), which correlates with their deficit in total plays (392 vs 445) and total yardage. This suggests their defense is on the field too long, potentially leading to fatigue and the opponent's ability to control game flow and wear down Princeton's defensive front.

• Josh Robinson leads the team in receptions (23 for 274 yards) and is the primary punt returner (8.6 yard average). He's Princeton's most dynamic playmaker and gets the ball in various ways.

OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK FOUR

• Cornell's quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio put together an impressive all-around performance, completing 28-of-48 passes for 346 yards while also leading the team in rushing with 70 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. His dual-threat ability was critical in keeping drives alive, particularly in overtime when he orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives.

• Sophomore running back Jordan Triplett was Cornell's closer, scoring three of the Big Red's touchdowns—including two in the overtime periods. His ability to punch it in from short yardage (5-yard, 2-yard, and 1-yard touchdown runs) proved decisive. He finished with 64 yards on 17 carries, consistently gaining tough yards when it mattered most.

• Despite giving up 471 passing yards to Brown, Cornell's defense came through in critical situations. Keith Williams Jr.'s fourth-quarter interception helped preserve the comeback, and the unit forced four turnovers on downs—including the final stop in the third overtime that sealed the victory. The pass rush also contributed three sacks, with James Reinbold recording 1.5 sacks and causing pressure at crucial moments.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

• Cornell football freshman wide-out Ryan Matulevich was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week following his performance against Brown on Saturday, Oct. 25, the league office announced on Monday.

• Matulevich made his collegiate debut against the Bears and led the Big Red with six catches for 100 yards, setting a Cornell freshman record for yards in a game, breaking the previous mark of 97 set by Eric Gallman II at Yale in 2017.

• Matulevich is the first Big Red player to reach 100 receiving yards in his first collegiate start since Davon Kiser posted 145 yards on five catches at Lehigh in the 2023 opener as a sophomore.

DAWGS ON DEFENSE

• Keith Williams Jr. has been an elite ball hawking line backer each of the last two weeks ranking #3 nationally in interceptions per game

• He has 0.50 interceptions per game (3 total through 6 games and 3 in the last 2).

• Braylon Howard - Lockdown Cornerback (#4 nationally in passes defended, #1 Ivy) - Howard has been dominant in coverage with 1.5 passes defended per game, ranking in the top 5 nationally and establishing himself as one of the premier defensive backs in the FCS, while also contributing a fumble recovery.

• Johnny Williamson - Tackling Machine (#52 nationally in tackles for loss, #4 Ivy) - Williamson has been disruptive in the backfield with 1 tackle for loss per game, also contributing a fumble recovery to rank among the team's most impactful defensive players.

RED ALERT

• Doryn Smith remains Cornell's most dynamic offensive weapon, leading the team with 4.33 receptions per game (#71 nationally, #6 Ivy) and contributing 21.2 yards per kickoff return (#50 nationally, #3 Ivy), though his all-purpose yards have dipped to 84.33 per game.

• Brendan Lee averages 5.2 yards per punt return (#38 nationally, #2 Ivy), providing solid field position and ranking in the top third nationally among return specialists.

• Ryder Kurtz is the primary target with 56.8 receiving yards per game and 3 touchdowns (#98 nationally, #4 Ivy), providing reliability in Cornell's limited passing attack.

• Garrett Bass-Sulpizio ranks #67 nationally (#6 Ivy) with 15.17 completions per game

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 heads to Philadelphia to take on longtime rival Penn on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.

• The game will mark the 132nd meeting all-time between the Big Red and Quakers.

• Penn holds a 78-47-5 lead in the series.

• Cornell has lost three-straight to Penn, including a 67-49 loss last season.

• 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.