ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell scored a pair of second half touchdowns, but Chestnut Hill used a dominant first half on the ground to claim a 34-12 victory on Saturday night under the lights at Schoellkopf Field. The visiting Griffins (2-1) used a punishing ground attack and timely defensive stands to hand the Big Red its third straight loss to start the season.
Chestnut Hill running back Xavier Limehouse powered the offense with three rushing touchdowns, all in the first half, and finished with 172 yards on 31 carries. Quarterback Anthony Cancellare added two touchdown passes to Winday Dawson in the second half to seal the victory.
The game began with a costly Cornell mistake, as a muffed punt was recovered by Chestnut Hill at the Big Red 10-yard line. Limehouse scored on the next play to put the Griffins ahead 6-0 just over two minutes into the contest. He added touchdown runs of 6 and 1 yard in the second quarter to extend the lead to 20-0 by halftime.
Cornell missed a chance to get on the board in the second quarter when a 44-yard field goal attempt by Sumner Roberts sailed wide. Later, a promising drive to the Chestnut Hill 18-yard line stalled on downs.
Cancellare connected with Dawson for scores of 35 and 36 yards in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, stretching the Chestnut Hill lead to 34-0 with 11:26 left to play.
Cornell showed signs of life late, with quarterback Stefano Luis tossing a pair of touchdown passes to Andrew Lay in the final six minutes. The duo connected on a 19-yard score with 6:05 remaining, then again on a 24-yard strike with just one second left. Lay finished with a team-high 97 yards on seven receptions, while Luis completed 24-of-47 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns.
Cornell's defense was led by linebacker Jason Milo with eight total tackles, and the unit managed to sack the Griffins three times. Kruz Meier blocked an extra point attempt in the first quarter.
Despite being outgained 363-317 and committing two fumbles, the Big Red held Chestnut Hill to just 2-of-10 on third downs and produced a season-best 17 first downs. But an early 20-point deficit and short field possessions for the Griffins proved too much to overcome.
Next Up
• Following a bye week, the Big Red will remain home to face CSFL power Army West Point on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Scheollkopf Field.
• The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• The Black Knights hold a 66-18 edge in the all-time series and has won 13 consecutive matchups between the teams.
• Cornell's last win came in 2010, a 20-10 victory over Army West Point on the road - its last win at home came in 2007, a 14-7 victory.
