WEST CALDWELL, N.J. -- The Cornell sprint football team carried a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Caldwell erupted for 20 points over the final 12 minutes to hand the Big Red a 20-13 sprint football loss on Saturday afternoon at Bonnel Field. Cornell slipped to 0-6, while the Cougars improved to 4-3.
Cornell led 10-0 after Kruz Meier's 2-yard touchdown run with 9:01 left in the third quarter and still held a 13-12 advantage after Sumner Roberts drilled his second 32-yard field goal with 2:28 to play to put the visitors back in the lead.
Caldwell answered on the ensuing possession. Quarterback Cael Zebrowski - who keyed the Cougars' comeback through the air - marched Caldwell 52 yards in 11 plays and found Arjun Petgrave on an 11-yard scoring pass with 26 seconds left. Zebrowski then hit Darius Harrison on the two-point conversion to make it a seven-point game.
Zebrowski threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes. He connected with Josh Smith on a 59-yard strike just 31 seconds into the period, then put Caldwell in front 12-10 with an 22-yard toss to Petgrave with 8:56 remaining. Cornell responded with its 13-play, 53-yard drive capped by Roberts' kick, but couldn't get the late defensive stop.
Caldwell piled up 538 yards of offense, 484 of them through the air. Zebrowski finished 18-of-32 for 337 yards and three touchdowns, while Harrison (five catches, 133 yards), Smith (five catches, 160 yards and a touchdown) and Petgrave (nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns) all had big days.
Cornell's defense bent but kept the Cougars off the board for three quarters, getting interceptions from Ismaa'il Eaddy and Elliot Kim and a fumble recovery from Brand Tauscher to help build the lead.
Meier powered Cornell's offense, rushing 33 times for 118 yards and the third-quarter score. Quarterback Stefano Luis went 18-of-28 for 157 yards. The Big Red also controlled the clock, holding the ball for 39:29.
Cornell led 3-0 at halftime after Roberts' first 32-yarder with 6:58 left in the second quarter, then turned a third-quarter takeaway into Meier's touchdown to make it 10-0.
NEXT UP
• Cornell closes out its home schedule when it welcomes St. Thomas Aquinas to Schoellkopf Field for Senior Night on Friday. Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.
• The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the programs, with the team splitting the first six meetings down the middle with three victories apiece.
• Five of the six meetings have been played in Sparkill, N.Y. (St. Thomas Aquinas leads 3-2).
• The Big Red won last season's matchup on the road, 24-23, thanks to a late Evan Nicholas touchdown run that proved to be the game winner.
