ITHACA, N.Y. -- A flurry of first-half scores proved too much to overcome as the Cornell sprint football team dropped its season opener to Navy, 40-7, on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Midshipmen moved to 1-0, while the Big Red fell to 0-1.

The Big Red allowed 40 unanswered points in the first half before settling in defensively after intermission. Quarterback Stefano Luis led Cornell on a 12-play, 96-yard scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter, capping it with a 23-yard touchdown strike to Cooper Patterson, the Big Red's lone trip to the end zone.

Navy, the defending CSFL South Division champion, struck early and often. Quarterback Luke O'Connell threw for 209 yards and two long touchdowns to Grant Sterchi, including a 79-yarder late in the first quarter. O'Connell also added a 48-yard touchdown run to help the Midshipmen build a 40-0 halftime lead.

Cornell's defense adjusted after the break, shutting out Navy in the second half and notching three sacks - including two from Brandon Tauscher - and forced a fumble. Alexei DiDonato led the Big Red with six tackles and a blocked kick, while Elliot Kim added an interception late in the second quarter. Carter Aime posted a team-best eight stops and Ben Roerden had seven, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

Luis completed 18-of-24 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in his Cornell debut. Patterson finished with three catches for 58 yards, while Andrew Lay and Dan O'Malley combined for seven receptions. Anthony Rambino had a team-best 41 rushing yards on 16 carries.

The Big Red outgained Navy in the second half, holding the visitors scoreless over the final two quarters. Navy ended the afternoon with 332 yards of offense, though just 38 came in the second half.

Cornell returns to action on Friday, Sept. 26 when it visits Molloy at 7 p.m. in Rockville Centre, N.Y. It will be the second meeting between the programs, with the Big Red capturing a 53-7 triumph last year in Ithaca.