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Cornell Football against Harvard on Oct. 10, 2026 at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, NY. (Caroline Sherman)
Caroline Sherman

Beyond the Box Score: The Harvard Game

| By: Shawn Gillen, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell fell to Harvard, 41-29, but the Big Red's record book still got a workout — here's what stood out beyond the final score.

TEAM NOTES
  • Cornell's all-time record now stands at 665-569-34 (.538).
  • Cornell ran for 240 yards against No. 18/19 Harvard, its highest rushing total since 263 against Marist on Sept. 21, 2019. The Big Red averaged 6.0 yards per carry on 40 attempts.
  • Cornell outgained Harvard 398-380 in total offense, ran 78 plays to the Crimson's 62 and held the ball for 31:22 to Harvard's 28:38. The Big Red converted 8 of 16 third downs and 2 of 3 on fourth down.
  • Cornell was perfect in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on both trips inside Harvard's 20-yard line.
  • The Big Red outscored Harvard 19-3 in the fourth quarter. That is its highest-scoring quarter of the season and its biggest fourth quarter since scoring 20 against Dartmouth on Nov. 16, 2024.
  • Cornell's defense held Harvard to 105 rushing yards on 35 carries, an average of 3.0 yards per attempt.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
  • Senior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, giving him nine touchdowns through four games. He ranks 14th in program history in career total offense (3,017 yards) and 16th in career passing yards (2,581), 88 yards behind Steve Joyce (2,669) for 15th. His 23 career touchdowns responsible for are tied for 17th all-time.
  • Senior running back Ean Pope rushed for 91 yards on seven carries (13.0 yards per attempt) and scored a touchdown. His career-long 61-yard run, topping the 54-yarder he had in 2024, was Cornell's longest since Robert Tucker III's 74-yard touchdown against Penn on Nov. 9, 2024.
  • Senior wide receiver Samuel Musungu caught six passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. His 14th career touchdown reception ties Keith Ferguson for sixth in program history, one shy of the 15 posted by Shaun Hawkins and Grant Gellatly. He also moved to 12th in career receptions (126) and 16th in career receiving yards (1,326), 21 yards behind Thomas Glover (1,347) for 15th.
  • Sophomore wide receiver Ja'von Broussard caught four passes for 46 yards and the first touchdown reception of his career.
  • Senior tight end Ryder Kurtz caught two passes for 20 yards, raising his career totals to 91 receptions (tied for 24th in program history) and 1,072 yards (28th), two yards shy of Nicholas Laboy (1,074). Kurtz has a catch in 22 consecutive games and multiple catches in 21 straight.
  • Senior safety Tommy MacPherson matched his career high with 11 tackles and added a tackle for loss. He has two games of 11 or more tackles in the first four games of a season, which no Cornell player had done since Miles Norris in 2014. MacPherson leads the team with 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions.
  • Junior cornerback Tyler Gibson set a career high with 10 tackles, topping the seven he had against Yale. He also had a tackle for loss and an interception, his third career pick and first since 2024.
  • Sophomore linebacker Dalten Phelan recorded a career-high eight tackles, topping the seven he had at Georgetown a week earlier.
  • Senior safety Johnny Williamson added three tackles and is five away from 100 for his career (95).
  • Senior kicker Alan Zhao made a 43-yard field goal and both of his PATs. He is third in program history in career PATs (51) and seventh in career kicking points (102), two behind Jackson Kennedy (104). His 17 career field goals are tied for seventh.
  • Junior punter Caden Lesiewicz averaged 51.5 yards on two punts, including a 55-yarder, and both landed inside the 20-yard line. That is the fourth-best single-game average in program history among games with at least two punts. It is also the best since Chris Fraser averaged 52.4 yards against Harvard on Oct. 10, 2015, exactly 11 years ago. Lesiewicz is averaging 46.0 yards on 12 punts this season, which would top the program's single-season record of 44.8 set by Fraser in 2015 if it holds.
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