ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell beat No. 4 Lehigh, 48-38, on a sunny but cold Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field, handing the Mountain Hawks their first regular season loss since Oct. 19, 2024 and picking up the program's first win over a top five opponent since 1939.
Cornell (3-2) came out fast, scoring on its first two possessions. Jordan Triplett opened the game with a 17-yard touchdown run, and Garrett Bass-Sulpizio found Ja'Von Broussard for a 37-yard score to make it 14-0. Lehigh (6-1) answered before the end of the first quarter when Luke Denny returned a fumble 100 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-7.
The Big Red pulled away in the second quarter. Brendan Lee scored on a 1-yard run and Alan Zhao added a 36-yard field goal to push the lead to 24-7, and after a Connor Poole field goal trimmed it to 24-10, Bass-Sulpizio capped a 10-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 31-10. Lehigh closed the half with a Jamaire Harden touchdown catch to cut it to 31-17 at the break.
Lehigh got within a touchdown in the third quarter on an Anthony Feaster scoring catch, making it 31-24, but Cornell answered with a 13-play, 79-yard drive finished by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Bass-Sulpizio to Lee, pushing the lead back to 38-24. Lehigh's Luke Yoder scored on a 3-yard run early in the fourth to cut it to 38-31, but Triplett's second touchdown of the day, from 3 yards out, made it 45-31. Lehigh answered with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Derek Morgan to Bryce Werner to get within a touchdown again at 45-38, but Zhao's 32-yard field goal with 1:50 left sealed the 48-38 win.
Bass-Sulpizio finished 22 of 34 passing for 366 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and added 103 rushing yards and a score. Triplett rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and Lee caught five passes for 92 yards and a touchdown to go with his rushing score. Broussard added a 37-yard touchdown catch. Tyler Gibson intercepted a pass for Cornell's defense, and Sam Greenspan recorded a sack.
Yoder led Lehigh with 142 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, and Morgan threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns, though he was intercepted once.
Cornell outgained Lehigh, 600-387, and held a 36:47 to 23:13 edge in time of possession, converting eight of 12 third downs and both of its fourth down tries. The 600 yards of total offense for the Big Red is the most in a single game since Cornell totaled 640 against Brown in October of 1995.
Cornell travels to Brown next Saturday, Oct. 24, a noon kickoff on ESPN+ in Providence.
