by Timothy Weisberg | Jun 29, 2012 | Slope Media-Fall 2011
Big Red Shootout–Cornell receiver Grant Gellatly dives into the endzone for a touchdown in the first quarter against Columbia Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red’s 62-41 victory over Columbia was its highest point total since 1936. (Photo by Patrick Shanahan)
Published on November 12, 2011
It might have been Senior Day for the Cornell football team Saturday, but it was the performance of an underclassman that paved the way for the Big Red’s fourth win on the year.
Sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews set a Cornell single-game record with 521 passing yards and five touchdowns on 40 of 46 pass attempts, single-handedly carrying the offense on his shoulders in a 62-41 shootout over Columbia Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
Mathews’ 521 yards was just five yards short of the Ivy League single-game record set by Brown’s Michael Daugherty in 2008.
According to Big Red head coach Kent Austin, Mathews’ performance may have stood out, but it was a collective team effort that was indicative of the win.
“Jeff’s a really good player,” Austin said laughing. “ But he’s got good players around him. It always takes 11 for anyone to perform. But Jeff is just as accurate and had as good a decision-making day as any quarterback that I have been around in a long time.”
The 62 points the Big Red (4-5, 2-4 Ivy League) put up on the Lions (0-9, 0-6) was also a modern-day record for the program, breaking the previous mark of 57 points in a win over Georgetown in 2005. The last time the Big Red scored at least 60 points in a game was when they scored 74 in 1936.
But the way things started for the Big Red, it was appearing to be a long afternoon.
The Big Red appeared to have the Lions headed to a three-and-out on their first drive, but a roughing the punter penalty kept the Lions offense on the field. 10 players later, the Lions got on the board off a four-yard run from Griffin Lowry to give the Lions an early 7-0 lead.
However, the Big Red bounced back less than three minutes later, tying the game at seven just before the end of the first quarter on a two-yard reverse from Luke Tasker.
The teams fought neck and neck through the first half, with the Lions scoring just before the half to take a 34-28 lead at the break.
The second half was a different story, as the Big Red defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs and scored 17 unanswered to take 45-34 lead after three quarters, outscoring the Lions 34-7 in the second half to break the game open.
“You don’t know how a game is going to play out,” said Austin. “The best laid plans most of the time get thrown out in the first quarter because everybody has a different game plan and you start making adjustments and they start making their adjustments. It just starts turning out the way it turns out and there’s no way to predict it.”
The always-modest Mathews attributed his passing success to the game plan and his receivers’ ability to find holes in the defense.
“Honestly we have receivers in our offense that get a lot of freedom to get open and when those guys are getting open it’s pretty easy to put the ball in,” said Mathews. “We have some pretty good outside receivers so it’s a lot of fun.”
Recently coined the Empire State Bowl in 2010, the Big Red earned there first win in what had been the unofficial nickname of the series for many years.
For Mathews, it was more about getting seniors like receiver Shane Savage and tight end Ryan Houska a win in their final home game, and first against Columbia.
“It means a lot because you want to remember Cornell the right way and you always tend to remember how you finish,” he said. “So for those (seniors), they finish like this and get a big win (against Columbia).”
At 4-5, the Big Red have already doubled their season win total from all of last year, and look to finish out the season at .500 for the first time since 2007 when they play at Penn next Saturday, Nov. 19.
Despite the Big Red saying goodbye to 23 seniors following next Saturday, Austin believes the seniors will have a lasting impact on the program.
“I’m really privileged to coach a great group of guys and we have had really good senior leadership this year,” he said.
“And some of the culture that they’ve helped to establish and the things that they have adopted from our vision as a coaching staff, (what) they’ve been able to implement in the locker room or away from football with our team, they’ve just made an outstanding effort in that regard…they’re all great young men and they all have great futures.”
by Timothy Weisberg | Nov 8, 2011 | Slope Media-Fall 2011
Streaking–The Cornell Big Red are 8-0-5 their past 13 games, the longest stretch without a loss since the 1995. (Photo by Al Rinow)
They say history repeats itself, but for the Cornell men’s soccer team in recent years, it appeared that repeat button may have been broken.
However, the 2011 season marks the teams surprise 8-1-5 start and first place standing (3-0-2) in Ivy League play with two regular season games remaining.
What has been the most remarkable is that the Big Red are currently riding a 13-game lose-less streak (8-0-5), second only to New Mexico (15) for the longest streak in the nation.
Last season, the Big Red did not win a single Ivy League game (0-5-2), and before head coach Jaro Zawislan arrived in 2009, the Big Red finished the 2008 season 1-15.
The always modest Zawislan believed he could make a dissertation out of the question as to why the Big Red have improved so drastically over the past three seasons.
“Well, how much time do we have to talk about it?” Zawislan said. “Because I can go on for hours about the transition of (Cornell soccer) the past two-plus years.”
“I mean when I came to the program (in 2008), it was my first head coaching position and we started with a philosophy that there’s a fresh start to the program. My record at the time as head coach was zero wins, zero losses, zero ties, and that’s the (philosophy) I expected out of the players—to come with a kind of fresh attitude and forget about the past seasons and just look forward towards the future.”
However, sophomore forward Daniel Haber believed there was a more simpler answer: the team’s dedication to the matriculation of the program has guided the Big Red in the right direction.
“I think that (Jaro’s) done a very good job of really bringing in guys that are committed,” Haber said. “Everyone in the program right now…they’re number one priority is soccer. Everyone is willing to do whatever it takes year round to make the program better.
According to Zawislan, anticipating the high level of competition in Ivy League play compelled the players to respond even hungrier in 2011.
“This season, the returning players came back ready to tackle the challenges of the preseason and season,” he said. “Newcomers came in and they were ready to contribute right off the bat so it’s been a very highly competitive environment in our program and that’s just what makes us better week to week, and from game to game.”
What started as a little hot streak turned into a surprising 1-0 win in the Ivy League opener against Penn Oct. 1 in Philadelphia, as Haber’s goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation gave the Big Red a win to open conference play for the first time since 2005.
“Penn’s a great team and they’ve been going to the tournament for the last few years and been nationally recognized consistently and we knew that being able to get a win against them would be a big turning point for the program as a whole,” said Haber. “I think it really gave us a big sense of confidence where we feel like after that (win) we can take down anyone if we play our game.”
And thus far, nobody has been able to take the Big Red down in nearly two months. That is unless their opponents consider ties moral victories.
The Big Red’s game versus Brown Oct. 22 drew 983 fans, a Berman Field record, a double overtime thriller that ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Big Red travel to Hanover, N.H. to take on Dartmouth this Saturday, a game that has serious Ivy League title implications considering the Big Green trail the Big Red by two points in the Ivy Standings in a two-way tie with Brown for second place.
Then, the Big Red close out their regular season when they host Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 12, a game that with a win has the possibility of being the Big Red’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1996.
And Haber stressed the importance of the last two regular games of the season, and what it would mean for a program whose last Ivy League crown was in 1995 to not only win the league championship, but also extend their season.
“We’re going to do our best to finish out the season strong,” he said. “We want to win the Ivy League. We want to get to the NCAA tournament. Those are our goals. But no matter what looking back on the season it will be a success. Big step forward for the program, for now and for the future…”
by Timothy Weisberg | Nov 8, 2011 | Slope Media-Fall 2011
Photo by Patrick Shanahan
Sometimes a great success rate in the red zone is not indicative of the outcome of a game.
That was the case for the Cornell Big Red, who scored on five of six opportunities in the red zone, but only came away with two touchdowns inside the 20 in a 35-24 loss to Brown Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
According to sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews, the complexion of the game is changed when getting three points as opposed to seven.
“(Brown) is a good red zone defense and we kicked three field goals (in the red zone) and those hurt us,” Mathews said. “…We’d like to punch it in and help our defense out a little bit.”
The Big Red (2-4, 0-3 Ivy League) started out strong, scoring on their first possession of the game when Mathews connected with Shane Savage for a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the Big Red a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
But the Bears (5-1, 2-1) tied the game at seven late in the first quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from fifth-year senior Kyle Newhall-Caballero.
And then came the first of missed opportunities. A pass interference call gave the Big Red a first and goal at the two-yard line, but the Big Red was unable to capitalize, forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Brad Greenway.
According to head coach Kent Austin, the Big Red can ill-afford to not capitalize that deep in the red zone.
“We’re not good enough right now to give up those types of plays, missed opportunities, and expect to beat a good football team and outscore them,” Austin said.
The Big Red went up against a Bears defense ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense, and sixth in pass defense, yet accumulated more than 400 total yards on offense, including six trips to the red zone. Mathews alone threw for 402 passing yards and two touchdowns.
But it was the plays the Big Red failed to make that ultimately hurt them.
The Bears had the ball on fourth down at the Big Red 32-yard line with the Big Red trailing 14-13. The Bears elected to go for it on fourth down, and converted before eventually scoring a touchdown to take a 21-13 lead with under a minute remaining in the first half.
“We had other opportunities prior to that…the (Brown) touchdown before the half was big and we had a chance to get them off the field and we didn’t do it,” said Austin. “We didn’t make a play.
According to defensive end Zack Imhoff, football comes down to how you overcome obstacles.
“Things aren’t always going to go your way in a football game, and it’s just how you respond,” he said.
Down 35-16 in the fourth quarter, the Big Red looked poised to make a comeback reminiscent of last week’s overtime loss to Colgate when Mathews connected with Kurt Ondash for a 17-yard touchdown pass, and a two-point conversion cut the lead to 35-24 with 7:15 remaining in the fourth.
But once again, on third down, the Bears converted to keep their drive alive, not relinquishing the ball until a fumble gave the Big Red possession with under two minutes to play.
The Big Red hope to snap their six game losing streak in Ivy League play when they travel to Princeton, N.J. to take on the Tigers next Saturday, Oct. 29.
For Austin, the Big Red need to be able to capitalize on opportunities that present themselves throughout the 60 minutes of play.
“It’s always several plays in a game that turn a football game, and we’ve got to learn to turn the game in those situations (and) keep a game within reason,” he said. “
“(Brown) went two for two on fourth-down conversions, they had two or three big plays on us and the next thing you know we’re at a huge deficit. We’ve got to get over the hump in those areas, and when a play is there to be made we have to make the play.”
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 14, 2011 | Slope Media-Fall 2011
Cornell's Shane Savage jumps up for a ball in a game against Harvard at Schoellkopf Field Oct. 8. Despite the 41-31 loss to the Crimson, Savage grabbed eight receptions for 152 yards (Photo by Tim McKinney)
Published on Oct. 8, 2011
It has been six years since the Cornell Big Red last beat Harvard, and the streak is set to continue after a 41-31 loss to the Crimson Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
The Big Red (2-2, 0-2 Ivy League) led 24-20 late into the third quarter, but the Crimson (3-1, 2-0) tacked on 21 unanswered points in the second half to keep the Big Red winless in Ivy League play.
And the key momentum changer occurred with the Big Red holding a 24-20 lead.
Punting from the Crimson 49, senior kicker Brad Greenway, normally not relegated to punting duties, made a costly mistake.
Greenway took a low snap and bobbled it before punting it away, but his knee had touched the ground, ruling him down at the Cornell 38. Instead of likely pinning the Crimson inside their own 20-yard line, the Crimson was given a short field.
And according to Big Red head coach Kent Austin, a mistake the team can’t afford to make.
“We shouldn’t be making those [kinds of plays],” Austin said. ”That’s on me. We can’t make those mistakes. Our seniors need to know better than that.”
With the ball at the Big Red 38, the Crimson marched down the field, scoring on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Colton Chapple to sophomore tight end Cameron Brate to take a 34-24 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Crimson’s biggest lead of the game at the time.
Another touchdown pass from Chapple broke the game wide open at 41-24 with 10:56 remaining, sealing the Crimson victory.
According to Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, Greenway’s mistake on special teams was the game-changing play needed to ignite the Crimson offense.
“In essence, that’s a turnover in all honesty,” said Murphy. “We created some momentum for us, and took away momentum for [Cornell]…Obviously you’d rather have the ball at the 50 rather than the 10-yard line coming out [on offense].”
And it was plays like Greenway’s that Austin believes puts his team at a severe disadvantage, and provides some unnecessary growing pains for a now more experienced team.
“The disaster play you have to get off this football team,” he said.
“You know, we got to get that out of our psychology and I told the team we need to grow up. It’s time for us to push through some of that stuff. It’s what they’ve been used to, and it’s time to grow up now as a football team.”
Chapple, who had started the last two games for the Crimson after an injury to Collier Winters in the opener, threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns, the first Crimson player to throw for over 400 yards since 2002.
But coach Murphy was not hesitant to mention the strong play of Jeff Mathews, who threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns.
“That was an eye opener that this was going to be a tough game [against Cornell],” said Murphy. “That this is a very legitimate offense. Jeff Mathews is a terrific young quarterback. He gave us all we could handle…”
In fact, the Big Red scored on their first drive of the game to quickly take a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the first quarter. However, the Crimson always seemed to have an answer, never trailing by more than seven points.
The Big Red travel to Hamilton, N.Y. next Saturday to take on the Colgate Raiders to close out their non-conference schedule, a team that beat the Big Red 44-3 at Schoellkopf Field in 2010.
However, it is the play of the offense that remains a high note for an improved and more experienced team, an offense that was first in the Ivy League in total offense (367.7 yards per game) entering today’s game.
“When your offense can move the ball and take advantage of those key turnovers, it brings enthusiasm and energy,” said senior defensive back Rashad Campbell. “And knowing that our offense is a lot better this year and making those plays is going to take us a long way this season.”
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 14, 2011 | Slope Media-Fall 2011
Big Red quarterback Jeff Mathews dives over the goal line for a score against Wagner Oct. 1. The Big Red bounced back with a 31-7 win, avenging a 41-7 loss at Wagner in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Cornell Athletic Communications).
Published on Oct. 1, 2011
After a 41-7 loss to Wagner last season, it almost appeared personal as Cornell avenged a 34-point loss to the Seahawks en route to a 31-7 victory Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
But according to head coach Kent Austin, no grudges were held.
“We don’t focus on anything in the past,” Austin said. “Every game is a different game. Every game takes on a new complexion.”
And the game took on the complexion of a blowout early. The Seahawks (1-4) fumbled the ball late in the first quarter, and the Big Red (2-1, 0-1 Ivy League) took over at the Seahawks’ 20-yard line.
Four plays later, sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews connected with Nick Mlady on a six-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead with 4:18 left in the first quarter.
The Big Red blocked two punts and forced three fumbles, and the defense recorded eight sacks, the most by the Big Red since posting a school-record 10 at Harvard in 1992.
And the second-most sacks in a game in team history came from the same Big Red defense that recorded no sacks last week at Yale.
According to Big Red defensive end Zack Imhoff, getting pressure on the quarterback was the defense’s top priority in practice.
“The key for us all week was to start getting after the pass rusher,” Imhoff said.
“Last week against Yale we didn’t get after them at all, and that strains the whole defense…so it all starts up front. As much pressure as we can get, the better for us.”
Imhoff recorded three and a half sacks, and blocked a key punt that gave the Big Red the ball inside the Seahawks’ five-yard line midway through the second quarter.
“That was a crazy play wasn’t it?” said Imhoff, referring to the Seahawks’ Nick Linehand being tackled 25 yards back from where he recovered the blocked punt.
With the Big Red already matching last season’s win total (two) after three weeks, coach Austin likes what he sees from his team, yet comes into each week ready for some element of surprise.
“I’ve been here long enough not to expect anything,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’m just real proud with where we’re at and with what the guys are doing.”
Mathews also backed his head coach, remaining adamant that today’s game against Wagner was not personal.
“We never talked about last year,” he said. “That wasn’t important to us because we know we’re moving forward here. Last year’s just not a big deal anymore.”
The Big Red host Harvard next Saturday, Oct. 8, hoping to win its first conference game.
And according to Mathews, the Big Red highly anticipates the Crimson’s arrival to Ithaca.
“We’ve been waiting for Harvard for a long time,” he said.
“…When it’s Harvard, you put a big smile on your face because we’re ready and we want to play them bad.”
While the win against the Seahawks may not be a shot of redemption as perceived by many, Imhoff believes it gives them the confidence to believe they can compete every week.
“I think it’s just a morale builder,” he said. “We all feel like we can play with everybody now.”
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 14, 2011 | Slope Media-Fall 2011
Published on Sept. 30, 2011
Getting fooled on an onside kick to start the game never put the game in doubt, as the Cornell sprint football team cruised to a 49-7 victory over Princeton Friday night at Schoellkopf Field.
The Tigers (0-3, 0-2 CSFL) took the game by storm early, recovering an onside kick the Big Red (2-1, 2-1) were clearly not prepared for. However, the Big Red held the Tigers to a three and out.
The ensuing possession and four plays later, the Big Red quarterback Brendan Miller connected with Spenser Gruenenfelder for a 23-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead.
According to Miller, who completed 13 of 15 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns, the defense stepped up and was able to stuff out the Tigers’ offense.
“They’re outstanding,” Miller said referring to the defense allowing a measly 159 yards of total offense. “They’re really the backbone of our team and they really came out to play today.”
The defense also forced four interceptions and held the Tigers to 50 yards rushing on 38 carries.
The victory over Princeton comes after a heartbreaking loss at home to Post on Sept. 23, a game the Big Red felt they should have one.
And for head coach Bart Guccia, the win could not come at a better time.
“It’s a great confidence builder for us,” Guccia said. “Knowing especially that the schedule that we have from here on in is a meat grinder–We have Army, then go to play [at] Penn and Navy.”
The Big Red has a bye week next week, before hosting Army on Oct. 14.
According to Miller, the bye week will allow banged up players to rest, as well as allow the team to gain some extra reps in practice.
“First off, we got to get everybody healthy,” he said. “I think the bye week came at a great time, and we just got to keep working hard and with fall break coming up will get a couple extra practices in.”
