The sprint football team travels to Penn this weekend to battle the Quakers.
“It’s going to be a fight, without a doubt,” said senior quarterback Sunil Gupta.
Earlier this year, the Red suffered a heartbreaking 19-17 loss to the Quakers at Schoellkopf Field. In the final seconds of the game, with Cornell (2-2, 1-1 CSFL) up 17-13, Penn quarterback James Dagnell completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tim Murphy to give the Quakers the victory.
The Red is looking to turn the tables tomorrow.
“We need to be sure [the offense] comes out full force,” said Gupta. “If we do that, we’ll be able to stay at a high level for the whole game.”
The team is looking for a stellar performance from the offensive line.
“The O-line is coming out to play,” noted Gupta. “They’ll be key to the running and passing games.”
Defensive lineman Jay Sackett summed it up.
“The offense has to move the ball.”
On the other side of the ball, the Red aims to stop the Quakers’ running attack.
“The defense has to make a stand,” Sackett said.
A victory is crucial to the Red’s chances for a shot at a league championship, and the team have been practicing hard in preparation. It realizes the fight will be tough.
“I expect it to be a close game. We just need to pull through in the end,” Sackett said.
Despite the Red’s prior loss to the Quakers, Gupta thinks the team is ready for the battle, and he likes the match-up with Penn.
“I’m confident about this game,” he said.
Archived article by Matt James