In search of its second Ivy League win and first on the road, football took a commanding lead against Brown on Saturday. Up 21-3 late in the third quarter, the Red saw its lead dwindle and ultimately lost, 23-21, thanks to a Brown field goal with no time left.
The Bears (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) converted three of its four fourth-down opportunities en route to the win, while Cornell (2-4, 1-2 Ivy) was largely stalled on the run game, rushing for just 58 yards of offense on the ground.
Cornell failed to get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, allowing Brown’s offense –– particularly its kicker –– to tack points down the stretch to hand Cornell its second Ivy League loss.
Brown won the coin toss and elected to defer, opting to receive the ball in the second half. Cornell’s offense, led by senior quarterback Jameson Wang, showed early promise with a strong opening drive. However, the momentum stalled on a fourth-and-one, wrapping up an 11-play, 47-yard drive that consumed just over three minutes of clock time.
Brown’s first possession mirrored Cornell’s, as they were forced to punt after a fourth-and-four at their 43-yard line.
Cornell eventually broke the deadlock with a well-executed drive. Wang orchestrated the offense efficiently, finding sophomore tight end Ryder Kurtz, sophomore wide receiver Samuel Musungu and junior wide receiver Doryn Smith to move the chains. The drive culminated with Wang scrambling into the end zone himself. Sophomore kicker Alan Zhao added the extra point, giving Cornell a 7-0 lead.
Brown pushed to close the first quarter with points on the board, but their efforts were thwarted by a seven-yard sack from FCS National Defensive Player of the Week, senior linebacker Luke Banbury, driving them further back.
The only points in the second quarter came from a field goal by the Brown Bears. The remaining 15 minutes featured dominant defensive performances from both teams, with each side successfully holding the other to their half of the field.
“Interception” defined the third quarter. Senior linebacker Damon Barnes recorded the first pick at Brown’s 33-yard line, setting up Wang to connect on a 30-yard pass to Smith. Wang followed with a rushing touchdown, and Zhao added the extra point, extending Cornell’s lead to 14-3.
Barnes also tallied the second pick, but the Red’s drive didn’t end in any additional points.
The third interception of the quarter came just minutes later from freshman cornerback Tyler Gibson and ended with points on the scoreboard after Wang moved the ball down the field to Smith, Musungu and eventually to junior wide receiver Parker Woodring for the touchdown. The additional point brought the score to 21-3.
Although Brown’s quarterback Jake Willcox had struggled to make a significant impact early in the game, he delivered in a crucial moment during the final minutes of the third quarter, finding Solomon Miller in the end zone to trim Cornell’s lead to 11.
From there, the Red had little answer to Brown’s offense. A 12-play, 98-yard drive by the Bears culminated in a one-yard touchdown rush for Qwentin Brown that narrowed Cornell’s lead to just four points.
Cornell only had two opportunities with the ball in the final quarter, as the Brown defense found its groove while its offense ate away the clock. Consecutive field goals –– including the last score of the game coming with less than a second left –– sailed the Bears over the Red, stunning Cornell with what, at times, seemed like a comfortable victory.
The Red will look to rebound and even its Ivy League record next Saturday, Nov. 2 when it takes on Princeton in New Jersey. The game will conclude Cornell’s three-game stint on the road. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.