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The offseason for the Cornell football team must have felt like an eternity. The last time we saw the Red, the team had just completed a 16-7 road victory over perennial Ivy League powerhouse Penn, avenging a 59-7 loss at the same venue two years prior.

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The business of being a Cornell student-spectator will now come with a price tag, as the Athletics Department has announced that events that were previously free for the student body for 11 sports teams will now charge a nominal price of admission.

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After two winning seasons of Ivy League play under head coach Jim Knowles ’87, the football team will welcome 24 new players in the Class of 2010 to the roster as the Red prepares for a title run in 2006. Knowles and his staff took a run at the skill positions on offense, bringing in four wide receivers, three running backs and two quarterbacks, not to mention two tight ends and three offensive linemen. On defense, the Red will welcome eight defensive backs and two linebackers.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. –– Cornell never trailed Saturday after the chicanery of an 81-yard touchdown pass on its opening play from scrimmage. Alarmingly, as Yale penetrated the end zone for the first time on the final play of regulation, the Red’s 14-12 edge appeared to be in jeopardy. With no time left in regulation, the Bulldogs prepared for a two-point conversion. This one play from the three-yard line would decide the result after 60 minutes of battle. It was not until the pass attempt from sophomore quarterback Patrick Witt fluttered harmlessly to the ground in the middle of the end zone that Red sealed its first Ivy League road victory since 2005.

Check Monday's edition of The Cornell Daily Sun for more coverage

Football 14, Yale 12

For the second year in a row, the Red defense preserved a win over the favored Bulldogs. For the second year in a row, Cornell moved to 2-0, while Yale fell to 1-1.

Neither team could get its offense into a rhythm this afternoon in New Haven, Conn., but big plays by senior receiver Bryan Walters and junior safety Anthony Ambrosi handed the Red a lead, and the Cornell defense stepped up in a big way to shut down a potential game-tying two-point conversion at the end of regulation.

The football team opens its conference schedule with a game against Yale (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) tomorrow. The Red (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) will travel to New Haven, Conn. to face its Ivy rivals during the first weekend of in-conference Ancient Eight play.

Last season, the Red snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bulldogs. Cornell held on for a 17-14 victory in what was probably the team’s biggest win of the season. The Red prevailed in large part due to a dominant performance from its defense.

Saturday was an ideal end to what was surely a long offseason for fans of Cornell football. With the weather hovering around 56 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, Cornell started its season with a statement — a 33-9 win over Bucknell that showcased the team’s strengths without revealing many weaknesses. Offensively, head coach Jim Knowles ’87 threw the kitchen sink at Bucknell’s textbook defensive schemes, and was rewarded with both big plays and steady drives. On defense, Cornell bent under the pressure of the Bison’s rush, but never broke, registering two red zone stops and allowing Bucknell to convert only 5-of-18 third downs.

“Businesslike” is not a glamorous term. “Businesslike” does not inspire, it doesn’t imply courage, drama, panache or anything but a slow, predictable drive to the finish. And yet, “businesslike” seems to be the name of the new game being played on Schoellkopf Field.