By wpengine September 19, 2003
There were games last season when wide receiver Keith Ferguson ’03 simply carried the team. In a loss at Harvard last October, “Ferg” hauled in 12 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. In a dramatic late-season win over Dartmouth, Ferguson grabbed 11 balls for 175 yards. In many respects, Ferguson was the most crucial cog in the Cornell offensive machinery. He was the playmaker. But now, he’s gone. With the loss of the program’s most prolific receiver to graduation, one big question surrounds the receiver corps: who will step forward and become senior quarterback Mick Razzano’s go-to receiver? According to Cornell head coach Tim Pendergast, it might be a group effort. “I don’t know that one guy can do that,” Pendergast said of replacing Ferguson’s 70 catches and 852 yards. “I’m not saying that we don’t have the ability to do it, we’ll find that out. I think more than likely it will be a host of receivers that will come up with those 70 receptions.” “Keith’s shoes are pretty big to fill. Since we have three here doing it, I think we’ll be able to do that. One person, I’m not sure,” senior receiver Chad Nice said. The three men who will be counted on to make up for Ferguson’s departure will be a trio of seniors — John Kellner, Nice, and Vic Yanz. “Those three guys are really workaholics, and they’ve done a really good job of taking their games up a level each year since their sophomore year,” Pendergast said. Kellner is the best bet to become the Red’s No. 1 receiver after starting opposite Ferguson last season. As a junior, Kellner posted 36 catches for 493 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the squad with an average of 13.7 yards per catch. “Kellner might have the ability to be that leading receiver,” Pendergast said. While Kellner is more of a possession receiver, Nice, who is penciled in as the second starter, has big-play potential written all over him. After catching 15 passes for 164 yards last season, Nice will be counted on to provide Cornell with a deep threat. “The real deep threat guy is Nice. He can run — he can run with any guy in this league. He’s explosively fast. Chad’s the kind of guy that if he finds a seam and hits the crack, he can take it 80 yards.” Yanz, who saw the majority of his playing time last season in four-receiver sets and at the goal line, will be Cornell’s third option this season. However, Yanz’s other contributions are not as visible to the casual fan. He’s one of the better blocking skill-position players on the team. “Vic does everything that we ask him to do. He’s a tremendous blocking wide receiver — one of the best I’ve ever been around,” Pendergast said. “Not a lot of wide receivers do it — to go down in there and dig out a linebacker, dig out a safety.” “I think I developed blocking skills basically from a process of elimination. I came here as a freshman and I couldn’t run routes, I couldn’t catch. I was converted from another position so I was just not used to the position,” Yanz said. “I told myself as a freshman that the only way I could get noticed is if I just kind of threw my body around. It’s just something that’s stuck.” In addition to Kellner, Nice, and Yanz, several other players will vie for playing time. Junior Carlos Hill and sophomore Andy West have impressed coaches with their size and speed, while freshman Tony Jackson and sophomore Arjun Rao will need to polish their games before seeing action on the field. Finally, seniors Tom Britton and Marschall Berkes add experience and leadership to the receiving corps. Sophomore Chris Eckstein has assumed the starting job at tight end, but senior Pat Deyhle — a big receiving threat at the position — and sophomore Troy Follmar, will push Eckstein. “We’ve got three guys who are really in the mix,” Pendergast said. Only time will tell if this year’s receiving corps, which includes five seniors, can make up for the loss of Ferguson. But if you ask any member of the Red, there is no doubt. “I see it as an advantage for us because teams aren’t going to be able to key in on one guy anymore like they have in the past,” Yanz said. “Instead of it coming from one place, it’s three, or four, or five. I really see it as something we can use to our advantage.” Archived article by Alex Ip
By wpengine September 19, 2003
Mick Razzano has a tattoo on his right forearm that says, in Italian, “My dear family.” “It’s just a representation of where I come from and how important my family is to me,” he said. “It’s just a phrase, but it keeps everything in mind.” To Razzano, there is nothing more important than family, a list that certainly includes football. “They’re the most important thing. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, they didn’t miss a game. They’re always in the stands at 10 o’clock in the morning waiting for us to come out. I love the game but I do it for them too,” Razzano said. “It wouldn’t be anything close to the same without my whole family being in the stands for the game.” After serving as the backup to Ricky Rahne ’02 for three years, Razzano finally came to the forefront last season, taking over the starting job. As he enters this, his fifth year of eligibility, Razzano is ready to take the lessons he has learned to heart and lead the Red to a coveted Ivy League championship. Leadership is nothing new to Razzano, who feels that it is part of his job description to inspire his teammates. “Being the quarterback of a team, you really can’t ask for anything more. You have to be the leader. You’re in charge of the team,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of the glory comes with the position, but a lot of the blame comes with it too. Things that you have to be willing, able to deal with, and accept.” With that attitude, it’s no surprise that Razzano took it in stride when he was named a co-captain this spring. “I am the captain, but the quarterback has to be the captain anyway. Regardless of being chosen as captain, you have to be the leader anyway. So, it’s not really as big a change for me,” he said. “I had to be a leader last year without being a captain.” And last year, despite lacking the official title of “captain,” Razzano was a highly effective leader for the Red. He also established himself as a player capable of coming through in the clutch. In all four of the Red’s wins last season, Razzano engineered the game-winning drives within the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. One of these such games was Cornell’s come-from behind victory last Nov. 16 at Columbia in the second to last game of the season. After falling behind 14-10 with less than four minutes left, things looked dire for Razzano and the Red. Facing a fourth-and-17, Razzano launched his longest pass of the year, a 44-yard bullet to the outstretched arms of then-junior receiver John Kellner to give Cornell a first down on the Lions’ 22. Five plays later, Razzano connected with Kellner again to put the Red in front, 17-14, with 25 seconds to go. “There’s no better feeling than that, being able to lead your team and work as a team and just get the job done,” Razzano recalled. “That Columbia game coming off the field, you can’t even describe it.” While the win over Columbia may have been the one that reaffirmed the Red’s status as the “cardiac kids,” it was just one example of Razzano’s late-game prowess. After trailing for nearly the entire game last Oct. 26 at Brown, Razzano led an 11-play, 66-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard touchdown run by tailback Marcus Blanks with just 52 seconds remaining on the clock. Then sophomore Trevor MacMeekin sealed the with with a 42-yard field goal in the second overtime. “There was a lot of traffic going to the game from our hotel in the morning. It was pouring rain, and there was traffic. We got to the stadium maybe less than an hour before kickoff. Usually, our whole pregame is an hour. So we were way behind. Some guys weren’t even dressed yet,” recalls Razzano of the game. “I guess we were just ready to play, because everything was out of whack. We went out there and we had a double overtime win, and it was just amazing to see Trevor kick that field goal.” Yet another game sticks out in the memory of quarterbacks coach Brandon Stott. “Towson last year [was memorable], just because we jumped on them, and they responded and came back. He led the team in overtime, had a big run that helped set up the win for us,” Stott said. “I think he grew up a lot in that game against a good defense.” Instances such as these are indicative of Razzano’s rapid progression from raw, inexperienced talent to a more refined, intelligent, and complete player. “Mick is no longer that freshman he was a year ago,” said head coach Tim Pendergast. “Mick is playing like a senior right now, he is making outstanding decisions with the ball.” Stott, Razzano’s position coach, agreed. “A few years ago, he was just out there being a good athlete with a strong arm, and not really being a quarterback,” he said. “Now, he’s truly being a quarterback and reading the defense and doing all the other really great things.” Razzano’s rise to the pinnacle of Cornell athletic renown was far from meteoric. The native of South River, N.J. starred on the gridiron as a high schooler, playing quarterback, linebacker, and safety at Bishop Ahr High School. As a high school senior, he was named first-team all-area and all-division. But the accolades did not continue when he arrived on the Hill. With Rahne calling the plays for the Red, playing time was hard to come by for Razzano. The senior, however, hung tough. He saw game action for the first time during the 1999 season, completing three of four attempts for 40 yards. Razzano saw some more time in 2001, Rahne’s senior year, completing 7-for-12 for 97 yards. Once he took over the starting role last year, though, his progression was quickly apparent. Starting all 10 games for the Red, Razzano passed for 1,556 yards and seven touchdowns. Perhaps even more important than the numbers he put up were the lessons he learned from last season’s co-captains, Nathan Archer ’03 and Nate Spitler ’03. “I’m sure he learned from Archer and Spitler, I’m sure he had to learn,” Pendergast said. “But I’m sure when his teammates voted him as captain, he [took a deep breath] and went, ‘Okay, they’re calling me out now.'” Razzano’s teammates echoed the coach’s sentiments. “You look for someone in a captain that doesn’t have to change their personality to be a captain,” Kellner said. “Mick is a leader — a natural leader. He’s someone that we all look up to and want to play for since he’s stepped onto campus.” Kellner’s relationship with Razzano will be crucial to the team’s success this season. As a wide receiver, Kellner’s effectiveness is intricately related to Razzano’s. “A lot of quarterbacking and receiving comes down to just knowing each other well. You can run a perfect route, and have a perfect pass, and it might not be a perfect play,” Kellner said. “It comes down to being able to know where Mick is going to be at a certain time, and he knows where we’re going to be at a certain time. And that continuity is what you look for. In your second year, it’s something that should be a given, and something we should be able to do all year.” Equally as important as Razzano’s synergy with his receivers is his relationship with the offensive line. “Those are my lifesavers, those are my protectors,” Razzano said. “Those guys in the trenches never get enough credit and should get more credit. They’re the guys who do the work, and they aren’t as seen and it isn’t as glorified for them.” Razzano has high expectations for this year’s edition of the Red. Now in Pendergast’s third year at the helm, the offensive pieces appear to be in place for Cornell to make a serious run at an Ivy title. “After a whole season and spring ball and now camp, we’re obviously a lot more comfortable than we were before the first game,” Razzano said. “Everything from calling the play in the huddle to executing the play right on the field, we’re throwing a lot better now. It’s the same offensive line. Everybody from the offensive line is back, so that makes it a lot easier. We’re playing more as a unit than we’ve played obviously in the past year and a half.” Once again, the team’s primary target will be Ivy rival Penn, who beat the Red, 31-0, in last season’s final game to clinch an undefeated conference season and the Ivy title. “We obviously want to beat all our Ivy League opponents,” said Razzano. “I would say the Penn game [is the one we want the most]. That’s always been our rivalry. The last time we beat them was my freshman year. I’m the only one who’s been able to experience beating Penn, to know what it is to beat them. That would just be the perfect ending.” Archived article by Owen Bochner