October 25, 2004

Sprints Remain in Title Contention With Upset Win

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After three straight losses to begin the season and just one game against perennial cellar-dweller Princeton on its schedule, things looked bleak for the sprint football team this season.

What a difference two weeks can make.

After taking care of the Tigers last weekend, the Red came into Friday night’s game against Penn looking to avenge its 35-13 loss to the Quakers at Franklin Field to open the season.

Not only did the squad get revenge — it got some hope with its 34-27 victory. With the win, the Red improves its overall record to 2-3, and CSFL mark to 2-1.

More importantly, the Red earned a shot at a share of the league title if it can beat Army on the road on Friday, and if Navy falters in one of its two remaining games.

One of the plays that gave the Red hope at a shot at a piece of the title came on the Quakers first possession. Senior Peter Burns busted through the line on Penn’s first-and-goal from the one-yard line, stripped the ball carrier, and sophomore Jason Zittel recovered for the Red.

Junior Alec Macaulay’s performance Friday was also vital to the Red victory. He threw four touchdowns and connected on 13-of-23 passes for 208 yards in the air. The biggest offensive play of the game for Cornell came in the fourth quarter — with the Red leading by just a point — when Macaulay hit junior receiver Jon Amoona down the left sideline for a 45-yard completion to extend the lead to eight points.

Amoona was Macaulay’s favorite target Friday night, catching five passes for 101 yards, to place him second in the league in receptions with 11, behind Penn senior Pat Monaghan, who has 18.

“I really feel great that we won the game for the seniors,” Amoona said. “This kind of win will really propel us next week against Army and hopefully we can win [a piece of] the championship.”

The offense was well balanced, as the Red rushed for 120 yards and passed for 208 more. Sophomore Mike Fullowan, who before Friday night’s affair accounted for six of the seven Red touchdowns on the season, pounded the ball on the ground for 118 yards on 37 attempts. Fullowan caught one touchdown pass and rushed for another, to give him a team-leading eight scores on the year.

Junior fullback Ben Herzberger received a 14-yard touchdown pass from Macaulay just 51 seconds into the second quarter to put the Red on the board first. Macaulay’s second scoring strike was to sophomore Nick LiVigne on a 16-yard pass.

The Red was also solid defensively. The defensive line recorded six sacks for a combined loss of 37 yards and caused four fumbles, recovering three of them. With less than a minute remaining in the game, the Cornell defense made a crucial stop on the red zone. Holding on to a tenuous seven-point lead, the Red forced a fumble to seal the win.

Friday night, the Red will hope to keep its hopes for a share of the CSFL title alive, when it visits Army, which has already lost to Penn this season.

Archived article by Josh Fox
Sun Staff Writer