Adrian Boteanu / Sun File Photo

New faces, first-time starters and upsets. Recap the first week of Ivy play.

September 16, 2017

Around the Ivy League: Cornell, Harvard Falter as League Foes Open With Wins

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Turnovers plagued Cornell football’s opening game at Delaware on Saturday in an otherwise successful day for the Ivy League. Cornell’s 41-14 loss made the team just one of two Ancient Eight squads to lose their opener.

A last-second field goal salvaged a 17-14 win for Columbia in its opening game against Wagner. Oren Milstein’s 29-yard kick gave the Lions the win in a game where they turned the ball over twice and allowed Wagner running back Ryan Fulse to pick up 153 yards and two touchdowns, including an 83-yard score. The Lions host Georgetown next week.

An unexpected face joins the Red at the bottom of the standings to open the year. Harvard lost 17-10 to Rhode Island, a team the Crimson beat 51-21 in last season’s opener. Harvard running back Charlie Booker III rushed for 139 yards in the loss, but the Crimson failed to score in the second half and could not overcome Rhode Island’s 17-point second quarter. The Crimson plays Brown at home next week.

The Red will travel to New Haven, Connecticut, next week to take on Yale, who handily defeated Lehigh this weekend, 56-28. Sophomore quarterback Kurt Rawlings threw four touchdowns after being named starter in the offseason, helping the Bulldogs secure a victory on the road.

Brown quarterback Nick Duncan threw a touchdown and ran for two more as the Bears squeaked by Bryant, 28-23. Despite dominating the time of possession battle, Bryant could not overcome its two turnovers. Brown opens Ivy League play at Harvard next week.

Dartmouth cruised to an opening week win, beating Stetson, 38-7. The Green’s offense gained 491 yards, compared to Stetson’s 94. Dartmouth ran away with a 21-point third quarter and never looked back. The Green takes on Holy Cross next week, who upset No. 9 New Hampshire, 51-26 at home.

Replacing injured quarterback and reigning Bushnell Cup recipient John Lovett is a tall task, but Princeton quarterback Chad Kanoff shined with 352 passing yards and wide receiver Stephen Carlson caught three touchdowns to lead Princeton, last year’s league co-champion, to a 27-17 win over San Diego. Princeton plays at Lafayette next week.

Penn exploded for 35 second-half points as they downed Ohio Dominican, 42-24, at home. Running back Karekin Brooks and wide receiver Justin Watson each scored two touchdowns for the 2016 co-league champions. First-year starter Will Fischer-Colbrie, in after the graduation of NFL-bound Alek Torgersen, threw for 198 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in his debut at the helm of the offense. The Quakers play at Lehigh, Yale’s latest victim, next week.