On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Ithaca, football (1-2, 1-1 Ivy) got set to host the University at Albany (2-3, 0-1 CAA). After a more-than-successful homecoming weekend, the Red looked forward to adding to its win record; however, the Danes had other plans.
After competing with UAlbany for three quarters, Cornell surrendered two late touchdowns in a 31-10 loss.
UAlbany opened the scoring with a field goal after a rushing drive that the Red’s defense halted at the 20-yard line. After getting possession, the Red was quickly forced to punt following a false start. UAlbany’s offense then controlled the remainder of the first quarter, which ended with a missed field goal attempt.
In the second quarter, senior quarterback Jameson Wang was able to connect with junior wide receiver Parker Woodring to put Cornell up 7-3. UAlbany tried to respond, but big stops initiated by sophomore cornerback Braylon Howard, senior cornerback Michael O’Keefe and senior linemen Hunter Sloane, Maxwell Van Fleet and fifth-year Brendan Chesnut quickly ended UAlbany’s efforts.
The Red started the second half with possession, but consecutive false starts — a somewhat common miscue on Saturday — again led to a quick punt. UAlbany capitalized with its first touchdown on a first-and-ten play, as quarterback Myles Burkett connected with Jacari Carter, giving the Danes a three-point lead.
Sophomore kicker Alan Zhao then nailed a 35-yard field goal to close out the quarter, but UAlbany’s kicker John Opalko matched it with one of his own, growing the lead to six points. UAlbany held a 16-10 advantage heading into the final quarter.
UAlbany found its momentum in the fourth quarter, building a lead that the Red couldn’t overcome. Jojo Uga was the first to reach the end zone with a 16-yard rush, followed by running back Faysal Aden’s game-clinching 84-yard rush, sealing the victory for UAlbany.
While passing yards were nearly identical between the two quarterbacks — 225 for Burkett and 213 for Wang — the real difference came in the rushing game. Cornell managed only 97 yards on the ground compared to UAlbany’s 273.
Head coach Dan Swanstrom had emphasized ahead of the matchup that “every yard [was] going to be earned” against the Danes’ defense, and they certainly delivered on that expectation.
The Red will conclude its three-week homestand by taking on Harvard this Friday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field, and coverage will be on ESPN2.