Sprint Football (2-4) faced a tough game on the road against Army (6-0) on Friday evening in West Point, New York. When the dust settled, Army emerged victorious by a score of 56-0, handing Cornell its third shutout loss of the year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Cornell struggled to sustain drives against the stout Army defense. Senior quarterback Evan Nicholas returned as the starter under center and finished the game with 12 completions on 32 attempts for 87 yards. Nicholas faced heavy pressure all evening against an Army defense that recorded four sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Despite struggles in the passing game, Nicholas was effective on the ground, logging 56 yards on 14 rushing attempts. He was also able to spread the ball to various receivers, with senior wide receiver Colin Boyle, senior running back Kevin Lopez and junior wide receiver Leo Madera Castellanos each recording over three receptions each. Cornell also played a relatively clean game, with a forced fumble in the first quarter and an interception by Boyle on a trick play being the only two Cornell turnovers of the evening.
“Other than interceptions, the turnovers have been pretty much limited,” said head coach Michael Huyghue ‘83. “Our goal each week has just been to get better in the things that we can control and manage.”
On defense, Cornell was unable to slow down the potent Army offense in the first half. Sophomore defensive lineman Eddie Hajjar gave Cornell its sole sack of the game, and the defense recorded only two tackles for loss. Issues with stopping the run reemerged for Cornell as Army running back Henry Beck recorded 204 yards rushing on only nine carries and reached the end zone three times. A 74-yard rushing touchdown by Beck in the second quarter was especially back-breaking for the Cornell defense.
In the second half, Cornell’s defensive unit tightened up, only allowing 14 points compared to 42 points in the first half. Coming out of halftime with more energy, the defense was able to force an Army punt in the third quarter and a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.
“When the nerves get in, you get out of position, you jump off sides, you make those kind of mistakes, and then you settle in the second half and you start playing football,” Huyghue said. “And that’s kind of been a theme.”
On Cornell’s last drive of the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Charles Snajdr-Trinch led Cornell down to Army territory for position to kick a field goal. A failed field goal attempt meant that Cornell was not able to break up the shutout, but the late-game signs of life bode well for Cornell’s season finale next week.
A rollercoaster season for Cornell has included three shutout losses, one shutout win and a thrilling one-point victory. After only winning once in the two prior seasons, this year has been a step in the right direction under the management of coach Huyghue. Cornell will try to quickly put this loss behind them and look toward next week for a chance to gain a third win and triple its win total from the previous two seasons.
“We’re a team that has 39 new players on it, almost 30 of them never played football before,” Huyghue said. “For a new team like this, getting used to a new coaching staff and [potentially] winning three games after going oh-and-six would be a phenomenal feat.”
Cornell will have the opportunity to end the season on a high note against Mansfield University at home at 7 p.m. on Friday at Schoellkopf Field.