Heading into the fourth weekend of the season, football (1-2, 1-0 Ivy) faces Harvard (2-1, 0-1 Ivy), the defending Ivy League champion.
Narrowly defeating New Hampshire, 28-23, in last week’s matchup, the Crimson visits Ithaca Friday evening under the lights at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell will be debuting a brand new all-black alternate jersey for the prime-time rivalry matchup.
The Red is coming off a 31-10 loss against the University at Albany, where senior quarterback Jameson Wang recorded 187 yards and a touchdown, with sophomore wide receiver Samuel Musungu leading the Red with six receptions for 87 yards. While the Red led the game 7-6 at the half, the Great Danes controlled the third and fourth quarters, adding 25 points to its total.
Holding strong for 60 minutes is something Cornell is continuously working on.
“If you continue to make mistakes within this program and you don’t fix it — whether you are not tough enough or mentally locked in, then we are going to put you on the bench,” said head coach Dan Swanstrom. “We need super high-level execution to have an opportunity — and we are demanding more from our players.”
Despite the short week of preparation and the national TV element of this week’s matchup, the team practiced as normal, reflecting on the game against Albany before moving forward to Harvard.
“I’m not measuring [this year] by outcomes. I’m measuring it by growth and how we compete. I think the way we came out of practice this week and are working through a bunch of things shows a lot about where we are going as a program,” Swanstrom said. “This week’s game will look similar to last week. With the size, the speed, and the strength of Harvard, it will be tough.”
Last year’s matchup between the two teams featured Harvard quarterback Charles DePrima having a career day, throwing for 209 yards and three touchdowns as well as rushing for a total of 152 yards and three more touchdowns. While DePrima now plays wide receiver for the Crimson, Swanstrom and the Red view him as a threat that must be handled.
“DePrima might be the fastest kid in our league,” Swanstrom said. “He is electric on film and brings a lot of problems to the table — he is dynamic with his speed, and paired with [quarterback Jaden Craig] will be a challenge.”
Cornell will be closing out its three-game homestand with one of its most storied rivalries to date, dating back 134 years. Harvard has a substantial edge in the overall series, and a win over the Crimson on Friday would hand the Red its first victory against Harvard since 2018. That 28-24 win came right on Cornell’s home turf.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field with coverage on ESPN2.
