This story has been updated.
Sprint Football (1-1 CSFL) prepared for a battle with the Navy Midshipmen (2-0 CSFL) on a rainy afternoon in Annapolis, MD. The Midshipmen attack proved to be overwhelming for a Cornell team still finding its chemistry, and Cornell was ultimately taken down by a final score of 49-0.
Turnovers were the story of the game for Cornell. Junior quarterback Max Spero and senior quarterback Charles Snajdr combined for five costly interceptions against a smothering Navy defense which allowed only 91 passing yards all game. Cornell was unable to get much going in the run game either, notching only six rushing yards on 24 attempts.
Defensively, Cornell struggled to stop the run as Navy running back Hunter Gennicks scored three touchdowns on the ground and led the way for a Navy rushing attack that combined for 448 yards. Several big runs by the Midshipmen, including a 55-yard touchdown rush by Gennicks, came via missed and broken tackles by the Cornell defensive line. Head coach and former defensive coordinator Michael Huyghue ’83 will try to clean up these miscues by reestablishing confidence going into next week.
“In large measure, we just put that game behind us, and we went back to focusing on the next opponent,” Huyghue said. “You have to fix those in the confidence, you have to fix those in the team chemistry and camaraderie, and that's the stuff we're working on.”
Despite the loss, there were bright spots on the defensive side of the ball. Senior defensive lineman Zach Glenn notched a big sack in Cornell territory in the second quarter to keep the Midshipmen out of the endzone, and senior defensive lineman Eli Biddlecom racked up two tackles for loss, proving to be a problem for the Navy offense.
Senior wide receiver/defensive back Evan Nicholas flipped the script from last week. In Cornell’s previous game against Molloy, Nicholas was the engine of the Cornell offense. This week against Navy, he was featured in far more defensive snaps, and the shift paid off as Nicholas grabbed an interception and tallied three solo tackles.
“[Nicholas] has a thirst for the game. He's a leader. He's a very talented player, unselfish,” Huyghue said.
With a new head coach and starting quarterback, Cornell is still looking to solidify its identity and chemistry in these early weeks of the season. The confidence of Huyghue and the rest of the Red locker room is unwavering.
“We're still in first place in our division,” Huyghue said. “So you know, a win this week will still keep us in first place in our division. So that's what we're going to do.”
Cornell will look to learn from the loss and bounce back stronger next week in Philadelphia against Chestnut Hill on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Thomas Vollaro is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at tav35@cornell.edu.
