Cornell was on its third game of a three-week homestand. It had won the first two, against Bucknell and Brown, and drew its largest crowd since Homecoming thanks to visitors in town for Family Weekend.
The setup seemed perfect for a victory against Princeton (3-4, 2-2 Ivy), which had the potential to leapfrog the Red into the top half of the league. Yet, less than five minutes into Saturday’s match, Cornell had given up a touchdown. Ten minutes later, that hole had doubled.
Instead of rolling over, Cornell (3-4, 2-2 Ivy) flipped the script. The version of the Red that came out of the halftime locker room was unrecognizable as the team that had struggled to gain its footing earlier in the game. Junior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, who had thrown for only 25 yards in the first half, logged 92 passing yards in the second to catapult Cornell into the lead, 20-17.
Ultimately, the Red’s defense cracked down, holding off Princeton’s attempts to close the gap and securing Cornell’s third win of the season. This is Cornell’s first three-game win streak since 2016 — and its first time winning three games at home in consecutive weeks since 1972.
“[Head coach Dan] Swanstrom tells us not to care about the score or the outcome, but we got out there and got the win,” said sophomore running back Jordan Triplett. “To a lot of the guys, that means a lot. It feels great to have three wins in a row.”
The Tigers struck first, and they struck hard. While 27 yards from the endzone in the first drive of the game, Princeton quarterback Kai Colón tossed a lateral pass to Josh Robinson. Cornell’s defense converged and got their hands on Robinson, and it appeared that Princeton would be taking no yardage from the play.
Instead, with a spin and sprint towards the opposite sideline, Robinson evaded the Red’s tackles and ran to score a touchdown.
Cornell’s chance to respond ended in an intercepted pass on its own 40-yard line after just two plays. A series of short drives kept the action on the Red’s half of the field, and Princeton broke through, completing a fourth-down conversion on the way to their second touchdown of the game.
Four minutes remained in the first quarter, and Cornell was down 14-0.
“[Princeton] did a fantastic job of running the football early against us and moving us off the ball,” said head coach Dan Swanstrom. “They were more physical on the point of attack. We really had to root in with our competitive spirit to try to balance this game out.”
The Red’s last chance to respond before the first intermission began in the same vein as its previous unsuccessful charges — a fumbled snap seemed likely to cut the drive short on the second play.
Bass-Sulpizio and Triplett powered a string of rushes that put the team on the precipice of the red zone. Freshman running back John McAuliffe carried a 22-yard rush to get Cornell a yard away from a touchdown before the quarter break.
The second quarter began with the ball on the one-yard line, allowing Bass-Sulpizio to immediately sneak into the endzone only seconds into the quarter. Sophomore kicker Caden Lesiewicz secured the extra point, the first of his collegiate career, putting the score at 14-7.
“[Princeton’s defense] is an experienced group,” Triplett said. “They’re fast, physical, and they know how to squeeze the line of scrimmage. At the end of the day, our line did a great job of getting the push.”
The Tigers responded with an immediate 18-yard run from running back Ethan Clark. It would not take long for Colón to lead his team into striking distance, completing pass after pass.
Like in last week’s victory over Brown, when it mattered most the Red defense came through. With the Tigers just yards away from a touchdown, the Red defense locked down the field over the course of four plays, putting the ball back in the hands of Bass-Sulpizio.
Cornell wasn’t able to take advantage of the turnover, giving up the ball after three plays. With possession back in the hands of Princeton, the Tigers quickly returned to scoring range. Though they found themselves just four yards away from their third touchdown of the game, Colón wasn’t able to complete his passes and Princeton settled for the field goal.
“[The defense] is about as good as I've seen,” Swanstrom said. “You got your Ben Sahakian, your Damon Barnes, you got Joey Cheshire, Max Van Fleet, James Reinbold. They're grabbing guys like Johnny Williamson and Keith Williamson, and those guys are jumping on board with their habits. So [the seniors] are really doing something really good for the program right now.”
The Red’s final opportunity of the half was cut short while building momentum by an interception caught by Evan Haynie. While this interception did not translate into any points for the Tigers, it was still a halting moment for the Red.
Princeton’s offense put on a dominant display throughout the half. Though the Tigers have averaged 19 first downs a match in the first part of the season, they completed 14 in the first half of the game alone. Cornell, in contrast, struggled to sustain cohesive strands of plays and had three drives of less than seven yards.
Bass-Sulpizio came into the second half having only thrown for 25 yards. He would more than double this number in the beginning of the first drive with 10-yard and 22-yard completions, but when it seemed he was getting into a groove, went down after a hard tackle.
The Red attempted a trick play with no quarterback on the field, and a pass thrown by junior wide receiver Brendan Lee was intercepted in the endzone. Thanks to a penalty call, Cornell retained possession and was granted a first down.
Bass-Sulpizio returned, and with him back in the driver's seat of the Red offense, Cornell was able to get back within range of the endzone. Only a few yards away from another score, Bass-Sulpizio set his sights on senior wide receiver Doryn Smith. A perfectly executed 5-yard throw from Bass-Sulpizio allowed Smith to easily secure the second Red touchdown of the game.
However, the Tigers would not make it as easy for Lesiewicz, who had his extra point attempt blocked. The score now sat at 17-13.
To open the third quarter, senior linebacker Ben Sahakian logged a sack to force a fumble, which senior linebacker James Reinbold picked up to give the Red possession on Princeton’s 33-yard line.
“We have so many strong senior leaders,” Sahakian said. “So many strong guys who really, really have brotherhood, like Max [Van Fleet]. He's one of my best friends on the line, and he's right next to me the whole game. I know he's going to double down when I double down, and we just go back and forth. We have some mentality, some mantra, in the defensive room and it's between us.”
Though the Tigers forced Cornell to the fourth down, a pass interference call granted the Red another shot. Now on the 18-yard line, the Red was once again in reach of taking the lead.
This time, the Red offense and Bass-Sulpizio did not let the opportunity slip away. Bass-Sulpizio quickly threw the ball to junior tight end Ryder Kurtz, who broke multiple tackles to sneak his way into the endzone. A successful extra point kick from Lesiewicz officially gave the Red a three point lead over the Tigers.
“It was awesome. It always is,” Triplett said. “Last week [taking the lead] in overtime, this week in the fourth quarter. It’s an experience that I will never get tired of. We’re gonna try to do it again next week, and we want to try to do that every season.”
The defense’s senior leadership again showed up big, with fifth-year defensive lineman Maxwell Van Fleet sacking Colón to put Princeton back by 25 yards on the fourth down. When the Red’s offense took the field, it carried the same momentum from its previous drive, making headway while running down the clock.
Bass-Sulpizio punted the ball on the fourth down to catch the Tigers out of position, and Princeton regained possession with 1:48 left in the game. After making no progress in the first three plays, Colón threw a 38-yard completion to Roman Laurio to put the Tigers in the danger zone.
The Tigers were now only a few yards outside the red zone, meaning the Red defense needed to prevent them from advancing the ball any further. After a 5-yard rush, Colón would unsuccessfully attempt two throws. Now on fourth down, Colón would need to secure a first down to keep the Tigers hope of a comeback alive.
Van Fleet had other things in mind. When Colón attempted a last ditch effort, Van Fleet would break it up, forcing a bad pass to take possession from the Tigers on downs.
The Red offense then assembled in victory formation, running out the rest of the game clock and solidifying its third straight victory.
After a 2024-2025 season characterized by powerful offense and subpar defense, the ability to hold a team to 17 points has special meaning for the team’s defensive line.
“I'm not gonna sugar coat it, we were not happy with our performances last year,” Van Fleet said. “We had 70 guys out here this summer really committed to the weight room. Our defensive line room put on an average of 15 pounds per person, with the goal that we're gonna knock people back, and we're gonna have a fun time doing it.”
Next week, Cornell hits the road to challenge the University of Pennsylvania, which won over Brown on Saturday. After three weeks of no travel, the team will test its ability to succeed without the comfort of a home field.
“Wake up, get after it on Sunday,” Sahakian said. “We have to look one play at a time. Right now, I'm focused on recovering, attacking tomorrow's meetings, lift and just keeping it going one play at a time. Let's keep building this.”
The Red faces off against the Quakers at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8 in Philadelphia. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Alexis Rogers is the sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She is in the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences, and she can be reached at arogers@cornellsun.com.
Matthew Leonard is a member of the Class of 2028 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. He can be reached at mleonard@cornellsun.com.
