The sprint football team opened up its regular season at Schoellkopf Field this Friday, losing a contest to CSFL opponent Penn. Penn narrowly beat the Red, 20-14, even though Cornell had two strong performances from new senior signal caller Elliot Corey and running back DJ Schiavetta.

Cornell, a primarily option-run team, turned to Corey and Schiavetta to shoulder the load on offense. Corey threw for 153 yards and a touchdown on 5-of-9 passing, while also scampering for 55 yards in the game. In the backfield, Schiavetta proved he could be a dual threat after running for 71 yards with a touchdown while also posting 74 yards receiving with a touchdown.

“DJ was spectacular,” said junior guard Patrick Dooley. “He follows blocks really well and never stops moving his feet. Corey threw the ball well today. We need to put more points on the board though, and hold onto the ball for longer, our defense was out there too long.”Mr. All-Purpose: Senior running back DJ Schiavetta rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown as well as 74 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Junior linebacker Clayton Hemminger was all over the field for the Red defense, recording 14 tackles in the game. The Cornell defense didn’t have trouble getting to Quaker quarterback Todd Busler. The pressure was lead by junior defensive lineman Tim Kozen, who was wearing a big cast to protect a broken hand. Kozen used his speed to record 2.5 sacks in the game.

“We were getting to the quarterback pretty well,” said Kozen. “He was able to make some nice throws on us though. He was able to lead them on too many long drives and we let them control the ball. Our focus will be stopping those third-down conversions, we need more three-and-outs.”

The Quakers were the first to strike in the game, when Busler found wideout Whitman Shaw for a 26-yard touchdown pass. Cornell responded quickly, scoring on the next drive when Corey and Schiavetta connected. Schiavetta made some nice cuts on his way to a 74-yard touchdown reception.

In a game that saw no scoring for most of the first half, the two teams exchanged three scoring drives to end the half. The Quakers led, 14-7, at halftime after Busler led an impressive drive that ended in a 4-yard run by Busler, who inched out the goal line run.

The Quakers set the tone of the second half coming out of halftime with a lengthy 90-yard, eight-minute drive to take a 20-7 lead after Cornell blocked the point-after. The Red moved the ball well in the fourth quarter, cutting the Quaker lead to six after a Schiavetta touchdown, but the Red was stymied by the Quaker defense in the final minutes.