The Navy Midshipmen sank the sprint football team, 18-13, on Friday night in a contest held in Annapolis, Md. The Red was held under the century mark in rushing yards and did not record an offensive touchdown in a matchup that has not been favorable to the Red in recent years. Navy has beaten Cornell in their last three contests and eight out of the last nine, Cornell’s lone win coming in the undefeated 2006 season.

The Red defense continued to play well after shutting out Mansfield a week ago. The defense was able to hold the running-minded Midshipmen to just 28 yards on the ground, but Navy was able to connect on a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback Tyler Terronez. The Midshipmen struck first at the end of the first quarter when Terronez’s long pass was corralled by wideout JoJo Catrini. The second quarter was a defensive exhibition for both sides, with the offenses struggling to move the ball. At the end of the first half Navy led the Red, 6-0.

“We didn't score in the first half, but we were still confident that as an offensive unit we could move the ball and put some points on the board,” said sophomore center George Gomez. “A few select plays could have gone in our favor and easily changed the outcome going into halftime.”

The Red went down another score after wide receiver Eric Montgomery got free in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown reception. After Navy forced a Red safety, the score was 15-0 and the Midshipmen would get the ball back on the ensuing punt. Terronez was driving on the Red defense until senior defensive back Nick Indovina picked off a pass and scampered 57 yards for a touchdown. The game-changing play put the Red down one score after three quarters. Abandon ship: Sprint football mounted a strong comeback in the third quarter, but Navy escaped with the narrow victory.

“[Indovina’s] pick was huge,” said junior defensive lineman Tim Kozen. “Our defense really had a great game all around. That interception really fired us up and got a comeback in motion. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, we just couldn’t find the end zone when we had to.”

In the fourth quarter the Red had some promising offensive drives. Cornell drew within five points after an impressive kick from rookie Alex Perilstein. Perilstein booted a 49-yard field goal that went along with his outstanding punts all game long. Navy responded with a 20-yard field goal from Nate Stewart to take a 18-10 lead. Cornell quarterback Elliot Corey led an impressive drive in the late minutes of the fourth quarter, but it was stalled and the Red was forced to settle for a field goal attempt. Perilstein knocked down a 38- yard field goal to make the score 18-13.

The Red defense played tough in the final minutes to force a three-and-out and get the ball back for Corey and the offense. The Red took its second loss of the season after an errant pass fell to the turf on a fourth-and-10.

“We went down there for the first time in four years excited to play Navy,” said senior captain Mike Adler. “Despite great efforts on both sides of the ball, in the end, the outcome was short of what we were hoping for."