Holding high hopes and great expectations for conference play, the football squad is back to the drawing board as it begins to utilize a team-focused approach to fill in the voids.  

With two of the team’s top receivers gone, there is ample opportunity for returning players to earn larger roles in the Red’s offense. Energetic junior Shane Savage and sophomore Luke Tasker will see the bulk of the action as receivers. Savage, who is possibly the Red’s most versatile player, will primarily work out of the slot this season, after catching a pass in every game last season.  

“I probably decided to be a wide receiver because of my dad, who was a wide receiver at … Wisconsin, so that was my initial interest in it. Because of my height of 5-10 and my smaller body type, I couldn’t play running back,” Savage said. “I first played receiver my junior year of high school and had a great season.”

After Cornell’s staggering loss against Wagner last weekend, the wide receivers as well as the rest of the team have practiced hard this week in hopes of redeeming themselves with a solid win in tomorrow’s game.

“We are on a nine-game losing streak, so it would be great to snap that and turn the season around,” Savage said. “The biggest thing is the stat in the win column, if we can turn that around and try to get Cornell wins, and get rid of this losing atmosphere.”

With many passing plays relying on finesse, a split-second difference of when the ball is thrown can determine whether the ball is pulled in by a Red receiver instead of falling incomplete or into the arms of a defender.

“[Mathews and I] have really good chemistry because after practice everyday, we made it a ritual actually; we stay afterwards to throw about 100 balls, just him and I, working on his throwing technique and my catching technique. We’ve been doing good bonding and creating that chemistry,” Savage said.  

Teammates believe that Savage’s athleticism will propel him to an outstanding year for the Red. 

“Obviously our goal is to win an Ivy League championship,” Savage said. “That is what we are fighting for, that’s what we are practicing for. In the short term, we are taking each play and making that our best play. So don’t think about the next play, or the next game, but focus on the thing at the moment. So, we are taking one play at a time and if we can win each play, then we will have a really successful season.”