This story has been updated.
Sprint Football (1-2, 1-2 CSFL) played its second straight away game against Chestnut Hill (2-1, 1-0 CSFL) on Saturday evening in Philadelphia. Despite looks on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, Cornell could not string it all together and ultimately fell to the Griffins by a final score of 27-9.
It was a tale of two halves for Cornell. In the first half, Cornell was outscored 27-3, but in the second half the Red were able to shut out their opponent by a score of 6-0. The second-half turnaround can be attributed to the Cornell defense which showed budding potential throughout the game.
In the first quarter, sophomore defensive back Elliot Kim jumped up to grab an impressive interception. In the second quarter, sophomore defensive lineman Eddie Hajjar stripped the quarterback and recovered the fumble, setting up Cornell inside Chestnut Hill territory, and later on junior linebacker Michael Mosier came down with the second Cornell interception of the evening. In the third quarter, a goal-line stand by Cornell led to a missed Chestnut Hill field goal which was returned by Kim to the Chestnut Hill 40-yard line.
The Cornell defense was flying around the ball and wreaking havoc all evening, creating a total of four turnovers. The defense capped off its performance with an awe-inspiring play in the fourth quarter when senior defensive lineman Elijah Biddlecom delivered a devastating blow to the opposing quarterback, knocking the ball out of his hands. The ball was then scooped up by senior defensive lineman Zach Glenn who turned on the burners and ran the ball seventy yards to the endzone, scoring Cornell’s only touchdown of the game.
“We shut them out in the second half,” said head coach Michael Huyghue '83. “I feel really strong about their ability to continue along those lines, a big part of what we stress is takeaways and turnovers.”
Despite showing potential by creating turnovers, the Cornell defense still struggled against the run. Chestnut Hill running back Lawrence Howard was able to wear the defense down with several physical runs and scored twice on the ground. Screen passes and run-pass-options were also a point of struggle for the otherwise stout Cornell defense.
Cornell also showed flashes of potential on the offensive side of the ball. Other than an interception in the third quarter, junior quarterback Max Spero looked poised despite facing pressure and blitzes. Senior wide receiver Colin Boyle was heavily featured in the passing game, notching 51 of the 100 Cornell passing yards.
Late in the second quarter, with pressure in his face, Spero unloaded an accurate deep ball to Boyle which was caught in Chestnut Hill Territory. Senior wide receiver Evan Nicholas continued to be a dynamic threat, recording 31 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards.
“Every game for us is another notch in our belt,” Huyghue said. “I think Max [Spero], like a lot of guys, are gaining momentum and experience with each of these games.”
Where the Cornell offensive unit struggled was in penalties. The Cornell offense recorded a total of seven penalties, pushing back drives that had the potential to score. The most egregious example came in the second quarter when a would-be Cornell touchdown was nullified by a holding penalty, leading Cornell to instead kick a field goal.
As coach Huyghue continues to build up this program, flashes of the high-flying offense and physically imposing defense he is trying to create are clear.
“The goal is, obviously, to put it all together. I would say we're trending in that direction,” Huyghue said.
As the season continues, Cornell will look to put together more consistent efforts to realize its full potential. Cornell’s next opportunity will come on Saturday at 4 p.m. against the University of Pennsylvania (2-0, 0-0 CSFL) at home in Schoellkopf Field.
Thomas Vollaro is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at tav35@cornell.edu.