The Red came into its first Ivy League matchup of the season having only scored one touchdown in a 13-10 loss in its season opener against UAlbany. Head coach Dan Swanstrom also told The Sun that it was unclear who would be the starting quarterback entering the matchup against Yale (1-0, 1-0 Ivy League).
However, when the nod was given to junior Devin Page, he did not disappoint.
Under his leadership, the Red offense came out swinging, scoring a touchdown in each of the first two quarters. A one-yard run from Page fueled the first drive from the Red’s offense. This was the first time since Nov. 9 that the Red offense has scored a touchdown in the first quarter. The offensive display kept the game extremely close, with the score ending at 14-14 once the halftime whistle blew.
The second half saw the Yale offense come out swinging, easily moving the ball all around the field and finding no difficulty in moving past the Red defense. The Bulldogs would score a touchdown and two field goals to take a 27-14 lead over the Red.
While the Bulldogs offense picked up the lead in the second half, Page went into overdrive. He threw for an outstanding 84 yards just in the third quarter, scoring a third touchdown for the Red.
Junior tight end Ryder Kurtz who was on the receiving end of this touchdown, cutting the Bulldogs lead down to only six points. This catch was the sixth career touchdown for Kurtz, breaking the Cornell record for most ever touchdowns by a tight end.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the score sat in favor of the Bulldogs at 27-21. To win, the Red had to stop Yale on its possession and capitalize with a touchdown of its own.
Prior to the game, coach Swanstrom noted that the defense had improved since last season. This improvement was evident when they got a quick stop against the Bulldogs, leading to a clutch field goal from junior kicker Alan Zhao — bringing the game within three points.
“I just really was pleased with the effort [from the defense],” Swanstrom said referring to the loss against UAlbany. “Not only the effort but the ability to stay on task.”
After another quick stop from the Red defense, the ball went back into the hands of Page — and the offense began strong, slowly moving the ball up the field.
With just under three minutes on the clock, a crucial error from the Red offense would see the Bulldogs intercepting the ball and taking back control of the game.
Yale then scored two late touchdowns after a breakdown coming from errors of both the offensive and defensive units, solidifying a tough 41-24 loss for the Red.
Football will celebrate homecoming when it returns to Ithaca to take on Colgate University (1-3, 1-0 Patriot League) at 2 p.m. on Oct. 4. All the action will be available on ESPN+.
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.
