During preseason, head coach Dan Swanstrom offered no clear answer on whether junior Devin Page or junior Garrett Bass-Sulpizio would be taking the helm as the team’s main quarterback. In the season opener against University at Albany, it was clear that there would be no resolving this dilemma anytime soon.
Despite a last-minute touchdown that brought the team just a field goal away from breaking even, Cornell fell 13-10 while testing both candidates for quarterback.
Page took the field first for the Red in his debut start at the central position. His drive brought the Red 33 yards, including an 18-yard pass to senior wide receiver Doryn Smith.
At the end of an otherwise quiet first quarter, the Great Danes were first on the board with a 32-yard field goal from James Bozek.
Bass-Sulpizio took over from Page during the second quarter, logging two complete and two complete passes over the course of 50 yards, the Red’s longest drive yet. However, Cornell’s efforts were unsuccessful, and lost possession on a fourth down.
The second quarter passed as uneventfully as the first; neither team got within 30 yards of the endzone, and Albany settled for a second field goal with under two minutes remaining in the half.
Cornell hit a stride in the third quarter, when the Red held Albany to a four-yard drive thanks to two tackles by fifth-year safety Damon Barnes and an incomplete pass by Colinright Parachek. After receiving possession at Albany’s 41-yard line, Bass-Sulpizio completed three consecutive passes for 12, 11 and six yards apiece.
The Great Danes’ defense put the endzone out of reach, but junior kicker Alan Zhao threaded a 25-yard attempt to get Cornell their first score of the year.
It wasn’t until the final quarter that either team would see a drive to completion.
With six minutes on the game clock, Albany running back Jojo Uga broke free to run the ball from Cornell’s 43-yard line into the endzone, scoring the first touchdown of the game. The Red was down 13-3, but not for long.
A 24-yard pass from Page launched Cornell within field goal range on the first play of the next possession. Page logged a series of small gains, ending with a six-yard pass to junior tight end Ryder Kurtz, that secured a touchdown and put the Red down by just three points with 3:38 on the clock.
After denying the Great Danes the chance to respond, Cornell made it to Albany’s 42-yard line before Jayden Estes intercepted a pass. From there, Albany wasted the remaining 1:33 to take the victory, 13-10.
Both Page and Bass-Sulpizio completed eight passes, while Page attempted 12 and Bass-Sulpizio attempted 14. Page logged 27 more yards than his teammate and took responsibility for Cornell’s lone touchdown.
Kurtz received the most passes for the Red, carrying the ball 68 yards over the course of the night.
Football has one more weekend away before the Red returns to Ithaca for homecoming. Cornell will take on Yale at 12 p.m. Sept. 27, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Alexis Rogers is the sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She is in the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences, and she can be reached at arogers@cornellsun.com.
