Down by 13 points against Yale and approaching the red zone, junior quarterback Devin Page had multiple options: he could have targeted senior wide receiver Doryn Smith, who ended the game with the most receptions, or he could have handed the ball off to senior running back Robert Tucker III and picked up a few yards.
Instead, on a first down and operating out of a no-huddle, Page fired a pass over the middle to junior tight end Ryder Kurtz, who caught the ball at the one-yard line and forced his way into the end zone.
With this record-breaking play, Kurtz now holds the most touchdown passes caught by a tight end in Cornell football history, having successfully caught six balls in the endzone.
But in the midst of it all, Kurtz had no idea he had just made history, and this touchdown felt like any other one to him.
“I had no idea I broke the record until my mom told me after the game,” Kurtz said. “[I am] just grateful to God [for] putting me in that position to play the game that I love and my family for always supporting me through everything, especially my mom.”
Kurtz now has 11 receptions, 159 yards and two touchdowns on the season. For Kurtz, the quarterback under center doesn’t impact his performance — he explained that he works with both junior quarterbacks Garrett Bass-Sulpizio and Devin Page to help the two adjust to the offense.
“My job is to be the best teammate I can be and support my guys as much as I can,” Kurtz said. “[I spend] time with them after practice, getting extra routes and extra catches with them to get our timing down. If we missed a route or didn’t like it during practice, we work it after practice to try and get everything as good as we can get it.”
Under head coach Dan Swanstrom, the Red’s offense has undergone a transformation, and Kurtz attests that the difference is “night and day.” He told The Sun that he enjoys learning from the offensive coaches. No huddle, run-pass option and shotgun formations allow receivers and tight ends like Kurtz the ability to reap the benefits.
“Coach Swanstrom’s offense has been great for our ability to produce on offense,” Kurtz said. “Especially for the tight ends, we are lined up all over the place, and we are always in the play — whether it is in the run game or the pass game.”
Now, Kurtz is focused on winning and has his attention focused on the Red’s homecoming matchup against Colgate. The last time Cornell faced the Raiders, it lost 41-24, and Kurtz had just one reception good for 12 yards.
“I have trust in all of my teammates and my coaches, and trying to win each day is our top priority,” Kurtz said. “They trusted me enough to put me on that field, and it feels great to be able to help the team out in any way that I can.”
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
