The final week of the 2025 Ivy League football season is upon us. The season has marked both highs and lows in head coach Dan Swanstrom’s second year at the helm of the program. Looking back at the first half shows a team that struggled to find any form of success. However, if you were only looking at the second half of the season, you would think the team was a dominant force in FCS football.
Saturday's game will be a defining moment in how history will look back at this program's 2025 season. A win against long-time rival Columbia (1-8, 0-6 Ivy) presents the Red (4-5, 3-3 Ivy) with the opportunity to end the season with a bang.
A win against Columbia would secure the Red a .500 record for the first time since the 2022 season and a winning record in conference play for the first time since the 2005 season. Four wins in conference play would also be the most the program has seen since the 2005 season.
In 2010, the annual matchup between Cornell and Columbia was officially named the Empire State Bowl, commemorating the long standing rivalry between the two programs. The winner of this contest receives the Empire Cup trophy. The first ever Empire State Bowl saw Columbia secure a 20-17 victory over a Red team that featured future NFL center JC Tretter ’12.
While Columbia has struggled throughout the entirety of the season, the Red will not be able to underestimate the Lions. In recent years, the Red has had a rough go against the Lions, having not secured a win over the program in over five years.
“It's a talented group who are just in a very tough League,” said Swanstrom. “That's what people forget. Every single week [Columbia has] had no breaks. They had Lafayette and Lehigh as their two non-conference games, which is team one and team two in the Patriot League. And then the Ivy League itself is very good, top to bottom.”
On the defensive end, the Lions will be led by defensive lineman Justin Townsend, the current leader in tackles for loss within the Ivy League (11.5). Townsend has also secured six sacks, which is the third most in the league, and two forced fumbles, which is second in the league, only behind the Red’s senior linebacker Ben Sahakian who has forced four.
On the offensive end, the Lions will be led by tight end Titus Evans, who has secured five touchdowns in the Lions last three games. Evans has averaged 12.8 yards per reception and is statistically one of the most efficient receivers in the league.
Prior to the game the Red will also be celebrating Senior Day, highlighting the careers of some of the Red’s most impactful leaders. Throughout the 2025 season Swanstrom has consistently noted the importance of many seniors on his team and the importance of their leadership.
“It's a group I really like. I like coaching them, I like seeing them every day,” Swanstrom said. “Not having them around will be a bummer. I've gotten some really good, blind faith from that group, who really bought into what we're doing and what we're trying to do, and haven't really asked questions. They did it without any guaranteed results, and that's all you can ask of them.”
The Red will run onto Schoellkopf for the last time in 2025 at 1 p.m. on Nov. 22 where it will hope to conclude the season with an Empire State Bowl victory. The game will be available live 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.
