For the Red, Saturday’s game represented an opportunity to extend its win streak to five in a row. A victory would have represented a complete turning point from the beginning of the season, which saw Cornell (4-5, 3-3 Ivy) start the season with four straight losses.
For the Big Green (7-2, 4-2 Ivy), a win in this game was necessary to secure its spot in the NCAA Division l Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Dartmouth has been consistent all season, but is still overshadowed in the Ivy League standings by Harvard (9-0, 6-0 Ivy).
These consequences set the stage for a battle between two teams vying to make this season one to remember.
Early on, the defensive battle became the key difference-maker. Both defenses were doing everything possible to give their teams as much momentum as possible, and it showed. The scoring in the first quarter was minimal, with the only points coming in the form of a Dartmouth field goal. Every other drive in the quarter was shut down by the respective defenses attempting to rally some momentum, leaving the first quarter at a marginal 3-0 Dartmouth lead.
The Big Green started the second quarter with possession of the ball, and once again the Red defense quickly shut down its hopes of putting more points on the board.
On the following drive, junior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio marched his team down the field, throwing seven completions in a row. Another quick pass to sophomore running back Jordan Triplett put the Red only a few yards from securing its first touchdown of the afternoon.
After a few different unsuccessful attempts to get into the endzone, Bass-Sulpizio took matters into his own hands. Bass-Sulpizio sneaked through his offensive line and forced his way into the endzone on a three-yard rushing touchdown. After a successful extra point kick from sophomore kicker/punter Caden Lesiewicz, the Red now held the lead, 7-3.
On only the third play of the Big Green’s responding drive, running back D.J. Crowther slipped through the defensive and ran for a 67-yard touchdown, immediately flipping the script back in favor of the Big Green.
With the final seconds of the first half dwindling away, the score sat at a Dartmouth lead of 10-7. It seemed like that would be the final score of the half until Bass-Sulpizio threw a 26-yard missile to junior tight end Ryder Kurtz. This put the Red in field goal range, giving Lesiewicz the opportunity to tie the score for his team in the form of a 38-yard kick. Unfortunately for the Red, Lesiewicz missed the uprights as the final seconds of the half expired, seeing the first half end with a 10-7 Dartmouth lead.
The score did not reflect the strength of the Red offense. Bass-Sulpizio threw 187 yards with a 81.5 completion percentage in the first half, which was one of his best performances in a single half this season. The play of Kurtz should also be noted, as he secured 78 receiving yards.
Heading into the third quarter, the Big Green held possession of the football. At first, the Red defense appeared to easily shut down the drive, however after a flag was thrown on third down, the momentum seemed to shift. The resulting automatic first down served as a lifeline for the drive.
Crowther once again was the person the Big Green went to when it needed a big play. Similarly to his rushing touchdown in the first half, Crowther snuck his way through the defense for a 20-yard rushing touchdown. This touchdown, along with an extra point kick, extended the Big Green lead to 17-7.
Dartmouth gained momentum after this touchdown, as its next drive demonstrated similar success. After 12 plays, spanning both the end of the third quarter and first moments of the fourth, the Big Green secured its third touchdown of the game. This time it came in the form of a one-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Grayson Saunier. The game was now firmly in control of the Big Green, with the score sitting at 24-7.
The notable offense seen by the Red in the first half did not carry over into the second half. The following Cornell drive hoped to minimize the damage done by the previous touchdown, however the Red would be shut down for the fifth consecutive drive, once again not able to secure any points.
While the Big Green was outplaying the Red, Dartmouth’s performance was not without its flaws. Kicker Owen Zalc missed a field goal, leaving easy points off the scoreboard for the Big Green.
Time was slowly ticking away, but the Red was not ready to lose its win streak that easily. The Red marched down the field exclusively on passing plays from Bass-Sulpizio. Sophomore wide receiver TJ Hamilton finished this drive with a one-handed catch while falling down to secure his first collegiate touchdown. This drive set the score at a 24-14 Dartmouth lead.
Unfortunately for the Red, this would be its last drive of the game. The Big Green successfully ran out the remaining time left in the fourth quarter, ending the Red’s four-game win streak.
While this loss ended an exciting run of Cornell football, Bass-Sulpizio finished with 328 passing yards and a 82.2 completion percentage, marking one of his most efficient performances of the season. Kurtz also had a notable game on the offensive end, securing 91 receiving yards. On the defensive end, it was fifth year safety Damon Barnes who led the team with 12 total tackles, with senior linebacker Joey Cheshire close behind at 10 total tackles.
The Red will return to Schoellkopf for its final game of the season in a matchup against rivals Columbia University at 1 p.m. on Nov. 22. The Red will also be celebrating Senior Day. All the action 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.
