The gates of Schoellkopf Field are open and new legends are ready to be made. In a game that saw NFL scouts from the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans in attendance, neither team disappointed. Last time the two teams played, No. 19/20 Yale (1-1, 0-1 Ivy) defended their home turf. Now, the Red did the same.
The Red’s energy could be felt the second the team stepped on the field. The Red’s sideline could not stand still, jumping and screaming throughout Yale’s first drive.
Senior safety Tommy MacPherson, who showed defensive excellence in the Red’s season opener, read the Yale pass route and intercepted the football. MacPherson was able to run the ball to first-and-goal before getting tackled, giving the Red a prime opportunity to strike first.
After an offensive interference penalty on Yale, senior quarterback Garret Bass-Sulpizio was able to easily push his way into the end zone for a Red touchdown.
“It’s important to play off each other,” head coach Dan Swanstrom said about the Red’s offensive and defensive units. “As much as you don’t want momentum to be a thing, it is a thing, and you got to work through that. I thought the guys did a great job today.”
The Red consistently ran the football, causing many hard hits.
The Red, now leading 7-0 after senior kicker Alan Zhao converted the extra point, once again needed a big stop from defensive coordinator Michael Toerper’s defense. This is exactly what the defensive unit provided, shutting Yale down before it could get anywhere near a scoring position.
While the Red’s offense was not able to put any more points on the board, the special teams unit came up with a big play of its own. Junior punter Caden Lesiewicz punted the ball 75 yards, dropping the ball on Yale’s 1-yard line.
Lesiewicz’s punt helped the Red as it tallied another defensive stop to end the first quarter.
The Red’s opening second-quarter drive did not amount to anything substantial, giving the football back to the Bulldogs.
After a drive that saw Yale secure two first downs, the Bulldogs successfully converted a 40-yard field goal that put the score at 7-3 in favor of the Red.
The two teams traded the ball back and forth a few times before the Red struck again. Bass-Sulpizio threw a 41-yard missile to sophomore wide receiver Ja’Von Broussard, putting the Red only 4 yards away from the Bulldogs’ end zone.
This was followed by another offensive interference penalty called on the Bulldogs in the red zone, putting the Red on the 1-yard line. Just as he did last time, Bass-Sulpizio forced his way into the end zone with the help of the Red’s offensive line, scoring the Red’s second touchdown of the game.
With the score now at 14-3, the Red’s defensive unit needed to continue its strong play. It followed its touchdown with a six-and-out. After shutting down the Bulldogs after three plays, a penalty threatened to give Yale another opportunity to put points on the scoreboard. The Red’s response: hold the Bulldogs to a second straight three-and-out.
After finally receiving the ball back, the Red opted to run out the remaining seconds in the second quarter, sending the Red into the locker room with a 14-3 lead.
As the third quarter began, it became clear the Red was not planning on letting up on the intensity it had shown in the first half. Bass-Sulpizio found senior tight end Ryder Kurtz and senior wide receiver Brendan Lee for back-to-back first downs.
Then senior running back Ean Pope got the ball and never looked back. After breaking through the defensive line, Pope juked around the remaining Yale defenders in the backfield, allowing him to secure a 31-yard rushing touchdown, the Red’s third of the game.
Ean Pope '27 running past a defender.
Ean Pope '27 celebrates his 31-yard rushing touchdown.
Zhao once again converted the extra point, giving the Red a 21-3 lead over the Bulldogs. The Red’s dominance on the defensive end continued as MacPherson secured his second interception, his third of the season.
“It’s the guys around us. We have a new coaching staff this year, and I’m playing with all my brothers,” MacPherson said when asked what has contributed to his defensive excellence. “They push me to get better every week. I’ve got the opportunity to make a couple plays, but there’s no doubt a lot of guys on the field can make those plays, or have [already] been making plays.”
Following this interception, the Red marched down the field on rushes from Bass-Sulpizio, Pope and junior running back John McAuliffe. Once in the red zone, it was Lee who took the football, swinging around the Bulldog defense for the Red’s fourth touchdown.
Despite the Red’s excellence, the Bulldogs were not planning to go down without a fight. They progressively made their way down the field before finding the end zone. After a successful 2-point conversion, the Red still held a comfortable but smaller 28-11 lead over the Bulldogs.
As the third quarter came to a close, neither team was able to put additional points on the board, though it would not take the Bulldogs long to strike once the fourth quarter began.
Only two minutes into the final quarter, the Bulldogs scored their second consecutive touchdown. After converting the extra point, the Red’s lead was cut down to 28-18.
With its lead now in jeopardy, the Red offense needed to put more points on the scoreboard.
Bass-Sulpizio found junior wide receiver TJ Hamilton for a 32-yard reception, sending the Red into striking territory of the Yale end zone. Over the course of the next three plays, the Red accumulated another 23 yards of offense.
After getting stopped at the 17-yard line, it was once again Zhao’s job to put more points on the board for the Red. He successfully did so, putting a 34-yard field goal through the uprights.
The football was then returned to the Bulldogs with the score sitting at 31-18 in favor of the Red. In the biggest drive of the game, the Red came up big, shutting down the Bulldogs’ offense in a four-and-out drive.
“I can’t say enough about the assistant coaches and the players, how they just kind of come in every day with a great attitude and get after it,” defensive coordinator Michael Toerper said. “They bought into this plan early in the week. We worked it, worked it, worked it, and came out here and executed it. [Now it’s] back to work though.”
The Red setting up its defense.
Players battling for position as the Red closes in on the end zone.
Ryder Kurtz '27 preparing for a play.
This gave the Red the football back at Yale’s 32-yard line with just over five minutes left in the game.
After six straight rushing plays, it was junior running back Jordan Triplett who found the end zone, all but solidifying the Red’s victory over the Bulldogs. Zhao’s successful extra point officially gave the Red a 20-point lead over the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs did score another touchdown with just over a minute to go in the game, though it mostly served as consolation points.
With the game just about over, the Red ran out the remaining time on the game clock, securing a 38-25 win in its home opener over the Bulldogs.
“That’s a good football team,” Swanstrom said about the Bulldogs. “That’s a team that won the league last year, had a playoff win and took Montana State down to the wire, so that football team is not going to turn it down. Just a couple turnovers, [we] played pretty clean football, and [we’re] learning how to not beat ourselves first before we really elevate this program.”
Aside from the big win, it was the first time the Red ran for five touchdowns in a single game since 2019 against Columbia. MacPherson also became the first Red player ever to secure four takeaways in the first two games of the season, as he has now forced one fumble and caught three interceptions against Colgate and Yale.
Next week, the Red will head to the nation’s capital to face off against the Georgetown Hoyas (0-3, 0-2 Patriot) at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, an opportunity to continue the success it found against the Bulldogs. 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 a sports editor of the 144th Editorial Board and was previously the assistant sports editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. He can be reached at mleonard@cornellsun.com.
