The 2026 football season is officially underway. The Red kicked off its season with a Saturday matchup against a familiar foe, the Colgate Raiders, ultimately falling 20-7 in a gritty matchup.
Coming into the game, the Colgate Raiders (3-1, 2-0 Patriot) had already played three games. The Red had played none.
The Raiders quickly made that clear, holding the Red (0-1, 0-0 Ivy) to a quick three-and-out. This was followed by an almost immediate 85-yard missile from Raiders quarterback Jake Stearney to give Colgate a 7-0 lead just moments into the first quarter.
Head coach Dan Swanstrom explained he does believe the Raiders’ earlier start to the season gave them a slight edge to start the game.
“I think it’s a massive advantage in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game. But after that, it kind of dissipates and falls away, and it’s pretty even footing at that point,” Swanstrom said.
Now the football was back in the hands of senior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, who has given the Raiders trouble in the past, rushing for 91 yards last season when the two teams faced off.
On third-and-seven, on the brink of another three-and-out, Bass-Sulpizio marched the Red down the field with a 23-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Ja'von Broussard. This was followed by a perfect throw to senior wide receiver Samuel Musungu for a touchdown.
However, offensive interference was called on Musungu, and the touchdown was called back. This allowed the Raiders to swing momentum back in their favor, shutting down the Red before it could get points on the board.
The Raiders carried this momentum into their offensive drive, moving down the field slowly but surely. The 14-play drive saw the Raiders secure their second touchdown of the game, increasing their lead to a comfortable 14-0 over the Red.
The remaining minutes would not see that much action from either team, aside from a field goal that further increased the Raiders’ lead to 17-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Another field goal by the Raiders was the only scoring seen in the second quarter, as both teams found difficulty reaching the end zone. Heading into the locker room for halftime, the Red was now trailing the Raiders 20-0.
Coming out of halftime, the Red was given an immediate jolt of energy after senior safety Tommy MacPherson secured the Red’s first interception of the season.
Following this interception, the Red once again entered striking range of the end zone. Senior kicker Alan Zhao was sent out for a field goal on fourth-and-two at Cornell’s 17-yard line. This field goal attempt ended up being a trick play from Swanstrom attempting to sneak past an unsuspecting Raiders special teams unit.
Unfortunately, the Raiders caught on before the Red could turn the trick play into anything substantial, resulting in an unlucky loss of potential points for the Red.
Back-and-forth action continued much of the way through the third quarter. The Raiders, still holding a lead, opted to give their backup quarterback, Joey Tomasso, some game time. The Red defense took advantage of this switch, as MacPherson landed a massive tackle on Tomasso, forcing a fumble that senior linebacker Ian Wall recovered for the Red.
Despite this impressive stop from the defensive unit, Bass-Sulpizio was picked off on the first play of the Red’s offensive drive. Both teams were ultimately held scoreless as the third quarter came to a close.
As the final quarter began, the Red showed life, putting together multiple impressive offensive plays.
Bass-Sulpizio connected with senior wide receiver Brendan Lee for a 22-yard pickup before rushing for 22 yards himself. Once in the red zone, Bass-Sulpizio connected with junior running back Jordan Triplett on an option play for the Red’s first touchdown of the season.
Zhao subsequently kicked in the extra point, cutting the deficit to 14 points.
The Red’s defensive unit followed this offensive showing with an impressive display of its own, shutting down the Raiders with ease.
Instead of opting to continue its run-heavy scheme of the last drive, the Red, likely knowing time was running low, went back to the passing game. After a few unsuccessful offensive plays, an attempt by Bass-Sulpizio to connect with Lee again was intercepted by the Raiders.
The teams would exchange possession of the football a few more times, each unsuccessfully looking to increase their point tallies. As the game clock ran out, the Raiders held on to their 14-point lead, beating the Red in its season opener by a score of 20-7.
Swanstrom said he is not afraid to make adjustments if he believes it will place his team in a better position to succeed.
“I need to evaluate everything,” Swanstrom said. “I need to make sure I have the right people on film. I need to make sure we’re putting our players in the right places and positions to execute.”
Focus will now shift to the Red’s home opener at Schoellkopf Field against the Yale Bulldogs (0-1, 0-0 Ivy). The matchup will be the Red’s Ivy League opener.
“Most coaches say the biggest jump you make in football is from week one to week two, so that’s going to be what we’re pushing to do,” Swanstrom said about next week’s game.
The game will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. All the action will also 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.
