Cornell Preview

The Bulldogs head to Ithaca, NY to face the Cornell Big Red on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 PM and the game will air on ESPN+.

Cornell lost to Colgate in week one by a score of 20-7, but that was a difficult opening-day opponent for the Big Red. This Yale-Cornell game is always a hard-fought battle as an Ivy opener, and this one is expected to go down to the wire.

Offensively, the unit is quarterbacked by Senior QB Garrett Bass-Sulpizio (6’5″, 231 lbs.), a big-framed signal-caller who returns with some starting experience this year, though he notably struggled with decision-making and pressure against Colgate by completing 18 of 37 passes for 132 yards and 3 interceptions. Despite those passing struggles, he was their leading rusher with 5 carries for 52 yards, including an explosive 22-yard scamper, and while he managed to avoid being sacked, he frequently forced balls into tight coverage as his pocket fundamentals broke down under heavy pressure. Naturally, we have to expect him to look sharper this week since Cornell boasts an impressive stable of receiving talent. Junior RB Jordan Triplett (5’10”, 205 lbs.) averaged an efficient 5.3 yards per carry despite being limited to just 4 carries, proving himself to be a solid all-purpose back who came on strong last year by churning out 454 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. Senior RB Ean Pope (5’7″, 182 lbs.) provides a speedy veteran presence out of the backfield. Cornell features a solid rushing attack to account for, and they will really try to make Yale pay on the ground this weekend. Through the air, Senior WR Samuel Musungu (6’0″, 192 lbs.) is a very dangerous deep threat who earned 2nd-team All-Ivy honors in 2024 before missing the 2025 campaign with an injury. Sophomore WR Ja’von Broussard (6’1″, 193 lbs.) serves as another rising weapon for the Big Red alongside the massive Junior WR TJ Hamilton (6’6″, 254 lbs.). Quick and productive pass-catcher and rusher Senior WR Brendan Lee (5’11”, 189 lbs.) adds another dynamic threat, while Senior TE Ryder Kurtz (6’5″, 250 lbs.) is a 2nd-team All-Ivy selection from last season who ripped Yale apart with 9 catches. Their offensive line averages 303.3 lbs. across the board with only 1 returning starter in the mix. They held their own reasonably well in the rushing game and did not allow a single sack last week, even though their quarterback was frequently forced to scramble out of danger. Defensively, our front line has to step up big this week. We need to maintain stellar outside containment while creating consistent interior disruption. Our linebackers must fit their gaps cleanly and wrap up securely in space. We simply have to make their quarterback uncomfortable to relieve pressure on the secondary. Calculated blitzes will be necessary whenever the situation calls for them. From a secondary perspective, Cornell features tons of dangerous receiving targets to account for. That means we must strictly limit mental mistakes in coverage and take much better angles on opposing ball carriers. This is especially important because they are likely to run heavily against us early on while throwing a trick play into the mix.

The Big Red defense is anchored by Senior S Johnny Williamson (6’1″, 205 lbs.), who racked up 7 tackles, 1 interception, and a sack against Colgate. Junior LB Cooper Cameron (6’1″, 231 lbs.) added 9 tackles and a sack last week, while Senior S Tommy MacPherson (6’2″, 198 lbs.) led the team with 11 tackles and a sack. Junior LB Ian Wall (6’4″, 234 lbs.) also chipped in 9 tackles. Up front, Junior DT Tommy Ducker (6’3″, 280 lbs.) played well against Colgate with 6 tackles and a deflected pass. Sophomore DE Saeed Moghaddam Adames (6’6″, 253 lbs.) brings a huge frame and performed brilliantly in his first varsity action with 6 tackles and half a tackle for loss. Sophomore DE Dalten Phelan (6’2″, 236 lbs.) operates as a speedy outside linebacker and pass-rushing threat. Senior CB Braylon Howard (6’0″, 167 lbs.) and local Hamden Hall product Junior CB Tyler Gibson (6’1″, 181 lbs.) round out the secondary. Cornell put together a fierce pass rush against Colgate by racking up 4 sacks. They also aggressively brought defensive backs and linebackers on timely blitzes, holding Colgate to just 7 of 18 on third downs while limiting opponents to 3.7 yards per carry. They proved somewhat more susceptible through the air, however, yielding 7.6 yards per attempt after an early deep strike where a wideout burned a corner. Cornell likely feels intensely confident in their ability to stuff Yale’s rushing attack. They will undoubtedly focus extra coverage on Anderson and Santiago while heavily pressuring Reno. That means our Bulldogs will have to keep them entirely off balance with screens, end-arounds, short tight-end routes, and creative rushing plays. We need to keep the sticks moving while also finding ways to burn the clock. The pressure is squarely on our offensive line this week to carve out reliable pathways for the young runners and keep Reno upright. There will definitely be opportunities to exploit their secondary downfield, but we cannot afford to force balls into tight coverage early.

Special teams present another critical test, featuring Sophomore P Caden Lesiewicz (5’11”, 185 lbs.), who averaged an impressive 45.8 yards per punt last week with one kick downed neatly inside the red zone. While Cornell did not attempt a field goal, Senior K Alan Zhao (6’0″, 206 lbs.) made his lone PAT attempt and earned honorable mention All-Ivy status in 2024, while the explosive Brendan Lee remains a talented return man we must account for. Special teams as a whole has to clean up the sloppy miscues witnessed against Holy Cross, because Cornell is a significantly stronger football team all-around.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Big Red!