Football News Releases
Rams look for better results to second half of season
MOUNT VERNON - As far as Cornell College's football coaches and players are concerned, Saturday's homecoming game with Luther marks the start of a new five-game season.
Last weekend's 55-0 loss at nationally-ranked Central is a thing of the past. So are the four consecutive defeats leading up this contest.
"The bottom line is we were disappointed in our performance against Central. We're flushing that one. The first half of the season is done," Cornell head coach Matt Dillon said. "Our focus is on the last five games. All five are games we can win."
Cornell (1-4 overall, 0-3 IIAC) opens the second half of its season against the Luther Norse (2-2 overall, 1-1 IIAC) in the Rams' 96th homecoming game. The Iowa Conference contest kicks off at 1 p.m. at Ash Park Field.
The Rams were beaten in every facet of last week's shutout against league-leading Central, ranked eighth in the AFCA Division III Top 25 Poll. Cornell was held to four first downs and 86 yards of total offense. The Rams managed only two rushing yards on 27 carries, in part to five Central sacks. Cornell went 0-for-11 in third down conversions and lost three fumbles, two of which came on the Rams' first three possessions of the game.
Central finished the game with 30 first downs, 525 total yards and a 14-plus minute advantage in time of possession. The Dutch led 31-0 at halftime, 48-0 after three quarters.
"Central played extremely well and we played poorly," Dillon said. "Part of it is realizing how good Central is. I think they are one of the top five teams in the country. It was a physical mismatch at nearly every position. We couldn't get anything going. And when we did get something started, we'd have a sack or a turnover."
Cornell's defense, which was on the field for more than 37 minutes, was led by Don Bladt's (Shelby/AHST) game-high 12 tackles. Linebacker Brian King (West Des Moines/Valley) was in on 10 tackles, including seven solo stops. Freshman Brandon Tabor (Fort Pierce, Fla./Westwood) had two tackles for loss, including a sack. Patrick Martinez (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Lower Canada College) had an interception.
Charles McDonald (Raymore, Mo./Raymore-Peculiar) led the Rams in rushing with 24 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Andrew Burdick (Apollo Beach, Fla./Lennard) completed 5-of-10 passes for 66 yards and was sacked four times. Alex Macey (Oceanside, Calif./Vista) finished with a game-high four receptions for 57 yards.
King punted 10 times for a 35.3-yard average. He had a long of 55 yards and downed one inside the 20.
About the Norse - Quarterback Chris Reynolds accounted for three rushing touchdowns in leading Luther to a 23-13 victory over Simpson last Saturday in Decorah. Reynolds rushed for a game-high 155 yards on 21 carries with scoring runs of 1, 16 and 4 yards. The Norse held Simpson to 205 total yards, including 83 on the ground.
Luther junior linebacker Kyle McGivney leads the IIAC in tackles with 11.8 per game. The Norse rank second in the league in red zone offense, scoring on 11 of 13 trips (84.6 percent) inside the opponent's 20-yard line with nine touchdowns.
The series - Luther is 7-5 all-time against the Rams in a series that began in 1943 with a 27-0 Cornell victory. The Norse have won the last six meetings. Cornell's last win against the Norse was a 33-28 road decision in 2002.
Last meeting - Luther prevailed 7-0 on a Reynolds' 2-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter on Nov. 8, 2008 in Decorah. It was the lowest scoring game the Rams have been involved in since 1970, when Cornell lost 6-0 to Monmouth in the fourth game of that season.
The Rams had plenty of scoring chances in last year's meeting, including a first-and-goal situation which resulted in a lost fumble at the Luther 5. Cornell had six of its 10 offensive possessions end at midfield or in Luther territory. Travion Hardman had a big day for the Rams, rushing for 112 yards on 28 carries.
Homecoming history - The Rams are 55-34-6 all-time in homecoming games, winning 21 of the last 30 such encounters. The Rams' last Iowa Conference win was four years ago on homecoming, a 25-21 victory over Dubuque on Oct. 15, 2005. Cornell has lost 31 straight in IIAC play since.
Cornell has hosted the Norse on only one other occasion for homecoming, a 41-35 Rams' victory in 1999. Cornell's first documented homecoming game was played in 1913 when the Rams grinded out a 2-0 win over Grinnell. The Rams' largest margin of victory was a 56-0 shutout of Grinnell in 1976. Cornell's longest win streak was nine games from 1979-87.
Hall of Famers - Cornell will recognize its four new Athletics Hall of Fame inductees at halftime of Saturday's game. The 2009 class features Dick Paul '58 (track and field), Dale Martin '59 (track and field), Father Tom Zinkula '79 (football) and Lisa Swein '85 (volleyball, basketball and softball).
Zinkula, a two-time AP All-America defensive lineman, played on Cornell's Midwest Conference championship teams in 1978 and 1976. The Rams finished 30-6 during his four-year career.
One yard to go - Cornell's Macey needs just one yard Saturday to reach 1,000 receiving yards in his career. The senior tight end can become the first Ram to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark since Josh Youngblood (1,487 yards, 2004-07).
Macey has totaled 999 yards on 85 receptions in four seasons. He leads the Rams this fall with 26 receptions and 292 yards. Macey is tied for third in the IIAC with 5.2 receptions per game.
Sure tackle - Bladt ranks fifth in the IIAC in tackles with 9.2 per game. He is the only defensive back among the league's top-five tacklers. Bladt has recorded a team-high 46 tackles (24 solo) this fall and leads the conference with five interceptions.
Watch the game live - Fans can watch Saturday's game online via live webcast at www.cornellcollege.edu/athletics/streaming/index.shtml. Cornell's student-based radio station, KRNL (FM 89.7), will provide the play-by-play and color during the webcast.
