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Cornell falls 30-12 to Buena Vista in season finale
MOUNT VERNON - Cornell freshman Thomas Connor (Deltona, Fla./Deltona) accounted for two touchdowns and senior Travion Hardman (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the third consecutive game, but it wasn't enough in the Rams' 30-12 season-ending loss to Iowa Conference foe Buena Vista on a chilly and windy Saturday afternoon at Ash Park.
Cornell finished the campaign 0-10 overall and 0-8 in IIAC play. Buena Vista (7-3 overall, 6-2 IIAC) secured sole possession of second place in the league with the victory.
Buena Vista held a slim 3-0 lead with less than five minutes to play in the first half. But the Beavers then pulled away, scoring touchdowns on their next four possessions over a 16-minute stretch that spanned the second and third quarters.
The Rams failed to capitalize on numerous scoring chances and great field position throughout the game. Cornell's average starting field position was its own 46-yard line. The Rams drove into Buena Vista territory on 11 of their 13 possessions in the game. Cornell had three drives stall on downs inside the Beavers' 20.
Connor, who replaced starter Dallas Bush (Plano, Texas/Plano East) at quarterback early in the second quarter, completed 16-of-22 passes for 156 yards and carried the ball 16 times for 22 yards in his first extended action of the season. Connor led the Rams on a four-play, 53-yard drive capped off by his 8-yard touchdown run that pulled Cornell to within 10-6 with 2 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Buena Vista answered with a touchdown pass with a minute left in the half and took a 17-6 lead into intermission. The Beavers stretched the lead to 30-6 late in the third quarter.
Connor completed the game's scoring with an 8-yard touchdown pass to junior Morgan Campbell (Harrison, Ark./Wentworth Millitary Academy) with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter.
Hardman had a strong finish to his stellar four-year career, rushing for 127 yards on 24 carries (5.3 ypg). It was the ninth 100-yard rushing game of his career, fourth this season.
Hardman finished third on Cornell's career rushing list with 2,637 yards, behind only Chris Lentz (2,648 yards, 1987-89) and Ben King (2,869 yards, 1995-97). Hardman became the school's all-time leader with 613 career rushing attempts. He also ranks second in school history with 3,886 career all-purpose yards.
Cornell junior safety Don Bladt (Shelby/AHST) posted a game-high 14 tackles, including eight solo stops. Leif Goleman (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) finished with 12 tackles and had an interception return for seven yards. Defensive linemen Zachary Freeman (Miramar, Fla./Monsignor Pace) and Zach Zasada (Sauk City, Wis./Sauk Prairie) each collected a sack. Jared Sanches (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Huntley) had an interception with a 23-yard return.
Buena Vista outgained the Rams in total yards, 307-289. Cornell held an edge in first downs (17-15) and time of possession (33:50-26:10) and also won the turnover battle (3-1).
Notes: Cornell recognized its 16 seniors before Saturday's game. The class included 12 starters and nine fourth-year letterwinners... Connor's touchdown pass to Campbell accounted for Cornell's only offensive points in the fourth quarter of games this season. The Rams also recorded a safety from Jason Williams (Mount Vernon/Mount Vernon) in the season opener against Grinnell... Cornell's 0-10 campaign marks the program's first winless season since 1951, when the Rams finished 0-7. Buena Vista closed out the regular-season in second place in the league for the first time since 1986... The Beavers finished 4-0 in road games.