Cornell loses to Brown on a last-second field goal

Brown used 104 offensive plays to wear down Cornell’s defense, which had its strengths in the first three quarters. The Big Red scored just three points with 2:20 left in the third quarter, and Brown’s offense used the final 17:20 of the game clock to outshot Cornell 20-0, including a last-second field goal and a walk-off. game. With the loss, Cornell drops to 2-4 (1-2 Ivy) and Brown improves to 3-3 (2-1 Ivy).

Senior point guard Jameson Wang He threw the ball 49 times, completing 26 passes for 265 yards, including one touchdown. Samuel Musungu was Wang’s favorite target, who collected 17 balls for 68 yards. Doryn Smith he was the leading receiver with 99 yards on 10 receptions. Ryder Kurtz he was the top receiver, giving up 74 yards on just six catches. Wang led the rushing game with 41 yards on 10 carries. He ran for two touchdowns. Senior defender Luke Banbury he led the defense with 13 tackles, including a seven-yard sack. Michael O’Keefe AND Trey Harris strictly followed with 12 and 10 stops respectively. Damon Barnes had two interceptions. Caden Lesiewicz he had seven catches for 292 yards in the game.

Jake Willcox also passed 49 times on the afternoon, completing 35 throws for 316 yards and a touchdown. Willcox threw three picks compared to Wang’s zero. His favorite target was Solomon Miller, who completed ten passes for 46 yards. Ben Moseley was the leading receiver with eight catches for 100 yards. Stockton Owen was the Bears’ leading rusher with 79 yards on 18 carries. Matt Childs was right behind him with 74 yards on 17 carries. Isaiah Reed and Sam Smith lead the Browns defense with seven stops each.

FIRST QUARTER

• The Big Red offense started the game with a promising 58-yard pass to Wang, but Brown forced a turnover on fourth-and-inches in the red zone. Cornell’s defense held up, allowing only two first downs before forcing a punt.
• Cornell took over at its own 15-yard line and Wang again used the passing game to drive Big Red down the field, including a 43-yard pass to Kurtz that opened up a punt and put Cornell back in the red zone. Wang took advantage of Bear’s deep coverage and advanced 10 yards to the end zone for the first score of the day.
• Brown went looking for an answer, carrying the ball 55 yards down the field for a top-10 finish at the Cornell 20, but the reigning statistician was named FCS National Defensive Player of the Week, Luke Banburyhe ended the first quarter with a six-yard strike to Willcox.

SECOND QUARTER

• Security Trey Harris they started the second quarter with a near-interception after a pass breakup, forcing Brown to attempt a 44-yard field goal, which Maron placed just over the uprights to make it 7-3.
• Brown forced a punt on the next drive, but took a low snap Caden Lesiewicz almost ended with a punt block. Getting the Big Red out of a bad situation, Lesiewicz kicked the ball __ yards, which bounced off a Brown player in goal range, and the Bears were able to recover the fumble with a first down of the 10 at the Brown 33-yard line.
• The Big Red defense gave the Bears just a few yards, forcing another Brown punt, but the Bear defense also held up, forcing Lesiewicz to punt a second time. The freshman kicked the ball 52 yards.
• Brown marched downfield for a fourth-and-2 situation at the Cornell 32-yard line. A false start offensively by the Bears put the team on fourth-and-seven, and Banbury’s control of Willcox forced a turnover on downs as he tried to get the first goal.
• Cornell took the lead at its own 31-yard line, but the drive stalled, forcing the Big Red to go for a fourth-and-long, before Wang returned his fourth career punt for a touchback.
• Brown connected on a top-10 pass from Cornell’s 44-yard field goal with 16 seconds left. The use of quick passes and the remaining two timeouts allowed Maron to look at a potential 49-yard field goal that would last a career with four seconds left. The ball was long but went wide, keeping Cornell ahead.

THIRD QUARTER

• Barnes picked off Willcox on Brown’s first pass of the second half, setting up Cornell on Brown’s 47-yard line for his first offensive play of the second half.
• Wang wasted no time and scored third on Brown’s one-yard line in less than two minutes. The Big Red quarterback rushed for his second field goal of the day on a fake handoff to extend Cornell’s lead to 14-3.
• The teams exchanged punts before Brown started its third drive at the Cornell 44-yard line. Two plays later, Barnes returned his second pass of the game on a deep Willcox attempt, giving Cornell the ball on its own nine-yard line.
• The Bear defense was brave and forced another Big Red punt. Brown got the ball at the Cornell 46, but it only took two plays for the Big Red Ball Hawks to punt again. This time, a first-year defensive back Tyler Gibson he scored his first career interception on the Cornell 20-yard line.
• On Big Red’s next drive, Wang connected with Smith for a 48-yard pass, the longest of the afternoon. Four plays and a defensive pass interference call later resulted in Wang connecting with Woodring for a 17-yard touchdown pass.
• Brown finally broke the dam on the next drive, scoring on a 38-yard throw from Willcox to Miller to cut Cornell’s lead to 21-10 with 2:20 left in the third period.
• Cornell was forced to run the boat in the next quarter, with Lesiewicz throwing a 53-yard bomb that detonated in the second quarter and Brown continuing his drive in the fourth quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Brown ran 3:26 to open the fourth quarter and score his second touchdown of the day. After scoring, the Bears lined up for a two-point conversion, but a false start forced the special teams unit to field goal, giving Cornell a 21-17 lead.
• The Bears’ defense came through in the fourth quarter, allowing only one Cornell pass, while the offense bled, allowing only two Cornell passes.
• Brown cut the clock to one second by finishing the game with a 29-yard field goal.

MORE NOTES AND NOTES

• Three of Brown’s first four passes in the second half resulted in Cornell interceptions.
• Lesiewicz’s 68-yard punt is the longest since Jackson Kennedy Last year, Lehigh’s 81-yard score was the second-longest kick in school history. For newcomers, this means a long career.

NEXT

• The Big Red will complete a three-game road trip next weekend when the team travels to Princeton, New Jersey to take on the Tigers on Saturday, November 2.
• The match will start at 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Kyle covers sports and is the host of the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send this to (email protected).