GALESBURG, Ill. – Cornell's football team rallied from an early 14-point deficit and came up with a clutch defensive stand late to seal Saturday's 28-21 Midwest Conference victory over Knox at the Knosher Bowl.
Coach
Dan Pifer's Rams (5-3 overall) moved to 5-2 in the MWC, marking the program's best start to a conference season since 2013. Cornell remained fourth in the league standings, only one game behind tri-leaders Illinois College, Lake Forest and Monmouth.
The Rams avenged a four-point home loss to Knox a year ago, claiming their 19th series win over the Prairie Fire (2-6 overall, 2-5 MWC) in the last 20 tries.
Cornell was in for a full 60-minute battle Saturday, which saw Knox forge ahead 21-20 with 5:41 left in the third quarter. On Cornell's next offensive snap,
Trey Birdsong hauled in a deep pass down the left sideline and raced 82 yards for a touchdown that held up as the winning score.
Birdsong had another exceptional game with four receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. His first TD grab covered 21 yards and pulled Cornell even at 14-14 with 31 seconds left in the opening half.
Birdsong, now with 12 total TDs through eight games, climbed into ninth place on Cornell's single-season list for all-purpose yards with 1,464. Five of his scoring plays have gone at least 55 yards.
The Rams needed one last defensive stop with Knox facing a 4th-and-3 call at the Cornell 8-yard line. Sophomore linebacker
Luca Schoensee stuffed a Knox rush up the middle one yard short with 1:01 remaining to clinch the victory. Schoensee established a career high with 15 tackles, including 14 solo stops and four for losses.
Quarterback
John Smith was an efficient 22-of-32 passing for a career-best 319 yards and three TDs. Sophomore wideout
Cole Reed also had a career day with 10 receptions for 116 yards, including a 9-yard TD that started Cornell's comeback after Knox led 14-0 through one quarter.
Tony Gomez topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the third time this season, netting 105 yards on 17 carries. His 8-yard TD run put Cornell ahead 20-14 with 7:53 to go in the third quarter.
The Rams limited Knox to 73 passing yards on 15 attempts.
Anthony Hoffman collected his first interception of the season and finished with nine tackles, all solo.
Sam Adams and
Hunter Holt each had one tackle for loss.
Coming up – The Rams play host to league-leading Illinois College (7-1 overall, 6-1 MWC) at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 4, at Van Metre Field at Ash Park.
