MOUNT VERNON – Juniors Trey Birdsong and Tony Gomez both earned Midwest Conference honors at two positions, heading five Cornell honorees on the 2023 All-MWC Football Teams.
 
The record-setting Birdsong was tabbed to the first team at wide receiver and returning specialist. Gomez was voted the league's top punter and named to the second team at running back.
 
The Rams landed three other second team performers with senior quarterback John Smith, senior offensive lineman Jacob Baggs and sophomore linebacker Luca Schoensee.
 
Cornell made significant strides under fourth-year head coach Dan Pifer, finishing 6-4 overall after going 3-7 in 2022. The young Rams secured the program's first winning season in 10 years and tied for third place in the MWC standings at 6-3, their best league finish since 2013.
 
Birdsong was a big reason for Cornell's breakthrough, setting school records for all-purpose yards (1,829) and receiving touchdowns (13) in a season after missing the entire 2022 campaign with an injury. The speedster from Cabot, Ark., had 15 total touchdowns, five of which covered at least 55 yards.
 
A four-time MWC Performer of the Week, Birdsong finished with 967 receiving yards – the fourth-highest total in program history – and averaged a glossy 19.7 yards per catch. He tallied six 100-yard receiving games, including a career-best 174-yard effort against MWC regular-season champion Illinois College.
 
Birdsong was also dynamic in the return game, highlighted by touchdown returns of 55 yards (punt) and 83 yards (kick). He ranked second on Cornell's season list with 747 kickoff return yards on 31 attempts. Birdsong netted 80 yards on five punt returns.
 
Gomez made an impact on special teams, averaging 36.7 yards on 51 punt attempts. He placed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line and had a season-long boot of 69 yards.
 
Gomez carried the load for Cornell's ground attack, rushing 196 times for 797 yards while topping the 100-yard mark four times this fall. His 12 rushing touchdowns tied for seventh-most in a season by a Ram. Gomez recorded eight rushing touchdowns in his final four games.   
 
Smith bolstered an improved passing game, completing 61.3 percent of his attempts for 2,180 yards and 19 touchdowns. The second-year starter went over the 300-yard mark three times, including a five-touchdown effort against Chicago. Smith ranked third on Cornell's season list for passing yardage and fifth in passing touchdowns.    
 
Baggs anchored a young offensive line at the guard position. The 6-4, 315-pounder helped pave the way for 19 rushing touchdowns, third-most in the MWC. Cornell allowed 14 quarterback sacks, third-fewest in the league. The Rams averaged 28.2 points per game, their best mark since 2017.
 
Schoensee was the leader on the defensive side, ranking second in the MWC with 98 tackles. The second-year starter posted 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Schoensee had six games with double-digit tackles, including the finale during which the Rams held Grinnell to minus-8 yards rushing.