MOUNT VERNON – Explosive plays by the nation's top-ranked offense carried Illinois College to a 42-14 Midwest Conference football win over the Rams on a rainy Saturday at England Stadium.
 
Cornell (4-5 overall, 4-4 MWC) battled through a 21-point first quarter by MWC preseason favorite Illinois College (7-2 overall, 6-2 MWC) and stayed within striking distance on quarterback John Smith's 40th career touchdown pass early in the third quarter.
 
Sophomore Elliott Dyrland came down with Smith's long TD strike and raced 61 yards for the score, cutting the margin to 21-7 with 12:05 left in the third quarter. On the ensuing possession, sophomore Joshua Martin came away with an interception – one of three Cornell picks on the day – that kept momentum with the Rams.
 
Starting at the Illinois College 25, Cornell's offense couldn't take advantage and turned the ball back over to the Blueboys on downs. Illinois College responded with three unanswered TDs to put the game out of reach.
 
Smith added another TD pass in the closing stages, connecting with junior Rommel Pinner for five yards with 4:30 remaining to complete the scoring.
 
Smith finished a solid performance 22-of-36 passing for 232 yards. Gavin Soukup was his top target with eight receptions for 67 yards. Soukup also netted 100 yards on four kickoff returns. Tony Gomez led Cornell's ground game with 53 yards on 14 carries.
 
Martin snared two interceptions for the Rams and Anthony Hoffman had one. Sophomore linebacker Jorden Delap finished with a team-high eight tackles, including six solos. Jamal Thompson and Luca Schoensee added seven tackles apiece.
 
The Blueboys entered the day averaging 52.0 points per game. They scored on their first three drives in building a 21-0 lead after one quarter. The second TD was an offensive fumble recovery in the end zone.
 
Cornell missed out on a couple key scoring chances in the first half. The Rams had a 63-yard drive stall on downs at the Illinois College 12. Later in the second quarter, Cornell was stopped on downs at the Illinois College 9.
 
Illinois College's quick-strike attack amassed 561 yards of total offense. Quarterback Destin Chance threw for 350 yards and five TDs.
 
Coming up – The Rams wrap up the season next Saturday, Nov. 16 on Senior Day with a noon kickoff against Grinnell at Van Metre Field at Ash Park.