CEDAR RAPIDS – Cornell's football team had Coe in a one-possession game deep in the second quarter before momentum turned in Saturday's season-opening 55-10 setback at Clark Field.
 
The 133rd meeting of the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi at Clark Field was about defense in the early going. And it was sophomore cornerback Joshua Martin who put Cornell's first points on the scoreboard with a 22-yard interception return for a touchdown on Coe's first offensive play of the second quarter.
 
Martin's pick six and Mitchell Frahm's PAT kick pulled the Rams even at 7-7 with 13:23 to go in the opening half.
 
The Kohawks (1-0), a 2023 NCAA playoff qualifier and receiving national votes in the preseason poll, answered on the ensuing possession to regain the lead at 14-7.
 
Cornell (0-1) missed a scoring chance after recovering a muffed punt at Coe's 30-yard line midway through the second quarter. The Rams turned the ball over on downs, and Coe found the end zone twice more in the final 1:12 before intermission, including a blocked punt for a touchdown that made it 28-7.
 
Frahm connected on a 35-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in regulation for Cornell's lone points of the second half.
 
All-conference junior linebacker Luca Schoensee led the Rams with a game-high 12 tackles, including nine solo stops and one sack. Jorden Delap and Hunter Holt had eight tackles apiece.
 
The Rams came away with five sacks, two by Roman West. Shawn Laikupu also had two tackles for losses.
 
The Kohawks finished with 508 yards of total offense and limited the Rams to 1-of-14 on third down.
 
Cornell junior wideout Gavin Soukup totaled 135 all-purpose yards, 87 coming on kickoff returns. Cole Reed had six receptions for 32 yards, while Dakota Seastrom netted 56 yards on four receptions.
 
Quarterback John Smith went 13-of-22 passing for 112 yards. Newcomer Thomas Monken completed 4-of-12 passes for 52 yards in relief.  
 
Tony Gomez had a strong day punting, averaging 44.6 yards on eight attempts.
 
The Kohawks earned the initial point in the 2024-25 Bremner Cup All-Sports Series. The next competition is volleyball Wednesday in Cedar Rapids.
 
Coming up – The Rams open Midwest Conference play next Saturday, Sept. 14, against Lawrence. Kickoff is 1 p.m. in Appleton, Wis.