MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's defensive unite ruled the day and had enough in the tank for two crucial stops late in Saturday's home-opening 10-0 football victory over Beloit at Van Metre Field at Ash Park.
The Rams (1-1) stuffed Beloit with a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter and later came away with a fumble recovery inside the 10-yard line that sealed Cornell's 11th consecutive series win over the Buccaneers (1-1).
Cornell rang the home victory bell for the first time under head coach
Curt Ritchie, who watched his Rams take a 10-0 lead on
Mason Dew's 3-yard touchdown pass to
Darnell Boyd with 13:39 left in the fourth quarter.
Beloit responded on the ensuing possession and had 1st-and-goal at the Cornell 3. The Buccaneers mustered only two yards on the next four plays. On 4th-and-goal from the 1, a herd of Rams stood up quarterback Noah Carrasco short of the goal line.
Cornell's defense preserved the shutout with 2:19 remaining, collecting its fourth turnover of the game. Beloit had 2nd-and-goal from the 9 when the Rams jarred the ball loose and senior
Dakota Ambush pounced on the fumble.
The Rams ran out the remaining time and celebrated their first win in a home opener since 2019 (Iowa Wesleyan).
Senior kicker
Mitchell Frahm reached the 100-point milestone for his career on a 29-yard field goal with 10:17 to go in the second quarter. As it turned out, Frahm's 11th career field goal provided all the points Cornell needed.
Cornell senior safety
Joshua Martin tallied two interceptions, boosting his career total to eight.
Jamal Thompson recorded a team-high eight tackles, followed by
Cody Blocker with seven.
Julius Jenkins,
Caleb Smith and
Michael Navarro each had one tackle for loss.
The Rams bottled up Beloit's rushing attack to 69 yards on 25 carries.
Cornell sophomore
Justin Bender enjoyed his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game, netting 103 yards on 22 attempts.
Trey Anderson added 48 yards on the ground.
Dew finished 11-of-23 passing for 89 yards and was sacked four times. Beloit held a 256-249 edge in total yards.
Coming up – The Rams play host to defending Midwest Conference champion and 2026 preseason favorite Monmouth (0-2) at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 19.
