CEDAR RAPIDS – Cornell battled No. 22 nationally-ranked Coe to a halftime tie before wearing down in Saturday's hot and humid football season opener, 49-7, at Clark Field.
The 135th edition of the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi saw the Rams hold the upper hand for the majority of the first half, despite turning the ball over four times.
Cornell (0-1) outgained the Kohawks in total yards, 174-151, over the opening 30 minutes and received several big plays from the defense, which stuffed Coe on fourth down three times in the second quarter.
The Rams pulled even at 7-7 on a 30-yard touchdown strike from
Mason Dew to
Kaleb Skeffington with 9:17 left in the second quarter. Coe's lone points in the first half came on a 33-yard interception return late in the opening quarter.
Coe leaned on its ground game after intermission and broke open the contest with six rushing TDs. The Kohawks scored on their first five possessions in the second half. They built the lead to 28-7 through three quarters and found the end zone three more times in the fourth.
Cornell freshman linebacker
Hunter Cotten turned in an impressive collegiate debut with a game-high 11 tackles, including seven solo stops. He also led the team with 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
Senior
Jamal Thompson recorded eight tackles. The Rams collected four sacks on the day, paced by
Michael Navarro with 1.5 and
Braxton Kuker and
Julius Jenkins with 1.0 apiece.
Dew finished 12-of-23 passing for 141 yards with the one TD.
Darnell Boyd led the receiving corps with five catches for 39 yards.
Cole Reed had a long catch and run of 59 yards and also accumulated 85 yards on six kick returns.
The Kohawks held Cornell's rushing attack in check.
Justin Bender netted 36 yards on 10 carries.
Trey Anderson rushed five times for 23 yards.
Coe wound up with 461 yards of total offense, 286 coming on the ground. The Kohawks came away with five turnovers, including four interceptions.
Coming up – The Rams take on Beloit (1-0) in the home opener next Saturday, Sept. 12, at Van Metre Field at Ash Park. The nonconference game kicks off at 1 p.m.
