Princeton University
Cornell
Players Mentioned
Cowden Throws Three Touchdowns in Sprint Football Loss to Cornell
October 17, 2015 | Sprint Football
ITHACA, N.Y. – Despite a strong first half effort, the Princeton University football team dropped to 0-3 on the season with a 52-18 loss to Cornell University.
Up 28-12 at the intermission, the Big Red (3-2) tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away. Cornell rolled up 393 yards of total offense, which included 295 rushing yards. Princeton finished with 271 yards of total offense with 189 yards coming through the air.
On its opening possession, Cornell covered 58 yards on five plays, going up 7-0 on a 19-yard Rob Pannullo touchdown run. Taking advantage of a Princeton fumble on the ensuing possession, the Big Red needed just four plays to go 35 yards, making it 14-0 on a six-yard Pannullo TD run.
Looking to get going, Princeton marched 70 yards on 14 plays to get on the board. After throwing an incompletion on first down from the Tigers' 30, quarterback Chad Cowden had a pair of scrambles for 14 yards to move the chains. After Cowden hit Tyler Kaye for an 8-yard gain, Harvey Butler bounced a run to the outside for eight more to put Princeton in Cornell territory.
Keeping the Orange and Black moving, Cowden linked up with Patrick Yu for 12 yards before scrambling for 12 more to make it 1st-and-10 from the Cornell 28. Later facing a 3rd-and-9 from the 15, Cowden found Yu for another Tigers' first down. Looking at a 4th-and-goal from the four, Cowden looked to Yu one more time, hitting the receiver on a slant to make it 14-6.
Holding onto an eight-point lead thanks to a missed Princeton extra point, Cornell added to its lead early in the second quarter. Forcing the Tigers into a three-and-out after a Big Red interception deep in Princeton territory, Cornell took over on the visitors' 23-yardline. Needing just five plays, the Big Red went up 21-6 on a Kevin Nathanson 6-yard run.
Stalling Princeton's next drive inside the redzone, Cornell added it its tally, going 67 yards in seven plays. Picking up 25 yards on first down, Benjamin Herrera ultimately capped off the drive with an 8-yard TD scamper that made it 28-6.
Getting the ball back inside of the two-minute mark, the Tigers covered 72 yards on eight plays to trim the deficit just before the intermission. With a 3rd-and-6 from the Princeton 32-yardline, Cowden connected with Yu for 11 yards. Following a Cornell pass interference penalty, Cowden found Kaye for 16 yards to put the Tigers in the redzone. Once again dropping back to pass, Cowden threw a 15-yard strike to Nick Barnett to make it 28-12 with 16 seconds to play in the period.
With Princeton failing on a two-point conversion, Cornell opened the third quarter with a 16-point cushion. Forcing the Tigers into a three-and-out, the Big Red took over with great field position. Facing a 4th-and-10 from Princeton's 25, Pannullo found Ryman Seeley right at the first down marker to keep the drive alive. Five plays later, Pannullo called his own number and punched it in from two yards out to make it 35-12.
After the Tigers came up empty on their next drive, Cornell went 49 yards on nine plays to add to its margin. Taking advantage of a pass interference call that put the ball on the Tigers' 11-yardline, Herrera got the ball three-straight times, ultimately plowing over the goal line from four yards out to make it 42-12 with 2:18 left in the period.
Turning in his best performance of the season, Cowden completed 14 of his 33 pass attempts for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Yu caught six passes for 66 yards and a score, while Kaye had five receptions for 61 yards. Also the team's leading rusher, Cowden gained 35 yards on the ground. Averaging 8.0 yards per carry, Mulay Sarbanes picked up 32 yards on four carries. Sarbanes also led the Tigers' defense with a team-high 10 tackles (7 solo).
Princeton returns to action on Friday, Oct. 30 at Penn.