Cornell blows late lead in loss to Brown

For the second straight meeting, the team that had the ball last between Cornell and Brown seemed destined to win. The Bears scored with 29 seconds remaining and didn’t give the Big Red enough time to counter in claiming a 49-45 shootout victory on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Bears improved to 2-4 (1-2 Ivy), while the Big Red slipped to 1-5 (0-3 Ivy).

Box score

In a game that featured 94 points, 1,088 yards of offense and dramatic plays on both sides, including touchdowns on five consecutive fourth quarter drives as the lead see-sawed back and forth, Brown senior quarterback EJ Perry was the difference maker. The Ivy League Player of the Year candidate tossed for 275 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the final 7:34 to rally the Bears to victory. He also ran for 80 yards and a score and shook off three first half interceptions for a Brown offense that piled up 573 yards of offense.

Freshman Jameson Wang, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, ran for 101 yards and a score and tossed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Cornell threw for 312 yards between four quarterbacks that threw passes, completing 19-of-40 passes with the top recipient being Thomas Glover with seven catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Curtis Raymond added four catches for 77 yards and senior Ryan Fitton had his first career receiving touchdown, a highlight catch off the back of a defender in the fourth. Freshman Eddy Tillman ran for his first career touchdown, while Wang, Kenney and Ben Mays all threw for scores.

The defense, which has been Cornell’s calling card all year, forced four turnovers and blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety less than a minute into the game to set the tone for a high-scoring contest.Jake Stebbins notched a game-high 12 tackles, while Demetrius Harris had eight stops and recovered a fumble. Interceptions were credited to Isiah Hogan, Kenan Clarke and Jack Muench, while Jalyx Hunt blocked a punt that was nearly recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, but instead went for a safety.