Cornell football showed flashes of promise, but five second-half turnovers proved costly in a 41-24 setback to Yale on Saturday afternoon at the Yale Bowl.
Quarterback Devin Page accounted for all three Big Red touchdowns, throwing for 267 yards and two scores while rushing for another. Junior tight end Ryder Kurtz stood out with five receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.
After trading touchdowns throughout the first half, Cornell entered halftime tied 14-14 and briefly seized momentum with a seven-play, 80-yard drive in the third quarter, capped by Page’s 21-yard strike to Kurtz. Alan Zhao’s 32-yard field goal then pulled the Big Red within 27-24 with just over nine minutes left.
But Yale intercepted Page twice in the closing minutes, one setting up a short touchdown run and another returned 65 yards for the clinching score, ending Cornell’s comeback hopes.
On defense, Damon Barnes led with nine tackles, and Jeremiah Lewis added eight. Cornell’s unit tallied seven tackles for loss, a sack, and forced three turnovers of its own.
The Big Red (0-2, 0-1 Ivy) returns to Schoellkopf Field for Homecoming on October 4, hosting Colgate in the 106th meeting.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].