Cornell football used a dominant third quarter to power past Penn, 39-17, on Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field, earning its fourth straight victory, the program’s longest streak since 1999.
Junior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio led the Big Red (4-4, 3-2 Ivy) with 265 passing yards and two total touchdowns, while sophomore running back Jordan Triplett added 85 rushing yards and a score. Senior Gannon Carothers rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver TJ Hamilton paced the passing attack with five catches for 123 yards.
After a back-and-forth first half, Cornell trailed 10-6 before Bass-Sulpizio found Brendan Lee for a 2-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half, giving the Big Red a 13-10 edge. Cornell then erupted for 19 unanswered points in the third quarter. Triplett opened the half with a three-yard touchdown following a Penn fumble, and Carothers added rushing scores of 22 and one yards to extend the lead to 32-10.
Penn’s Donte West briefly halted the surge with a 75-yard touchdown run, but Cornell sealed the win with a 16-play, 75-yard drive capped by a Bass-Sulpizio one-yard keeper early in the fourth.
Defensively, Damon Barnes led Cornell with seven tackles, while Joey Cheshire recovered a fumble. The Big Red limited Penn to just one offensive touchdown after halftime, earning their first road win in over a year and first at Franklin Field since 2021.
Cornell continues Ivy League play at Dartmouth on Saturday, November 15, at 1 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].