Cornell football watched a two-touchdown lead disappear Saturday as Brown scored on the final play of regulation before securing a 38-31 overtime victory at Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium. Both teams moved to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in Ivy League play.
The Big Red built a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter behind three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio.
Brown trimmed the deficit to 21-10 before halftime, but Cornell extended its lead early in the third quarter on Caden Lesiewicz’s 27-yard field goal.
After Matt Childs scored on a six-yard run for Brown, Bass-Sulpizio connected with Brendan Lee for a 12-yard touchdown, giving Cornell a 31-17 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The Bears responded with a 50-yard touchdown pass from James Murphy to Saphir Miller before mounting one final drive.
Murphy directed an 18-play, 84-yard possession, finding Childs for a nine-yard touchdown as regulation expired to force overtime.
Childs then scored on a 25-yard run during Brown’s opening overtime possession. Cornell failed to convert on fourth down, sealing the loss.
Bass-Sulpizio completed 25 of 42 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while adding three rushing scores.
Xavier Bowman led Cornell with eight receptions for 69 yards, while Lee contributed a receiving touchdown and 47 rushing yards.
Defensively, Dalten Phelan and Sam Greenspan recorded two sacks apiece, while Tommy MacPherson finished with nine tackles and an interception.
Murphy threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns for Brown.
Cornell returns to action Saturday, October 31, traveling to Princeton for a noon kickoff.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
