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Football Offense Uses Late Field Goal To Top Defense 30-29 In Spring Game
April 29, 2006 ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell defense ranked among the nation's best in Division I-AA in 2006. That won't be enough to keep them from washing cars on Sunday. Jay Harding, Anthony Macaluso and the Big Red offense made sure of that. The White team, made up of the offensive unit, used a 43-yard field goal by Harding with 55 seconds remaining to earn a 30-29 win over the Red team (defense) in the annual Red-White Spring Game on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Red team, including the coaching staff, will have primary duties in washing cars for charity on Sunday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ShortStop Deli on West Seneca Street in Ithaca. It will be a great opportunity to rid your car of any winter elements, while meeting the Big Red football staff and members of the team. This open donation event will benefit Family and Children's Service of Ithaca. The defense began the game with 29 points of the board, and the offense had to outscore it in the two 20-minute halves. The White chipped away, scoring its only points of the first half when the rising sophomore tandem of quarterback Nathan Ford and wide receiver Jesse Baker teamed up for a 34-yard strike downthe middle of the field. Harding's kick made it 29-7. The defense would rule the day the rest of the half, forcing punts or turnovers on seven of eight first half possessions. The second half belonged to the offense, with Anthony Macaluso scoring on a pair of 1-yard runs, the second cutting the deficit to 29-21 with 6:23 left on the clock. Rising sophomore Tom Piselli then hit classmate Tom Bleymaier for an acrobatic 27-yard scatch in the right corner of the end zone to make it 29-27 with 3:52 left. The defense held on a two-point conversion, stopping Shane Kilcoyne short at the 2-yard line. With little time left, the White team moved into field goal position and Harding split the uprights with his 43-yard kick, one that would have been a career-long. Rising sophomore Nathan Ford was 12-of-20 for 211 yards passing and a touchdown, while classmate Shane Connolly was 7-of-11 for 97 yards, while also running for 30 yards on eight carries. Piselli, Tyler Lucas and William Macias also took snaps from under center. Their main target was senior-to-be Anthony Jackson, who hauled in eight passes for 141 yards. Jesse Baker had three catches for 78 yards and the opening touchdown. Leading the rushing attack was Jamie Germani (11 carries, 38 yards) and Macaluso (12 carries, 23 yards, two touchdowns). The Big Red defense limited the Big Red offense to 116 rushing yards on 48 carries, an average of just 2.4 yards per carry. The defense had a nice collective effort despite missing several starters who were held out of the spring game with minor injuries. Rising junior Colin Nash had two pass breakups from his cornerback slot, while Matt Malleo and Aaron Mumford each recovered a fumble. Graham Rihn had the game's only sack. The Big Red opens the 2006 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 16, at Bucknell. Scoring |
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