Football: Wornham & Co. battle vs. Big Red

For the Tigers, the Ivy League title is out of the question. Now they need to win for their pride. Princeton (1-5 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) hosts Cornell (2-4, 1-2) in what might be the most winnable game remaining on its schedule.

Princeton has won its last two matchups against Cornell, but both have come by five points or less. The Tigers have not lost to Cornell at home since 2001.

This year, the task will be a tall one for the Tigers. Cornell is coming off four straight losses, but it started the season with two impressive wins, including a 14-12 win at Yale.

The Big Red defense has struggled at times, but the offense has proven to be capable of putting points on the board.

Offensively, the key to the game for Princeton will be establishing the run. Last week, Princeton struggled to run the ball and paid the price in possession time. This week, the Tigers will face a run defense that has given up 15 rushing touchdowns and an average of 183 rushing yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Wornham said the Tigers are prepared for their Ivy League opponent.

“I think we’re going to need to get the running game going, that’s going to be a big thing,” Wornham said. “We have a good game plan going in. We’re putting a few different guys at the position to try to get the ball outside and make a few moves. Other than that, we’ll just keep working on the stuff we’ve been working on.”

Wornham currently leads the Tigers with 244 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. No other Tiger has scored on the ground this season. Junior running back Meko McCray leads all backs with 216 yards and a 4.5-yard- per-carry average. Freshman running back Akil Sharp has added 124 yards on 37 carries.

Cornell’s passing defense also gives the Tigers some hope offensively, as the Big Red ranks seventh in the league, having allowed 227 yards per game to this point. Wornham has thrown for 898 yards and four touchdowns on the season.

Defensively, Cornell is led by linebacker Chris Costello and safety Ben Heller. Costello leads the league with 40 solo tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He is also fourth in tackles per game with 10.8.

Heller spearheads the secondary: His three interceptions top the league, and he has also notched 28 tackles on the season.

On the other side of the ball, the Tigers will again be without the services of senior inside linebacker and co-captain Scott Britton.

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Britton, who tore his ACL at Brown, was at one point second in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in tackles per game.

His absence will be felt strongly this week, as the Big Red offense will be as potent an offense as the Tigers will see for the rest of the season. Cornell averages 20.2 points per game and 294.7 yards of offense per game. The Big Red will receive a big boost this week with the return of previously injured senior quarterback Ben Ganter, whose 135.2 average yards of total offense per game is sixth-best in the league.

Senior wide receiver Bryan Walters has notched 33 receptions for 555 yards and three touchdowns, and his 92.5 receiving yards rank second in the league. Walters also returns kicks, and his 192.3 all-purpose yards per game lead the league.

Junior inside linebacker Steve Cody will be key to Princeton’s defense. Cody averages 12.4 tackles per game, good for fourth in the FCS and first in the Ivy League. Cody has also notched two sacks on the season. He will be key to keeping the Cornell run game from getting going and will also play a large role in pass coverage.

Senior safety and co-captain Wilson Cates will guide the secondary, whose role is to stop Cornell’s pass-heavy offense. Cates has notched 37 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, two interceptions and a forced fumble on the season.

At this point, the Tigers are well aware that an Ivy League title is out of the question. But that does not mean there is nothing to play for.

Wornham especially knows what his team needs to do to have success in closing out the season.

“We know we need to start winning,” Wornham said. “None of us wants to finish 1-9. We don’t want to be that team. Everyone’s still working hard, we’ve been working hard all year, and we’re not going to give up.”

A win against Cornell would be huge for Princeton, with two tough games against Penn and Yale looming large before the season finale against Dartmouth.