Volume LXVVIII, No. 2
September 23, 2017
YALE FOOTBALL NEWS Published by the Yale Football Association
Bulldogs Top Cornell 49 - 24
Publication authored by Chip Malafronte
If the first two games are any indication, Yale’s offense is a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League. A week after hanging 56 on Lehigh, the Bulldogs went to work on Cornell both through the air and on the ground in a 49-24 victory last Saturday at the Yale Bowl. The Bulldogs are scoring points at an historic pace. The 105 points scored are the most for a Yale team over the first two weeks in 129 years. Only three teams – North Dakota State, Penn and Sam Houston State – are averaging more points per game this season than Yale’s average of 52.5. Eight games remain, including Ivy opponents sure to provide stiffer competition. But there’s great reason for optimism at Yale. “How good are we going to be? Time will tell,” said Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Football Tony Reno. “But I was very proud of the culture of this team, the ability of these guys to play together, not to have any doubt in their ability, in our ability as a team.” It took two quarters before Yale’s offense really got rolling on Saturday. The Bulldogs only first-half touchdown came on a 19-yard interception return by Hayden Carlson late in the first quarter, at least until a late scoring drive gave them a 14-10 halftime lead. Cornell’s Dalton Banks found Chris Walker with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 4:21 to play in the half, giving the Big Red a 10-7 lead. Yale’s defense, which pressured Banks all game, helped get the ball back late in the half after a sack by defensive end Kyle Mullen. Sophomore quarterback Kurt Rawlings, running Yale’s 2-minute offense to perfection, found Reed Klubnik for completions of 27 and 22 yards to put the ball on the Cornell 14. Rawlings ran it in from there, a 14-yard scamper with 37 seconds remaining that gave his team the lead for good.
at least 45 points in each of its three losses. Yale could be in for another big offensive outing. Reno, knowing Penn, Princeton and Harvard won’t be nearly as generous on either side of the ball, believes there’s still much work to be done. “There’s a lot of area to clean up and a lot of room to grow,” Reno said. “We have standards and our standards are pretty high. I thought we played a good 20 minutes of offense, a good 20 minutes of defense. We have to play a complete game. But I’m so proud of these kids; proud of the team. I’m excited to see us move forward next week.”
The offense found its bearings in the second half. Deshawn Salter scored the first of three touchdowns on the first offensive series, a 3-yard run set up by freshman Zane Dudek’s 47-yard run on the previous play. Yale strung together a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive on its next series, Salter’s 1-yard run extending the lead to 28-10. On the defensive side, Yale’s defense, which had limited Cornell through three quarters, stumbled in the fourth quarter. The Big Red scored twice in the final 15 minutes, including a 57-yard touchdown pass from Banks to James Hubbard that cut Yale’s lead to 35-24. Salter, a senior from Syracuse, New York, wasted little time regaining Yale’s comfortable cushion. His 82-yard touchdown run made the score 42-24. Dudek added a 14-yard scoring run on the Bulldogs next series to make it 49-24. Dudek finished with 173 yards on 16 carries, just 12 yards off the single-game record for a Yale freshman running back. Salter’s line was just as impressive – 143 yards on 12 carries. The Bulldogs are averaging 300 yards rushing per game, making it one of the most lethal ground attacks in FCS. “We have some good running backs,” Reno said. “We feel we have a great offensive line. We feel like those guys will keep moving the chain. I think that they work really well together.” Yale’s defense finished with six quarterback sacks, led by Mullen’s two, and has 11 sacks on the season, tops in the Ivy League. Jason Alessi added an interception. “It definitely helps that we have some coverage behind us,” Mullen said. “We work every day and I think the D-line is playing really well and they continue to play aggressive and work on rushing and play together.” Next week’s opponent, Fordham, has allowed
“We have some good running backs, we feel we have a great offensive line. We feel like those guys will keep moving the chain. I think that they work really well together.” Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow ‘54 Head Coach of Football