Football Receives Votes In Preseason SME Football Championship Subdivision Poll

Big Red opens 2007 season vs. Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Schoellkopf Field

July 19, 2007

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell football program got its first bit of acknowledgement heading into the 2007 season, earning votes in the preseason Sports Media Entertainment Football Championship Subdivision football poll released earlier this week. The Big Red earned two votes and were among 31 teams who received votes just outside of the top 25.

The defending Ivy League football champion Princeton Tigers were picked No. 23 nationally in the debut Sports Media Entertainment football poll. Also listed among the teams receiving votes were Ivy foes Harvard and Yale and Patriot League opponent Colgate.

The 2007 Big Red squad will feature more than 40 returning letter winners, including key impact players on both sides of the ball. Senior All-Ivy tailback Luke Siwula returns to headline the offense and will begin his senior campaign sixth on Cornell's all-time rushing list. Rising junior Shane Kilcoyne and sophomores Randy Barbour and Isaac Minor will also battle for carries behind a remade offensive line. With only one returning starter in spring practice (tackle Steve Valenta), the Big Red's young line has gotten a chance to see plenty of reps over the last two weeks. The fall will bring the return of fifth-year seniors Brian McGuire and Ted Sonnenberg, giving Cornell three experienced linemen. Junior receivers Jesse Baker, Zac Canty, Brian FitzPatrick and Tommy Bleymaier and sophomores Matt Kenney and Bryan Walters saw the most action a season ago and form one of the youngest and most talented groups on the field. The return of junior Horatio Blackman and sophomores Josh Gajdos, Mark Longo and Nick Zerante also give the receiving corps tremendous depth. Junior Alex Spooner is the lone returning tight end to letter a season ago and will have a chance to claim a starting spot with a good camp. Junior Nathan Ford, coming off an All-Ivy season on the baseball diamond for Cornell, returns as the incumbent starter after piling up 1,417 passing yards and 345 rushing yards while combining for 14 touchdowns (eight passing, six rushing) as a sophomore.

The defense returns seven starters, including All-Ivy defenders Ryan Blessing (senior linebacker) and Tim Bax (junior safety). An honorable mention All-Ivy pick, Blessing had team-high 70 tackles and five sacks in his first season as a starter to go along with six total tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Bax recorded 57 tackles and a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss while starting all 10 games at safety to earn his honorable mention nod. The big-play sophomore also posted two interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble. While the defensive line has to be rebuilt with the loss of key seniors Jonathan Lucas, Matt Darby, Jeff Dicks and Ryan Kiscadden, experienced returners are back at every position. Juniors Frank Kunis, Lucas McCarthy, Graham Rihn and Dario Arezzo all saw significant playing time as sophomores and will attempt to break out in their third seasons. Potential All-Ivy candidates in seniors Michael Boyd (safety) and Colin Nash (defensive back) return in the defensive backfield, while senior Doug Lempa and junior Brian Ostrowsky join Blessing at linebacker.

The Big Red will open the 2007 season against Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.

SCHOOL • VOTES (first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Appalachian St. (20) • 500
2. Montana • 441
3. Massachusetts • 427
4. North Dakota St. • 417
5. Youngstown St. • 402
6. New Hampshire • 392
7. Northern Iowa • 352
8. James Madison • 351
9. Furman • 296
10. Southern Illinois • 271
11. Illinois St. • 265
12. Cal Poly • 242
13. McNeese St. • 239
14. Portland St. • 235
15. Wofford • 218
16. Tennessee-Martin • 165
17. Hampton • 153
18. Montana St. • 147
19. Eastern Illinois • 145
20. Delaware • 140
21. Coastal Carolina • 119
22. San Diego • 79
23. Princeton • 60
24. South Dakota St • 56
25. Sam Houston St. • 43

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Yale 38, Lehigh 36, Georgia Southern 27, UC-Davis 26, Texas St. 21, Maine 20, Richmond 20, Villanova 16, South Carolina St 16, Tennessee St. 13, Alabama A&M 13, Harvard 11, Towson 11, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9, Central Arkansas 9, Northwestern State 8, Weber St 8,Eastern Kentucky 7, Colgate 6, Northern Arizona 5, Florida A&M 5, Northeastern 4, Nicholls St. 3, Monmouth 3, Cornell 2, Liberty 2, Citadel 2, Delaware St 1, Holy Cross 1, Alcorn St 1, Missouri St 1