Brown’s Defense Stifles Cornell, 34-14

Ithaca, New York - Senior wide receiver Buddy Farnham caught touchdown passes of 48 and 56 yards, and junior tailback Zack Tronti ran for three touchdowns, as the Bears captured their fourth straight game, earning a 34-14 Ivy League victory over Cornell at Schoellkopf Field.

The wins lifts Brown to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Ivy League, while Cornell falls to 2-4, 1-2 in the Ivy league.

Brown’s defense keyed the victory, keeping the Cornell’s offense off the scoreboard and making big play after big play. Trailing 14-7 late in the third quarter, Brown scored 14 points in a span of 15 seconds to turn the momentum in their favor.

First, Farnham caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero to tie the game, 14-14, with 5:55 left in the quarter.

On Cornell’s first play from scrimmage following Farnham’s touchdown, senior Jimmy Develin turned the game in Brown’s direction when he reached into the air and intercepted a pass at the Big Red 34-yard line and returned it to the Cornell six-yard line.

“Develin’s play was a big momentum swing for our team,” said Brown head coach Phil Estes. “We had lots of frustration up to that point and you could see the lift it gave the entire sideline.”

Tronti gave Brown a 21-14 lead on the first play from scrimmage after the interception, scampering around right tackle to score from three-yards out to give Brown its first lead. Tronti finished the game with 134 running yards on 26 attempts, his second straight 100-plus yard rushing game.

Farnham was dominant once again, making nine receptions for 207 yards. Newhall-Caballero rebounded from a sluggish start and completed 26 of 40 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns.

Develin saw some two-way action for the Bears, playing his usual defensive end, and making appearances on offense in the slot. His impact came as a defensive player, making five tackles, including a tackle for a loss to go with his 28-yard interception return.

“What a story – first half, second half,” said Estes. “We were out of sync and gave them 14 points. Our defense really played well, not allowing any points.”

The Bears were stunned early when Cornell’s Anthony Ambrosi picked up a fumble at the Brown 26-yard line and ran it into the end zone to give the Big Red a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Brown tied the game, 7-7, when Farnham hauled in a 48-yard touchdown pass from Newhall-Caballero, catching the ball wide open at the Big Red 20 yard line and walking into the end zone to tie the game with 9:48 left in the half. Farnham was spectacular in the first half, providing most of the offense for the Bears with 142 receiving yards.

Cornell’s defense scored once again to give the Big Red a 14-7 lead with 11:08 left in the third quarter when junior linebacker Brandon Lainhart intercepted Newhall-Caballero in the flat and ran 24-yards for a touchdown.

Farnham came to the Bears’ rescue once again and made a 56-yard touchdown reception from Newhall-Calallero, to tie the game 14-14, capping a 70-yard scoring drive that took just four plays.

With the momentum on Brown’s side, Tronti scored his second touchdown of the game and gave the Bears a 27-14 lead when he capped a 62-yard scoring drive early in the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run.

Tronti, who ran for 104 of his 134 yards in the second half, finished the Brown scoring with a two-yard touchdown run with 7:12 left in the game.

Brown freshman AJ Cruz had another strong game in the Bears’ secondary, making a team high seven tackles, including six solo stops and an interception that he returned 26 yards. Senior Chris Perkins contributed five tackles for the Bears.

The Bears’ defense had eight tackles for a loss of 34 yards with senior Peter Hughes making two tackles for a loss, and Brian Neff making 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Junior John Anderson, sophomore Shane Cooney, and junior Andrew Serrano also had tackles for a loss.

The Bears return home to Brown Stadium next Saturday, October 31, for a key Ivy League game against Penn. Game time is 12: