Liza Kaufman, Photography Editor

The football team (1–0, 0–0 Ivy) will welcome the Cornell Big Red (0–1, 0–0 Ivy) to the Yale Bowl this Saturday for what will be both teams’ first Ivy League game of the year. 

Last week, the Bulldogs had a strong showing on both sides of the ball in their win against Holy Cross. In Cornell’s opener, the Big Red came out of the gates slowly and struggled throughout the game in a loss to Albany. This week, both teams will be looking to claim their first conference win of the first season when an Ivy League championship would automatically qualify them for the FCS Playoffs.

“It just means the stakes are just even higher,” center Leo Bluhm ’26 said about the chance to earn a spot in the playoffs. 

Pound the ground

One key for the Bulldogs in this game will be to continue the ground dominance they showed in their first game against the Crusaders. Powered by a notably large offensive line, Yale was able to wear down Holy Cross and open up large holes for Josh Pitsenberger ’26, running back and team captain, who racked up over 100 yards with three scores. 

Similar to Holy Cross, Cornell comes into this matchup against Yale without the ability to trust their defensive line’s ability to stop the run. Against Albany, the Big Red gave up over 150 yards and a touchdown, so the Bulldogs could look to establish the run game early and often to take advantage of Cornell’s defense.

“Last week, we just really focused on doing our jobs right, playing fast and running the ball as a team,” defensive lineman Mack Johnson ’28 said in a Thursday interview. “And I think this week, if we just keep that same mentality, come hard to play, I think we’re gonna be really successful in this game and have a similar outcome.”

Enable the stars

In the previous game, one of the clear stars of the game was wideout Nico Brown ’26, who picked up 119 yards and a score, as well as several highlight reel plays. Quarterback Dante Reno ’28, in his debut for Yale, was able to connect with Brown and the rest of his receiving corps at a higher than 70 percent completion rate. 

“I think it’ll be a great game, they’re a great team,” Reno said about the Big Red. “It’s gonna be a good start to Ivy League play, so we’re all super excited.”

Pairing an elite passing game with a high-octane ground attack helped the Bulldogs to consistently move the ball down the field and rack up points, but it is only possible if Reno stays protected. 

After going through nearly the entire game against the Crusaders without much pressure, Yale will face a tougher test against the Cornell pass rush. While they surrendered a good amount of yards on the ground, the Big Red were able to sack Albany four times in their loss. The veteran offensive line of Yale will need to continue to protect their quarterback in order to keep their dynamic playmakers in rhythm.

Bend don’t break

The Bulldogs’ defense opened strong last Saturday, allowing only 88 rushing yards and one touchdown from Holy Cross. Despite giving up 193 passing yards in the game, Yale’s defense held the Crusaders to a score of zero throughout the first half and continued to lock down their opponents in the second half to secure the win.

Defensive Back Abu Kamara ’27 was instrumental in carrying the defenses’ momentum forward throughout the game and led the team in tackles, totaling 10, including four solo tackles and two tackles for loss. 

“We just have a really good, tight-knit defense, and we all have really good chemistry together, and that at the end of the day, when we all play hard together, that success comes with that,” Johnson, who got a sack in last Saturday’s game, said.

As a whole, Yale’s defense was able to rack up four sacks and seven tackles for loss, forcing the Crusaders’ offense back a total of 46 yards. This weekend, the Bulldogs will be looking to replicate their performance against Cornell, who put up 110 rushing yards and 153 passing yards in their last game.

“Every year, Cornell is a big challenge. I mean, the past two years, they’ve gotten the best of us,”

Bluhm said. “They’re always a well-coached team and a high-effort team. They play really hard, and it’s really just a matter of who really wants it more.”

Yale kicks off against Cornell this Saturday at 12 p.m. at the Yale Bowl.

Correction, Sept. 26: This article’s byline was updated to reflect that it was written by both Brody Gilkison and Audrey Kim. Due to an editing error, a previous version of the byline omitted Kim’s name.