Cornell controlled the football with a dominant ground game and spoiled Lawrence’s Homecoming in Saturday’s 27-7 Midwest Conference victory inside the Banta Bowl.
The Rams (2-3 overall) climbed back to .500 in MWC play at 2-0 with their ninth consecutive series win over the Vikings (0-5 overall, 0-4 MWC).
Cornell was tough in the trenches and received a terrific rushing performance from freshman Joel Lacy, who netted 191 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Lacy turned in the highest single-game rushing total by a Ram since Nov. 16, 2013, when Juan Flores ran for 207 yards at Grinnell.
Lacy’s big day culminated with a 34-yard scoring run with 1:54 left in regulation that provided the final margin of victory. The 6-foot, 220-pound back averaged a hefty 9.1 yards per handoff.
The Rams reeled off 27 unanswered points to finish the game. They held an 11-minute advantage in time of possession, thanks to a rushing attack that accumulated 292 yards on 57 attempts. All four of Cornell TDs came via the running game.
After Lawrence scored on the game’s opening possession, Cornell responded with a 14-play, 64-yard TD march, capped by Isaiah Spencer’s two-yard run on fourth down that tied it at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
The Rams forged ahead 13-7 early in the second quarter on a four-yard run by Lacy.
Cornell’s defense stiffened in the second half and came away with two turnovers. Sophomore linebacker Nicholas Sells recovered a fumble that denied Lawrence of a scoring opportunity early in the third quarter. The Rams capitalized on the ensuing possession, scoring on a one-yard quarterback sneak by John Smith that pushed Cornell ahead 20-7 with 14:28 remaining.
Smith completed a key fourth-down pass of 17 yards to Gavin Soukup to extend Cornell’s scoring drive. The junior finished an efficient day 7-of-9 passing for 77 yards.
The Rams stopped Lawrence on a pivotal fourth-and-goal tackle by Luca Schoensee midway through the fourth quarter, keeping Cornell ahead 20-7.
Cornell then put the game away with an impressive 11-play, 96-yard TD drive that ended with Lacy breaking loose from 34 yards out.
Cole Reed finished with two receptions for 30 yards. Tony Gomez rushed for 41 yards and had one catch for nine yards.
Schoensee, a freshman, carded a team-high eight tackles, including two for losses. Anthony Hoffman had seven tackles and one forced fumble.
Coming up – The Rams travel to play the University of Chicago (4-1, 3-1 MWC) next Saturday, Oct. 15 in Chicago, Ill.