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Cornell can’t complete comeback against Lake Forest: ‘We messed it up’
28-19 loss was hard for Rams to swallow
Sep. 21, 2024 7:03 pm
MOUNT VERNON — The result was hard to swallow.
Mainly because it felt has if Cornell let it slip through its fingers more than having Lake Forest rip it from its hands.
Cornell received two touchdown runs from BooBoo Browning and still had a win within its reach in the final minutes but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 28-19 loss to the Foresters in a Midwest Conference college football game Saturday afternoon at Ash Park’s Van Metre Field.
The Rams (1-2, 1-1) didn’t capitalize on prime opportunities and were hampered by some mistakes and penalties, including an infraction that canceled a kickoff return for a score.
“It’s disappointing because it’s a game I feel we should have had,” Cornell Coach Dan Pifer said. “We could have won. We messed it up.”
Cornell fell into a 14-0 hole early in the second. Lake Forest scored on the opening drive of the game, getting a 9-yard TD run from Mal Chunn. The Foresters went 75 yards on 11 plays, including a 36-yard gain on a fake punt that helped set up Jayce Knutsen’s 4-yard scoring run with 11:04 left in the second.
Cornell, which owned almost a 10-minute advantage in time of possession, squandered two turnovers deep in Forester territory that impacted the rest of the game.
The Rams recovered a fumble at the Lake Forest 24. They moved to the 11 before a penalty, two incompletions and a missed 43-yard field goal.
“One guy goes the wrong way and bad things can happen,” Pifer said. “It’s just one guy (during a play).
“We have to put it all together. That’s the thing.”
On the next possession, Lake Forest failed to move the ball. The punt snap was high and mishandled. Cornell stuffed the attempt to advance it, taking over at the Lake Forest 13. Two plays later, the Rams had first-and-goal from the 3 and were stuffed on four straight plays for no points as the first half expired.
“We’re just killing ourselves right now,” Pifer said. “I don’t think we lost that game. We gave it to them. We really did.”
Cornell fought back with TDs on three of the first four drives after the break. The Rams were more effective offensively. They were able to pull within two points with 2:34 remaining.
“We finally got 11 guys playing in unison,” Pifer said. “We can do those kind of things.
“We just don’t do that (consistently). It takes us a while to get going. We just have to figure it out mentally what we’re doing.”
Browning capped a three-play drive that included John Smith’s 55-yard pass to Rommel Pinner, setting up first-and-goal. Browning followed with a 2-yard score.
“When we came in for halftime, coach said we’re still in this game,” Browning said. “We just had to keep working hard.
“We came out and had some good time of possession with the ball. There were some plays we could have had. I felt we played really hard today.”
The extra-point attempt was no good, making it 14-6. The miss affected Cornell’s next two scores, leading to a missed conversion attempt and having to settle for an extra point to make it a one-score game instead of a chance to take the lead late.
“It all keeps compounding unless you can make plays to get out of it,” Pifer said. “We seem to find ways to not do that, right now.”
Smith hit Tony Gomez on a 10-yard pass in the third, making it 21-12. Browning added another 2-yard TD for a 21-19 spread with three minutes to go.
“It always starts with the offensive line,” Browning said. “Without them, nothing is possible.
“I always look at Tony Gomez and watch how he plays. After last year, I knew some improvements I had to work on. He helped me with everything.”
Lake Forest’s A.J. Jackson converted a key first down after Cornell used its timeouts. He broke a 54-yard TD run, sealing it with a nine-point lead with 1:39 remaining. Jackson finished with 129 offensive yards, including 92 rushing and two TDs.
Gomez rushed for 90 yards and Smith passed for 195 yards for Cornell.
“We have a bye week,” Pifer said. “We have to get the ship moving in the right direction and make a run.”
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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