Cornell hopes journey back to Midwest Conference a boon (photo gallery)

MOUNT VERNON — They don't know. How could they?

The Cornell Rams don't really have any idea how they're going to fit in the Midwest Conference. Or re-fit, as the case is here.

Cornell rejoins the 11-school league this fall after 16 years in the Iowa Conference. They open the season Sept. 1 at Lawrence.

Get yourself reacquainted with schools like Lawrence, Rams fans. It's located in Appleton, Wis., if you didn't remember.

'Right now, I don't know because I haven't faced any of those teams,' third-year Cornell Coach Vince Brautigam said. 'From what I've seen, and I haven't seen a lot, the top-ter teams in the Midwest Conference, the top half of the league, is very comparable to the top half of the Iowa Conference. Because we were toward the bottom (of the IIAC) in recent years, we'll find out where we are in the Midwest Conference.

'After we play a year, then I can give you an honest answer.'

Cornell was picked ninth in the MWC by league coaches in a preseason poll. The Rams went 3-7 last season, winning two non-conference games and breaking a long IIAC losing streak with a victory over Loras.

The season ended bitterly with a 77-7 destruction at the hands of rival Coe. Those two meet Sept. 8 this season in the longest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi River.

'We don't know what to expect because we've never played these teams,' said junior defensive back Nick Brautigam, Vince's son, who will try and stay healthy after blowing out his knee three times and tearing his labrum during his football career. 'But I think it definitely plays into our favor because it's more of a run-and-gun conference and not so much the ground and pound. Our strong point as a team is definitely our athletes, so that transition (to the Midwest Conference) will fit us nicely.'

Coach Brautigam has brought Cornell's overall numbers up nicely during his short tenure, and there are 77 kids on this season's roster, more than the school has had in years. The downside is 57 of those 77 are freshmen and sophomores, with just six seniors around.

'The freshmen will have to play this year, they'll have to fill in,' Coach Brautigam said. 'But there are enough older kids now that things have gone smoother.'

Cornell looks for a big season from junior quarterback Juan Flores, an Alta Loma, Calif., native who set school records in 2011 for completions and total offense (2,263 yards). He's a dual-threat guy in the spread who has three returning starters at receiver in James Scully, Brit Connor and Justin Cox.

'I guess what I've seen from our offense is that we've really become mature,' Flores said. 'As a quarterback, I think I understand the offense at a different level ... It's looking real good. I think we're all meshing together. This year, I think this offense is going to be real good.'

Freshman Ben Knake also should see time at receiver after quarterbacking Lisbon to the Class A state championship last season. He is one of only 10 Iowans on the roster, which actually is a pretty accurate picture of Cornell's entire student body.

'There's a lot to work on. There's a lot more technical stuff for me to work on,' Knake said. 'I played receiver my sophomore and junior year. My freshman year I was quarterback for the JV team, and I didn't really like it. Senior year, they switched me back to quarterback just because no one else wanted to do it. I knew they were going to put me at receiver here.'

Cornell's defense returns eight starters but improvement is needed collectively from a unit that allowed an IIAC-worst 38 points per game. Coach Brautigam mentioned development of both lines as being crucial for a successful season.

'We're right where we want to be,' he said. 'We're actually probably six or seven kids ahead of where I thought we'd be right now. But I'm certainly happy with the numbers, as well as the work ethic and the talent we have.'

• * Conference Event

• % Exhibition/Scrimmage

• Home events are in bold

Day

Time

Opponent

September

 

 

*1

1:00PM

@ Lawrence University Appleton, Wis.

8

1:00PM

vs. Coe College Mount Vernon

*22

1:00PM

vs. Monmouth CollegeMount Vernon

Parent's Day

 

 

*29

1:00PM

@ Beloit College Beloit, Wis

October

 

 

*6

2:00PM

vs. St.Norbert College Mount Vernon

Homecoming

 

 

*13

1:00PM

vs. Knox College Mount Vernon

*20

1:00PM

@ Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Ill.

*27

1:00PM

 vs. Carroll University Mount Vernon

 November

 

 

 *3

 1:00PM

 @ Illinois College Jacksonville, Ill.

 *10

 12:00PM

 vs. Grinnell college Mount Vernon

Senior Day