Rams shoot for two in a row on Senior Day

It wasn't pretty and certainly not perfect. But in the end, it really didn't matter when Cornell's football team ran off Ash Park Field with a 19-17 Iowa Conference victory over Loras last weekend.

The Rams weathered a final five-minute storm in which they lost two fumbles and saw a mid-range Loras field goal sail wide left. Cornell battled through a dozen penalties that totaled over 100 yards.

"We overcame adversity and still won the football game," Cornell head coach Vince Brautigam said. "Even during the last five minutes, we made enough plays to finish the game. That's a mark of a team turning the corner. I'm extremely proud of how our guys played hard and with emotion."

Cornell ended a 13-game slide in conference play. It was the first IIAC win for many on a Rams roster heavily built with freshmen and sophomores.

"I am a true believer that winning and losing are contagious," Brautigam said. "This was a game (last week) that can turn a program around."

The Rams (3-5 overall, 1-5 IIAC) now look to build a winning streak Saturday against Luther (2-6, 2-4) on Senior Day. Cornell's home finale kicks off at 1 p.m. The Norse are coming off a 45-0 loss at nationally-ranked Dubuque.

Sophomore quarterback Juan Flores had the Rams offense running in high gear last week. He accounted for 400 of the team's season-high 451 total yards. Flores passed for a career-best 338 yards and three touchdowns, but it was his 19-yard run on third down that sealed the win for Cornell with less than two minutes remaining.

Flores finished 23-of-34 passing and was also the team's leading rusher with 62 yards. The offensive line helped his cause, not allowing a sack for the first time all season.

Senior Thomas Connor came down with a pair of touchdown receptions, including a 33-yarder that put the Rams ahead 13-3 early in the third quarter. Freshman Brit Connor later added an eight-yard touchdown catch, giving Cornell a 19-10 lead with 1:21 to go in the third quarter.

"Other than the three lost fumbles (one of which Cornell gave away at the Loras 3), our offense played as well as they have all year," Brautigam said. "The offensive line played its best game of the season."

Freshman running back Preston Ritchie totaled 82 yards on two receptions and also blocked a Loras punt late in the second quarter. Geoffrey Miller collected nine tackles and had a key interception with 3:51 left in the game. Freshman defensive end TJ Gray registered six tackles, including a pair of quarterback sacks.

"We made big plays in all three phases of the game," Brautigam said.

About the Norse - Luther had its hands full last Saturday at IIAC leader Dubuque, a game the Norse were outgained 540-212 in total yards and held the ball for nearly 16 fewer minutes than the Spartans. Chris Reynolds finished 11-of-22 passing for 129 yards and was intercepted once. Alex Hain led the ground game with 60 yards on 16 carries.

Luther's Kyle McGivney, who posted 20 tackles against Dubuque, leads all of NCAA Division III this season with 15.63 tackles per game. The senior middle linebacker needs six tackles Saturday to break the Division III career record of 531 tackles, held by Kenyon's Casey McConnell (2001-03, 05).

Last meeting - Seth Streeter kicked a 34-yard field goal with 1:13 remaining to propel Luther to a 24-21 victory over the Rams on Oct. 9, 2010 in Decorah. The kick came moments after Luther recovered a Ram fumble deep in Cornell territory.

Cornell rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 21-21 on a Miller 25-yard interception return for a touchdown with 6:07 to go. Flores rushed for a game-high 122 yards and one touchdown, while passing for 142 yards and another score.

The series - Luther owns a 9-5 edge in the all-time series dating back to a 27-0 Cornell win in 1943. The Norse have taken the last eight meetings, five of those decided by single digits. Cornell's last series win was a 33-28 road triumph in 2002.

Senior Day - The Rams will recognize their 11 seniors prior to Saturday's home finale. The class includes Craig Furstenau (LB), Thomas Connor (WR), Aaron Spickermann (DL), Tyler Geissler (DB), Drew Campbell (LB), Erik Krol (DL), Bailey (LB), Jeff North (OL), Zach Schwarz (OL), Dan Wherry (OL) and Nathan Nichols (WR).

Seven of the seniors are projected to start against the Norse. The group features three 2010 all-conference performers in Bailey (second team), Spickermann (second team) and North (honorable mention).

Yardage total - Cornell's 451 total yards last week marked the highest output by a Ram team in 44 games. The Rams rolled up 477 yards in a 30-20 home loss against Loras on Sept. 15, 2007.

Century mark - Cornell's Bailey needs four tackles Saturday to reach the 100-tackle mark for the second consecutive season. The 2011 Preseason All-American recorded a team-best 110 tackles a year ago. Bailey averages 12.0 tackles per game, ranking third in the IIAC and 11th nationally. He is tied for the league lead with 12.0 tackles for loss.

QB company - With last week's big performance, Flores joined Andrew Burdick (2009) and Mark Steger (1969) as the only Rams in school history to throw for 1,700 yards and complete 150 passes in the same season. Flores enters Saturday's contest with 1,776 yards on 156-of-237 passing.

Flores ranks second in the IIAC in completion percentage (65.8). He is fourth in pass efficiency (135.4) and total offense (283.0 ypg).

Connor climbs charts - Thomas Connor is tied for sixth on Cornell's career list for receptions with 123. He needs three catches Saturday to pass Aaron Holthaus (1997-00) and crack the top five. Connor has totaled 1,324 receiving yards, good for 14th on the program's career list.

Connor has 41 receptions for 477 yards and three touchdowns this season.