Cornell rings victory bell

MOUNT VERNON - The sounds of a winning streak rang out from Ash Park, and it was music to the ears of Cornell football players and their supporters.

In a tradition that hasn't occurred often recently, Cornell football players rushed off the field to ring the victory bell sitting beyond one of the end zones, signifying the Rams' second straight win and first at home since the end of the 2009 season.

Cornell received two touchdown runs from quarterback Juan Flores, who added one through the air, to beat Macalester (Minn.), 22-14, of 1,002 fans Saturday afternoon. The Rams have won consecutive games and started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2007.

When the Rams scored a come-from-behind one-point win at Olivet (Mich.) to snap an 11-game losing streak in its opener last week, they stepped off the bus after an eight-hour ride and rang the bell in the early morning hours. Celebrating a home win was more special.

"We've never done it at home," Flores said. "This was cool, running over here with everyone standing around and ringing that bell."

Flores played a key role in the Rams earning a chance for the postgame festivities. The sophomore scored two first half touchdowns as the Rams built a 15-0 halftime lead, and then sealed the win with a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Scully with 4:53 left to play. The Rams clung to a 15-14 lead when he directed a six-play, 57-yard drive, rushing for 13 yards and completing 3 of 4 passes for 28 yards. He capped the series by hitting Scully perfectly coming out of a break.

"We really wanted to finish that drive off to get some stress off the defense and give them some breathing room," said Flores, who saw the 1-on-1 matchup and checked to the 6-foot-5 receiver at the line. "I'll take my odds with a corner against Scully."

The Rams have found their winning ways after going 0-10 last year. Second-year Cornell Coach Vince Brautigam said there is something special about this group of Rams.

"We did some great things," Brautigam said. "It wasn't a pretty win by any means, but I'll take an ugly win any day."

Flores, who ran more in his starts at the end of last year, worked hard in the offseason to improve his passing ability. He completed 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards, connecting on pass plays of 30 and 34 yards to Scully to set up the Rams' first touchdown - a 12-yard Flores run in the first quarter. He also hit Thomas Connor on a nice catch and run for 72 yards that led to 7-yard Flores touchdown run that made it 15-0 after backup quarterback Andrew Burdick picked up a botched snap hit Drew Campbell for the two-point conversion.

Flores said he was overwhelmed as a freshman. He has more patience to find receivers instead of scrambling, because of faith in his offensive line, which he credited for big plays Saturday.

"I'm more confident in the pocket," said Flores, who had a team-high 61 yards rushing. "We're all so much closer as a group this year and that allows me to have that confidence and stay in the pocket."

Connor finished with 130 yards receiving, while Scully had 113. Tyler Bailey had a team-high 13 tackles, giving the former West Branch prep and preseason all-American linebacker 27 in the first two games.

"I think it was a total team effort," Brautigam said. "Overall, nobody stands out. Everybody made plays today."

Macalester threatened in the second with a pair of third quarter touchdowns, trimming the lead to one. The Rams defense rebounded, stiffening two fourth-down stops on the Scots' final two possessions. They showed an ability to handle adversity, which is a change from a year ago.

"These kids are resilient," Brautigam said. "They do bounce back and we made enough plays to win."

The Rams are off next week and travel to Storm Lake to open the Iowa Conference season against Buena Vista on Sept. 24.