Sprint Football Earns Win No. 300; Downs Cornell

Friday, October 7

West Point, N.Y.

7 PM

Army West Point

3-1 , 3-1

Cornell

1-3 , 1-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Cornell

Army West Point

Sprint Football Earns Win No. 300; Downs Cornell

October 07, 2016 | Sprint Football

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point sprint football team notched its 300th win in program history after defeating the Cornell Big Red, 43-12, on Friday night at Shea Stadium.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: this program means the world to me," said head coach Mark West. "I tell folks I wouldn't have made it through West Point without sprint football because it helped me get through some tough times as a cadet. Now that I'm the head coach, I'm just so honored and privileged to represent all of the alumni who have played before me and all the coaches who have coached before me. To get 300 wins for the program tonight is a special honor."

The Black Knights improved to 3-1 on the season and in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL), while Cornell fell to 1-3.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

This was Army's 300th win in program history.
Of those wins, this was the 122nd win by 30+ points and the 243rd double-digit victory.
With the win, the Black Knights have more wins against Cornell (58) than they do against any other opponent.
This was the first time Army allowed an opponent to score at Shea Stadium this season.
Sophomore Keegan West guided the Black Knights to a 23-point first quarter with a 14-for-17 passing performance with 204 yards and three touchdowns. He followed that up by going 4-for-6 for 45 yards and another score in the second quarter.
Senior Marqus Burrell led the ground game with 64 yards and a score on 12 carries.
Fellow senior Austin Breed had a breakout performance, setting season-highs with seven receptions and 71 receiving yards.
Junior Curtis Jerzerick set his own personal-best for the 2016 campaign in the game as he recorded a game-high 11 tackles.
Sophomore Angelo Matz documented 10 tackles, including 1.5 sacks for a loss of 13 yards.

TURNING POINTS

Army's defense held Cornell to four-straight three-and-outs and allowed just 15 yards on the Big Red's first four drives creating good field position for the Black Knights' offense to operate.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Army forced a three-and-out on Cornell's first four drives and scored on each of the ensuing possessions.
West drove the Black Knights 54 yards on seven plays, capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass to Clayton Carter.
An eight-play, 49 yard drive stalled at the Cornell 13 on the following drive, allowing sophomore kicker John Abercrombie to kick a 30-yard field goal to stretch Army's lead to double-digits.
The following drive saw West hook up with Ty Galyean from 16-yards out.
Army's fourth offensive series was its shortest of the day as Seth Wills needed just 13 seconds to weave in and out of defenders on his way to a 48-yard score.
The Big Red made a change at quarterback to start the next series, replacing Robert Pannullo with Connor Ostrander. They earned their initial first down of the game at the 14:16 mark in the second quarter on a nine-yard pass from Ostrander to Ryman Seeley.
The 13-play, 47-yard drive would end at the Army 16, however, as a miscue on the snap allowed Curtis Jerzerick to record his second-career fumble recovery.
Cornell's defense would force Army to punt for the first time in the game on the next drive after forcing a three-and-out. Army also had trouble handling a fourth-down snap and were unable to attempt the kick.
The Big Red took over at the Army 12 and, despite gaining just six yards, scored the first points on Army at Shea Stadium in 10 quarters.
West would answer by finding Breed on a 14-yard touchdown pass for the second time in the half with 4:53 remaining before halftime. The West Point, N.Y., native completed a 30-yard pass on the first play of the drive to Ty Galyean that was aided by a facemask penalty to get Army inside the red zone.
Taylor Ragland stopped Cornell as they approached Army's goal line with half of a minute remaining for the second interception of his career.
For the second time in as many series, Army turned the ball over following a defensive stop deep in its own territory. The fumble would cost the Black Knights seven points as Ostrander found Pannullo for a five-yard score on the final play of the half.
Cornell turned to some trick plays on special teams in the second half, starting with a surprise on-side kick on the opening kickoff. The Big Red would recover and start from their own 46-yard line.
A fourth-and-long forced Cornell into a passing situation, which allowed Angelo Matz to sack Ostrander for the turnover on downs.
Brady Miller took the reins at the start of the third quarter, leading Army to a score on his first drive of the game. Senior captain Marqus Burrell helped Miller guide the Black Knights down the field as he gained 20 yards on the drive. Miller added 24 with his legs and finished things off with an 11-yard connection to Galyean.
After another turnover on downs, Army went three-and-out and was forced to punt. A muffed fair catch would pay dividends for the Black Knights, however, as they would be able to restart their drive on the Cornell 21-yard line. Miller would scamper down the middle of the field from 15-yards away two plays later for the touchdown.
Cornell added two final points as Donald Stimpson recorded a safety.