NEW HAVEN, Conn – The Yale University football team (1-1, 1-0 Ivy League) was victorious in its Ivy opener at the Yale Bowl on Saturday afternoon, defeating Cornell (0-2, 0-1 Ivy), 23-17. Senior safety Rodney Thomas II was a force all day for the Bulldogs as he picked off two passes and returned an onside kick back for a touchdown with just 70 seconds left in the ballgame.
 
The Elis have now won four-straight Ivy League openers and seven of the past eight under head coach Tony Reno. The Bulldogs rode a strong defensive effort into the fourth quarter and got 317 yards and two touchdown passes from junior quarterback Griffin O'Connor who completed passes to 10 different receivers.
 
"I am so proud of the guys and the effort and dedication they showed over the past seven days. Their preparation was evident today as we found a way to secure the win," said Reno.
 
Yale pitched a shutout in the first quarter thanks to clutch defensive plays by its secondary. On the first drive of the game, junior cornerback Wande Owens picked off a pass in the endzone to end the scoring chance for the Big Red. Owens also finished with a game-high 6.5 tackles.
 
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first and never trailed. Its first score came on a 35-yard highlight reel pitch and catch from O'Connor to senior wideout Darrion Carrington who crossed the goal line with 5:15 to play in the first quarter.  
The Elis added a 27-yard field goal midway through the second quarter while the Yale defense was able to stall another Cornell drive with 5:21 to play in the half and limit the Big Red to a field goal for a 9-3 halftime lead.
 
O'Connor added his second TD at the start of the third as he found sophomore wide receiver Chase Nenad for the a 25-yard score; the first career catch for Nenad who was playing in just his second game.
 
Things got wild late as Cornell got its first touchdown with just 75 seconds left. The Big Red tried the onside kick, but Thomas was there for the clean recovery and lane on his way to a 48-yard return touchdown.  
 
Cornell was able to rally again however behind second-string quarter back Ben Mays who led another touchdown drive with 34 seconds left.
 
The Big Red tried a second onsider, but it was senior wideout Jaylan Sandifer who showed strong hands, holding on to the ball while being tackled by two Cornell players to ice the game.
 
Senior wide receiver Melvin Rouse II caught a team-high five passes while Carrington finished with a team-leading 65 yards. Eight different Bulldogs caught at least two passes with nine also tallying at least 20 yards.
 
Senior running back Zane Dudek totaled 67 yards on the ground and added two catches for 39 yards.
 
The Bulldog defense racked up six tackles for loss led by 2.5 by sophomore defensive lineman Clay Patterson who registered two sacks in the game.
 
The Elis also defended six passes in addition to the three interceptions by Thomas and Owens.
 
The Bulldogs play their first road game of the 2021 season next week when they travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.