Josh Pitsenberger rushed for two touchdowns in his return to the lineup, but Cornell made a number of big plays and posted a 47-23 victory over Yale in the Ivy League opener for both teams on Homecoming at a rainy Schoellkopf Field.
 
The Big Red and Bulldogs are each 1-1 overall after week two.
 
KEY PLAYER
 
Cornell quarterback Jameson Wang threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another. He completed 18-of-29 passes for 278 yards and carried 11 times for 55 yards.
 
BIG PLAYS THE DIFFERENCE
 
Four of the Big Red's six touchdowns came on plays of 30 yards or more.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Trailing 27-14 at halftime, Yale's defense forced an early turnover in the third quarter that led to a Nick Conforti 24-yard field goal. Cornell, though, answered with a Ryder Kurtz 67-yard TD reception that put the Big Red in front 33-17. Pitsenberger's second touchdown run pulled the Bulldogs back within 10, but Cornell scored twice in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
 
YALE STATISTICAL LEADERS
 
• Pitsenberger rushed for a team-high 68 yards on 18 carries after missing last week's opening win at Holy Cross due to injury. In two games at Schoellkopf Field in his career, Pitsenberger has five touchdowns.
 
• Nathan Denney added 36 yards on 10 carries. He also had three receptions for 36 yards.
 
• Starting quarterback Brogan McCaughey finished 14-of-21 for 172 yards and one touchdown, an 8-yard pass to tight end Ry Yates that tied the score at 7-7 in the first quarter. The touchdown reception was the first of Yates' career.
 
• David Pantelis had five receptions for 86 yards. Pantelis has caught 11 passes for 181 yards in the first two weeks of the season.
 
• Shamus Florio placed three punts inside the 20-yard line and averaged 43.6 yards on five kicks.
 
• Joey Felton accounted for 96 yards on three kickoff returns. In his career, Felton has 914 kickoff return yards, which is eighth all-time in school history. He is four yards shy of Kevin Brice (1986-88) who is seventh.
 
• Abu Kamara had a team-high 11 solo tackles, while Alvin Gulley, Jr., forced a fumble.
 
NOTES
 
• Yale dropped its Ivy League opener for the second straight season. Last year, the Bulldogs rebounded to win five of their last six Ivy games to earn a share of the championship.
 
• The loss snapped Yale's five-game road winning streak. The Bulldogs were 3-0 away from home last year and hadn't lost a road game since falling at Penn in 2022.

QUOTING COACH RENO

"Give credit to Cornell. They outplayed us in all phases today," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "We were inconsistent in all areas and made mistakes that keep you from winning football games. We have a lot of work to do this week to improve in all areas."
 
WHAT'S AHEAD
 
The Bulldogs will look to bounce back when they host Central Connecticut next Saturday at noon at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field. Yale's next Ivy League game is in two weeks against Dartmouth, also at the Bowl.