Recapping Cornell
By John Altavilla
Yale’s coaching staff believes the greatest incremental improvements in a football team come between the first and second weeks of the season.
However, that theory hasn’t played well at Yale lately. Consider that the Bulldogs had been defeated by Cornell in game two in each of the last two seasons, knocking their aspirations of an Ivy League title off-kilter.
But this time was different. After rolling past Holy Cross in their opening game, the Bulldogs ground out a 41-24 win over the Big Red at Yale Bowl.
It was the first time Yale has opened the season 2-0 since 2019, which ended with an Ivy League championship.
Josh Pitsenberger, Yale’s captain, who scored three touchdowns and gained 127 yards rushing against the Crusaders, again burst through for another 142 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns (a fourth was called back for a penalty).
Pitsenberger is now among Yale’s Top Ten career rushers. He also has 28 rushing touchdowns which ties him with Zane Dudek for fifth all-time in program history.
“In general, stats are cool, but I haven’t looked at any of mine,” said Pitsenberger. “Team wins are the only thing I care about. The touchdowns are just a case of anything I can do to help the team win.”
Yet, the performance of the game was turned in by Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, the senior cornerback. He turned in 17 tackles (nine solo).
“For me, the expectation is always the same, it’s not about the statistics,” he said. “I credit It all to the scheme and my teammates. No individual on this team makes play all by themselves.”
Junior defensive back Abu Kamara added two interceptions, one for a touchdown, a blocked field goal attempt and a fumble recovery.
Yale gained only 297 yards with 12 first downs, possessing the ball for just over 24 minutes. Cornell had 400 yards of offense. But its defense made 99 tackles (the most since 108 vs. Lehigh in 2016) and had four interceptions (last accomplished in 2014 vs. Columbia), seven pass breakups, three sacks, three quarterback hurries, two blocked kicks, and two forced fumbles.
Yale led 27-14 before Cornell staged a comeback beginning with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Devin Page (24 of 51, 267 yards, two TDs, four INTs) to tight end Ryder Kurtz with 4:33 to play in the third quarter.
Then the Big Red made it 27-24 on a 32-yard field goal by Alan Zhao with 9:32 to play. Cornell had another shot with less than 3:00 to play but on a 4
th-and-4 from 41, Page was intercepted by Josh Tarver and Yale regained possession on the Cornell 41. “Today was a win and that’s the best part of the day,” said Tarver. “We scratched and clawed – we fought together to win.
And that’s when Pitsenberger closed it out with a 4-yard score with 1:56 remaining. Then Kamala returned an interception for a 66-yard score with 47 seconds to play.
“It reminded me of high school, when I was playing running back,” said Kamara. “Finding holes, finding gaps and just run.”
Yale ended the first half with momentum created by a blocked field goal by Kamara as time expired which kept the score tied at 14-14. Then they built upon it when Cameron Nelson blocked a punt to end Cornell’s first drive of the second half.
Pitsenberger scored from the 12 on the next play, but the touchdown was called back by a holding penalty. Another penalty and a sack pushed the ball back to the 32. Then Yale coach turned to placekicker, first year Noah Piper, who drilled a 50-yard field goal to give Yale the lead.
An interception by sophomore Charles Barkley-Smith gave the ball back to Yale at Cornell’s 18, but quarterback Dante Reno (14 of 23, 139 yards, one TD, one INT) threw an interception in the end zone. Yale got the ball right back when Kamara picked off a pass and returned it to the Big Red 15. That set up Piper’s second field goal from 36 to make it 20-14 with 8:15 to play in the third quarter.
The next Cornell drive quickly ended with a sack and fumble by Page which was recovered by Kamara, Reno then hit Jaxton Santiago for a 20-yard touchdown. And all of a sudden Yale’s lead was two touchdowns.
Players Of The Game
DB Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Sr., 6-1, 215, Damascus, Md. (Damascus)
Ayo-Durojaiye turned in one the great defensive performances in recent program history posting a career-high 17 tackles, surpassing his previous best of 12 (Nov. 9, 2024 vs. Brown). His 17 stops were the most by a Yale player since Foye Oluokun had 16 vs. Colgate in 2014.
RB Josh Pitsenberger, Sr., 6-0, 220, Bethesda, Md. (The Avalon School)
Yale’s captain recorded his second straight game with three rushing touchdowns, finishing with 142 yards on 28 carries. Overcoming three fumbles, his three scores moved him past Dick Jauron and into a tie for fifth on Yale's career rushing touchdowns list with Zane Dudek (28).
DB Abu Kamara, Jr., 6-1, 208, Prospect Park, Md. (Interboro)
Kamara had a brilliant game with two interceptions, including a 66-yard Pick 6 in the fourth quarter, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal on the final play of the first half to keep the game tied at 14 at the half.
Reno’s Corner
"I'm really proud of how our players battled against a very strong Cornell team. Our guys showed grit, energy, and passion throughout the game, and they never backed down. Cornell made us earn everything, and I thought our resilience really stood out today. We know there are areas we need to clean up, and we will, but the way this group competed today is something we will build on moving forward."
Ivy League Standings
Harvard: 1-0, 2-0
Yale: 1-0, 2-0
Dartmouth: 0-0, 2-0
Columbia: 0-0, 1-1
Penn: 0-0, 1-1
Princeton: 0-0, 1-1
Brown: 0-1, 1-1
Cornell: 0-1, 0-2
In the National Poll
Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale all received votes again in this week’s FCS Top 25 poll.
The Crimson led the way with 28 points. Dorsey Benefield had a 30-yard Pick-6 eight seconds into the game, Jaden Craig threw for 317 yards and tied his career-high with four passing touchdowns as Harvard took down Brown 41-7.
Cam Henry caught three passes for 81 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception with two minutes to go in the first half. Seamus Gilmartin, Dean Boyd and Ryan Osborn also had touchdown catches.
The defeat knocked Brown out of the poll.
Dartmouth was awarded 20 points. Grayson Saunier threw for a career-best 407 yards, including a 50-yard connection with KyDric Fisher with 16 seconds to go to give Dartmouth a 35-28 win over Central Connecticut.
Saunier was 30-of-44 passing with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Grayson O’Bara, who had seven catches for a career-high 128 yards for the Big Green. D.J. Crowther had 86 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs picked up eight points. Josh Pitsenberger rushed for three touchdowns and Abu Kamara had a pair of interceptions – including a Pick-6 – a fumble recovery and blocked a field goal in their 41-24 win over Cornell.
Yale plays at No. 8 Lehigh on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks had 300 yards of rushing in their 44-30 win over Penn last week. This is the first time since 2012 that the Mountain Hawks have started the season 5-0. Lehigh wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel caught eight passes for 132 yards and one touchdown but also rushed for a 20-yard touchdown on a fake field goal which gave the Mountain Hawks the lead for good in the third quarter.
AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl – September 29, 2025
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Rec. |
Pts. |
| 1 |
North Dakota St. (25) |
4-0 |
649 |
| 2 |
South Dakota St. (1) |
4-0 |
623 |
| 3 |
Tarleton St. |
5-0 |
595 |
| 4 |
Montana |
4-0 |
566 |
| 5 |
Montana St. |
3-2 |
529 |
| 6 |
Illinois St. |
3-1 |
512 |
| 7 |
UC Davis |
3-1 |
441 |
| 8 |
Lehigh |
5-0 |
430 |
| 9 |
Tennessee Tech |
4-0 |
426 |
| 10 |
Rhode Island |
4-1 |
406 |
Dropped Out: South Dakota (18), Sacramento St. (21)
Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota, 48; Southeastern Louisiana, 33; Harvard, 28; Furman, 27; Dartmouth, 20; Sacramento St., 17; Alabama St., 11; Gardner-Webb, 11; Stephen F. Austin, 11; Yale, 8; North Carolina Central, 6; Richmond, 6; Stony Brook, 6; Western Carolina, 4; Cal Poly, 3; New Hampshire, 3; San Diego, 2; East Tennessee St., 1.
Leading by Example
By John Altavilla
No one enjoyed being Yale’s captain more than Dean Shaffer. He said leading the team last season was the greatest honor of his life and there was no task associated with the job that he took for granted.
That’s why you’d often find Shaffer in the locker room long after practice ended. There was work to do.
“During my year as captain, I would always stay late and sweep the locker room, making sure it was clean and up to our standard,” said Shaffer, now playing for UMass. “I would always be the last one out, except for one person, Josh Pitsenberger.”
Shaffer and his teammates weren’t surprised when Pitsenberger was elected captain of Team 152 at Yale’s postseason banquet.
“It came as no surprise to me. He earned that role not through words, but through the example he set every single day. From the moment I met him his freshman year, I could tell he was going to be someone special for this program,” said Shaffer. “His work ethic and commitment to the team have always been unmatched. Day after day, he worked to perfect his craft while also making the effort to build genuine connections with his teammates.”
Pitsenberger, a running back from Bethesda, Md., has been a fixture in Yale’s backfield since his freshman season. Compact and powerful, Pitsenberger is known to run through defenders and for being a handful to tackle. Through the first two games of the season, he’s already gained 269 yards with six touchdowns.
"I'm truly honored to be the captain of Team 152," said Pitsenberger after his election. "I am grateful to my teammates for their trust in me to lead the team and I am excited for what lies ahead. I understand the significant responsibility that comes with this role, but I am confident knowing that I have the support of those around me and a dedicated team willing to chase elite. While we still have much to prove, I believe we have the potential to achieve great things."
In addition to being named Second Team All-Ivy last season, he was the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, 2022 First Team All-Ivy and 2023 Second Team All-Ivy.
Unlike Shaffer, Pitsenberger’s personality is much more sedate. His public persona is that of the strong and silent type. But that’s OK. There’s no blueprint for the job. Each captain finds his own way.
“It (the day he was elected) was certainly memorable,” said Pitsenberger. “It’s something I did think about during the season; I knew it was possible because I knew that guys respected the way I played and my work ethic. I’m not always the most vocal guy, but I knew I was respected and that I wanted what was best for the team.”
“I realize my nature is to be quieter. I knew that was something I needed to overcome. But people have told me to lead my own way, just be unique. All the captains I’ve played for were totally different personalities.”
His teammates consistently point to Pitsenberger’s work ethic as a defining trait.
“He’s a hard worker. Like he admits, he wasn’t very vocal. But when I arrived here, I noticed that every time I looked over, he was working hard, doing extra reps, staying on the field to run through extra plays,” said Abu Kamara, junior defensive back. “He did all the small things. It reminded me of what Grant Jordan [Yale’s quarterback last season} would do. We noticed he was on top of his stuff, and we could think of him in terms of being a leader on the team.”
Jordan, Yale’s quarterback in 2024, also believes the Bulldogs made the right pick.
“I think back to something a senior told a group of us freshmen, and that was the team always picks the right guy. With over 100 guys choosing, the answer is always what the team needs and every year I have always believed the guy chosen was the right man for the job. This past year was no different with Pits,” said Jordan, now the starting quarterback at UMass. “Josh plays a tough position. Every snap he is sacrificing his body for the good of the team.”
“Josh always was a guy that does the hard things well and was humble about the way he carried himself. He always put the team first, and that’s what all the captains of each team before him did.”
Keeping It In The Family
The University of New Haven’s football team has made the step up to Division I this season. It’s been coming for a long time; the Chargers have long been a Division II powerhouse.
And the guy leading the program has a real connection to Yale football. Mark Powell is the grandson of the legendary former head coach Carm Cozza, who died in 2018. Cozza coached Yale to 10 Ivy League championship from 1965-96.
“The first thing he told me when I got into coaching was, ‘Keep your head down, your mouth shut and your feet moving. And the thing he was always big on was having the kids understand how much you care,” Powell told the Hartford Courant.
The Chargers won their first D-1 game on campus against Saginaw Valley State. Their 10-game schedule features a mix of opponents including Sacred Heart. Next year will be the full conference slate.
Powell played high school football in Connecticut before attending Lafayette. He coached defense at Lafayette, Fordham, Austin Peay, Christopher Newport, Marshall, Villanova, Yale and Mississippi State. He came to UNH in January to become a Division II coordinator. Now he’s the Chargers head coach,
“It was a dream of mine to be a head coach, and I called people who’d done it before at a high level,” Powell told the Courant. “I’ve worked for some great coaches. They all told me a lot the same things, be you, be honest, be transparent, show the guys you care. Those are things my grandfather instilled in me.”
