HERO Sports welcomes you to "Two-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 125 FCS programs, with two being released each day from June 18 to August 18 (with the final day having three in one day). Today we give you … Cornell.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
FCS TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW: The countdown
FCS PRESEASON TOP 25: The poll
FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: The teams
Cornell (3-7 IN 2017)
Ivy League (Cornell was T-5th in 2017)
COACH: David Archer – 6th year (12-38)
2017 OFFENSE: 17.3 ppg. (105th in FCS)
2017 DEFENSE: 24.3 ppg. (48th in FCS)
SUM IT UP: Cornell might be the most intriguing Ivy team to watch as the preseason unfurls into September and October. The Big Red have only had one season above .500 during this century, but they're going to have an outside chance to push for one this season because the offense retains a lot of its core parts. An offensive line with virtually no turnover, plus a seasoned quarterback in Dalton Banks, means that Cornell should make massive strides from their poor showing last season. The defense will need to rely on some new faces, but if Cornell can control time of possession, the growing pains on that side of the ball could be minimized. Cornell's biggest problem is its schedule — with out-of-conference games at Delaware and Colgate, plus Ivy road games at Princeton and Columbia, this will be the toughest schedule of any team in the Ivy league. Still, there are signs for positive thinking here. Even an even split would be considered a big step in the right direction for a program that hasn't won five games since 2011.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO: The first half of the season will be tough, but Cornell could end the season on a five-game winning streak and post a record north of .500 for the first time since 2005. Envision it now: after a couple of tight losses in games with Yale and Colgate, the Big Red break through at Brown, keep the mojo going with a strong matchup at Princeton and ride the momentum all the way to a rivalry win at Columbia. The win over the Lions gives Cornell its sixth and final win of the year, and David Archer wins Ivy League Coach of the Year.
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BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
TOP RETURNEE: LB Reis Seggebruch (Team-leading 62 tackles in 2017).
THE NEXT FIVE: DB DJ Woullard (All-Ivy HM, 20 starts & 78 tackles over last two seasons); OL J. Edward Keating (Second-Team All-Ivy); DL Jordan Landsman (6.5 TFL); QB Dalton Banks (Completed 61% of passes in 2017, All-Ivy HM in 2016); DB David Jones (All-Ivy HM, 4 INTs).
TOP NEWCOMER: TE Ryan Fitton (UConn Transfer).
DID YOU KNOW?: Civil Rights and Anti-War protests in the 1960s and 1970s forced the school to restructure its governance hierarchy and the University President to resign.
THE QUOTE: "I am enthusiastic that Coach Archer will continue to lead our football program into the future. David's plan to rebuild our Big Red football from the ground up has gained momentum with Ivy wins this past season over Harvard, Brown and Princeton. He has my full support." — Cornell Athletic Director Andy Noel, following a contract extension for head coach David Archer in February.
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
THE HASHTAG: #LGR & #GoBigRed
FOOTBALL TWITTER: @BigRed_Football
A University invested in getting better on and off the field! We have only just begun! #ItsAllAboutThePeople https://t.co/QRz9wiIr4E
— John Kuceyeski (@Coach_Kuz) February 13, 2018
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