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Rams look for better start this week at Buena Vista

MOUNT VERNON – Cornell’s football team will try to piece together two halves when it takes on Buena Vista in an Iowa Conference matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday at J. Leslie Rollins Stadium in Storm Lake.

A sluggish start to last week’s game had the Rams in catch-up mode for the duration of a 25-20 home loss to Luther. Cornell picked up steam as the game moved on, scoring touchdowns on three of its four possessions in the second half while keeping the Norse out of the end zone.

“It’s frustrating to play that well offensively in the second half and play that poorly in the first half,” said second-year head coach Matt Dillon, whose team committed three first-half turnovers. “We dominated offensively in the second half, but we dug ourselves too big of a hole. We came out sluggish. Part of it was the (bye week) layoff, but that falls on my shoulders to get the kids ready to play.”

The Rams offense appeared ready to play after facing a 16-0 deficit midway through the third quarter. Senior quarterback Anthony Kobler tossed two touchdown passes – a 4-yarder to tight end Alex Macey ( Oceanside, Calif./ Vista) and a 32-yard strike to Kyle Krogmann (DeWitt/Northeast) – and Travion Hardman scored on a 1-yard run for all of the Rams’ points in the final 21 minutes of the game.

Cornell was held to 250 total yards of offense, 223 below its season average heading into the game. Kobler completed 9-of-22 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. Hardman rushed for 86 yards on 15 carries (5.7 ypc).

Cornell’s bend-but-don’t-break defense surrendered just one touchdown, but also gave up an IIAC single-game record six field goals to Luther kicker Tyler Pease. Luther scored on all seven of its trips in the red zone.

“We need to make plays before they get to the red zone,” Dillon said. “Obviously, we didn’t expect their kicker to make six field goals.”

Cornell (2-2 overall, 0-2 IIAC) and Buena Vista (1-3, 0-3) are the only remaining teams in the IIAC without a win in league play this season. The Rams haven’t beaten a league foe since a 25-21 home win over Dubuque on Oct. 25, 2005, a string of 14 consecutive losses. The Beavers have dropped their last five league encounters.

The all-time series is tied at 8-8. Buena Vista has won the last three meetings, including a 16-0 shutout of the Rams last year in Storm Lake. The Beavers held Cornell to 155 total yards and forced four turnovers in that game.

The Beavers have endured a grueling early-season schedule, playing four ranked teams in their first four games. Buena Vista beat 24 th-ranked Bethel, 21-16, at home in the season opener Sept. 1. The Beavers have dropped their last three games – all on the road – to 32 nd-ranked Wartburg (38-0), 33 rd-ranked Coe (17-0) and fifth-ranked Central (31-14).

“Part of their record has to do with their schedule,” Dillon said. “They beat a ranked Bethel team early in the season. They do some good things offensively and defensively.”

Kobler climbs over 1,000 – Kobler topped 1,000 yards of total offense for the season after netting 128 last week. He has 1,107 total yards (892 passing, 215 rushing) through four games. Kobler averages an IIAC-best 276.8 yards of total offense.

Hardman hits 1,500 mark – Hardman went over 1,500 rushing yards for his career in the Luther game. Cornell’s junior running back has 1,517 rushing yards in three seasons, including a team-high 351 this fall. Hardman ranks third in the IIAC with 87.8 rushing yards per game.

IIAC’s best backers – Saturday’s contest will feature two of the league’s top linebackers in Luther’s Cody Pierce and Cornell’s Chris Gustafson ( Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek). Pierce ranks second in the IIAC, averaging 13.2 tackles per game. Gustafson is third with 12.8 stops per game.

Gustafson registered a game-high 15 tackles against Luther, marking the 11 th consecutive game he’s reached double figures in tackles and 27 th time of his career.

TD streaks – The Rams have scored at least one rushing and passing touchdown in each of their four games this season. Cornell has totaled 15 touchdowns, eight passing and seven rushing. The Rams have thrown a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games, dating back to the final three games in 2006.

Road Rams – Cornell plays four of its final six games of the season on the road. Two of those contests are at Central and Coe, both undefeated this season. The Rams also travel to Simpson. Cornell’s last IIAC road win was nearly three years ago, a 13-0 decision over Dubuque on Oct. 16, 2004.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a tough stretch,” Dillon said. “Winning on the road in the Iowa Conference is a tough thing.”

Tale of turnovers – Cornell has turned the ball over six times in two IIAC games. Its opponents have committed just two turnovers. “We need to correct those mistakes,” Dillon said. “We’re not a good enough football team to lose the turnover battle every week.”

Ace (attitude, character, effort) awards – Defense: Brian Hess ( Cedar Rapids/ Mount Vernon); Offense: Pierce Sweeney ( Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain); Special Teams: Andy Siar ( Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North); Scout Team Defense: Nick Hegland (Hampton/Hampton-Dumont); Scout Team Offense: Louis Rachal ( Hobbs, N.M./Hobbs).