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The Cornell Rams ride momentum from a wild Week 1 win into Saturday’s home opener against the Alma ( Mich.) Scots at 12 p.m. at Ash Park Stadium.

The Rams kicked off the 2007 campaign in thrilling fashion, escaping Northwestern ( Minn.) with a 31-30 victory after a bizarre ending at Reynolds Field. It appeared that the teams were headed to overtime when Northwestern scored a touchdown with 51 seconds remaining to pull within a point.

But before the Eagles could line up for the game-tying extra point, play was stopped due to an injured Northwestern player in the back of the end zone. Seconds later, the field sprinklers turned on and caused a 10-15 minute delay. When play finally resumed, Cornell senior linebacker Chris Gustafson ( Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek) bulled his way through the interior line and blocked Cody Crum’s PAT attempt, preserving the Rams’ victory.

“It was kind of surreal,” Cornell head coach Matt Dillon said. “For one, (the delay) iced their kicker. And two, I think it gave our guys a chance to rest and recover a little bit because we were reeling at that time.”

Gustafson also blocked a PAT after Northwestern’s first touchdown early in the second quarter.

“It’s a designed play, something we have in our package,” Dillon said. “Usually you’re not lucky enough for it to happen twice in the same game. We needed somebody to step up and make a play and Gus made the play. It was an outstanding victory.”

Cornell and Alma went down to the wire in the teams’ first-ever meeting Sept. 9, 2006 at Bahlke Field. Travion Hardman ( Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) rushed for a touchdown and two-point conversion with eight seconds left in the game to rally the Rams to a 32-31 victory.

Alma returns 67 letterwinners and 13 starters from a team that finished 6-4 last season and tied for second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with a 5-2 mark. One notable absence in the Scots’ lineup is All-America quarterback Josh Brehm, the 2006 Gagliardi Trophy winner awarded to NCAA Division III football’s top player. Brehm passed for over 3,400 yards and 30 touchdowns during a record-breaking senior season, including 275 yards and two scores against the Rams.

The Scots bring back one of Brehm’s top 2006 targets in senior Joe Cline, a first team All-MIAA performer who led Division III in receiving yards per game (125.6) and receptions per game (9.8).

“They have a brand new quarterback who replaces the Division III MVP. Their top receiver is back,” Dillon said. “They’re going to spread us out and try to throw it. They live and die by the passing game. Alma is a really solid football team. We’re going to have our work cut out for us, that’s for sure.”

Da Da Da… Da Da Da! – The Rams gained national media attention for the bizarre ending to the Sept. 1 game with Northwestern. Click here to view the college football column by Pat Forde on ESPN.com with a piece "It Could Be Worse... Well, Maybe" about the game's finish.

Season-opening streak – The Rams have now won eight consecutive season openers, the longest streak in school history. Cornell seeks its second 2-0 start in as many seasons and fourth straight win over a nonconference opponent.

Eight is enough – Cornell snapped an eight-game losing streak last Saturday, dating back to the final eight games in 2006. The eight-game slide was the longest since the Rams lost nine consecutive games from 1950-52.

Home sweet home – The Rams are 6-1 in home openers since 2000. The lone blemish was a 13-0 setback to Iowa Wesleyan in 2005.

Senior in the spotlight – Gustafson enjoyed a stellar start to his senior season last week. The Rams middle linebacker registered a game-high 14 tackles (2.5 for losses), two blocked kicks, one sack and one forced fumble. Gustafson’s two blocked kicks were the first two in his four-year career.

Career day – Cornell’s Hardman rushed for a career-high 151 on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns in last year’s game with Alma. The junior running back netted 97 rushing yards on 12 carries (8.1 ypg) with a touchdown last week.

ACE (attitude, character, effort (awards) – Defense: sophomore Don Bladt (Shelby/AHST); Offense: Alex Macey ( Oceanside, Calif./Vista); Special Teams: Gustafson; Scout Team Defense: Jahmaal Onoh ( Arlington, Texas/Martin); Scout Team Offense: Charles McDonald ( Raymore, Mo./Raymore-Peculiar).

King Cole – The Scots are led by 17th-year head coach Jim Cole, who owns a 94-60 career record with 13 winning seasons and three conference titles. Cole needs one win to pass his college coach, Phil Brooks, on the all-time wins list at Alma.

Strong start for IIAC – The Iowa Conference finished 7-2 against non-league foes during the opening week of the season. The only schools not to score wins were Loras (38-11 loss at Upper Iowa) and Luther (26-19 loss at St. Olaf).