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Coming up – Saturday, Sept. 29, Luther, Mount Vernon, Ash Park Stadium, 1 p.m.

Ram review – Although thoughts of a perfect 3-0 start still linger in the coaches’ minds, Cornell’s football team enters the bye week in decent shape with a 2-1 record.

“You always like to come into the bye week off a win, not a loss,” second-year head coach Matt Dillon said. “But we’re a little nicked up and this will give our guys a chance to heal and get ready for the stretch run. We’ll have four or five extra days of preparation for Luther. We’ll have a chance to correct our mistakes.”

The breaks that favored the Rams in their first two wins went against them in a 30-20 loss to Loras Sept. 15 in the Iowa Conference opener for both teams at Ash Park Stadium. Cornell turned the ball over three times in the second half – two of which led to touchdowns – as Loras rallied for their 11 th consecutive series win against the Rams.

The Rams took a 20-15 lead when sophomore full back Mike Thompson (Eaton, Colo./Windsor) scored from one yard out with 2 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Duhawks regained the lead on Cornell’s next possession when Brock Hall returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown, putting the guests ahead 23-20 with 14:50 left in the fourth quarter. Loras tacked on an insurance touchdown with 7:13 remaining in the game.

The Rams’ offense, minus the three turnovers, moved the ball up and down the field most of the afternoon. Cornell outgained the Duhawks in total yards (477-369) and first downs (28-19). Junior running back Travion Hardman ( Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) rushed for 111 yards on 14 carries (7.9 ypg), highlighted by a 15-yard scoring run which put the Rams ahead 7-6 midway through the second quarter.

Senior quarterback Anthony Kobler (Brentwood, Mo./Brentwood) rushed for 81 yards on 13 carries and completed 19-of-40 passes for 200 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown to Josh Youngblood (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) that gave the Rams a 14-6 lead with 2:00 remaining in the second quarter. Youngblood caught a team-high five passes for 64 yards.

Sophomore safety Don Bladt (Shelby/AHST) led Cornell’s defense with 13 tackles and an interception. Chris Gustafson ( Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek) registered 10 tackles with 1.5 stops for losses. Jason Williams (Mount Vernon/Mount Vernon) finished with nine tackles.

Getting offensive – Cornell’s offense has accumulated yards at an alarming rate this season. The Rams rolled up 392, 552 and 477 total yards, respectively, in their first three games. The unit averages 473.7 yards of total offense, 18 th in NCAA Division III.

“We had almost 500 yards in total offense (against Loras), but after watching the game tape, I really feel like we left 21 points on the field,” Dillon said. “As a result, we’re getting beat. We just have to correct our mistakes. We’ve got a lot of offensive weapons. Everyone has big-play potential. We have to get those guys in space and let them do some things in the open field.”

Honor roll – Kobler was recognized on Don Hansen’s National Football Gazette’s Division III Players of the Week Team for his efforts in the Rams’ 35-34 home win Sept. 8 over Alma. He was one of 10 players selected to the Division III squad and the only representative from the IIAC.

Kobler passed for 391 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards and another score against Alma. He was also named IIAC Male Athlete of the Week after his performance.

Among nation’s best – Kobler ranks seventh in Division III in total offense, averaging 326.3 yards per game. For the season, he has completed 48-of-90 passes for 778 yards and six touchdowns. Kobler has rushed for 201 yards and one touchdown.

IIAC’s elite – The Rams have several players who rank among the league’s statistical leaders through three games.

On offense, Kobler is first in the conference in total offense and second in passing yards (259.3 ypg). Youngblood is third in receiving yards (87.0 ypg), Kyle Krogmann (DeWitt/Northeast) fifth in receptions (4.67 rpg) and Hardman fifth in rushing yards (88.3 ypg).

Defensively, sophomore Zach Zasada ( Sauk City, Wis./Sauk Prairie) leads the league in sacks (1.17 spg) and is third in tackles for loss (1.67 pg). Bladt is tied for second in passes defended (2.0 pg). Gustafson is tied for third in total tackles (12.0 tpg).