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FROM THE COACH'S DESK 2011 RECAP 2011 Football Fireworks Brighten The Future A fter a 2-8 season in head coach Kent Austin's first campaign on the Big Red sidelines, excitement started to build that Cornell football was on its way back. After a 5-5 in season No. 2 with a record- breaking offense, fans are even more excited about where the Austin era will lead. The Big Red finished 3-1 down the stretch, including scoring a modern- day school record 62 points in a win over Columbia and scoring 48 in a triumph over defending Ivy champ Penn in the season finale. The win was Cornell's first at Franklin Field since 2005. With these wins, the Big Red gridders claimed the Empire State Bowl and Trustees' Cup trophies and look forward to successfully defending both in 2012. Cornell's offense was, to say the least, prolific. The Big Red's 313 points were a modern day school record (since 1956), and the most by any Big Red team since the 1923 national champions put 320 on the scoreboard. CLICK HERE TO WATCH A HIGHLIGHT VIDEO: PENN GAME The squad's 5-5 season represented Cornell's best record since 2007. The Big Red scored at least 24 points in each of its final eight contests, the longest such streak in 124 years of Big Red football. Cornell set season records for passing yardage (3,415), completion percentage (.672), passing efficiency (159.83), yards per pass (9.1), passing yards per game (341.5), total offensive yards per play (6.3), all-purpose yardage (5,467), and all-purpose yards per game (546.7). The defense was much improved compared to the previous season, surrendering points just 67 percent of the time when an opponent reached the red zone. Cornell posted 19 sacks and 55 total tackles for loss, grabbed 12 interceptions, recovered nine fumbles, and blocked six kicks. The Big Red stopped 15 fourth- 26 SPIRIT! MAGAZINE down conversion attempts, giving the ball back to the dangerous Cornell offense. After exceeding all preseason predictions en route to its 5-5 season, the team earned plenty of hardware when the All-Ivy League selections were announced. The Big Red had four first-teamers and 11 total selections, the program's biggest haul since collecting five first-team and 12 total selections in 2005. Leading the way were first-teamers Jeff Mathews (sophomore quarterback), Shane Savage (senior wide receiver), Brad Greenway (senior place-kicker), and Rashad Campbell (senior kick returner). Mathews, the record-setting quarterback, had a breakout season and is poised to lead the Big Red into the upper echelon of the Ivy League in short order. (see on page 3) Savage was also a first-team selection for the first time after leading the Ivy League in receptions (65), receiving yards (1080) and receiving touchdowns (12). He finished fifth nationally in yards per game and 13th in receptions per game while setting school records for season yards and touchdowns. Savage averaged 123 yards per game in league outings (860 yards) with nine touchdowns in seven contests. His 12 TDs rank sixth all-time in a season in Ivy history, and his three touchdowns against both Columbia and Penn tied a single-game school record. Savage posted four 100-yard games in 2011 and had four contests with multiple touchdowns. He had 199 receiving yards vs. Columbia, the second-highest total in a game in Cornell history. Greenway led the Ivy League in scoring (7.5 points per game), ranking 41st nationally, and set the Cornell kick-scoring record for a career (189 points) and season (75 points). His 189 career points rank third all-time in Big Red history. Greenway finished 18th nationally in field goals (13, 1.3 per game), a mark that was second in the Ancient Eight. He was the only kicker in the Ivy League to post a perfect season on extra-point kicks (36-of-36) and was five-of-five on field goals of 40 yards or more. The two-time Ivy League SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS APPAREL. football