Luke Hagy
Looking at Cornell so far this season, some of the 0-8 Big Red's results make sense and some don't.
When you see Cornell is winless with a starting QB who has an anemic 52% completion rate, that makes sense.
When you see Cornell is winless with a defense that has intercepted a grand total of ONE PASS all season, that makes sense.
When you see Cornell is winless with an offensive line that's giving up three sacks per game, that makes sense.
When you see Cornell is winless with a turnover differential of -10, that makes sense.
When you see Cornell is winless with a defense allowing 440 yards per game, that makes sense.
But here's what doesn't make sense:
Cornell's Luke Hagy is probably the best running back in the Ivies, averaging 5.4 yards a carry and really averaging 95 yards per game, (he had a short appearance in one game and missed another entirely. Thus, his stats should be averaged over six games not seven, and certainly not eight).
The Big Red scored 26 points at Yale when the Elis had a lot more healthy starters on defense than they did when they only allowed 17 points to Columbia a few weeks later. Cornell also put up a decent 21 points on Colgate.
Cornell's Jackson Weber and JJ Fives are two of the best linebackers in the league, but still the Big Red defense can be generally porous.
And it doesn't make sense that while Cornell is pretty clearly a better team than it was last year, it's going into the last two weekends of the season picked to go 0-10.
QB Robet Somborn is still a junior, but he's just not progressing the way his coaches hoped. His best target, WR Ben Rogers, is a great target with great size for his position. But Somborn simply isn't getting him the ball enough. His offensive line isn't protecting him well enough either.
I've written earlier that Cornell really only has one weapon in Hagy, but Rogers is another at times as a wide receiver and also as a kickoff and punt return specialist. He can be dangerous, especially considering Columbia has now allowed punt returns for TD's two weeks in a row.
The special teams are a mixed bag overall. Placekicking has been terrible, with the kickers going 3-9 on FG's and Cornell not even attempting any kick in the 40-yard range. But Punter Chris Fraser is one of the best in the Ivies. The coverage teams are not the best at really anything. On kickoffs alone, the Big Red are allowing an average of more than 31 yards a pop. One of those returns went for 100 yards and a TD, but even if you strip that big one away Cornell is still allowing a hefty 27 yards per return.
Head Coach David Archer is in his third year in the job and with Hagy graduating after this season it's hard to see where this team is going from here.
7 comments:
Hagy was the reason Cornell beat us last season. He's a terrific athlete but you have to believe our side has a plan to contain him this time around.
Our Defense has stopped the run all year. It is our singular strength. Cornell lives or dies by the run. Pretty simple what we must do.
The best all around running back in the IL is our own Cam Molina. He does everything week in and week out, not imply in running the ball but in catching it out of the backfield. He outplayed Stanton last weekend, by a long shot.
Yes, bring the 'Backers up and "stack the box"
If Harvard burned us only twice for passing TDs, chances are Cornell won't do as well. Agree. Stack the box and make them beat you in the air Odds are ever in our favour that we force as many INTs as deep passes.
Hagy can run routes too :-D
Overall, I am encouraged with the play of the D. Still on the fence about the O. Too inconsistent but they should have enough to take this game.
Was reflecting. With four fewer mistakes and three more big plays total this season, we beat Georgetown and Harvard and Dartmouth. And we're 5-3. With a full year more under this Coachinf Staffs system and a class of 25-30 Bagnoli recruits, can we commit four fewer errors and make three more big plays in a season?
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