NUTLEY, N.J.- The Caldwell University sprint football offense rushed for over 300 yards on the ground, while the defense registered a pair of fourth quarter interceptions as the Cougars downed Cornell University 40-20 in a Collegiate Sprint Football League North Division contest.
 
The Cougars match their program record in victories as they improve to 5-1 on the season and 3-0 in the North Division, while the Big Red drop to 1-5 and 0-3 in division play.  
 
Caldwell struck first as senior quarterback Frank DeMaio (Nutley, N.J.) took advantage of good field position midway through the opening quarter. DeMaio connected with junior Jared Montoya (Union City, N.J.) for a 11-yard pass play to set up the offense inside the five-yard-line. DeMaio capped the drive with a two-yard run into the end zone for a 6-0 lead.
 
The Cougar defense came up with a key turnover as graduate Anthony Guarino (Tinton Falls, N.J.) forced a fumble, recovered by sophomore Gennaro Longobardi (Nutley, N.J.) to give Caldwell's offense prime field position. Freshman Donovan Swasey (Clifton, N.J.) rushed for 11 yards and the second carry for 16 yards into the end zone to extend the Cougars lead to 12-0.
 
The Big Red answered on their ensuing possession with a long touchdown pass play to cut the score to 12-7 after one quarter of play.
 
Cornell tacked on a field goal early in the second quarter as Caldwell held a razor thin 12-10 lead at halftime.
 
The Big Red took their first lead of the game as they found the end zone on their opening offensive possession of the second half to pull ahead 17-12 at the 8:48 mark of the third quarter.
 
Caldwell battled back midway through the quarter as Swasey had a 20-yard run to move the ball into Big Red territory. DeMaio added runs of 17 yards along with a key nine-yard run on 3rd-and-8 to move the offense inside the 20-yard-line. DeMaio capped the drive with a 14-yard scamper into the end zone. DeMaio connected with sophomore Angelo Drake (Manville, N.J.) for the two-point conversation to extend their lead to 20-17 after three quarters.
 
Cornell answered early in the fourth quarter as the Big Red connected on a 32-yard field goal that hit the cross bar and bounced through the uprights to tie the game at 20.
 
The Cougars answered on their ensuing possessions as freshman Jason Jeannot (Jersey City, N.J.) rushed all five times on the drive and combined with a Cornell penalty led to a score. Jeannot found the end zone from 22 yards out to retake the lead at 27-20 with 6:58 to play in the game.
 
The Caldwell defense generated a key take-away on the next Cornell possession as sophomore Kyle Readus (Paterson, N.J.) picked off a Big Red pass and took it 80-yards to the house to extend the lead to 33-20.
 
Readus came up with his second interception of the day on the next Cornell possession, giving the Caldwell offense excellent field position in Big Red territory. Freshman Devon Turner (Bergenfield, N.J.) rushed into the end zone from 18 yards out to cap the drive.
 
The Caldwell offense totaled a season-high 337 yards on the ground on 52 rushing attempts along with five rushing touchdowns. Turner led the way with 23 rushes for 150 yards and one score, while Jeannot added 11 carries for 83 yards and one touchdown. Swasey cashed in five carries for 51 yards and one score, while DeMaio added 39 yards on the ground and scored twice. DeMaio also completed 6-of-13 passes for 64 yards. Senior Jeremy Colon (Union City, N.J) hauled in three passes for 29 yards, while junior Jared Montoya (Union City, N.J.) added three receptions for 35 yards.
 
Senior Michael Lohrmann (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) led the Caldwell defense with 10 tackles along with a pair of sacks. Guarino added nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Sophomore Amajuwan Murray (Rahway, N.J.) finished with eight tackles, while Readus totaled four tackles with two interceptions.
 
Prior to the game, the Cougars recognized their graduating seniors in DeMaio, Lohrmann, Michael Casalino (Clark, N.J.), Hunter Pein (Secaucus, N.J.) and Andres Gonzalez (Westwood, N.J.).
 
The Cougars close out their regular season as they battle Army West Point for the CSFL North Division title on the road next Friday, November 4 at 7 pm.