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The Illinois College football team posted the first win over Cornell College in school history on Saturday thanks to big performances from Kevin Wallace, Davis Kinville and Kurt Frischman. The Blueboys beat the Rams 50-28.
Wallace caught nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown, Kinville ran for three scores and Frischman tallied seven tackles, two sacks, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble in the Blueboys' first-ever win over Cornell. IC entered Saturday's game 0-15 against the Rams, who rejoined the Midwest Conference prior to the 2012 season.
"The kids played a full 60 minutes. Cornell is an excellent team with an explosive offense and our kids stepped up to the challenge today," said Illinois College head football coach Garrett Campbell. "I thought our seniors stepped up and played as seniors should, setting a good example of how to take control of a game."
Cornell kept things close early on and held three separate leads early in the game. The visitors got on the scoreboard first with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Juan Flores to Brit Connor before Cecil Brimmage scored on a 27-yard run for the Blueboys. Flores then found Justin Cox on a 17-yard touchdown pass to put Cornell back ahead, but Michael Bates hit Kevin Fuller on a 29-yard touchdown strike to put the Blueboys back ahead. Flores and Cox hooked up on a 40-yard touchdown pass to give Cornell its final lead just moments later, before IC took a nine-point lead into halftime thanks to a 30-yard touchdown pass from Bates to Wallace and a 12-yard Kinville touchdown run.
Cornell's Preston Ritchie made it a one-point game in the third quarter when he scored on a 1-yard plunge, but back-to-back 2-yard touchdown runs from Kinville gave the Blueboys' a 15-point cushion. Brimmage's second touchdown run of the day, a 2-yard scoring run, provided the Blueboys' final points.
IC outgained Cornell in total yards, 475 to 401, despite running six fewer plays. Bates completed 18-of-29 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Kevin Fuller caught four passes for 90 yards, while Colin Duling made two catches for 45 yards. Brimmage ran for 76 yards, while Kinville and Dakota Lammy added 24 yards each.
Mike Ranos made a team-high 15 tackles for the Blueboys. Joe Gaines and Tim Denney added eight and nine tackles, respectively. Zack Hanlon, Marvell White and Ross Barker all grabbed interceptions. Frischman and Willie Barefield III forced fumbles. Zack Meyer recovered a fumble.
IC improved to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in Midwest Conference play with the win. The Blueboys host Carroll University next Saturday at 1 p.m. in both teams' regular-season finale.