Using a calculated game plan that involved lots of blitz packages and some outstanding play from the linebacking corps, the Red defense constantly pressured Yale quarterbacks and stifled the Bulldogs' running game.

Head coach Jim Knowles ’87 is trying to take a more even-keeled approach in 2008 than in the past, but it was difficult for him not to get excited after his team beat preseason Ivy League favorite Yale in front of a Homecoming crowd of 11,143. Cornell’s soggy 17-14 upset over the perennial Ancient Eight contenders Saturday afternoon at rain-drenched Schoellkopf Field was primarily the by-product of an aggressive and well-executed defensive scheme that restricted senior All-American running back Mike McLeod to 57 rushing yards and zero trips to the end zone on 20 carries.