ITHACA, N.Y. -- Preseason awards for the upcoming 2012 football season and a handful of Cornell players have been singled out among the top returning players in the country. The Big Red had four preseason All-Americans, including a pair of first-teamers, on the Beyond Sports College Network team and five players were put on the College Football Performance Awards Watch lists.
Four members of the Big Red were named to the BSCN preseason Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-America teams. Junior quarterback Jeff Mathews and senior wide receiver Shane Savage each earned preseason first team honors, while senior Kurt Ondash was a third team receiver and classmate JC Tretter was an honorable mention pick on the offensive line. In addition, a number of Cornell players earned spots on the CFPA Watch lists. Mathews (QB), Ondash (WR), Savage (WR), senior Luke Tasker (WR), junior Brett Buehler (LB) each were listed among the top players at their positions.
Mathews was the 2011 Bushnell Cup winner as Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to ever win the award. Mathews emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the entire country en route to earning first-team All-Ivy accolades. He set Cornell and Ivy League records for passing yardage in a game (548 yards at Penn) and season (3,412 yards), while also setting Big Red records for touchdown passes (25), total offense (3,274 yards), completion percentage (.679) and passing efficiency (162.60). The first sophomore captain in Cornell football history, he ranked third nationally in passing yards per game and pass efficiency, fourth in total offense and 10th in points responsible for. A two-time Ivy League and national player of the week, Mathews posted two of the top three passing games in conference history and two of the top four passing totals in the FCS this season and ended the year with three 400-yard games and two 500-yard passing games, both Ivy records. Against the top three pass defenses in the Ivy League (Dartmouth, Penn and Brown), Mathews completed 70 percent of his passes and averaged 405.7 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. His 341.2 yards per game was more than 100 yards per game higher than any other passer in the Ivy League.
A consensus third-team FCS All-American (Associated Press, Phil Steele, College Sports Madness) and a first-team All-Ivy League receiver in 2011, Savage led 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 games (860 yards) with nine touchdowns in seven contests. His 12 touchdowns ranks sixth all-time in a season in Ivy history, and his three touchdowns against both Columbia and Penn tied a school record. A first-team Capital One Academic All-District selection, 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, and posted a reception in all 10 games, extending his streak to 30 straight contests.
A second-team All-Ivy League pick in 2011, Ondash had a breakout junior year, ranking 21st nationally in yards per game (85.6) and 38th in receptions per game (5.4). Those marks ranked second and fourth in the Ivy League. Ondash had three 100-yard receiving games in 2011 and totaled 54 catches for 856 yards and five touchdowns. He had an 87-yard touchdown catch vs. Bucknell, the fifth-longest passing TD in school history, and posted 197 receiving yards against Penn, the third-highest total in Cornell history.
Tretter started all 10 games at left tackle in 2011 en route to earning second-team All-Ivy honors, protecting Mathews' blind side and allowing the Big Red to set new Cornell and Ivy passing records. The converted tight end was in his first year on the offensive line and was a key reason the Big Red nearly cut its sacks allowed in half from 2010 despite all of the passing attempts.Tretter earned letters at tight end in each of his first two seasons.
Tasker was an honorable mention All-Ivy pick in 2011 after finishing his junior season ranked 22nd nationally in receptions per game (5.8) and 23rd in receiving yards per game (83.2), numbers that ranked second and third in the Ivy League, respectively. Tasker's 832 receiving yards ranked seventh in a single season at Cornell. He caught four touchdowns on the season and ran for a fifth, posting three 100-yard receiving games along the way. Tasker hauled in 12 catches against Columbia, a total that tied for third all-time at Cornell in receptions in a game. He served as special teams captain and was the team's primary punt returner and holder on placements.
Buehler had an outstanding sophomore season, ranking fourth on the team in tackles (68) while starting all 10 games at linebacker. He added 8.5 tackles for loss, good for second on the squad, a sack, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup to the defensive cause. Buehler averaged nearly eight tackles per game over the first eight weeks of the season before injuries slowed him the last two weeks. He had three double figure tackle games during the year, including a season-high 11 against Harvard. Buehler was a dominant force in the win over Wagner, posting 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Buehler opened up the year with 10 tackles and four tackles for loss in the victory over Bucknell, then notched nine stops against Colgate and Dartmouth.
The Big Red opens the 2012 season when it visits Fordham on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
