Cornell Moving Company: Young Raiders' offensive line gets after it in the trenches

CORAOPOLIS — Ten months ago, Cornell head football coach Ed Dawson challenged his young offensive line to be more like a moving company.

No, Dawson wasn't asking his young Raiders in the trenches to start up a moving company and haul boxes and furniture around the Beaver Valley. What Dawson was asking his players up front to become were people movers. 

The Cornell Moving Company, per se.

So far, the offensive line featuring just one returning starter from the 2020 season has answered Dawson's challenge, becoming unsung heroes on the surprise Cornell football team, which is ranked No. 2 in the Beaver County Times' WPIAL Class 1A top 5 rankings fresh off of a 14-7 upset of preseason WPIAL-favorite Rochester.

Behind a physical, imposing rushing attack, the Raiders have stolen the show, putting the spotlight on the rebuilding program in Coraopolis. 

"I love the mentality. We challenged these guys in January," Dawson said following a recent Raider practice in Coraopolis. "We're still green, but we pushed these guys. Our little inside joke is we call them the Cornell Moving Company. We try to move people; that's their mentality. They've grown up mentally and have a desire to do what we call fighting in a phone booth. They get in there and get after people. 

"We've been outsized a lot this year, but their heart is my favorite thing about those guys. They're willing to stand in a gap and go after people."

So far, the young Raiders' offensive line of senior left tackle Craig Pullford (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), sophomore swing tackle Kenya Tench (5-11, 165), sophomore left guard Phil Barker (5-9, 175), freshman center Jamarcus Pierce (5-6, 208), junior right guard Eric Dennis (5-10, 265) and junior right tackle Cagney Smith (6-3, 265) have answered Dawson's challenge, helping pave the way for a physically imposing rushing attack featuring standout running backs Timothy Henderson, Raequan Troutman and EJ Dawson, while also providing ample protection for quarterback Sincere Kimbrough. 

All that has led to an impressive 6-1 start for the Raiders, featuring the upset win over Rochester that has turned heads in WPIAL Class 1A. 

The ground game has been the key for Cornell through seven games as the young group up front has gelled quickly and has focused on getting hats on defenders, creating space for Henderson, Troutman and Dawson to find pay dirt. 

"We take a lot of pride in that, because not a lot of teams can do that," Dennis said. "Other teams might not get the push up front or give running backs a second to get past the line. We take a lot of pride in being able to do that. Anybody can pass block, but staying low, driving people off the ball and picking up big yards on the ground, that's all about pride."

Any given situation, any matchup, the Raiders believe they can run the ball at will. That confidence has gone a long way in 2021. 

"As skill players, our goal is to make one man miss," Henderson said. "If our line keeps doing what they're doing this year, getting a hat on a defender, we're going to make it to the end zone."

So far, that's just what the Raiders have done while exceeding expectations. Coming off of a 1-6 2020 season and undergoing significant changes in the trenches, expectations weren't very high for Dawson's program. 

Credit to the Raiders though for coming together at the right time, getting on a role and working together as a true team, getting results in the process. 

It helps that such a young offensive line has grown up together in such a short amount of time. Really, the sky is the limit for the offensive line which has just one senior starting in Pullford. 

Off the field, the group is as close as it gets, from group chats to hangouts, even team meals. That bond off the field has translated to success on the field through improved communication and overall chemistry, which is a key part of playing together as a true offensive line, moving as one rather than five individual parts. 

"We're really building that bond," Smith said. "We're hanging out away from the field, talk every day, go places as a group...it helps us understand each other better, which leads to better play on the field."

With the spotlight firmly on the Raiders' program heading into Week 8, Cornell finds itself as the hunted instead of the hunter. For a program that was in the doldrums last season, that could be a difficult transition in-season. 

Not for Cornell though, largely because they have the guys in the trenches with the right mentality to get after it every snap, never backing down from a challenge on what members of the Raiders are calling a "revenge tour season" after coming up short last fall.

Now, the Raiders are right where they wanted to be all along under Dawson: playing meaningful games into late October where the weather gets cold and championships are won. 

The focus remains on 2021 and achieving a potential 1A Big Seven Conference championship, but all the experienced gained this season will carry over into future seasons for a young offensive line, which has Dawson excited for the potential of the offensive line. 

"They're a great group of unselfish young men, and they've developed their own bond. They push each other," Dawson said. "It's kind of like a lion learning to bite before they get their teeth. I do believe that they'll be a special group of young men as they continue to progress further and further, and this gaining meaningful experience like this playing in big games as young men...they will be able to look back on these times and understand that they've been there before and the stage won't be too big for them."

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 412-228-9178. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney