HAMILTON – Colgate-Cornell football games never disappoint, as long as you don't mind who wins.
 
Cornell rallied from a 21-point first quarter deficit and outscored No. 25 Colgate 27-7 in the second half to claim a 39-38 shocker Saturday on Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
 
The Big Red capped the comeback when quarterback Dalton Banks hit Collin Shaw with a 19-yard TD pass with 28 seconds remaining the very back right corner of the end zone. The play was reviewed but the call stood, and Cornell led for the first time after trailing 21-0, 28-5 and 31-12.
 
The latter score was the halftime margin, but Cornell responded with 21 third-quarter points to pull within 38-33. Colgate's defense staved off a pair of Cornell drives with a Charles Cairnie fumble recovery and a Joe Figueroa interception.
 
But when Colgate couldn't convert on fourth-and-1 from the Cornell 42, the Big Red had one last chance with 1:30 remaining.
 
Banks then completed passes of 9, 13 and 9 yards before hitting Shaw with the winner.
 
The Raiders reached midfield but could get no further as the clock ran out on Colgate's seven-game series winning streak.
 
Lost in the disappointment was a program record 93-yard TD pass completion from Jake Melville to John Maddaluna III, and Maddaluna compiling the second-highest pass receiving total in Colgate history.
 
Colgate scored first when Melville found Maddaluna for 93 yards and a TD. The previous long pass play was 86 yards by Tom Burgess to Tim Walsh, also against Cornell, back in 1985.
 
Maddaluna for the game finished with 11 catches for 261 yards and three touchdowns, just missing the all-time yardage mark of 274 set by Corey Hill against Navy in 1998. The senior had 160 of those yards and two TDs in Colgate's 21-point first quarter.
 
Bottom Line
• Cornell 39, No. 25 Colgate 38

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate is now 1-3.
• Cornell improved to 3-0.

Quick Rundown
• Colgate scored touchdown on its first three drives, including Melville-to-Maddaluna passes of 93 and 51 yards.
• Colgate's fourth possession resulted in a sack for a Cornell safety, and those two points proved crucial.
• The Raiders then ended the half touchdown with a touchdown and a field goal to lead 31-12 at intermission.
• But like last year in Ithaca, the second half was a different story. Colgate's only score was Keyon Washington's second TD of the game with 5:11 remaining in the third to make it 38-19.
• Cornell reeled off the final 20 points, choosing to play it safe and go for two on the final PAT conversion. It failed, but it didn't matter.
 
Facts & Figures
• The Raiders compiled 597 yards of total offense to Cornell's 567.
• Melville finished the game 23-of-37 for a career-high 399 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 80 yards on the ground for 479 yards of total offense, also a career high.
• Colgate intercepted Cornell's Banks three times, but the sophomore completed 25-of-45 for 454 yards and four TDs.
• Shaw's only two catches for Cornell were daggers – a 70-yarder and the game-winner from 19 yards in the final minute.
• Adam Bridgeforth had two of those interceptions, and his tipped pass resulted in the third as Joe Figueroa was on the spot. Charles Cairnie added an 11-yard fumble return to go with eight tackles.
• Bridgeforth's interceptions were his first since the Bucknell season-finale in 2014. He missed nearly all of 2015 with an injury.
• Chris Morgan was the Colgate tackle leader with nine, and his hit caused the fumble that Cairnie recovered.
• Washington posted his first career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 114 on 26 carries and the two touchdowns.
 
More Key Info
• Maddaluna blasted his way onto a pair of Colgate top 10 receiving charts. He's now tied for seventh in catches at 124 and sixth in receiving yards at 1,931.
• Alex Greenawalt reached the 1,000 mark for his career in receiving yards. He had a career-high nine catches Saturday for 101 yards, and now has 1,048 yards for his career.
• Josh Cerra punted four times for a 42.5-yard average. He's up to 41.7 for the season.
• Jonah Bowman stayed perfect on kicks for the season. The senior is 4-of-4 on field goals and 17-of-17 on PATs.
• Maddaluna has five touchdowns for the season and took over the team scoring lead with 30 points.
• Maddaluna's 261 receiving yards were the most ever by a Cornell opponent.
 
Turning Point
• Cornell twice struck quickly to keep itself in the game.
• The Big Red trailed 28-5 midway in the second quarter but scored in one play, a 70-yard pass from Banks to Shaw.
• They trailed 38-19 late in the third quarter but bounced back with a four-yard drive that covered 87 yards in 1:57. Banks found Nick Bland to start the final flurry of 20 consecutive Cornell points.

Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance for Homecoming inside Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium was 8,010.
 
Up Next
• Colgate jumps into Patriot League play next Saturday at Lehigh. 
• The Raiders defeated Lehigh 49-42 last year in Hamilton to clinch the Patriot League championship.
• The Mountain Hawks are 3-2 and riding a three-game winning streak. They won 63-35 Saturday at Yale, scoring 21 points in each of the first three quarters.
• Kickoff from Goodman Stadium is 12:30 p.m.