Ryan Blessing

2007 Football Player Preview: Ryan Blessing
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2007 Football Player Preview: Ryan Blessing
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One of the cornerstones of the Red's stingy defense last season was the emergence of junior linebacker Ryan Blessing.During his first two years with the football team, the 5'11" Oneida, N.Y. native played sparingly as a reserve linebacker and special teams starter, accumulating only nine total tackles over 15 games.

"That's definitely one of our main focuses on the defensive side of the ball," senior linebacker Ryan Blessing said.

2007 Football Player Preview: Ryan Blessing

On the other side of the ball, junior linebacker Ryan Blessing and sophomore safety Michael Boyd and junior cornerback Colin Nash each had seven tackles on the day against a Yale attack that totaled 280 yards of offense.

"We weren't making some of the plays we are used to making," said junior linebacker Ryan Blessing of the defense's play in the second half.

In the second half starters were repeatedly hobbling off the field, as sophomore whip Michael Boyd was the first Cornell player to fall victim to cramps, and junior linebackers Doug Lempa and Ryan Blessing and senior cornerback Matt Grant followed suit.

That continued into the second half, when junior linebacker Ryan Blessing helped force a fumble that was recovered by classmate Doug Lempa to put a stop to a Princeton possession with under four minutes left in the game.
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"[Brown] was a very tough loss for our entire team," Blessing said.

"We weren't making some of the plays that we were used to making," said Cornell linebacker Ryan Blessing, who finished with seven tackles and two quarterback sacks.

At one point or another, whip Michael Boyd, cornerback Matt Grant, linebackers Ryan Blessing and Doug Lempa and safety Tim Bax all came off the field.