NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For the fifth time in eight years under head football coach Tony Reno, the Yale Bulldogs are 3-0. The Elis used a blistering first half in which they scored 45 points to run past a visiting Fordham Rams team on Saturday afternoon at the Yale Bowl.
 
Senior quarterback Kurt Rawlings accounted for four touchdowns, two on the ground and two in the air, while piling up 301 passing yards. The Bel Air, Md., native also moved into fifth-place all-time at Yale with 36 passing touchdowns.
 
Rawlings was able to connect with his classmate receiver duo of JP Shohfi and Reed Klubnik 10 times for 235 yards. Shohfi went for 139 yards and a touchdown while Klubnik went for 96 and added a three-yard rush for a touchdown. Both wideouts caught five balls.
 
The Bulldog offense racked up 495 yards, averaged 7.3 yards per play.

"We started off well. We did what needed to do in the first half and move the ball effectively down the field," said Reno. "We had some good stops. In the second half we didn't finish as well as we wanted to. Our guys worked their tails off and earned it."
 
Yale took control in the first half and never looked back. Klubnik capped a nine-play, 82-yard opening drive with his 3-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead. Senior Sam Tuckerman's 33-yard field goal put the Bulldogs up 10-0, but on Fordham scored to pull the Rams (2-4) within 10-7. Tuckerman finished the day with 12 points on two field goals and six extra points.
 
Rawlings answered with a 3-yard TD run and then hooked up with Mason Tipton for a 48-yard scoring strike seven seconds into the second quarter to put Yale up 24-7.
 
Fordham closed within 24-10 on a field goal, but Rawlings countered again as he hit Shohfi for a 69-yard score and then added a 1-yard TD run after Shohfi returned a Fordham punt 37 yards to the 2-yard line. 
 
Yale's defense was also impressive for a second-straight week as the Bulldogs racked up 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, a fumble and a pick-six.
 
Defensive back Kyle Ellis ended Yale's 45-point first half when he returned the interception 23 yards for a score.
 
Reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week Rodney Thomas II put up another stellar week as he had 10 tackles, three for loss and a forced fumble.
 
The Rams the game against Yale averaging better than 156 yards this season but were held to 36 yards on 26 carries against the Bulldogs.
 
After three-straight home games to start the season, the Bulldogs hit the road for two tilts, starting first with a pivotal Ivy League matchup at Dartmouth on Saturday, October 12 at 1:30 p.m.