SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
Cortland (3-0, 3-0 NJAC) vs. The College of New Jersey (1-2, 1-1 NJAC)
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010; 1 p.m.; Lions Stadium; Ewing, N.J.
Game broadcast live on WXHC, Homer (101.5 FM and www.wxhc.com)

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THE MATCHUP: Cortland, ranked 21st nationally in the latest American Football Coaches Association Div. III poll (and among the “others receiving votes” in the D3football.com poll), hits the road for the third time in four weeks as it travels to The College of New Jersey. The Red Dragons are 3-0 both overall and in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) after posting a 45-0 win at Western Connecticut State last week. TCNJ is 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference after its 24-21 win last week at Brockport on Tyler Olsson's 45-yard field goal as time expired.

THE SERIES: Cortland leads the overall series 12-7. Last year in Cortland, the Red Dragons scored the first 30 points in a 30-7 victory over the Lions. Anthony Giuliano caught a 26-yard TD pass from Alex Smith and also threw a 4-yard TD pass to Bill Smith. Cortland's other scores came on a Dom Sair 1-yard run, an Eric Hajnos 3-yard TD catch from Smith and Marc Corrado's career-best 40-yard field goal. TCNJ scored midway through the fourth quarter on a Michael Yetka 10-yard TD run.

Sair rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries and Justin Autera ran five times for 67 yards. Evan Wyler led the defense with eight tackles, all solo, with four of the stops for lost yardage. Chris Hanlon, James Lenhart and Will Schroeder made six tackles each. Bill Picatagi led the Lions with eight receptions for 59 yards and Kevin Allgood made eight tackles.

In 2008, the Red Dragons clinched the NJAC title with a 24-18 victory over the Lions in New Jersey. Cortland trailed 18-16 before Andrew Giuliano scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 4:55 remaining. Bryan Wiley's two sacks stopped TCNJ's final drive to seal the win. In 2007, Cortland also had a chance to clinch the NJAC title at TCNJ but lost 30-0 to the eventual league champion Lions. Cortland's 25-14 home win at Davis Field in 2000 was the Red Dragons' first game as a member of the NJAC. TCNJ won 34-30 in the 1997 NCAA first round at Cortland. Earlier in 1997, Cortland defeated the Lions 43-22, also in Cortland. Prior to 1997, the teams had not met since 1967. Cortland won games in 1933 and 1934 versus then-New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School and four straight games from 1964-67 against then-Trenton State College.

CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland won 45-0 at Western Connecticut State last Saturday to stay perfect on the season at 3-0. Anthony Giuliano and Justin Autera each scored two touchdowns and Cortland's defense held the Colonials to seven yards net rushing while posting its first shutout since a 42-0 win over Curry College in the 2008 NCAA Div. III tournament second round.

Giuliano ran for a 73-yard touchdown out of a “wildcat-type” formation early in the second quarter and caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Dan Pitcher later in the quarter. Autera ran in from nine yards out for Cortland's first score in the first quarter and added a 7-yard TD run 2:55 into the third quarter. Autera has scored eight touchdowns over Cortland's first three games.

The Red Dragons also scored with 1:07 left in the first half when Tom Lewis blocked a punt that Connor Tompkins returned 15 yards for a score, then added a 36-yard field goal by Marc Corrado with four seconds left in the half to lead 31-0 at the break. Cortland's final touchdown was a 16-yard pass from senior Hudson Woodward to freshman Ray Nichols with 9:58 left. Autera ran 18 times for 95 yards and caught two passes. Giuliano finished with 80 yards on two runs and a team-high five receptions for 106 yards. Pitcher was 10-of-14 passing for 123 yards with one TD and no interceptions. Cody Allen led the defense with eight tackles and a pass breakup and Bill Smith totaled seven tackles. Chris Corvino recorded two sacks among his four tackles and junior cornerback D.J. Romano registered his first interception of the season and 10th of his career.

Autera is averaging 92 yards per game rushing and nearly 186 yards per game in all-purpose yardage. Pitcher has completed more than 61 percent of his passes (38-of-62) for 464 yards and three scores. Giuliano and Autera have 12 and nine receptions, respectively. Corrado is 2-of-3 on field goal attempts and 14-of-14 on PAT kicks, while Pete Furey averages almost 35 yards per punt, with five of his 12 kicks “inside the 20.”

Allen has led the team in tackles in each of the first three games and has 28 stops on the season. Smith has 21 tackles and Joe Lopez has 15 tackles and two interceptions. Corvino leads the team with 4.5 sacks. Cortland's defense has already registered 11 sacks in three games.

Head coach Dan MacNeill is in his 14th season with the Red Dragons. His overall record of 90-50 (.643) ranks him second at Cortland in career victories and first in winning percentage. He was the NJAC Coach of the Year and a finalist for Liberty Mutual National Div. III Coach of the Year honors in 2008 after leading the Red Dragons to the league title (9-0 league mark) and the NCAA quarterfinals.

MacNeill has guided Cortland to eight postseason berths – NCAA showings in 1997, 2005 and 2008 and ECAC appearances in 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2009. His 2008 squad was honored with the Lambert Meadowlands Trophy and the ECAC Div. III Team of the Year awards. MacNeill is a 1979 Cortland alumnus and played linebacker and defensive tackle from 1975-78. An assistant coach at Division I-AA Villanova University from 1984-1996, MacNeill is Cortland's 11th head coach since the school's modern era of football began in 1924. MacNeill served as linebackers coach at Villanova and was the team's defensive coordinator from 1988-96.

A LOOK AT...THE COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY: TCNJ is off to a 1-2 start, but easily could be 3-0. The Lions lost 15-7 to William Paterson in their opener after turning the ball over on downs inside the Pioneers' 20-yard line late in the game. TCNJ also fell 24-23 in overtime at FDU-Florham on Sept. 17, but bounced back to win 24-21 at Brockport in a league game last weekend.

The win at Brockport came in exciting fashion as the Lions rallied from a 21-7 late third-quarter deficit. TCNJ tied the game on a Joe Falco 2-yard TD run and a Nicholas Tyson 51-yard TD pass to William Friedrich. With 1:03 left, TCNJ started a drive on its own 24-yard line and moved the ball to the Brockport 27-yard line on six plays. Tyler Olsson then hit a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lions the victory. Falco rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries. Tyson came off the bench and completed 3-of-4 passes, two for touchdowns. Gregory Burns led the team with 13 tackles and William Haduch made 12 stops.

Tyson has rushed for 181 yards (60.3 per game) over three games and is 13-of-30 passing (43.3 percent) for 152 yards. Christopher Meliado has made eight catches for 100 yards and a score. Olsson is 2-of-3 on field goals, with both of his successful kicks at least 37 yards. He also averages 31.1 yards per punt with six of 17 “inside the 20.” Burns paces the defense with 37 tackles, 15 solo, followed by Shawn Brown's 26 tackles.

Eric Hamilton is in his 34th season as the Lions' head coach. When he started in 1977 he was the youngest collegiate head coach in the country at 23 years old. Hamilton has been NJAC Coach of the Year six times and his teams have made seven postseason appearances, including NCAA showings in 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2007. His overall win-loss record is 197-132-6 (.597), including a 7-6 record against Cortland.

NOTEBOOK:

* Anthony Giuliano was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance at Western Connecticut State. He rushed for 80 yards on just two carries, including a 73-yard TD run. His five catches for 106 yards included a 28-yard leaping TD catch as well as a 33-yard reception.

* Cortland ranks first nationally in Division III in kickoff returns at 37 yards per return. The Red Dragons also rank fifth nationally in rushing defense (50 yards/game), fifth in scoring defense (6.3 points/game), 13th in total defense (220 yards/game) and 15th in sacks (3.7/game).

* Justin Autera is tied for third nationally in Div. III in scoring at 16 points per game. His eight touchdowns include six rushing, one receiving and one kickoff return. Autera also ranks 19th nationally in all-purpose running (185.7 yards/game) and 24th in punt returns (14.8 yards/return). Chris Corvino is tied for sixth nationally in sacks with 1.5 per contest.

* Cortland is in its 11th season as a football-only member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The Red Dragons compete in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in most of their other sports. Cortland was the first non-New Jersey school to join the NJAC for football, starting in the 2000 season, and has since been joined by Western Connecticut State, Buffalo State, Brockport and Morrisville. Cortland is 36-5 (.878) in NJAC play since 2005 and 53-17 (.757) overall.

Cortland's Weekly Award Winners (game date/opponent in parentheses)

Justin Autera, So., Running Back/Kick Returner
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 11 at Kean) (KR)
NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 11 at Kean)
ECAC South Honorable Mention (Sept. 11 at Kean)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 18 vs. Buffalo St.) (RB)
NJAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 18 vs. Buffalo St.)

Anthony Giuliano, Sr., Wide Receiver
NJAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 25 at Western Conn. St.)

Joe Lopez, Sr., Cornerback
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 11 at Kean)
NJAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11 at Kean)
ECAC South Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11 at Kean)

Connor Tompkins, Jr., Defensive End
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 18 vs. Buffalo St.)


SCHEDULES/RESULTS:


CORTLAND (3-0, 3-0 NJAC)

Sept. 11   * at Kean (NJ)                           W 24-12
Sept. 18   * BUFFALO ST.                           W 35-7
Sept. 25   * at Western Connecticut St.       W 45-0
Oct. 2       * at The College of New Jersey   1:00
Oct. 9       * BROCKPORT                           1:00
Oct. 16     * at Rowan (NJ)                         12:00
Oct. 23     * at Morrisville St.                      1:00
Oct. 30     * MONTCLAIR ST. (NJ)                1:00
Nov. 6       * WILLIAM PATERSON (NJ)         1:00
Nov. 13        ITHACA                                  12:00

* NJAC game (HOME GAMES IN CAPS)

THE COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY (1-2, 1-1 NJAC)

Sept. 3      * WILLIAM PATERSON (NJ)         L 7-15
Sept. 17       at FDU-Florham (NJ)                L 23-24 (OT)
Sept. 25    * at Brockport                            W 24-21
Oct. 2        * CORTLAND                             1:00
Oct. 9        * at Montclair St. (NJ)                3:00
Oct. 16      * at Morrisville St.                      12:00
Oct. 23      * at Buffalo St.                          12:00
Oct. 30      * at Western Connecticut St.       12:00
Nov. 6        * KEAN (NJ)                              12:00
Nov. 13      * ROWAN (NJ)                           12:00

* NJAC game (HOME GAMES IN CAPS)

CORTLAND vs. THE COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY – SERIES RECORD
(Cortland leads 12-7)

Year    Winner    Score         Site
1933    Cortland    54-0          ???
1934    Cortland    29-0          ???
1964    Cortland    27-6          Cortland
1965    Cortland    7-6            TCNJ
1966    Cortland    27-10        TCNJ
1967    Cortland    40-0          Cortland
1997    Cortland    43-22        Cortland
1997    TCNJ         34-30        Cortland (NCAA 1st round)
1998    TCNJ         23-32        TCNJ
2000    Cortland    25-14        Cortland
2001    TCNJ         14-28         TCNJ
2002    TCNJ         41-38 (OT) Cortland
2003    TCNJ         21-14        TCNJ
2004    TCNJ         17-14        Cortland
2005    Cortland    30-14        TCNJ
2006    Cortland    26-14        Cortland
2007    TCNJ         30-0          TCNJ
2008    Cortland    24-18         TCNJ
2009    Cortland    30-7           Cortland

(NOTE: TCNJ was knows as “New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School” when the teams played in 1933 and 1934. The school was Trenton State College from 1958 until changing its name to The College of New Jersey in 1996.)