SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
Cortland Red Dragons (1-1, 1-1 NJAC) vs. Rowan University Profs (1-1, 1-0 NJAC)
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011; 1 p.m.; Coach Richard Wackar Stadium; Glassboro, N.J.
Game broadcast live on WXHC, Homer (101.5 FM and www.wxhc.com)

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THE MATCHUP: Cortland hits the road for the first time this season as the Red Dragons travel to Rowan University for a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest. Cortland, ranked 24th nationally by D3football.com, looks to bounce back from a 21-16 home loss to Kean last weekend. Rowan, the only team to beat Cortland in the regular season last year, improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC with a come-from-behind 39-32 win at Brockport last Saturday.


THE SERIES: Rowan has won 11 of the 18 meetings between the schools, with one of the other seven games ending in a tie (14-14 in 1995, the year before the NCAA overtime rule took effect for regular-season games). After Cortland won a pair of lopsided games versus then-Glassboro State in 1964 and 1965, the teams did not meet again until the tie in 1995. The Red Dragons and Profs have played every year since, and the matchups became league contests when Cortland joined the NJAC in 2000.

Rowan was 5-0-1 versus Cortland from 1995-2000, a stretch in which the Profs advanced to the national championship game four times (1995, 96, 98, 99). Cortland broke the streak with a 32-31 home win over the Profs in 2001 in the final game played on Davis Field, scoring twice in the last two minutes to overcome a 31-19 deficit. Rowan won the next five games, including overtime decisions at Cortland in 2003 (34-31) and at home in 2006 (14-7), as well as a 34-33 home verdict in 2004. Cortland entered the 2006 game 8-0 and ranked fifth nationally.

Cortland earned its first road win over the Profs since 1964 with a 27-20 triumph in 2008. Last year in Glassboro, Rowan scored 20 of the game's last 23 points to erase a 14-0 deficit in a 20-17 victory. Tim Hagerty threw two TD passes, including the game-winning 17-yard strike to Kevin DelleDonne with 6:40 remaining. Cortland scored twice in the first quarter on a Justin Autera 43-yard run and a Kadeem Miller 36-yard TD catch from Dan Pitcher. The Red Dragons led 17-7 after a Marc Corrado field goal in the third quarter, but Steve Hevalow answered with a 38-yard TD run to draw the Profs within four.


CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland dropped to 1-1 both overall and in the NJAC with a 21-16 loss at home last Saturday to Kean. The Red Dragons lost despite a 455-277 advantage in total offense, a 26-15 edge in first downs and a time of possession difference of 36:32 to 23:28.

Dan Pitcher completed 22-of-36 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. He established career single-game highs for completions and passing yardage. John Babin caught seven passes for 61 yards and a score. Kordel McInnis and Kadeem Miller each finished with four receptions and Brian Haber caught a TD pass. Justin Autera started at tailback and rushed for 73 yards on 20 carries. However, he suffered an injury and is expected to miss at least this week's game, if not longer. Dorian Myles came in and carried 17 times for 91 yards.

Safety Kyle Nisbett, making his first collegiate start in place of the injured Steven Lenhart, led the Red Dragons with nine tackles. Linebacker Mike Wilson recorded seven tackles, including 2.5 for losses, and three quarterback hurries.

Cortland held the lead three times, the last at 16-14 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter after a Marc Corrado 22-yard field goal. The Cougars, however, returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for what proved to be the winning score. Cortland drove to the Kean 2-yard line on its final drive, but was stopped twice in the final minute and turned the ball over on downs.

Pitcher has completed 35-of-63 passes (55.6 percent) for 434 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions in two games. Babin, who made just one catch last season (a TD grab vs. Endicott in the NCAA first round), leads the Red Dragons with 12 catches for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Humphrey has seven catches for 122 yards. Autera, prior to his injury, averaged 77.5 rushing yards per game. Myles did not play in Cortland's opener as he was recovering from a preseason injury. All of his 91 rushing yards came versus Kean.

Defensive lineman Vaughn Labor and linebacker Chris Bright lead Cortland with 11 tackles each. Five other players have made 10 tackles apiece, and six different Red Dragons have recorded at least half a sack. Pete Furey is averaging 37.8 yards per punt on 10 kicks with three inside the 20-yard line.

Head coach Dan MacNeill is in his 15th season with the Red Dragons. His overall record of 91-53 (.632) 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 and the NCAA quarterfinals.

MacNeill has guided Cortland to the NCAA playoffs in 1997, 2005, 2008 and 2010. 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...ROWAN UNIVERSITY: Rowan scored 22 unanswered points over the final 17:41 of the game and the Profs rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat host Brockport, 39-32, in the NJAC opener for each squad last Saturday. Rowan evened its record at 1-1 on the season. The Profs lost their opener Sept. 3 at Lycoming, 8-6.

Quarterback Louie Bianchini finished 24-of-39 passing for 245 yards and three touchdowns in the win at Brockport. Eddie Eisenhart, Anthony Barone and Dan Reed all caught TD passes. Eisenhart and Barone finished with seven catches each and Reed added four receptions.

Rowan drew within eight on a 24-yard Bianchini to Reed connection late in the third quarter. The Profs tied the game with 11:05 left on a Bianchini 34-yard pass to Barone, followed by a Kevin DelleDonne two-point conversion catch. Defensive back Eric Sharkey intercepted a pass on Brockport's next possession to set up Rowan at the Golden Eagles' 14-yard line. Keith Corcoran ran four yards on first down and rushed 10 yards for the winning touchdown on the next play with 7:39 remaining. Jack Buckley finished with a team-high seven tackles, two for losses. Sharkey recorded two of Rowan's four interceptions.

Bianchini has completed 31-of-53 passes (58.5 percent) for 325 yards and four touchdowns and has only been intercepted once. His favorite targets have been Barone (9 rec., 77 yds., 1 TD) and Eisenhart (8 rec., 103 yds., 1 TD). Geno Raman and Dean Hammel lead the team with 15 tackles apiece.

Head coach Jay Accorsi, in his 10th season at the helm, has an overall record of 76-25 (.752) and is a three-time NJAC Coach of the Year. He took over the head coaching reins in 2002 after serving as an assistant with the Profs for nine seasons. He led Rowan to an 11-2 record, including three NCAA victories, before a national semifinal loss at eventual champion Mount Union in 2005, and a 9-3 record and two NCAA victories in 2006. His teams also won an NCAA game in 2002 and two NCAA contests in 2004. Last season, the Profs finished 9-1 and were NJAC tri-champions, but were not selected to the NCAA tournament (Cortland received the league's automatic bid via tiebreaker). Accorsi was a four-year running back at Nichols College (Mass.), graduating in 1985.


NOTEBOOK:

* Both Cortland and Rowan's coaching staffs will participate for the fourth year in a row in the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) “Coach to Cure MD” charitable project. Both teams' coaches will be wearing “Coach to Cure MD” logo patches during the game to show their support for the program, which looks to fight Duchenne (pronounced Doo-SHEEN) Muscular Dystrophy. Fans can donate to muscular dystrophy research either online at www.CoachToCureMD.org or by texting the word “CURE” to 90999 to automatically donate $5 from their mobile phones (standard text message rates apply).

* Cortland's 455 yards of total offense versus Kean last week is the highest productivity by the Red Dragons in a loss since Cortland outgained The College of New Jersey 614-441 in a 41-38 overtime home setback in September 2002.

* The Red Dragons have totaled five sacks over their first two games. Cortland has recorded at least 30 sacks each of the last 10 seasons, including 31 last year and 50 or more in both 2005 and 2006. Cortland's 50 sacks in 2006 were the best nationally in Division III. The Red Dragons set a school record with 52 sacks in 2005 (sacks have been officially tracked at Cortland since 1982).

* Cortland is in its 12th 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 has finished at least tied for first in the NJAC five of the last six years (2005-08, 2010).


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

John Babin, So., Wide Receiver
NJAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 3 vs. Buffalo St.)

Pete Furey, Jr., Punter
NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 3 vs. Buffalo St.)


SCHEDULES/RESULTS:


CORTLAND (1-1, 1-1 NJAC)

Sept. 3      * BUFFALO ST.                         W 28-12
Sept. 17    * KEAN (NJ)                             L 16-21
Sept. 24    * at Rowan (NJ)                        1:00
Oct. 1        * MORRISVILLE ST.                   7:00
Oct. 8        * at Montclair St. (NJ)               1:00
Oct. 15      * at Western Connecticut St.      12:00
Oct. 22      * WILLIAM PATERSON (NJ)         1:00
Oct. 29      * THE COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY  1:00
Nov. 5        * at Brockport                           1:00
Nov. 12         at Ithaca                               12:00

* NJAC game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

ROWAN (1-1, 1-0 NJAC)

Sept. 3         at Lycoming (PA)                      L 6-8
Sept. 17    * at Brockport                             W 39-32
Sept. 24    * CORTLAND                              1:00
Oct. 1        * WESTERN CONNECTICUT ST.    1:00
Oct. 8        * at William Paterson (NJ)          1:00
Oct. 15      * at Morrisville St.                      12:00
Oct. 22      * BUFFALO ST.                            1:30
Oct. 29      * at Kean (NJ)                            1:00
Nov. 5        * MONTCLAIR ST. (NJ)                1:00
Nov. 12      * COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY          1:00

* NJAC game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

CORTLAND vs. ROWAN – SERIES RECORD
(Rowan leads 11-5-1)

Year                   Winner                Score              Site
1964                  Cortland                41-0                Rowan
1965                  Cortland                60-0                Cortland
1995                  Tie                        14-14              Cortland
1996                  Rowan                  47-17               Rowan
1997                  Rowan                  41-6                 Cortland
1998                  Rowan                  41-34               Rowan
1999                  Rowan                  30-9                 Cortland
2000                  Rowan                  45-10               Rowan
2001                  Cortland                32-31              Cortland
2002                  Rowan                  42-21               Rowan
2003                  Rowan                  34-31 (OT)       Cortland
2004                  Rowan                  34-33               Rowan
2005                  Rowan                  24-16               Cortland
2006                  Rowan                  14-7 (OT)         Rowan
2007                  Cortland                17-6                Cortland
2008                  Cortland                27-20               Rowan
2009                  Cortland                24-14 **           Cortland
2010                  Rowan                   20-17              Rowan

NOTE: Rowan was formerly Glassboro State until 1992.
** win later vacated due to NCAA secondary violation