SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
Cortland Red Dragons (3-1, 3-0 NJAC) vs. The College of New Jersey (2-2, 1-1 NJAC)
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012; 12 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 brings a three-game winning streak and a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) co-leading 3-0 mark into its road game at The College of New Jersey. The Red Dragons have bounced back from an opening-day loss at Buffalo State to rattle off league wins versus Western Connecticut State, Morrisville State and Montclair State by a combined score of 148-28. TCNJ won at Western Connecticut last weekend, 55-27, to even its record at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the NJAC. The Lions are playing at home for the first time since a season-opening 24-20 loss to Ursinus August 31.


THE SERIES: Cortland and TCNJ are playing for the 22nd time, including every year since 2000 when the Red Dragons joined the NJAC. Cortland leads the series 14-7 and has not lost to the Lions since falling 30-0 on the road in 2007 to the eventual NJAC champions. The following year, Cortland clinched the NJAC crown with a 24-18 victory at TCNJ.

Cortland and TCNJ have faced each other every year since 1997, except for the 1999 season. The 1997 season featured two meetings – a 43-22 Cortland win during the regular season and a 34-30 TCNJ win in the NCAA tournament first round, both 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.

Last year in Cortland, the Red Dragons held off a late TCNJ rally in a 23-20 victory. Cortland grabbed a 14-0 first-quarter lead on two Bronson Greene TD runs. The Lions scored in the second quarter when Andrew Carbone blocked a punt that Nick Lukaszewicz returned three yards for a touchdown. Cortland's Bill Smith, however, blocked the PAT kick and D.J. Romano returned the ball for a two-point defensive conversion and a 16-6 lead. The lead grew to 23-6 on Dan Pitcher's 7-yard TD pass to John Babin with 1:21 remaining in the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, TCNJ scored on a 44-yard pass from James Donoghue to Glenn Grainger with 5:24 remaining. The two also connected for a 4-yard TD with 30 seconds left, but Cortland recovered the ensuing onside kickoff.

Pitcher completed 17-of-28 passes for 154 yards and Babin caught eight passes for 77 yards. Smith and Cody Allen each made 14 tackles, with Allen also registering 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Romano and Steve Gruber each intercepted a pass. Donoghue was 21-of-36 passing for 246 yards for the Lions. Grainger made eight catches for 120 yards. Linebacker Nick Bricker totaled 22 tackles, 13 solo, and a fumble recovery and Greg Burns finished with 11 tackles. TCNJ held Cortland to 278 yards of total offense, snapping the Red Dragons' school-record streak of six straight games with at least 400 offensive yards.


CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland won its third straight game and remained in a tie for first in the NJAC with a 3-0 mark after shutting out visiting Montclair State, 20-0, last Saturday. The Red Dragons handed the Red Hawks their first shutout loss in 144 games dating back to the 1998 season. Cortland outgained Montclair in total offense, 438-190, including a 180-35 advantage on the ground.

Senior quarterback Chris Rose completed 20-of-38 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 1-yard TD pass to senior tight end Sean Obanhein in the first quarter for Obanhein's first career TD, and hit sophomore Kordel McInnis on a 29-yard TD pass early in the second quarter. Junior Mike DeBole made a pair of 26-yard field goals.

Freshman linebacker Troy Beddoe recorded eight tackles, 3.5 for losses, and recovered a fumble. Freshman safety Andre Green had seven tackles, two for losses.

Senior tailback Dorian Myles averages 118.5 rushing yards per game despite carrying the ball only 48 times in four games. Junior Justin Autera averages 58.5 yards per game on the ground and Rose has completed 72-of-118 passes (61 percent) for 904 yards and nine touchdowns. He's been intercepted six times, but only once in his last three games. Mike Humphrey has 22 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns and McInnis has 17 catches for 273 yards and four scores.

Green is the team's leading tackler with 30 stops, 20 solo, in four games. Sophomore linebackers Jesse Scanna and Michael McCarthy have made 24 tackles each, with McCarthy leading the team with three sacks.

Head coach Dan MacNeill is in his 16th season with the Red Dragons. His overall record of 102-55 (.650) 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, and his teams have also played in six ECAC bowl games. 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 scored 28 straight points to break an early 7-7 tie and the Lions defeated host Western Connecticut State, 55-27, last Saturday in an NJAC game. Senior Justin Doniloski rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Daniel Dugan completed 27-of-35 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two scores.

Junior linebacker Nick Bricker led the Lions with nine tackles and seniors Zach Friedrich and Joe LaFerlita each intercepted passes. Senior linebacker Greg Burns made seven tackles, and in the process he became the school record-holder with 285 career tackles.

Freshman tailback Victor Scalici was chosen as the NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. He ran 11 times for 66 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 16 yards. TCNJ finished with 576 yards of total offense versus the Colonials.

Through four games, Doniloski is averaging 113 rushing yards per game and leads the team with five touchdowns. Dugan has completed 66.1 percent of his passes (111-of-168) for 996 yards and three touchdowns. Glenn Grainger is the top receiver with 28 catches for 276 yards. Bricker and Burns lead the team with 38 and 35 tackles, respectively. Derick Hughes has made 4-of-5 field goals, with a long of 42 yards, and 17-of-18 PAT kicks. He also averages 39.1 yards per punt with nine “inside the 20” versus just one touchback.

Eric Hamilton is in his 36th 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 210-140-6 (.598).


NOTEBOOK:

* Freshman linebacker Troy Beddoe was named the NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week and junior kicker/punter Mike DeBole was chosen as both the NJAC and ECAC Southeast Special Teams Player of the Week for their performances versus Montclair State. Beddoe's team-high eight tackles included six solo stops and 3.5 for losses. He had 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. DeBole made both of his field goal attempts and both of his PAT kicks. He also averaged 39.4 yards per punt on five kicks, with three of them pinning the Red Hawks inside the 20-yard line.

* Cortland senior wide receiver Mike Humphrey is eight catches shy of becoming the 15th player in school history to reach the career 100-catch mark. After not playing in varsity games in 2009, Humphrey caught 29 passes in 2010 and had 41 receptions in 2011. He leads the Red Dragons this fall with 22 catches.

* Senior tailback Dorian Myles is averaging 9.9 yards per carry on 48 rushes. The school record for best yard-per-rush average (minimum 100 carries) in a season is 5.7 yards per carry by Scott Berent in 1990 (1,181 yards on 208 carries in 10 regular-season games).

* Cortland is averaging 44.8 points per game through four games. The school record for scoring average in the regular season is 38.0 points per game in 1990.

* The Red Dragons have nine sacks in four games, including four last week vs. Montclair State. Cortland has recorded at least 30 sacks each of the last 11 seasons, including 39 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 13th 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 was joined by Western Connecticut State, Buffalo State, Brockport and Morrisville.

                  However, Buffalo State has since left the league for the Empire 8, Western Connecticut will leave after this fall to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) for football only (the MASCAC is sponsoring the sport for the first time in 2013), and Brockport will leave the NJAC after the 2013 season to join the Empire 8. Cortland has finished at least tied for first in the NJAC five of the last seven years (2005-08, 2010). The Red Dragons tied for second last year with a 7-2 record.


* Cortland and TCNJ rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:

CORTLAND:

7th, Scoring Offense, 44.8 pts./game
18th, Total Offense, 479.8 yds./game
22nd, Kickoff Returns, 25.8 yds./return
23rd, Rushing Offense, 247.0 yds./game

Mike DeBole, tied 22nd, Field Goals, 1.0/game
Dorian Myles, 28th, Rushing, 118.5 yds./game
Justin Autera, 34th, Kickoff Returns, 28.2 yds./return

TCNJ:

12th, Total Offense, 484.3 yds./game
Tied 17th, Sacks Allowed, 0.8/game
21st, Net Punting, 36.6 yds./punt
33rd, Rushing Defense, 96.5 yds./game
40th, Rushing Offense, 220.5 yds./game

Derrick Hughes, tied 22nd, Field Goals, 1.0/game
Glenn Grainger, tied 30th, Receptions, 7.0/game
Justin Doniloski, 37th, Rushing, 113.0 yds./game
Daniel Dugan, 33rd, Total Offense, 283.0 yds./game


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

Troy Beddoe, Fr., Linebacker
NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week (Sept. 29 vs. Montclair St.)

Chris Bright, Sr., Linebacker
NJAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 22 at Morrisville St.)

Mike DeBole, Jr., Kicker/Punter
NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 29 vs. Montclair St.)
ECAC Southeast Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 29 vs. Montclair St.)

Matt Deiana, Fr., Kickoff Returner/Tailback
NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 15 vs. Western Conn. St.)
ECAC Southeast Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 15 vs. Western Conn. St.)

Andre Green, Fr., Safety
NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week (Sept. 22 at Morrisville St.)

Dorian Myles, Sr., Tailback
NJAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 15 vs. Western Conn. St.)
ECAC Southeast Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 15 vs. Western Conn. St.)


SCHEDULES/RESULTS:

CORTLAND (3-1, 3-0 NJAC)

Sept. 1      at Buffalo St.                             L 31-49
Sept. 15    * WESTERN CONN. ST.               W 72-14
Sept. 22    * at Morrisville St.                      W 56-14
Sept. 29    * MONTCLAIR ST. (NJ)                W 20-0
Oct. 6        * at The College of New Jersey   12:00
Oct. 13      * BROCKPORT                            1:00
Oct. 20      * ROWAN (NJ)                           12:00
Oct. 27      * at Kean (NJ)                            1:00
Nov. 3       * at William Paterson                   1:00
Nov. 10     ITHACA                                      12:00

* NJAC game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

TCNJ (2-2, 1-1 NJAC)

Aug. 31       URSINUS (PA)                      L 20-24
Sept. 7        at FDU-Florham (NJ)                  W 45-28
Sept. 15   * at Brockport                           L 17-41
Sept. 29   * at Western Conn. St.                  W 55-27
Oct. 6       * CORTLAND                         12:00
Oct. 13     * at Montclair St. (NJ)                  3:00
Oct. 20     * KEAN (NJ)                           2:00
Oct. 26     * WILLIAM PATERSON (NJ)                  7:00
Nov. 3       * at Morrisville St.                    12:00
Nov. 9       * ROWAN (NJ)                        7:00

* NJAC game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

CORTLAND vs. THE COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY – SERIES RECORD
(Cortland leads 14-7)

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
2010                  Cortland                  37-0                  TCNJ
2011                  Cortland                  23-20                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.)