SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
57th Annual Cortaca Jug Game
Cortland Red Dragons (7-2, 5-2 Empire 8) vs. Ithaca College Bombers (4-5, 2-5 Empire 8)
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015; Noon; Butterfield Stadium; Ithaca, N.Y.
Game televised live on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 325 (Central New York) and ictv.org/live


PDF version (includes 2-deep, roster, pronunciations, and stat reports)

Ithaca's Cortaca Jug Information Page

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THE MATCHUP: Cortland travels to Ithaca College for the annual Cortaca Jug rivalry game with the Empire 8 title on the line for the Red Dragons. If Cortland wins, it will finish 6-2 in league play and will be Empire 8 co-champion with the winner of Saturday's Alfred-St. John Fisher game. In that scenario, Cortland would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Div. III tournament. If Ithaca wins, the Alfred-St. John Fisher winner will be outright Empire 8 champion.
 

THE SERIES: This is the 57th time that Cortland and Ithaca are playing for the Cortaca Jug. The schools actually started playing in 1930 and have met every year since 1948. Ithaca leads the overall series 39-31-3. In 1959, Cortland captain Tom Decker and Ithaca captain Dick Carmean originated the Cortaca Jug as the prize for the winner of the game between the schools located about 20 miles apart on Route 13. Each year, the game's result is printed on the Jug. The first Jug ran out of room for scores in the mid-1980s, necessitating a second Jug that sports the most recent results.
 
Ithaca leads the Jug series 34-22, which does not include the Bombers' 1988 NCAA playoff win over the Red Dragons. Cortland, however, is 12-7 versus the Bombers since 1996, including wins each of the last five seasons. Cortland is looking for its first-ever six-game winning streak versus the Bombers. The Red Dragons beat Ithaca five straight years from 1955-59, capped by a win in the inaugural Cortaca Jug game at Ithaca.
 
This is the first year that the teams are meeting as members of the same conference. Cortland joined the Empire 8 this fall as an affiliate member for football only. The Red Dragons were football-only members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference for 15 years from 2000-14, and were not part of a conference prior to 2000.
 
Last year, Cortland won at home over the Bombers, 23-20, in one of the most wild and memorable finishes in the rivalry's history. The Red Dragons trailed 20-17 and were lining up for a potential game-tying field goal with no timeouts left and the clock winding down. Holder Luke Hinton was late getting on the field, and was actually looking back at the kicker when a low snap hit him in the leg. Hinton recovered, rolled to his left and threw the game-winning TD pass to Jon Mannix as time expired. The play was recognized as the nation's number-three play on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 that evening, and also was named the D3football.com National Play of the Week.
 
Dylan Peebles returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter. He also ran for a touchdown. Ithaca's Josh Oliver ran for 99 yards and a TD and Tom Dempsey passed for 187 yards and a score. Matt Ambrose led Cortland with 11 tackles, followed by Jake Ceresna and Tyler Anderson with 10 stops each. Schnayder Termidor paced Ithaca with eight tackles and a forced fumble.
 
Of the last 18 games in the series (1997-2014), 14 have been decided by eight points or less. In the previous 56 Cortaca Jug games, Cortland is 6-4 in games decided by 1-3 points and 11-7 in games decided by 4-8 points, but Ithaca is 8-2 when the margin is 9-16 points and 15-3 when a team wins by 17 or more.
 

CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland has been idle since losing at Morrisville State, 42-28, on October 31. The Red Dragons fell behind 28-0 at halftime but quickly closed to within 35-21 with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Cortland, however, got no closer the rest of the way.
 
Dylan Peebles ran 25 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns and Steven Ferreira completed 18-of-33 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns. Jon Mannix caught seven passes for 126 yards, including a 38-yard TD reception. Carson Lassiter registered 12 tackles and an interception and Matt Ambrose made nine tackles.
 
Ferreira has played in eight of Cortland's nine games as he missed an early-season matchup at Framingham State due to injury. He has completed 163-of-250 passes (65.2 percent) for 2,269 yards and 22 touchdowns with two interceptions. Three Red Dragons have caught at least 30 passes. Nick Wagner, like Ferreira a transfer from Div. I Stony Brook, has 43 receptions for 576 yards and four touchdowns. Mannix has made 39 catches for team highs of 824 yards and nine touchdowns, and Jake Smith has 30 receptions for 542 yards and five scores. Tight end Josh Riley is fourth on the squad with 23 catches for 214 yards and three TDs.
 
Tailbacks Peebles and Donny Davis have combined to rush for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns. Peebles has 528 yards on 98 carries (5.4 yards/carry) with six touchdowns. Davis, who has missed the last two games due to injury, has 456 yards on 104 attempts (4.4 yards/carry) with four touchdowns. Ferreira has five rushing TDs from his quarterback position.
 
Lassiter ranks first on the team with 73 tackles and 13 passes defended (three interceptions, 10 pass breakups). Linebackers Ambrose and Troy Beddoe have 68 and 65 tackles, respectively. Cornerback Mark DelPrete leads Cortland with five interceptions and defensive end Jake Ceresna has a team-high seven sacks.
 
Matt Green averages 35.6 yards per punt, with 13 of his 39 attempts pinning teams inside the 20-yard line. He also averages 57.6 yards per kickoff with 11 touchbacks. Shane Cronin has made 4-of-8 field goals and 34-of-37 point-after kicks. Peebles averages 27.3 yards per kickoff returns with one TD. He led Div. III nationally last year with 34.9 yards per kick return and three touchdowns to earn first-team All-America honors.
 
Head coach Dan MacNeill is in his 19th season with the Red Dragons. His overall record of 126-68 (.649) ranks him first at Cortland in career victories and winning percentage. He won New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Coach of the Year honors in both 2008 and 2012, and also was 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 five NCAA playoff appearances (1997, 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012) and seven ECAC bowl games, the last in 2013. 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 (now FCS) 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...ITHACA COLLEGE: Ithaca started the season with a 4-1 record, including wins over Hobart and Alfred, but the Bombers have lost their last four games by a combined score of 92-32. Ithaca needs a win to avoid only its second losing season in the last 45 years (the Bombers were 4-6 in 2011).
 
Last week, Ithaca led 3-0 after three quarters before falling to Buffalo State, 7-3, in a game played at the University at Buffalo. Max Rottenecker made a 23-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the first half to put the Bombers ahead. Buffalo State scored a TD early in the fourth quarter, and Ithaca's final two drives ended on an interception in the end zone and a turnover on downs at the Bengals' 17-yard line.
 
Tristan Brown rushed for 89 yards, but John D'Onofrio completed only 8-of-21 passes for 88 yards with one interception. Dan Loizos finished with 13 tackles and Jimmy Sullivan intercepted a pass to lead the Bombers' defense.
 
Brown averages 66.3 yards per game rushing with six touchdowns. Wolfgang Shafer, the son of Syracuse University head football coach Scott Shafer, started the first eight games at quarterback but did not play last weekend. He is 129-of-213 passing (60.6 percent) for 1,428 yards and 11 touchdowns but has thrown 12 interceptions. D'Onofrio is 37-of-81 through the air (45.7 percent) for 367 yards and two TDs with three picks in three games.
 
Josh Oliver is Ithaca's top wide receiver with 49 catches for 528 yards and six touchdowns. He set a school single-game record with 16 catches in the Bombers' loss at Morrisville State on Oct. 24. Last season, Oliver moved to running back for the final four games. Kyle Hastings has made 24 catches for 345 yards and five scores.
 
Ithaca's defense is holding teams to 105.4 rushing yards per game (3.0 yards/carry) and 318.3 yards per game of total offense. Loizos has 85 tackles, 41 solo, and Malik Morris has recorded 74 tackles and three interceptions. Kenny Bradley shares the team lead with three interceptions and Logan Murphy has rung up seven sacks. Rottenecker is 9-of-12 on field-goal attempts, with four of his makes from 33 yards or longer, and he's 23-of-24 on PAT kicks. Brandon Steff averages 36.7 yards per punt, and Jordan Schemm leads Div. III nationally with 37.6 yards per kickoff return, with one TD.
 
Head Coach Mike Welch is in his 22nd season at the helm for the Bombers. His overall record is 164-72 (.695). Welch has led Ithaca to seven Empire 8 titles, including both 2013 and 2014. Ithaca made its eighth NCAA appearance under Welch last season, and he has also guided the Bombers to four ECAC bowl games. As a player at Ithaca, Welch earned two letters as a running back after missing most of his sophomore season due to injury. Also a lacrosse player for the Bombers, he graduated in 1973 and returned to his alma mater as an assistant football coach in 1984.
 

NOTEBOOK:
 
* Quarterback Steven Ferreira currently has a passing efficiency rating of 168.9. The rating is a reflection of four areas - completion percentage, passing yards per attempt, passing TDs per attempt, and interceptions per attempt. The school record (minimum 100 attempts) is 163.1 by Dan Pitcher in 2011. Ferreira has been intercepted just twice in 250 pass attempts, and he has thrown at least two TD passes in each of his eight games. Ferreira is the first Cortland QB to record four 300-yard passing games in one season (373 vs. Utica, 377 at Buffalo St., 314 vs. Brockport and 327 at Morrisville). Ray Miles had three 300-yard passing games during the 2008 season.
 
* Junior wide receiver Jon Mannix enters Saturday's game with 114 career receptions. He ranks 12th in school history with that total, with the five closest above him ranging from 118 to 126 catches. Mannix did not make any catches in one game as a freshman in 2012. In 2013, he was injured after three games and received a medical hardship to retain that year of eligibility. He caught 19 passes prior to the injury, and those receptions still count toward his career totals. Mannix caught 56 passes last fall and has 39 receptions this season.
 
* Senior linebackers Troy Beddoe and Matt Ambrose each have easily eclipsed the career 200-tackle mark. Beddoe has 247 tackles in 41 career games and Ambrose has made 241 stops in 35 games. Junior safety Carson Lassiter is nearing the 200-mark - he has 191 career tackles in 30 games played.
 
* Cortland is plus-14 on turnover margin this season. The Red Dragons have forced 23 turnovers and have lost the ball only nine times. However, four of those turnovers came in Cortland's last game two weeks ago at Morrisville.
 
* Through nine games, Cortland has gained 50 or more yards on 14 plays (eight passes, four kick returns, two interceptions) and 30 or more yards on 37 plays (24 passes, four rushes, six kick returns, two interceptions, one fumble).  Since 2000, the Red Dragons have had 10 plays of 50 or more yards in an entire season only twice prior to this year (exactly 10 plays in both 2009 and 2010).
 
* Cortland has passed for 2,651 yards through nine games, 254 yards away from tying the school regular-season record. The Red Dragons passed for 2,905 yards in 10 regular-season games in 1998. The school record of 3,102 passing yards in 2008 occurred in 13 games (10 regular-season, three NCAA).
 
* Five of Cortland's seven wins this season have not been decided until the final minute of play or in overtime. The Red Dragons opened the season with a 26-24 home win vs. Heidelberg on Steven Ferreira's 29-yard Hail Mary to Jon Mannix on the game's final play. A 61-49 win at eventual Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference champion Framingham wasn't decided until a 40-yard Matt Goodman fumble return for a TD on a punt return with two seconds remaining. Cortland won home overtime games against Utica and Hartwick, and the Red Dragons' 20-14 victory over Alfred was sealed when the Saxons turned the ball over on downs at the Cortland 27-yard line with 18 seconds left.
 
* Cortland has joined the Empire 8 as a football-only member in 2015 after competing the last 15 seasons in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The Red Dragons finished at least tied for first in the NJAC six of the last 11 years (2005-08, 2010, 2012), including outright league titles in 2008 and 2012. Cortland and Morrisville State moved from the NJAC to the Empire 8 this year, following in the recent footsteps of other affiliate members Brockport (2014) and Buffalo State (2012). The other Empire 8 football teams - Ithaca, Hartwick, Utica, St. John Fisher and Alfred - are full conference members.
 
   Salisbury and Frostburg State left the Empire 8 after the 2014 season and are now new members of the NJAC along with Wesley and Christopher Newport. Ironically, if Cortland and Salisbury are both victorious Saturday (Salisbury plays Frostburg), former Empire 8 member Salisbury will win the NJAC and former NJAC member Cortland will win the Empire 8.
 
 
Cortland's Weekly Award Winners (game date/opponent in parentheses)
 
Jake Ceresna, Defensive End
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 19 at St. John Fisher)
 
Steven Ferreira, Quarterback
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 26 vs. Utica)
 
Carson Lassiter, Safety
Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 5 vs. Heidelberg)
 
Kyle Schneider, Quarterback
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12 at Framingham St.)
 
Miscellaneous:   D3football.com National Play of the Week (Steven Ferreira to Jon Mannix) (Sept. 5 vs. Heidelberg)
 
 
* Cortland and Ithaca rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:
 
CORTLAND:
 
9th, Turnover Margin, plus-1.6/game
9th, Team Passing Efficiency, 174.6 rating
18th, Completion Percentage, 65.8 pct.
25th, Passing Offense, 294.6 yds./game
32nd, Kickoff Returns, 22.5 yds./return
36th, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 45.3 pct.
36th, Sacks, 2.8/game
37th, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.5 yds./catch
 
Mark DelPrete, 10th, Interceptions, 0.7/game
Steven Ferreira, 12th, Points Responsible For, 20.8 pts./game
Steven Ferreira, 14th, Passing Efficiency, 168.9 rating
Dylan Peebles, 16th, Kickoff Returns, 27.3 yds./return
Steven Ferreira, 18th, Yards per Pass Attempt, 9.1 yds./attempt
Steven Ferreira, 22nd, Passing Yardage, 283.6 yds./game
Jon Mannix, 24th, Yards per Reception, 21.1 yds./catch
Steven Ferreira, 27th, Total Offense, 295.8 yds./game
Steven Ferreira, 29th, Completion Percentage, 65.2 pct.
Steven Ferreira, 33rd, Completions, 20.4/game
Carson Lassiter, 34th, Passes Defended (INT + breakups), 1.4/game
Jake Ceresna, 36th, Tackles for Loss, 1.6/game
Steven Ferreira, 37th, Passing Yards per Completion, 13.9 yds./completion
 
ITHACA:
 
4th, Kickoff Returns, 26.6 yds./return
23rd, Red Zone Offense, 86.2 pct.
27th, Rushing Defense, 105.4 yds./game
 
Jordan Schemm, 1st, Kickoff Returns, 37.6 yds./return
Max Rottenecker, 18th, Field Goals, 1.0/game
Max Rottenecker, 26th, Field Goal Percentage, 75.0 pct.
Malik Morris, 29th, Passes Defended (INT + Breakups), 1.6/game
Logan Murphy, 36th, Tackles for Loss, 1.6/game

 
SCHEDULES/RESULTS:

CORTLAND (7-2, 5-2 Empire 8)
 
Sept. 5           HEIDELBERG (OH)...............................W 26-24
Sept. 12          at Framingham St. (MA)....................... W 61-49
Sept. 19          * at St. John Fisher................................W 34-17
Sept. 26         * UTICA..................................................W 47-40 (OT)
Oct. 3             * HARTWICK......................................... W 48-45 (OT)
Oct. 10           * at Buffalo St..........................................L 21-29
Oct. 27          * ALFRED............................................... W 20-14
Oct. 24          * BROCKPORT....................................... W 35-21
Oct. 31           * at Morrisville St.................................... L 28-42
Nov. 14          * at Ithaca.............................................. 12:00
 
* Empire 8 game       HOME GAMES IN CAPS

ITHACA (4-5, 2-5 Empire 8)
 
Sept. 5           at Union................................................. W 38-23
Sept. 19          HOBART............................................... W 24-6
Sept. 26         * ALFRED.............................................. W 38-18
Oct. 3             * at Utica................................................ L 27-30 (OT)
Oct. 10           * at Hartwick........................................... W 47-19
Oct. 17           * BROCKPORT...................................... L 17-27
Oct. 24          * at Morrisville St..................................... L 12-24
Oct. 31           * ST. JOHN FISHER.............................. L 0-34
Nov. 7            * Buffalo St. (at Univ. at Buffalo)............. L 3-7
Nov. 14          * CORTLAND......................................... 12:00
 
* Empire 8 game       HOME GAMES IN CAPS

CORTLAND vs. ITHACA - SERIES RECORD
(Ithaca leads overall series 39-31-3 and Cortaca Jug series (1959-present) 34-22)


Year  Winner............................. Score                 Site
1930     Cortland........................ 12-0                    Cortland                                                                                                                                           
1931      Ithaca........................... 12-6                    Ithaca
1932     Tie.................................. 0-0                     Ithaca
1933      Tie................................. 6-6                     Cortland                                                                                                                                           
1934     Ithaca............................. 7-0                     Ithaca
 
1948     Cortland........................ 19-0                    Cortland
1949     Cortland........................ 32-7                    Ithaca
 
1950     Ithaca.............................. 7-6                    Cortland
1951      Ithaca.......................... 13-6                     Ithaca
1952     Cortland........................ 39-6                    Cortland
1953     Cortland........................ 32-0                    Ithaca
1954     Tie................................ 13-13                   Cortland
1955     Cortland........................ 28-0                    Ithaca
1956     Cortland........................ 37-0                    Cortland
1957     Cortland........................ 32-13                  Ithaca
1958     Cortland........................ 16-6                    Cortland
1959     Cortland........................ 13-7                    Ithaca
 
1960     Ithaca............................ 12-6                    Cortland
1961      Ithaca........................... 34-0                    Ithaca
1962     Ithaca............................ 24-12                  Cortland
1963     Ithaca............................ 22-7                    Ithaca
1964     Cortland........................ 16-0                    Cortland
1965     Ithaca............................ 13-12                  Ithaca
1966     Cortland........................ 24-11                  Cortland
1967     Cortland........................ 11-7                    Ithaca
1968     Cortland........................ 34-13                  Cortland
1969     Ithaca............................ 36-28                  Ithaca
 
1970     Cortland.......................... 7-0                    Cortland
1971      Ithaca........................... 21-13                  Ithaca
1972     Cortland........................ 21-16                  Cortland
1973      Ithaca........................... 41-33                  Ithaca
1974     Ithaca............................ 34-33                  Cortland
1975     Ithaca............................ 21-6                    Ithaca
1976     Ithaca............................ 28-12                  Cortland
1977      Ithaca........................... 38-17                  Ithaca
1978     Ithaca............................ 27-13                  Cortland
1979     Ithaca............................ 42-7                    Ithaca

1980     Ithaca............................ 24-7                    Cortland
1981      Ithaca........................... 42-0                    Ithaca
1982     Cortland........................ 21-17                  Cortland
1983     Ithaca............................ 49-26                  Ithaca
1984     Ithaca............................ 42-6                    Cortland
1985     Ithaca............................ 41-0                    Ithaca
1986     Ithaca............................ 40-12                  Cortland
1987     Ithaca............................ 37-15                  Ithaca
1988     Cortland........................ 21-20                  Cortland
1988     # Ithaca......................... 24-17                  Ithaca
1989     Ithaca............................ 28-0                    Ithaca
 
1990     Ithaca............................ 28-14                  Cortland
1991      Ithaca........................... 23-14                  Ithaca
1992     Cortland........................ 22-20                  Cortland
1993     Ithaca............................ 32-14                  Ithaca
1994     Ithaca........................... 15-13                   Cortland
1995     Ithaca............................ 35-19                  Ithaca
1996     Cortland........................ 41-13                  Cortland
1997     Cortland........................ 33-28                  Ithaca
1998     Ithaca............................ 37-29                  Cortland
1999     Cortland........................ 26-21                  Ithaca
 
2000    Ithaca............................ 19-14                   Cortland
2001     Ithaca............................ 21-14                  Ithaca
2002    Cortland........................ 16-12                   Cortland
2003    Cortland........................ 16-15                   Ithaca
2004    Ithaca............................ 47-22                   Cortland
2005    Cortland........................ 37-30 (OT)           Ithaca
2006    Cortland........................ 23-20 (OT)           Cortland
2007    Ithaca............................ 40-17                   Ithaca
2008    Ithaca............................ 35-13                   Cortland
2009    Ithaca............................ 23-20                   Ithaca
 
2010     Cortland....................... 20-17                   Cortland
2011      Cortland...................... 27-3                     Ithaca
2012     Cortland...................... 16-10                    Cortland
2013     Cortland...................... 28-24                    Ithaca
2014     Cortland...................... 23-20                    Cortland
 
# NCAA quarterfinals