SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
Cortland Red Dragons (9-2) vs. Linfield College Wildcats (10-0)
NCAA Div. III Tournament - Second Round
Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015; Noon (PT) (3 p.m. Eastern); Maxwell Field; McMinnville, Ore.

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

Ticket Information Link
(online sales will be from Wednesday noon (PT) through Friday noon (PT) at the link above)

NCAA Interactive Bracket

Follow the game online:
Live Stats
Video (Linfield video, with audio from radio broadcast)
Audio (Linfield radio)

 
THE MATCHUP: Cortland travels more than 2,800 miles to the West Coast as the nationally 25th-ranked Red Dragons will face second-ranked Linfield College of Oregon in the NCAA Division III tournament second round. One of 16 teams remaining in the tournament, Empire 8 champion Cortland (9-2) is coming off a 45-21 home win over 21st-ranked Salisbury in the first round last Saturday. Linfield (10-0), the Northwest Conference champion and a perennial national power, opened NCAA play last weekend with a 48-10 win over 22nd-ranked Whitworth (Wash.). The Cortland-Linfield winner will face either Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) or Huntingdon (Ala.) in the third round December 5 at a campus site to be announced.
 

THE SERIES: Cortland and Linfield are playing for the first time. In fact, Saturday's game will be the first time in Cortland's football history that the Red Dragons face a school from outside the Eastern Time Zone.

 
CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland is making its ninth NCAA playoff appearance overall and fourth since 2008. The Red Dragons are looking to advance to the national quarterfinals for the third time in school history. Cortland won a game versus Hofstra in a 16-team playoff field in 1988 and beat Plymouth State and Curry in the first two rounds of a 32-team tournament in 2008 before both times losing in the quarterfinals at the eventual national champ (Ithaca in 1988, Mount Union in 2008).
 
Cortland has now won its first-round NCAA game in each of its last four playoff showings. The Red Dragons beat Endicott before losing to Alfred in 2010 and they beat Framingham State before falling at Wesley in 2012, in addition to their first-round wins in 2008 and this year.
 
In last weekend's 45-21 win over Salisbury, Steven Ferreira completed 23-of-29 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 58 yards and two scores. Ferreira's passing yardage is the second-highest single-game total in school history, and the most ever by a Red Dragon in a postseason game.
 
Jake Smith caught six passes for 134 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown, Nick Wagner made six catches for 122 yards and a score, and Jon Mannix finished with five receptions for 66 yards and a TD. Donny Davis carried 18 times for 60 yards and a TD. Devonte Davis led the defense with nine tackles, three for losses, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Jake Ceresna also had nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Carson Lassiter and Isaac Hicks each made seven tackles. Lassiter also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and Joe Loyacono forced two fumbles and registered six tackles, three for losses.
 
Ferreira is 204-of-304 passing (67.1 percent) for 2,895 yards and 26 touchdowns with only two interceptions in 10 games. Wagner leads the team with 51 receptions, which have gone for 731 yards and five touchdowns. Ferreira and Wagner are both transfers to Cortland this season from Division I FCS Stony Brook University. Mannix has caught 49 passes for team highs of 944 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Smith has 40 receptions for 718 yards and seven scores.
 
Ferreira leads the Red Dragons with seven rushing touchdowns, followed by Dylan Peebles with six and Donny Davis with five. Peebles has rushed for 544 yards and Davis has 534 rushing yards.
 
Lassiter sits atop the team's leaderboard with 93 tackles, 61 solo, and 13 passes defended (10 breakups, three interceptions). Matt Ambrose has 84 tackles, while Ceresna paces the squad with 7.5 sacks and 16 total tackles for loss. Mark DelPrete has intercepted five passes, while Loyacono and Devonte Davis have each forced three fumbles.
 
Matt Green averages 35.9 yards per punt. He's pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 16 times with only six touchbacks. Green also averages 57.3 yards per kickoff with 14 touchbacks. Shane Cronin is 6-of-11 on field-goal attempts, with a long of 38 yards.
 
Head coach Dan MacNeill is in his 19th season with the Red Dragons. His overall record of 128-68 (.653) 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 six NCAA playoff appearances (1997, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015) and seven 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 (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...LINFIELD COLLEGE: Linfield is making its 12th NCAA playoff appearance in the last 16 years, and including the NAIA playoffs the Wildcats are playing in the postseason for the 27th time. Last fall, Linfield won three NCAA playoff games, including road games at Mary Hardin-Baylor and Widener, before losing 20-14 in the national semifinals at eventual national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater. Linfield won the 2004 NCAA Div. III title and is the national champion other than Wisconsin-Whitewater or Mount Union.
 
Ranked second nationally, Linfield finished the regular season 9-0 and outscored opponents 481-61. The Wildcats continued that dominance in the NCAA opening round with a 48-10 win over Whitworth, which is a member of the Northwest Conference along with Linfield.
 
Linfield ranks second nationally in Div. III in total defense (190.7 yds./game), scoring defense (7.1 points/game) and passing defense (122.0 yds./game), fourth in rushing defense (68.7 yds./game), and first in passing efficiency defense (78.1 opponent rating). The Wildcats also ranks third nationally in scoring offense (52.9 points/game) and 15th in total offense (503.6 yds./game).
 
Spencer Payne has rushed for 959 yards and eight touchdowns, and he ranks sixth nationally with 7.4 yards per rush. Sam Riddle is 136-of-234 through the air for 2,087 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions, with Erick Douglas (28 receptions, 458 yds., 2 TD) and Payne (27 receptions, 417 yds., 4 TD) his top targets. Jason Farlow and Eli Biondine lead a balanced defensive attack with 42 tackles each, followed by Alex Hoff with 41 stops. Hoff is the Wildcats' leader with 18 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks.
 
Kennedy Johnson is one of the nation's top punt returners at 16.9 yards per return with three touchdowns. In all, the Wildcats have five punt returns for TDs (one on a blocked punt). Michael Metter is 68-of-70 on PAT kicks and 11-of-19 on field goal attempts for 101 points. His long field goal is 47 yards, and four of his eight field goal misses have come from 46 yards or longer.
 
Joseph Smith is in his 10th year as Linfield's head coach and offensive coordinator, and in all has spent more than 25 years as either a player or coach at the school. Smith sports a head coaching record of 92-17 (.844), including a 12-1 campaign in 2009 and 11-win seasons three straight years from 2012-14 in addition to this year's 10-0 start. His 13 years as an assistant coach at Linfield included seven years as defensive coordinator (1999-2005). A four-year starting cornerback, he was a second-team NAIA All-American in 1992 and graduated from the College in 1993.

 
NOTEBOOK:
 
* Quarterback Steven Ferreira currently has a passing efficiency rating of 174.0. 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 304 pass attempts, and he has thrown at least one TD pass in all 10 of his games (with at least two TD passes nine times). His 26 TD passes are second on Cortland's single-season charts behind Pitcher's 31 TD passes in 2011.
 
* Steven Ferreira set a school regular-season record with 2,448 passing yards despite missing one game due to injury. His 2,895 passing yards in all games this season is 68 shy of matching the school record of 2,963 set by Ray Miles in 13 games during the 2008 season. He has also set a school single-season record for total offense with 3,080 combined passing and rushing yardage. The previous mark of 2,951 yards was set by Dan Pitcher in 2011. Ferreira is also the first Cortland QB to record five 300-yard passing games in one season (373 vs. Utica, 377 at Buffalo St., 314 vs. Brockport, 327 at Morrisville 447 vs. Salisbury). Miles had three 300-yard passing games in 2008.
 
* Junior wide receiver Jon Mannix enters Saturday's game with 124 career receptions. He is tied for eighth in school history with Greg Sirico (1987-90), is two behind seventh-place Brian Babst (126 from 1999-2001) and six behind sixth-place Matt Shell (130 from 1988-91). Mannix is 46 behind the school record of 170 held by both John Babin and Steve Ellis with one year of eligibility remaining. 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 49 receptions this season.
 
* Jon Mannix has caught 10 TD passes this season, marking only the fourth time a Cortland player has hit that number in a season. John Babin caught 16 TD passes in 2011 and 13 in 2013, and Eric Hajnos made 10 TD catches in 2009. Mannix is also 56 yards away from becoming the fifth player to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season, and he ranks eighth at Cortland with 1,627 career receiving yards, and his six 100-yard receiving games are one short of the single-season record of seven set by Babin in 2013.
 
* Senior linebackers Troy Beddoe and Matt Ambrose and junior safety Carson Lassiter have all eclipsed the career 200-tackle mark this season. Beddoe has 258 tackles in 43 career games, Ambrose has made 257 stops in 36 games, and Lassiter has made 211 tackles in 32 games. Lassiter leads the Red Dragons this fall with 93 tackles, seven away from becoming the first Cortland player since Cody Allen in 2010 (105 tackles) to reach the century mark.
 
* Four players in Cortland's current 2-deep - linebackers Troy Beddoe and Matt Ambrose, wide receiver Nate Burgo, and offensive guard Vin Juliano - were also on the 2-deep during the Red Dragons' last NCAA playoff appearance in 2012. In the Red Dragons' two playoff games that year, Beddoe and Juliano each started, Ambrose played off the bench, and Burgo was on the 2-deep but did not see game action. Beddoe, Burgo and Juliano are three of Cortland's four captains this season along with Devonte Davis, who also played in both 2012 NCAA games but was not on the 2-deep.
 
* Cortland is plus-18 on turnover margin this season and rank fifth nationally in Div. III with a plus-1.6 turnover margin per game. The Red Dragons have forced 28 turnovers and have lost the ball only 10 times.
 
* Through 11 games, Cortland has gained 50 or more yards on 15 plays (nine passes, four kick returns, two interceptions) and 30 or more yards on 45 plays (31 passes, four rushes, seven 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).
 
* As a team, Cortland has set a school single-season record with 3,277 passing yards (2,895 by Steven Ferreira and 382 by Kyle Schneider). The previous school mark was 3,102 yards in 13 games during the 2008 season.
 
* Dylan Peebles ranks 22nd nationally in Div. III in kickoff returns at 26.4 yards per return, including a 97-yard TD at Framingham State. Last year, Peebles was named a D3football.com First Team All-America kickoff returner after leading the nation with 34.9 yards per return and three touchdowns. In his three seasons at Cortland after transferring from Division I FCS Campbell University, Peebles has returned 60 kickoffs for 1,870 yards (31.2 yards per return) with a school-record five touchdowns, and he has amassed 3,821 all-purpose yards (1,688 rushing, 263 receiving, 1,870 kickoff return).
 
* Cortland punter and kickoff specialist Matt Green been a part of two Division I FBS programs prior to transferring to Cortland for his senior season this fall. Green was originally recruited by Oklahoma State University, where he redshirted in 2011 and did not play in 2012. He transferred to Ohio University and appeared in six games (4-of-9 field goals, 42.1 yards per punt on 14 punts) in 2013.
 
* Six of Cortland's eight 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 wrapped the regular season with an 11-8 win at Ithaca in which it stopped a final Ithaca drive on downs with 52 seconds left.
 
* Cortland has allowed opponents to score touchdowns on their first possession of the game seven times this fall, but the Red Dragons have won all of those games. Six of those teams (Heidelberg, St. John Fisher, Utica, Hartwick, Brockport and Salisbury) took the lead with those scores. Framingham State scored a TD on its first possession to tie the game at 7-7.
 
* Cortland 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.
 

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)
 
Matt Green, Punter
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 14 at Ithaca)
 
Carson Lassiter, Safety
Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 5 vs. Heidelberg)
Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 14 at Ithaca)
 
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 Linfield rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:
 
CORTLAND:
 
5th, Turnover Margin, plus-1.6/game
6th, Team Passing Efficiency, 178.4 rating
7th, Completion Percentage, 67.5 pct.
19th, Passing Offense, 297.9 yds./game
28th, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.6 yds./catch
33rd, Kickoff Returns, 22.3 yds./return
34th, Sacks, 2.8/game
40th, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 44.0 pct.
 
Steven Ferreira, 8th, Passing Efficiency, 174.0 rating
Steven Ferreira, 11th, Yards per Pass Attempt, 9.5 yds./attempt
Steven Ferreira, 13th, Completion Percentage, 67.1 pct.
Steven Ferreira, 14th, Points Responsible For, 20.2 pts./game
Steven Ferreira, 16th, Passing Yards, 289.5 yds./game
Steven Ferreira, 18th, Total Offense, 308.0 yds./game
Dylan Peebles, 22nd, Kickoff Returns, 26.4 yds./return
Mark DelPrete, 23rd, Interceptions, 0.6/game
Steven Ferreira, 29th, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.2 yds./completion
Steven Ferreira, 35th, Completions, 20.4/game
Jon Mannix, 38th, Yards per Reception, 19.3 yds./catch
 
LINFIELD:
 
1st, Team Passing Efficiency Defense, 78.1 opponent rating
2nd, Total Defense, 190.7 yds./game
2nd, Scoring Defense, 7.1 pts./game
2nd, Passing Yards Allowed, 122.0 yds./game
3rd, Scoring Offense, 52.9 pts./game
4th, Rushing Defense, 68.7 yds./game
5th, Team Passing Efficiency, 179.7 rating
5th, Team Tackles for Loss, 9.9/game
6th, Third Down Conversion Defense, 24.4 pct.
6th, Sacks, 4.0/game
8th, Passing Yards per Completion, 16.8 yds./completion
8th, Red Zone Defense, 58.3 pct.
15th, Total Offense, 503.6 yds./game
16th, Sacks Allowed, 0.9/game
26th, Fourth Down Conversion Percentage, 63.2 pct.
26th, Turnover Margin, plus-1.0/game
27th, Punt Returns, 13.7 yds./return
28th, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 45.5 pct.
32nd, Passing Offense, 280.4 yds./game
34th, Punt Return Defense, 4.3 yds./return
 
Kennedy Johnson, 6th, Punt Returns, 16.9 yds./return
Spencer Payne, 6th, Rushing Yards per Carry, 7.4 yds./carry
Sam Riddle, 8th, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.4 yds./completion
Sam Riddle, 15th, Passing Efficiency, 166.9 rating
Michael Metter, 15th, Field Goals, 1.1/game
Alex Hoff, 15th, Tackles for Loss, 1.8/game
Sam Riddle, 17th, Yards per Pass Attempt, 8.9 yds./attempt
Sam Riddle, 20th, Point Responsible For, 19.2 pts./game
Alex Hoff, 24th, Sacks, 1.0/game
Michael Metter, 30th, Scoring, 10.1 pts./game


SCHEDULES/RESULTS:

CORTLAND (9-2 overall, 6-2 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.............................................. W 11-8
Nov. 21          # SALISBURY (MD)................................W 45-21
Nov. 28          # at Linfield (OR).....................................12:00 (PT)

* Empire 8 game    # NCAA Div. III Tournament      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

LINFIELD (10-0 overall, 7-0 Northwest Conference)
 
Sept. 12         CHAPMAN (CA).................................... W 52-14
Sept. 19         REDLANDS (CA)................................... W 44-7
Oct. 3             * at Lewis and Clark (OR)...................... W 73-0
Oct. 10           * PACIFIC (OR)...................................... W 77-10
Oct. 17           * at Willamette (OR)............................... W 49-7
Oct. 24           * WHITWORTH (WA)............................. W 52-10
Oct. 31           * at George Fox (OR)............................. W 24-0
Nov. 7             * PUGET SOUND (WA)......................... W 72-3
Nov. 14           * at Pacific Lutheran (WA)...................... W 38-10
Nov. 21           # WHITWORTH (WA)............................ W 48-10
Nov. 28           # CORTLAND....................................... 12:00 (PT)
 
* NWC game      # NCAA Div. III Tournament    HOME GAMES IN CAPS