CORTLAND, N.Y. - Senior tailback Andrew Giuliano (Thornwood/Westlake) rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns as Cortland, ranked 12th nationally by the AFCA and 15th by D3football.com, improved to 4-0 with a 35-14 win over Buffalo State. The Red Dragons are also 4-0 and in first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference with the victory.

Cortland's other touchdowns came on senior Zacc Guaragno's (Lansing) 20-yard reception, a 17-yard run by sophomore Cory Russell (LaFayette) and a fumble recovery in the end zone by senior offensive tackle Justin Kindt (Depew).

Senior wide receiver Greg Meyer (Lancaster) led Buffalo State (0-4, 0-3 NJAC) with 10 receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns. He gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead on a 32-yard reception from sophomore Jeremy Mountain (Cheektowaga/Maryville) with 8:55 left in the second quarter and added a 19-yard scoring reception from freshman Kenny Murphy (Lancaster) with 7:20 remaining in the game.

Cortland finished with a 307-258 advantage in total offensive yardage, including a 154-67 margin on the ground. Junior defensive end Bryan Wiley (Cape Vincent/Thousand Islands) led the Red Dragons with nine tackles, including 3.5 for lost yardage. Graduate student Mark Schaller (Rochester/Greece Athena), making his first start at strong safety this season, finished with eight tackles and a pass breakup. Freshman cornerback D.J. Romano (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy), who came in the game early for injured starter David Landesberg (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury), recorded an interception, two pass breakups and two solo tackles.

Buffalo State senior linebacker Matt Pacana (North Tonawanda) registered a game-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble. Junior linebacker Jermaine Rose (Niagara Falls) finished with 11 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and junior nose guard Joe Perez (Corning/Corning West) had 2.5 sacks among his nine total tackles.

After a scoreless first quarter, the visiting Bengals started their first possession of the second quarter on their own 31-yard line and drove 69 yards in seven plays, capped by Mountain's 32-yard pass to Meyer down the right sideline. Cortland responded, however, with a 6-play, 53-yard drive after Derrick Woodard's (Whitesboro) 35-yard kickoff return put the Red Dragons on the Cortland 47-yard line. Guaragno caught a ball in the left flat on 3rd-and-6 from the Buffalo State 20-yard iine, spun around a defender and raced in for the tying score.

A personal foul penalty on Buffalo State's next possession pinned the Bengals inside their own 10-yard line and, following a punt, Cortland took over on the Bengals' 45-yard line. Giuliano carried the ball on five of the next six plays, starting with an 18-yard run and ending with a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:22 left in the half.

Cortland's next scoring drive started with 1:06 left in the third quarter and covered 61 yards in seven plays. A 21-yard Guaragno reception moved the ball to the 1-yard line and Giuliano barged in on the next play to put the Red Dragons up 21-7.

A Wiley third-down sack on the next Buffalo State drive pushed the Bengals to their own 2-yard line and Woodard's 11-yard punt return let Cortland set up shop at the Buffalo State 27-yard line. Russell fumbled on second down, but Woodard alertly fell on the loose ball at the 17-yard line, and on the next play Russell ran in from 17 yards out to give Cortland a 28-7 lead.

Murphy led Buffalo State's final scoring drive, a 7-play, 72-yard march capped by a 19-yard post pass to Meyer, and the Bengals trailed 28-14 with 7:20 left. Cortland's final score came with 1:29 left when Giuliano ran from the Buffalo State 10-yard line toward the goal line, but fumbled before getting in. Kindt fell on the ball for his first touchdown as a Red Dragon.

Cortland will host Montclair State in a battle of unbeaten teams next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Red Hawks will enter the game with a 4-0 overall record and 3-0 NJAC mark after rallying today past William Paterson, 14-13.

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