SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
Cortland (3-2, 3-2 NJAC) vs. Western Connecticut St. University (0-5, 0-4 NJAC)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; 1 p.m.; SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex; Cortland, N.Y.
Game broadcast live on WXHC, Homer (101.5 FM and www.wxhc.com)
TICKETS: $6 adults, $5 students with ID (SUNY Cortland students free with ID), Children 12 and under Free

THE MATCHUP: Cortland returns home after a two-game road swing to host Western Connecticut State University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest. The Red Dragons look to rebound after losing 16-7 at Montclair State last Saturday. Western Connecticut searches for its first victory after an 0-5 start, including four league losses.

THE SERIES: Cortland is 8-0 versus Western Connecticut, including wins each of the last five seasons since the Colonials joined the NJAC as a football affiliate member. Cortland won 41-14 in Danbury last season and rallied at home in 2007 for a 27-26 win over the Colonials on a Ray Miles to Eric Hajnos touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining. Cortland's 26-10 win in Danbury in 2004 was the first-ever NJAC game to not include a New Jersey school.

Last season, Andrew Giuliano ran for 131 yards and three touchdowns in Cortland's 41-14 road victory. Miles and Cory Russell also rushed for touchdowns and Joe Lopez returned an interception 46 yards for a score. Jim Smith made a team-high 11 tackles and Colan Shue recorded eight tackles, four for lost yardage. Trailing 20-0, Western Connecticut drew back to within six points on a James Williams 22-yard TD pass to Derrick Way and a Wayne Neal 6-yard TD run. Cortland, however, pulled away over the final 21 minutes.

In Cortland's 49-21 road win in 2006, Alex Smith completed both of his pass attempts and rushed for 18 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown, before suffering a season-ending injury. Cortland and Western Connecticut met three times between 1988 and 1990. In 1988, the Red Dragons won at home, 24-21, as part of a perfect 10-0 regular season. Ted Nagengast kicked the game-winning 35-yard field goal on the final play. In 1989, Cortland won 21-0 under the lights at the Midtown Campus Field. The game was one of an NCAA Division III record-tying six shutouts for the Red Dragons.

CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland was unable to complete a fourth-quarter rally in a 16-7 loss at Montclair State last weekend. The Red Dragons held Montclair without an offensive touchdown and trailed 9-0 before mounting a 21-play, 97-yard drive that ended with a Dom Sair 1-yard TD run with 2:40 left in the game. The Red Dragons got the ball back on their own 7-yard line with 1:30 left, but the hosts intercepted a fourth-down pass and returned it 16 yards for a score.

Hudson Woodward completed 16-of-36 passes for 145 yards, but left with an injury toward the end of Cortland's scoring drive. Alex Smith, appearing in his first game since the 2007 season opener, played in only one series in the third quarter. Freshman Rob Von Bargen took over for Woodward and went 3-for-8 for 22 yards in his first collegiate game. Alexander Grimm, starting in place of injured Eric Hajnos, caught six passes for 28 yards and Anthony Giuliano made five catches for 54 yards.

Senior defensive end Bryan Wiley led the Cortland defense with 12 tackles, five for losses. Sophomore linebacker Cody Allen recorded 11 tackles for the second time this season – the first was in a win over Rowan on Sept. 19 – and sophomore cornerback D.J. Romano registered his team-high third interception of the season and his eighth overall in just two seasons.

Sair leads Cortland with six touchdowns, including four in the Red Dragons' 42-13 win at Buffalo State two weeks ago. Giuliano has 21 catches for 219 yards and Hajnos, who is expected to be back in the lineup, has 19 receptions for 231 yards. Hajnos needs one catch to become the 14th player at Cortland with 100 career receptions.

Wiley's 42 tackles include team highs of 12 total tackles for losses and six sacks. Junior linebacker Will Schroeder has 35 tackles and Allen has made 33 stops.

Head coach Dan MacNeill is in his 13th season with the Red Dragons. His overall record of 83-48 (.634) ranks second in career victories. Carl “Chugger” Davis is the school's victory leader with a 105-67-17 mark between 1932-62 (no games from 1943-45 due to World War II). MacNeill has led Cortland to seven postseason berths – NCAA showings in 1997, 2005 and 2008 and ECAC appearances in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007. His 2008 squad won two NCAA tournament games before losing to eventual champion Mount Union in the quarterfinals, and 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...WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE: Western Connecticut fell behind 21-0 just six minutes into the game and lost to visiting Rowan, 72-14, last Saturday. The Colonials scored both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard pass from Chris Sloat to Jeff Johnston and a Lionell Assie 5-yard run. Tyler DeRosa rushed for 72 yards on seven carries.

James Williams started at quarterback and completed 6-of-16 passes for 46 yards, but also finished with a team-high four catches for 21 yards with Sloat at quarterback. Linebacker Mike Lacaria made a team-high 12 tackles and free safety Vinnie DeAguila recorded seven tackles, six solo.

Western Connecticut is allowing 42.6 points per game through its first five games. The Colonials, however, lost by only seven to current NJAC co-leader Kean at home Sept. 19, and two of their other losses are by eight and 11 points.

Williams has completed 61-of-117 passes (52.1 percent) for 563 yards and two touchdowns. He's also the team's leading rusher with 160 yards on 44 rushes. Wayne Neal has scored a team-high four touchdowns, all on the ground, and Steve Griffin has made 18 catches for 170 yards and a score. Lacaria paces the defense with 36 tackles, 22 solo, while linebacker Mike Perrone and defensive back Javaris Brown have 26 tackles each. Sloat averages 33.2 yards per attempt as the team's punter, with nine of his 29 punts pinning teams inside the 20-yard line.

John Burrell is in his eighth season as WCSU's head coach. He has a combined record of 35-40 (.467). The 1992 Middlebury College graduate served as an assistant coach for the Colonials for six seasons, including four as defensive coordinator, before taking over the head coaching reins in 2002.

NOTEBOOK:

* Through five games, Cortland ranks 11th nationally in Division III with 9.2 tackles for losses per game, 13th in total defense (248.4 yards/game) and 41st in scoring defense (16.8 points/game). Individually, Bryan Wiley is tied for fourth in the nation with 2.4 tackles for losses per game and tied for 13th with 1.2 sacks per game. Kyle Peterson ranks 23rd in Division III with a 39.4 yards per punt average, and D.J. Romano is tied for 33rd with 0.6 interceptions per game.

* Freshman safety Phil Bossman was named the NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week for his performance at Montclair State last Saturday. Bossman, making his second straight start, recorded seven tackles, four solo, and a pass breakup.

* Since joining the NJAC as a football-only member in 2000, Cortland has a combined record of 46-17 (.730) in league play. The Red Dragons are 29-5 (.853) versus NJAC teams since the start of the 2005 season. Brockport and Morrisville joined the NJAC in 2008, Buffalo State became a member in 2006 and Western Connecticut was the second affiliate member, after Cortland, in 2004.

* Cortland looks to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time in five years. In 2004, the Red Dragons opened 0-2 with losses at home to Brockport (42-26) and The College of New Jersey (17-14) before beating Kean (49-17), also at home, during a 5-4 season.

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

Phil Bossman, Fr., Safety
NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week (Oct. 10 at Montclair St.)

Steven Lenhart, Fr., Safety
NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week (Sept. 19 vs. Rowan)

Kyle Peterson, Sr., Punter
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 26 vs. Kean)

Dan Pitcher, Jr., Quarterback
NJAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12 vs. Morrisville)
ECAC Southeast Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12 vs. Morrisville)

Bobby Somerville, Jr., Linebacker
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Oct. 3 at Buffalo St.)

Bryan Wiley, Sr., Defensive End
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 19 vs. Rowan)

Evan Wyler, Sr., Defensive End
NJAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12 vs. Morrisville)
ECAC Southeast Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12 vs. Morrisville)


SCHEDULES/RESULTS:

CORTLAND (3-2, 3-2 NJAC)

Sept. 12  * MORRISVILLE ST.           W 26-17
Sept. 19  * ROWAN (NJ)                   W 24-14
Sept. 26  * KEAN (NJ)                       L 10-24
Oct. 3      * at Buffalo St.                  W 42-13
Oct. 10    * at Montclair St. (NJ)         L 7-16
Oct. 17    * WESTERN CONN. ST.        1:00
Oct. 24    * at William Paterson (NJ)    1:00
Oct. 31    * THE COLLEGE of N.J.         1:00
Nov. 7     * at Brockport                     1:00
Nov. 14    at Ithaca                            12:00

* NJAC game (HOME GAMES IN CAPS)


WESTERN CONNECTICUT ST. (0-5, 0-4 NJAC)

Sept. 12    at Albright (PA)                   L 7-48
Sept. 19    * KEAN (NJ)                        L 24-31
Sept. 26    * at Buffalo St.                    L 26-37
Oct. 3        * MORRISVILLE ST.             L 17-25
Oct. 10      * ROWAN (NJ)                     L 14-72
Oct. 17      * at Cortland                       1:00
Oct. 24      * BROCKPORT                     12:00
Oct. 31      * at Montclair St. (NJ)          6:00
Nov. 7        * at College of N.J.              12:00
Nov. 14      * WILLIAM PATERSON (NJ)   12:00

* NJAC game (HOME GAMES IN CAPS)


CORTLAND vs. WESTERN CONN. ST. – SERIES RECORD
(Cortland leads 8-0)

Year    Winner    Score     Site
1988    Cortland    24-21    Cortland
1989    Cortland    21-0      West Conn
1990    Cortland    45-14    Cortland
2004    Cortland    26-10    West Conn
2005    Cortland    26-7      Cortland
2006    Cortland    49-21    West Conn
2007    Cortland    27-26    Cortland
2008    Cortland    41-14    West Conn


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