THE MATCHUP: Cortland, ranked 18th nationally in Division III by the AFCA and 19th by D3football.com, hosts Brockport in an early but crucial Empire 8 matchup. The teams were Empire 8 co-champions in 2019, with Brockport earning the league's NCAA automatic bid by virtue of its overtime win in Cortland. Both teams won their league openers on the road last weekend.
 
THE SERIES: Cortland and Brockport are meeting for the 72nd time. The teams have played every season since 1948, except for the 1950 season (the 2020 season was canceled). Cortland leads the overall series 49-20-2, but Brockport has won six of the last seven meetings after Cortland won five straight from 2008-12.
 
In 2019 at Cortland, Brockport quarterback Jason Hellwig ran for the winning 11-yard touchdown in the first overtime to complete Brockport's comeback from a 23-0 first-half deficit as the Golden Eagles defeated the Red Dragons, 32-26. Brockport tied the game on Jala Coad's 32-yard TD run with 4:37 left in regulation, but Cortland's Travis Alvarez blocked the extra point to keep the score tied. Each team had scoring chances after that come up short. Cortland was sacked in Brockport territory with less than three minutes left, the Golden Eagles missed a 32-yard field goal with 1:09 left, and Cortland drove to the Brockport 36-yard line before having a pass intercepted.
 
Brett Segala was 20-of-36 passing for 293 yards, including two TD passes to Jason Carlock. Gregory Alfieri and Dylan Dubuque each recorded 11 tackles, with one of Dubuque's stops resulting in a safety. Liam Casey averaged 41.2 yards per punt, including a 71-yarder, tied for the third longest at Cortland since 1963. Coad rushed for 210 yards and two scores and Alaan Montgomery made eight tackles for Brockport.
 
CORTLAND CAPSULE:  Cortland opened its Empire 8 schedule with a 58-7 win at Morrisville State last Saturday. The Red Dragons, now 4-0 on the season, scored on each of their first eight possessions and finished with a 518-83 advantage in total offensive yardage. Brees Segala completed 17-of-25 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns before being replaced early in the third quarter. Cortland rushed for 309 yards, led by Jaden Alfanostjohn with 77 yards and two scores on just eight carries and Dom Gombetto with 76 yards and a TD on 17 attempts. Derek Cruz, JJ Laap, Trevor Ash and Ky'Sawn Veale each caught TD passes, with Veale's coming from backup quarterback Zac Boyes.
 
Cortland held a 40:31-19:29 time of possession advantage and limited the Mustangs to four first downs. Will Ruckert and Dylan Dubuque each made four tackles and Mark Noel returned an interception 39 yards to help set up a score.
 
Through four games, Segala has completed 73-of-105 passes (69.5 percent) for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns with just one interception. Laap leads the team with 23 receptions for 390 yards and four touchdowns and Cruz has caught 20 passes for 197 yards and two scores. Ash shares the team lead with Laap with four TD receptions. Justin Wheeler paces the defense with 25 tackles, followed by Paul Imperiale with 16. Nick Lardaro has registered 3.5 sacks and Christian Legagneur has two interceptions. Liam Casey averages 39.2 yards per punt, with seven of his 12 kicks pinning teams inside the 20, and Nick Guglielmo is 20-of-22 on PAT kicks and has made both of his field goals.
 
Curt Fitzpatrick was named Cortland's head coach in February 2020, but the 2021 season is his first on the field for the Red Dragons after the 2020 season was canceled. Fitzpatrick previously served as head coach at Empire 8 foe Morrisville State for seven seasons from 2013-19 and guided the Mustangs to four winning seasons (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019), including one conference championship title and three postseason ECAC bowl appearances. In 2014, Morrisville finished with a 9-2 mark, claimed a share of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) crown with a 6-1 league mark, and earned a berth to the ECAC North Central Bowl, where they captured the college's first postseason championship title as an NCAA Division III member. Fitzpatrick was voted the NJAC Co-Coach of the Year by his peers and was named the D3football.com East Region Coach of the Year.
 
Fitzpatrick served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Utica College from 2008-12. He graduated from St. John Fisher College in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in management. A standout quarterback for the Cardinals, Fitzpatrick served as a team captain and was a four-year letterman. In his final season, he earned Empire 8 all-conference honors and set school passing records in touchdowns (30) and yards (2,366) while leading the program to a 10-2 overall record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. He returned to his hometown of Fulton, N.Y., to coach quarterbacks and wide receivers at Fulton High School in 2005, and served as quarterbacks coach at St. John Fisher for two seasons from 2006-07. During those two years the Cardinals went a combined 23-4, won two Empire 8 crowns, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals (2006) and quarterfinals (2007).
 
A LOOK AT...SUNY BROCKPORT:  Brockport improved to 3-1 with a 34-7 win at St. John Fisher last Saturday for its fourth straight victory in the annual Courage Bowl between the schools. The rivalry game, which originated in 2005, benefits Camp Good Days and Special Times, an organization that has served children with cancer and their families for more than four decades.
 
Jala Coad earned Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing 45 times for 240 yards and three touchdowns. In the process, he eclipsed the career 2,000-yard rushing mark; he's currently at 2,106 career yards with 22 touchdowns. Imhotep Cromer caught seven passes for 88 yards and Jack Cheshire completed 13-of-27 passes for 127 yards. The Brockport defense limited the Cardinals to minus-2 rushing yards and 171 yards of total offense. Ben Damiani made eight tackles and Andrew Covais recorded seven stops. Alaan Montgomery intercepted two passes, while Lawrence Jenkins made three tackles and returned an interception 72 yards for a score to earn Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
 
Coad is averaging 139.3 rushing yards per game with six touchdowns. He averages more than 28 rushing attempts per game. Cromer leads the Golden Eagles with 34 catches for 388 yards and Cheshire is 77-of-145 (53.1 percent) through the air for 697 yards and three scores. Damiani and Josh Greenwood lead Brockport with 25 and 23 tackles, respectively. Greenwood has registered a team-best two sacks and Montgomery has picked off three passes. Nate Wigent is 4-for-5 on field goal attempts, with a long kick of 43 yards, and has made 9-of-10 PAT kicks.
 
Jason Mangone is in his ninth season as Brockport's head coach and enters the game with an overall record of 61-23 (.726). He joined the Golden Eagles' coaching staff in 1998 and was the program's offensive coordinator from 2003 until his promotion to head coach. Brockport won three straight Empire 8 titles from 2017-19. The 2017 squad finished 13-1 overall (10-0 regular season) and advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals. The 2018 squad also went 10-0 in the regular season (11-1 overall) and lost in the NCAA second round, and the 2019 team was 9-3 and advanced to the NCAA second round.
 
Mangone was named the 2017 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III National and East Region Coach of the Year, and he and his assistants were named Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year three straight years from 2017-19. He also led Brockport to ECAC bowls in 2013 and 2016. Mangone played two years at Alfred University before transferring to Brockport in 1997. He became the starting quarterback in 1997 and also started in 1998, setting season records for completion percentage and efficiency rating in his first season at Brockport. Mangone graduated from Brockport in 2000 and earned a master's degree from the school in 2012.
 
NOTEBOOK:
 
* Brockport and Cortland enter the game as two of the top defensive teams nationally in Division III. Brockport ranks third nationally in total defense, allowing 162.5 yards/game, and is first in rushing defense (21.2 yds./game) and team passing efficiency defense (66.5 opponent rating). The Golden Eagles are 11th nationally in scoring defense (9.2 points/game) and second with 11 interceptions. Similarly, Cortland is ranked sixth in total defense, allowing 183.5 yards/game, 12th in scoring defense (9.5 points/game), 10th in rushing defense (46.8 yds./game) and 14th in passing defense (136.8 yds./game).
 
* Cortland and Brockport are both ranked in the top six nationally in time of possession per game. The Golden Eagles are fourth at 35:35 per game, while Cortland is sixth at 35:03 per game. One of the main reasons for this is each team's ability to stop the opposition on third down. Brockport ranks second nationally in third down conversion percentage defenses at 18.3 percent, while Cortland is fourth at 19.1 percent.
 
* Cortland is averaging 50.8 points per game through four games. Cortland's 203 points this season are its highest total through four games since 1991, when the Red Dragons scored 204 points over its first four contests. The school record for scoring average in a season is 39.3 points per game in 2018.
 
* Cortland is tied for first nationally in Division III with four defensive touchdowns. Muskingum also has four defensive TDs, while four schools – Alma, Montclair St., Westminster (PA) and William Paterson – have three defensive touchdowns each. Last week at Morrisville marked the first game this season when Cortland's defensive didn't score a touchdown, although the Red Dragons came close when Mark Noel returned an interception 39 yards before being tackled at the 5-yard line. Dylan Dubuque has scored two of Cortland's three defensive touchdowns – a fumble recovery in the end zone at Wittenberg and an 11-yard interception return at TCNJ. Christian Legagneur returned an interception 25 yards for a score at Wittenberg and Stone Murray returned an interception 61 yards for a score versus Buffalo State. The school record for most defensive touchdowns by one player in a season is three by Chuck Eich in 2003.
 
* Cortland has scored on 19 of its 21 trips (90.5 percent) into the red zone (at or inside the opponents' 20-yard line) this season with 16 touchdowns and three field goals. The two Red Dragon red-zone failures were taking a knee at the end of a home win over Buffalo State and a fumble at Morrisville State that resulted in the Mustangs' fumble return for a touchdown. Cortland has allowed its opponents inside the red zone only five times through four games, resulting in three scores (one touchdown, two field goals), an interception and a turnover on downs.
 
* Since 2000, Cortland has opened the season with a 4-0 record five times (2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019). In all five of those seasons, the Red Dragons won the next game to improve to 5-0. In all, Cortland has opened the season 5-0 on 16 occasions (1896, 1899, 1902, 1936, 1948, 1964, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019).
 
* Defensive back Christian Legagneur holds an interesting distinction at Cortland – he is believed to be the first Red Dragon football player to wear the number zero. The NCAA changed its rules in the spring of 2020 to allow zero as an acceptable football uniform number, and the Red Dragons did not play in the fall of 2020.
 
* Cortland has been a member of the Empire 8 conference since 2015. The Red Dragons have been the league co-champion in both 2015 and 2019, earning an NCAA automatic berth in 2015, and they finished second or tied for second in the league in 2017 and 2018. Cortland previously competed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) for 15 seasons from 2000-14 and finished in at least a tie for first place six times. Three current Empire 8 members - Cortland, Brockport and Morrisville State - at one point played in the NJAC and are affiliate members of the E8 in football only. The other league teams - Alfred, Hartwick, St. John Fisher and Utica - are full conference members.
 
* On Sept. 21, it was announced that the 2022 Cortaca Jug rivalry game between Cortland and Ithaca will be played at Yankee Stadium. The teams set the Division III single-game attendance record in 2019 with 45,161 fans at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2021 Cortaca Jug game is scheduled to be held in Cortland Nov. 13.
 
* Cortland and Brockport rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:
 
CORTLAND:

1st, Defensive Touchdowns, 4
3rd, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 62.3 pct.
4th, Third Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 19.1 pct.
5th, Blocked Punts, 2
6th, Time of Possession, 35:03/game
6th, Total Defense, 183.5 yds./game
8th, Scoring Offense, 50.8 pts./game
9th, Completion Percentage, 69.3 pct.
9th, First Downs Allowed, 47
9th, Passes Had Intercepted, 1
10th, Team Passing Efficiency, 186.2 rating
10th, Rushing Defense, 46.8 yds./game
10th, Fumble Recoveries, 6
10th, Net Punting, 38.8 net yds./punt
12th, Scoring Defense, 9.5 pts./game
12th, Turnover Margin, plus-1.8/game
14th, Passing Yards Allowed, 136.8 yds./game
19th, Team Passing Efficiency Defense, 96.6 opponent rating
22nd, Punt Return Defense, 1.3 yds./return
22nd, Tackles for Loss Allowed, 3.8/game
23rd, Sacks, 3.0/game
26th, Total Offense, 451.2 yds./game
28th, Turnovers Gained, 11
29th, Red Zone Offense, 90.5 pct.
31st, Red Zone Defense, 60.0 pct.
31st, Turnovers Lost, 4
37th, Blocked Kicks (all kicks), 2
40th, Passing Offense, 274.8 yds./game
 
Justin Wheeler, 10th, Forced Fumbles, 0.5/game
Brees Segala, 12th, Completion Percentage, 69.5 pct.
Brees Segala, 13th, Points Responsible For, 21.0 pts./game
Brees Segala, 14th, Passing Efficiency, 183.2 rating
Brees Segala, 21st, Passing Touchdowns, 12
Brees Segala, 22nd, Yards per Pass Attempt, 9.3 yds./attempt
 
BROCKPORT:

1st, Rushing Defense, 21.2 yds./game
1st, Team Passing Efficiency Defense, 66.5 opponent rating
2nd, Third Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 18.3 pct.
2nd, First Downs Allowed, 32
2nd, Interceptions, 11
3rd, Total Defense, 162.5 yds./game
4th, Team Tackles for Loss, 9.8/game
4th, Time of Possession, 35:35/game
7th, Defensive Touchdowns, 2
7th, Turnovers Gained, 14
11th, Scoring Defense, 9.2 pts./game
14th, Red Zone Defense, 50.0 pct.
16th, Fourth Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 16.7 pct.
17th, Passing Yards Allowed, 141.2 yds./game
19th, Blocked Punts, 1
37th, Turnover Margin, plus 1.0/game
40th, Kickoff Return Defense, 15.3 yds./return
 
Imhotep Cromer, 7th, Receptions, 8.5/game
Jala Coad, 9th, Rushing, 139.2 yds./game
Alaan Montgomery, 10th, Interceptions, 0.8/game
Raylens Boutin, 13th, Passes Defended (interceptions + breakups), 1.8/game
Jala Coad, 24th, Rushing Touchdowns, 6
Lawrence Jenkins, 24th, Tackles for Loss, 1.9/game
Nate Wignet, 24th, Field Goal Percentage, 80.0 pct.
Nate Wignet, 25th, Field Goals, 1.0/game
Jala Coad, 27th, Scoring, 10.5 pts./game
Jala Coad, 30th, Touchdowns, 7
Jala Coad, 35th, All-Purpose Yardage, 143.8 yds./game
 
2021 Cortland Weekly Award Winners (game date/opponent in parentheses)
 
Joshua Cordero, Defensive Back
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 18 vs. Buffalo State)
 
Brees Segala, Quarterback
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 4 at Wittenberg)
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11 at TCNJ)
 
Justin Wheeler, Linebacker
Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 11 at TCNJ)

 
SCHEDULES/RESULTS:

CORTLAND (4-0, 1-0 Empire 8)
 
Sept. 4           at Wittenberg (OH).............................. W 38-16
Sept. 11           at The College of New Jersey.......... W 49-6
Sept. 18          BUFFALO STATE.................................... W 58-9
Oct. 2            * at Morrisville State........................... W 58-7
Oct. 9            * BROCKPORT........................................ 12:00
Oct. 16           * at Hartwick........................................... 1:00
Oct. 23          * UTICA..................................................... 1:00
Oct. 30          * ALFRED................................................... 1:00
Nov. 6            * at St. John Fisher................................ 1:00
Nov. 13           ITHACA..................................................... 12:00
 
* Empire 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS
 
BROCKPORT (3-1, 1-0 Empire 8)
 
Sept. 4           at Framingham St. (MA)....................... W 31-0
Sept. 11           ITHACA..................................................... L 8-23
Sept. 18          ROCHESTER............................................ W 16-7
Oct. 2            * at St. John Fisher................................ W 34-7
Oct. 9            * at Cortland........................................... 12:00
Oct. 16           * UTICA..................................................... 6:00
Oct. 23          * HARTWICK............................................ 1:00
Oct. 30          at Buffalo St. ......................................... 12:00
Nov. 6            * at Morrisville St. ................................ 2:00
Nov. 13           * ALFRED................................................... 12:00
 
* Empire 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

CORTLAND vs. BROCKPORT – SERIES RECORD
(Cortland leads 49-20-2)

Year                Winner                  Score             Site
1948                Cortland                19-6                Cortland
1949                Cortland                27-6                Brockport

1951                Cortland                35-13              Cortland
1952                Cortland                45-6                Brockport
1953                Cortland                62-0                Cortland
1954                Tie                        12-12              Brockport
1955                Cortland                32-0                Cortland
1956                Cortland                45-0                Brockport
1957                Tie                         0-0                 Cortland
1958                Cortland                20-6                Brockport
1959                Brockport              19-6                Cortland

1960                Cortland                22-0                Brockport
1961                Cortland                39-0                Cortland
1962                Cortland                13-6                Brockport
1963                Cortland                49-0                Cortland
1964                Cortland                54-8                Brockport
1965                Cortland                26-0                Cortland
1966                Cortland                59-6                Brockport
1967                Brockport              27-20              Cortland
1968                Cortland                7-6                  Brockport
1969                Cortland                73-6                Cortland

1970                Cortland                28-0                Brockport
1971                Cortland                20-7                Cortland
1972                Cortland                19-7                Brockport
1973                Cortland                23-6                Cortland
1974                Cortland                28-7                Brockport
1975                Cortland                56-0                Cortland
1976                Cortland                24-0                Brockport
1977                Cortland                28-0                Cortland
1978                Cortland                20-15              Brockport
1979                Brockport              25-13              Cortland

1980                Brockport              41-26              Brockport
1981                Cortland                24-3                Cortland
1982                Cortland                45-20              Brockport
1983                Cortland                17-13              Cortland
1984                Cortland                42-21              Brockport
1985                Cortland                41-6                Cortland
1986                Cortland                21-16              Brockport
1987                Cortland                14-10              Cortland
1988                Cortland                28-13              Brockport
1989                Cortland                49-0                Cortland

1990                Cortland                31-7                Brockport
1991                Cortland                52-14              Cortland
1992                Cortland                62-12              Brockport
1993                Brockport              26-14              Brockport
1994                Cortland                20-14              Cortland
1995                Cortland                21-13              Brockport
1996                Brockport              23-16              Cortland
1997                Brockport              30-28              Brockport
1998                Brockport              28-27              Cortland
1999                Brockport              28-24              Brockport

2000                Brockport              14-0                Cortland
2001                Brockport              17-14              Brockport
2002                Cortland                21-12              Cortland
2003                Brockport              28-14              Brockport
2004                Brockport              42-26              Cortland
2005                Cortland                20-10              Brockport
2006                Cortland                17-10              Cortland
2007                Brockport              28-14              Brockport
2008                Cortland                42-30              Cortland
2009                Cortland                56-42              Brockport

2010                Cortland                35-0                Cortland
2011                Cortland                64-43              Brockport
2012                Cortland                45-27              Cortland
2013                Brockport              49-32              Brockport
2014                Brockport              17-14              Cortland
2015                Cortland                35-21              Cortland
2016                Brockport               21-19             Brockport
2017                Brockport               52-38             Cortland
2018                Brockport               21-16             Brockport
2019                Brockport               32-26 (OT)     Cortland