SUNY Cortland Athletics

PHOTO: Jon Mannix (#7) catches the winning TD pass after Cortland botched a potential game-tying field goal attempt (photo by Darl Zehr Photography)


By Fran Elia, Cortland Sports Information Director

The 2019 Cortaca Jug rivalry game between Cortland and Ithaca College will be played Nov. 16 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with the schools hoping to break the Division III football attendance record of 37,355 set by Minnesota schools St. Thomas and St. John’s at Target Field in Minneapolis in September 2017. Advance ticket sales for the game have currently surpassed 42,000.

General Ticket Sales Web Site
Cortland’s 2019 Cortaca Jug Info Page
Ithaca’s 2019 Cortaca Central Info Page

Each game week as the big event nears we’ll be taking a look back at some of the top Cortland memories from past Cortaca Jug games.

Flashbacks from the entire series:
1988 Red Dragons Win "Upstate NY Game of the Century"
Botched Field Goal Turns Into Cortaca Jug’s Most Memorable Play in 2014 Red Dragon Victory
Red Dragons Beat Undefeated and Defending National Champ Bombers in Wild 1992 Contest
Cortland Wins Thriller at Ithaca in 1997 for First Road Win vs. Bombers in 30 Years
Cortland Pulls Off Two of Cortaca’s Largest Comebacks in 1999 and 2010
Red Dragons Work Overtime for Back-to-Back Wins in 2005 and 2006
Late Heroics Lead to Unexpected Road Wins in 2003 and 2013
Cortland's Three Largest Cortaca Jug Wins (1968, 1996, 2011)
Goal-Line Stands Lead Red Dragons to 2002 and 2012 Cortaca Victories
Cortland Wins Inaugural Cortaca Jug game in 1959

“Honorable Mentions” that almost made our list:
 
2015: Cortland won 11-8 at Ithaca to clinch the Empire 8 crown
1982: Cortland rallied from a 17-7 deficit at home behind TD runs from Mike Bowe and Dave Cook to win 21-17 to end Ithaca’s nine-game Cortaca streak, prompting one of the few photos ever of players celebrating with the Jug after the game
This week’s flashback:

Botched Field Goal Turns Into Cortaca Jug’s Most Memorable Play in 2014 Red Dragon Victory
 
Some of the earlier Cortland Cortaca Jug Flashbacks posted this fall covered themes such as “unexpected wins” and “great comebacks.” Cortland’s 23-20 home Cortaca Jug victory in 2014 covered all of that ground, plus so much more.
 
No Cortaca Jug play has likely been seen more, either live or through highlight clips, than the improbable final sequence of that game. Trailing 20-17 with 1:35 left and out of timeouts, Cortland started its final drive just shy of midfield. A 35-yard pass from John Grassi to Jack Delahunty on second down moved the ball to the Ithaca 11-yard line, and three rushes advanced the ball to the 4-yard line with about 25 seconds remaining.
 
Before we continue, here’s a little bit of context from earlier in the season that many probably aren’t aware of or don’t remember. Cortland opened the season with two disheartening losses – at Buffalo State and home versus Brockport – that featured time management issues at the end of the game. At Buffalo State, the Red Dragons tried to run out the clock in punt formation with seven seconds left but gave the ball back to the Bengals with one second remaining. Buffalo State hit a 49-yard field goal to tie the game and eventually won in overtime. The next week at home, Cortland trailed Brockport by three and had 4th-and-goal at the Golden Eagles’ 1-yard line with a few seconds left. Unsure of whether to go for the win or kick the tying field goal, Cortland was called for a penalty that included an automatic 10-second clock runoff that ended the game.
 
So facing a similar situation two months later, Cortland decisively made the call to send out the field goal unit to attempt a tying field goal versus the Bombers. Ten Cortland players got that message, but holder Luke Hinton didn’t – at least not right away. He eventually sprinted on the field with the clock winding under 15 seconds, and with five seconds left he turned back to look at kicker Shane Cronin right as the ball was snapped.
 
The ball hit off of Hinton’s leg, and Cronin called out “Fire!” to signal to his teammates that the play was broken. Hinton picked up the ball, started to look right, turned left and got a key block from Cronin. He continued to roll out and found receiver Jon Mannix – his friend and housemate – in the end zone for officially a 4-yard touchdown pass and a shocking 23-20 Cortland victory.
 
Quickly the rest of the country learned about the bizarre ending that nearly 9,000 fans had witnessed in person. The play was chosen as number three on ESPN’s SportsCenter daily “Top 10” and was featured by numerous national media outlets.
 
Ithaca entered the game with a 7-2 record and was the Empire 8 champion. Cortland, in its final season as a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) member before moving to the Empire 8 the following year, rebounded from an atypical 0-4 start to win four of its next five games entering the Cortaca Jug game.
 
The guests grabbed a 14-0 lead in the game’s first 20 minutes on a Tom Dempsey 2-yard TD pass to Ben Cary and a Josh Oliver 4-yard scoring run. Cortland’s eventual comeback from the 14-point deficit matched the largest deficit overcome for a win in Cortaca Jug history set by the 1999 and 2010 Red Dragon squads.
 
Dylan Peebles’ 8-yard TD run and Cronin’s 29-yard field goal drew Cortland within 14-10 at the half. Ithaca’s Garrett Nicholson made a 22-yard field goal with 14:11 left in the game to put the Bombers up by seven, but Peebles electrified the crowd when he returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for the game-tying touchdown. Peebles, who later played professionally in the Arena Football League, set a school record that fall with three kickoff returns for touchdowns, and he also holds the school record with five career kick returns for scores.
 
Nicholson’s 32-yard field goal with 3:17 left gave Ithaca a 20-17 lead, and the Bombers forced the Red Dragons to punt with just over two minutes remaining. Cortland’s defense stepped up, however, and forced a three-and-out, calling timeouts after each play, to get the ball back for its winning drive.
 
Cortland won despite being outgained 316-183 in total offense. Grassi completed 15-of-21 passes for 135 yards for the Red Dragons, while Oliver ran for 99 yards and Dempsey connected on 21-of-31 passes for 187 yards for the Bombers.
 
Matt Ambrose led Cortland with 11 tackles. Tyler Anderson and future Canadian Football League and NFL preseason camp signee Jake Ceresna made 10 tackles apiece. Tristan Laurore and Troy Beddoe each intercepted passes. Schnayder Termidor led Ithaca with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Cronin, in addition to his field goal and his heads up play at the end, also averaged 40.4 yards per punt.
 
Coverage Links:
2014 Box Score
2014 Game Recap
Game Highlights (Red Dragon Sports Network)
Other Angles of Final Play (D3football.com Play of the Week)
Radio Interview with Luke Hinton (The Score 1260 Syracuse radio program Bud and the Manchild)