Cortland Gridiron Report: Week 4

Coach MacNeill looks for better execution and “no regrets” heading into the first road game of the season. (Photo's Courtesy of Dan Padavona and Buffalo Athletics)

Q: The Cortland Red Dragons suffered their first NJAC loss since October 27^th, 2007 against The College of New Jersey, falling 24-10 to the Kean Cougars. What did you tell your team after the game?

A: My first priority was to make sure I was talking out of intelligence. I hadn’t seen the final statistics of the game, but I could tell the team my impressions based off my instincts. One of the main things that stood out in my mind was that penalties became a huge stumbling block. We lost a touchdown run due to a holding penalty. This led to our offense leaving more than a few plays on the field last week. We did things defensively that we never do by giving up over 150 yards rushing. The biggest regret is allowing a team to beat you because we beat ourselves out there. We had too many mental errors and we just didn’t execute our game plan. I’m not taking anything away from Kean. They played a great game, but we felt that we just simply didn’t play to our ability. We had to go back and look at our game plan. We also told the players that if they had a question with the game plan going into the game to make sure they asked us.

Q: The Red Dragons threw for 183 passing yards compared to the Cougars 136. The Cougars had 17 first downs to the Red Dragons 16. The time of possession was even for both clubs at 30 minutes, but the Cougars outrushed the Red Dragons. The Cougars had 159 yards on 39 carries to the Red Dragons 68 yards on 30 carries. Are there any adjustments that can be made at practice to help establish a more effective running game this week verse Buffalo State?

A: The running game is there for us after we looked at the tape. Will Loeb has a long touchdown run, but the penalty brought it back. We also had our quarterback take a few sacks that set us back quite a bit. It put the offense into long second and third down type situations. That also affected our running game. The 68 yards rushing tells a tale, but it doesn’t tell everything. We are just simply not finishing plays offensively when it comes to the running game. It comes down to just executing. From a defensive standpoint we take pride in stopping the run. We made it easier on Kean by not effectively stopping the run. This also adds to the “regret” after the game that you can’t get back after a loss. The defense just needs to execute the game plan and finish plays as well.

Q: In his first career start junior quarterback Hudson Woodward went 20 for 39 with 183 yards passing with one touchdown throw and three interceptions. What were your thoughts on Woodward’s first start for the Red Dragons?

A: I thought Hudson did a great job in his first start. Hudson knows that he can’t throw three interceptions if we expect to win games. There were a few sacks that we took as an offense that could have been avoided if the ball was just thrown away. If that occurs we may have stayed away from the long second and third down type situations. That may have prevented a few of those interceptions that Hudson had. The plan was not to leave Hudson with a fourteen point deficit going into the fourth quarter. We weren’t hitting on all cylinders as offense like we in the past few weeks. I believe once the offense gets back into a grove that Hudson will be even more effective.

Q: The Red Dragons defense held the Cougars to one touchdown in the second half. The only touchdown coming on a Tom D”Ambrisi two-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. The defense seemed to keep fighting in the second half despite the struggles of the offense. What does this speak of in the character of this football team?

A: The effort in the second half showed that no question this team has heart. This game was up in the air late into the fourth quarter. Our team wants to be championship caliber. The effort is there. I believe for us to take that next step we need to execute our game plan effectively and not leave as many plays on the field. We can’t afford to do that this week.

Q: After the three game homestead the Red Dragons travel to Buffalo State this Saturday for their first road game this season. Buffalo State is coming off a 37-26, homecoming victory over Western Connecticut State last weekend. The Bengals are 1-2 overall with a 1-1 record in the NJAC. What are the keys to victory in this game coming off a tough loss last weekend?

A: The big key this week is to get back on track as the cliché goes. Some teams can even go off track even when their winning and everything is going right. Our football team once again needs to get back to executing in the matter we are capable of. It won’t matter who we play and where we put the ball. It never has for me as a head coach. We have a winning culture on this team.

Q: Cortland defeated Buffalo State in the home opener last season in week four, 35-14. Bengals backup quarterback Kenny Murphy relieved Jeremy Mountain and went four for nine passing with 1 touchdown throw. Do you feel that the Red Dragon defense is more prepared coming into this game already seeing some game action of Murphy from last season?

A: I do agree that our defense feels more comfortable, but the offense has a totally different scheme. The offense is now running more out of a two running back, eye-formation set. This is something we need to prepare immensely for. We’ll have to see what the best fit is for our defense this week. Offensively we will be looking at a three down linemen type of look from the Buffalo State defense. It always is a challenge week-to-week in preparing for a different scheme. The head coach of Buffalo State is one of my best friends and he was the best man at my wedding. There will be some extra sentiment for this game because of my relationship with the head coach of the Bengals.

Q: Last week Bengals senior running back William Hordge rushed for 121 yards on 26 carries with three touchdowns. Hordge has rushed 258 yards in three games this season on 48 carries. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. How important is it defensively early on to set a tone and shut down Hordge forcing the Bengals to throw the ball?

A: We simply have to limit their running attack this week or our team will be in for a long game this week. Buffalo State is power running football team and we have always taken pride in stopping the run. Our mission from day one is to stop the run defensively and we take pride in that.

Q: Finally we saw the Red Dragon defense unveil a new defensive lineup moving cornerback Joe Lopez over to free safety replacing Jamell Scott as Chad Stalter moved into the cornerback position. Is Jamell Scott injured or are we seeing the Red Dragons try out some new pages defensively in the secondary?

A: Jamell Scott is not hurt in any way. Jamell unselfishly went to the offensive side of the ball last week due to our situation at the quarterback position. We are now very limited on the depth chart at quarterback. The coaching staff is not exactly sure if Jamell Scott will be a short or long term solution on offensive. We are still looking at all our options. The biggest thing to note is that Jamell is real warrior and the value he has on our team. Jamell is sacrificing his starting position to do whatever is best for the team. We were 2-0 with Scott in the secondary and we lost last week. The loss could affect the outlook on our decision making process with keeping him on offense.

The Cortland Gridiron Report can be heard in its entirety every Monday from 6-8 on “Into the Fire” on WSUC 90.5 FM (Cortland.edu/wsuc) and also seen at www.cortlandfootball.com.

Cortland Gridiron Report: Week 3 Audio

Here's a sample of last week's "Cortland Gridiron Report." I record these interviews every week with Coach MacNeill and play them back on my show "Into the Fire" from 6-8 p.m. on Mondays. I was able to put this interview on Youtube because it was under ten minutes. I have been writing these interviews out each week, but I'll look to see what I can get on Youtube in the next few weeks if any are under ten minutes.

Cortland Gridiron Report: Week 3

Coach MacNeill believes the Red Dragons must “close ranks” in order to fill the void lost from Dan Pitcher this week verse Kean.

(Photo's courtesy of Dan Padavona and Kean Athletics)

Q: The Cortland Red Dragons defeated the Rowan Profs 24-14, in a game that proved to be a tale of two different stories between the first and second half. What does a game like this show in the character of this team particularly the defense that shut out the Profs in the second half?

A: The victory this week showed great character for our team. The defense got very stingy in the last thirty-five minutes and did exactly what we needed it to do. I would tell you it was the most complete game all around. The special teams played outstanding winning the battle of position against Rowan. The offense also put enough points on the board to keep the game out of reach.

Q: Bryan Wiley had a game-high 15 tackles in this game including three for losses. How impressive has this defensive captain been so far this season?

A: After looking at the film the next day Bryan may have had more tackles then fifteen. Our three-man front defensively gives the defensive ends the ability to make a lot of plays on the edge. Bryan Wiley had a great game and is a real impact player for our defense. The coaching staff named Bryan defensive player of the week for his efforts on Saturday.

Q: The victory over Rowan also seemed to be bittersweet. Late in the fourth quarter with Cortland holding onto a ten-point lead on second and eighteen, quarterback Dan Pitcher went down with an apparent ankle injury. What is the status of Dan Pitcher? Will Hudson Woodward be the starter this week vs. Kean?

A: The prognosis on Dan Pitcher is not very good. Dan Pitcher suffered an achilles tendon tear. This injury will most likely end his season. Dan will be at upstate medical to schedule surgery this week to have the injury properly attended to. I feel real bad for Dan because he’s played two super weeks for us and he’s been waiting for this opportunity. Last season Pitcher had a labrum issue in his shoulder that had to be fixed and this was after he transferred in from Colgate to play here while he backed up Ray Miles.

Q: In the 2006 season, the Red Dragons lost three quarterbacks on their depth chart due to injury. Ray Miles relieved Alex Smith in both 2006 and 2007 after season ending knee injuries. Do you feel more prepared mentally from a coaching standpoint in handling season ending injuries at the starting quarterback position based on the past few years?

A: It certainly has been our history to have injuries at the quarterback position. We’ve had attrition at the position, but it’s never a good thing to see your starting quarterback go down as many times as we’ve had in the past. As I told the players as disappointing as it to lose Dan Pitcher we need to “close the ranks” as they say in the army. We also need to move on. Wisdom is always a good thing and the experience from the past does help. Our coaching staff has been working diligently with Hudson Woodward to make the offensive most suitable to him.

Q: How do you prepare the Red Dragon offense this week with a quarterback who hasn’t taken many snaps under center as a starter?

A: Hudson was the starter for the Rochester scrimmage a few weeks ago and he did get some starting reps through most of the preseason. He’s obviously is not Dan Pitcher, but we can’t expect him to be. We must make sure as a coaching staff that we mold the offense to suit his abilities. Hudson is a very capable quarterback that has all the skills necessary to lead our offense and we believe in him.

Q: The Kean Cougars come into town with a 1-1 record overall with a victory last week over Western Connecticut, 31-24 in their first game of NJAC play on the road. What are the keys to victory in the final game of this three game homestead?

A: Kean is a very talented team. From a defensive standpoint we are looking to stop an offensive attack that has many weapons. Kean’s quarterback is a very quick and accurate passer. He can make plays happen when they are not there. Our hands are going to be full defensively. Offensively, again we must close the ranks and have a game plan that best suits our abilities.

Q: Cortland defeated Kean on the road last season in week three 32-28. Kean quarterback Tom D’Ambrisi completed a school record 34 passes in 48 attempts for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns. Last week D’Ambrisi completed 15 passes in 26 attempts for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Are all eyes defensively on stopping D’Ambrisi and the Cougar aerial attack?

A: There is no question that D’Ambrisi is a very talented quarterback. He gave us all sort of problems last season. He also was an all conference player as a freshman. All eyes can’t be necessarily on him defensively because Kean also has an effective running game. We must be prepared to defend any kind of offensive attack.

Q: Lastly, kicker Marc Corrado made all three of his extra points last week vs. Rowan. He also made a 21-yard field goal with time expiring at the end of the first half. There have been rumblings that the Red Dragons have added a walk-on kicker last week. Will this walk-on have any kind impact on the kicking game this week or this season?

A: We did embrace a young man who is a capable kicker with a soccer background. He is nowhere near ready to kick. I do believe this young man does have a future potentially with this team next season. Marc is our guy and he had a great performance last week. We can only hope that his performance stays on a consistent pace for the rest of the year.

The Cortland Gridiron Report can be heard in its entirety each week on “Into The Fire,” Mondays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on WSUC 90.5 FM. (www.cortland.edu/wsuc)

Cortland Gridiron Report: Week 2

Each and every week this season SUNY Cortland Head Coach Dan MacNeill gives his thoughts and opinions on next weeks upcoming opponent.

(Photo's courtesy of cortlandfootball.com and www.rowanathletics.com)

Q: Coming off the home opener in which your team defeated the Morrisville Mustangs 26-17, what was your biggest concern in your team’s performance?

A: When we looked over the autopsy report the biggest concern was penalties. We had 9 penalties for 110 yards and that doesn’t speak for the discipline that we would like to have this season. We need to minimize mistakes because penalties become an equalizer. We were fortunate in not having most of our penalties stop scoring drives because we were better on offense last week. Our punter Kyle Peterson helped us win the battle of field position with his outstanding 50-yard average, so some of those penalties didn’t hurt us as much.

Q: We talked about a younger inexperienced offensive line last week, but your front five didn’t give up a sack last week vs. Morrisville. The Red Dragons rushed for 186 yards on 37 carries, but 178 of those came on 8 carries from quarterback Dan Pitcher. Are you concerned at all by a lack of a true running back came coming into this week’s matchup vs. Rowan?

A: We think our running game is very strong this season. Dan Pitcher helps add to that dimension in being a mobile quarterback. I don’t really care if our tailback is our leading rusher or not as long as whoever runs the ball does it effectively. Our offensive line played extremely well last week and we put a bunch of them up as the players of the game for us. The only real adversities we face based off last week are penalties.

Q: Next week’s opponent Rowan was preseason ranked #1 over Cortland in the NJAC Conference. How do you prepare your team mentally this week for a game of such huge magnitude early on in the season?

A: This week game is definitely a huge one for us. The great thing about having this matchup so early is that we have the ability to reflect upon last week’s game. The old adage in coaching is that you improve the most between games one and two. Every game is important especially the one’s in the conference. I like our performance last week in regards to our play and if we minimize the penalties we should be fine.

Q: Last season you beat Rowan on the road in week two, 27-20. Rowan went 7-2 overall last season in the NJAC finishing second to the Red Dragons. What sticks out as the most important aspect in beating a Rowan team that seems to be hungry in getting revenge on your team from last season?

A: We try not to concern ourselves in regards to opponent. We look to prepare the same each week. I’m certain Rowan is gunning to be conference champ this year after last year. We have been fortunate to have beaten such a great football team in the last two years. We look to keep that streak going this year. It all comes down to our football team and how we play. If you look at Rowan’s statistics from last week’s win over Lycoming 29-7, they almost mirror ours. They had just as many penalty yards as well.

Q: The Red Dragons led 27-7 going into the 4^th quarter last season before giving up 13 unanswered points to hold onto to a 27-20 victory. Is stopping the aerial attack behind Frank Wilczynski the biggest focus on defense?

A: Rowan has an offense very similar to ours in terms of dimension. I wouldn’t be surprised if their quarterback is their leading rusher just like our team. Rowan has a great quarterback in Wilcyznski along with their receiving core. A game like this week will come down to special teams. It’s going to be a fourth quarter war and we’re ready for the challenge. We can’t have any “friendly fire,” like we had last week with all the penalties or that will be difference in the game.

The Cortland Gridiron Report can be heard in its entirety each week on “Into The Fire,” Mondays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on WSUC 90.5 FM. (www.cortland.edu/wsuc)

Cortland Gridiron Report: Week 1

Pete Carges and I got a chance to sit down with SUNY Cortland head football Coach Dan MacNeill today to talk about his thoughts on the upcoming season and this weeks home opener vs. Morrisville. Each week this season I'll be reporting Coach MacNeill's thoughts about the upcoming opponent and his status of the football team. (Photo Courtesy of www.cortlandreddragons.com)

Q: What are this years expectations after coming off an 11-2 season in which your team won the Lambert Trophy and finished off the season with a loss in the NCAA quarterfinals to Mount Union?

A: We had an incredible and marvelous season last year. We never caught up to Mount Union last season as much as we wanted to, but our players left that game thinking we had a chance to win this game. That was the biggest mental victory for us. The Mount Union coach even admitted after the game that Cortland gave the best test to us before the championship game in the postseason and we take pride in that.

This year our young man have to inherit last year's efforts and build on the tradition we have here in Cortland. We have a good culture around here. We are hoping to have history repeat itself and build off that. It's a fun group of kids to be around with the same characteristics as last season. Our club has had a good foundation set since the 2005 season and we hope to continue to build off that. We aspire to win a national championship and I've always envisioned that.

Q: Did having the New York Jets here at SUNY Cortland for training camp help the club in any way?

A: Having the New York Jets here to use our facilities for training camp was a great opportunity. It gave our team access to see how professional ball clubs go about their business. The biggest difference that I saw in the Jets that helped our team was how they acted off the field. The Jets were always talking football obviously because that's their profession. That kind of culture nibbled on our guys and helped set a tone for the team. I felt like the players were more focused on football off the field and it showed in practice. In our recent practices you see our defense get very frustrated when they give up a big play because they just want to know why they can't succeed on every down. There has been a chemistry battle and a hunger to talk football. It's a good culture to be around and the days have been flying this preseason.

Q: With a completely new offensive line, quarterback and running back to replace, do you lean more heavily on your defense?

A: We have don't favor one side of the ball over the other. There are no expectations coming in. We look to find out our strengths and weaknesses every week this season. Our offensive line has been looked at as a weaknesses due to all the loses in the offseason, but we didn't give up one sack in a scrimmage vs. Rochester last Saturday. The current starting linemen have had experience in the past in being backups and we look to see who will step up this season for us offensively. We look to rely on a sound offense and defense like usual. Our defense will feature more of a three man front this season, but that could change based on opponent each week.

Q:Any injuries to report going into week one?

A: Luke Ammirati a transfer out of Nassau Community College is out indefinitely this week on the offensive line.

Q: What differences does Dan Pitcher bring to the quarterback position as compared to Ray Miles last season in the offense?

A: Ray Miles was a phenomenal quarterback who did an unbelievable job for us. Dan Pitcher is a more mobile option at quarterback and he brings a different strength to our team. He helps take pressure off of our offensive line. I don't see much of a difference though in our offense scheme thought compared to years past.

Q: What's your biggest concern going into this season?

A: The biggest concern in our forecast is our kicking situation. Where is our kicker going to be? It hasn't defined itself yet? Are we able to reach down and get points from the kicking position when we need it in the big spot? We don't have the same dimension we did last season with Jeffrey Lang. We look to see what Marc Corrado can do for us this season.

Q: This season the Red Dragons schedule feature three home games three weeks in a row to open the season. Last season your team had three road games three weeks in a row to open up the season. Do you think the home field is to your advantage to open the season? Do you feel your at a disadvantage this season with the final two games of the season on the road verses Brockport and Ithaca?

A: We definitely feel the early home games are to our advantages this season. We have some youth to grow this season and the end of the schedule helps us do that. You want a tough schedule at the end of the year because it helps make your team stronger. It helps your team build character and it also helps judge it.

Q: In conclusion do you feel the NJAC has balanced itself out with teams on the bottom becoming stronger? Do you feel any team can win the division? Your week one opponent in Morrisville has been around now for a few years. Do you feel they have gotten stronger and what is your expectation going into this weeks game?

A: The NJAC more and more every year has several teams capable of winning the conferences as compared to years past. There weren't many times last season where the starters could get a rest in a ball-game. It's nice to have a #12 preseason ranking overall in all of Division Three from USA Today. That also brings a lot of expectations and potentials to live up too. The whole key to our season is going to be each individual doing their job collectively as a unit. I've always thought of it as a Tiger Woods mentality. Tiger never thinks about the field of competition around him. He looks to focus on his game and play to the best of his ability. You never want to worry about the teams around you. You just focus on yourself and getting the job done and that starts by winning in week one.

As for Morrisville, I believe their a more athletic team. Athleticism can beat you even when you do everything right. Their a more capable team and we take them just as serious as any other team. Morrisville lost to Hartwich last week 48-25, but they showed us their a much improved team from last season. We gave up 37 points to them last season and we never lost sight of that.

The Cortland Gridiron Report can be heard in its entirety each week on “Into The Fire,” Mondays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on WSUC 90.5 FM. (www.cortland.edu/wsuc)