Red Dragons season hangs in balance with three must win games looming ahead against rivals TCNJ, Brockport and Ithaca. (Photo's Courtesy of Dan Padavona)
The Red Dragons defense once again proved to be the difference maker in this game not allowing the Pioneers into Red Dragons territory the entire second half. The Red Dragons defense also held starting tailback Marcus McKinney to 38 yards on 20 rushes after he rushed for 224 yards in a win over The College of New Jersey. The Red Dragons defense has held opposing offenses to fewer than twenty points or lower in six out of seven games this year.The Red Dragons improved their record to 5-2 overall in the NJAC while William Paterson fell to 2-4. Cortland will take on the College of New Jersey this Saturday at 1 p.m. for a Halloween matchup on C-Club Hall of Fame Weekend. This matchup will be the final regular-season home game of the year for the Red Dragons.
Cortland defeated The College of New Jersey, 24-18 on the road last season in week eight to clinch an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament and at least a share of the New Jersey Athletic Conference title. This season has been a totally different story for Cortland. The Red Dragons sit at fourth place in the NJAC with a record of 5-2 while the Lions sit in fifth place at 3-3.
The College of New Jersey has become a big rival for Cortland over the past few years. In the 2007 season the Lions won a share of the New Jersey Athletic Conference title along with the Red Dragons with a record of 6-1. The Lions beat the Red Dragons, 30-0, in the head-to-head matchup in 2007. That victory gave TCNJ an automatic NCAA III playoff berth with an overall record of 9-3. Cortland was left out of the NCAA III playoffs. The College of New Jersey has scored over forty-seven points or more in four of seven games this season. The Lions’ defense has given up over twenty-eight points in six of seven games this season.It will be imperative for the Red Dragons offense to get on the scoreboard early in this contest. The Lions have a high powered offense along with a very susceptible defense. The Red Dragons offense has struggled to consistently score points all season due to injuries at the quarterback position.
In last week’s contest again William Paterson, Cortland mounted a 14-play, 65-yard drive in the second quarter that resulted in a 22-yard field goal with 5:18 left in the first half to cut the William Paterson lead to 10-6. The Red Dragons drove into Pioneer territory on every one of its drives in the second half, but couldn’t come up with any points. Three of the drives ended on downs inside the Pioneers’ 30-yard line. It seemed as though the Red Dragons dominated the Pioneers throughout the game, but couldn’t come up with the points to show for it.
The Red Dragons have lost former starting quarterback Dan Pitcher and backup Hudson Woodward for the season. Graduate student Alex Smith threw for 174 yards last week. Smith has only thrown for 225 yards and one touchdown in three games this season. Dom Sair rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries last week. Cortland will need to get Dom Sair going early in this week’s game. The Pioneers found out that when the Red Dragons establish an effective running game it opens up other options for the Cortland offense . The Red Dragons sprinkled in their own version of “Wildcat” formation by having Anthony Guiliano take a direct snap and throw a long touchdown pass to Eric Hajnos. Coach MacNeill may be making the “Red Dragon” formation an instrumental part of the offense for the rest of the season.
After the Halloween matchup against The College of New Jersey, Cortland has two roads games remaining to finish the season. The Red Dragons will travel to Brockport next weekend to take on the Golden Eagles. Brockport is currently 1-5 in the NJAC this season. The Golden Eagles have struggled this season, but this game will not be an easy contest for the Red Dragons. In the 2007 season Cortland traveled to Brockport for homecoming weekend in week two and were defeated 28-14. In the 2008 season the Red Dragons defeated the Golden Eagles at home in week nine, 42-30. The game was an offense shootout with both teams combining for 1,053 yards of total offense.
In the season finale Cortland will take on neighboring rival Ithaca in the famous “Cortaca” matchup. Last season the two teams played in the 50th anniversary of the rivalries history. The Bombers came up with a 35-13 upset victory over the Red Dragons at the Cortland Stadium Complex. The loss ended Cortland’s hope for an undefeated season. In a twisty of irony the last time Cortland beat Ithaca in the “Cortaca” game was when Alex Smith was the starting quarterback in 2006. Senior backup quarterback Brian Shea came in to lead the Red Dragons to victory after Alex Smith and Ray Miles suffered injuries in the contest. Alex Smith will try to rekindle some past “Cortaca” magic to try to earn the Red Dragons their first victory over the Bombers in over two years.
These final three games will tell us a lot about this Cortland football team. It has been an uphill battle for this club all season long with the injuries sustained on offense. The Red Dragons may sit at 4th place in the NJAC conference, but there still is a lot to play for here at the end.
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
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