CORTLAND GAME NOTES

ITHACA, N.Y. – On Saturday, November 12, the Ithaca College football team will travel to SUNY Cortland for the 58th Annual Cortaca Jug game at 12 p.m. The game will be played at the SUNY Cortland Sports Complex and will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable channel 325. Ithaca enters Saturday's game with a 5-4 overall record and 4-3 mark in the Empire 8 Conference, while Cortland is 4-5 on the season and 2-5 in the Empire 8.

Game Coverage:

Time Warner Cable channel 325

Live Video | Live Stats | Radio

Wednesday's Press Conference at Cortland

IC Alumni Viewing Parties

Cortaca Central Page

All-Time Series:

Saturday's Cortaca Jug game will be the 75th all-time meeting between Ithaca and Cortland, as well as the 58th installment of the Jug rivalry. The 75 meetings are the most games Ithaca has played against an opponent since the inception of the program in 1930. The Bombers lead the all-time series, 39-32-3, and own a 34-23 edge in Cortaca Jug contests.

Cortland has owned the series in the recent past, as the Red Dragons have won six straight outcomes by an average of 7.1 points, which is the second largest stretch of victories in the long-time series. Ithaca won nine straight contests from 1973-81.

Since the first Jug game in 1959, 28 games have been settled by less than a touchdown.

The Red Dragons won the first-ever meeting, 12-0, in 1930, but Ithaca would win the following season, 12-6. Ithaca and Cortland tied the next two matchups in 1932 and 1933, and then the Bombers prevailed in the 1934 showdown, 7-0. The local rivals would not play each other again until 1948, and have squared off every year since.

Last Season's Meeting:

Cortland won a tight 11-8 battle last season at Butterfield Stadium to secure the Red Dragons' Empire 8 title. The Red Dragons scored late in each of the first three quarters of the game to build an 11-0 lead. Cortland's first score came on a 29-yard field goal with 1:52 left in the first, and then found the end zone with a minute left before halftime to make the score 9-0 as the ensuing extra point was blocked. A safety with 49 seconds remaining in the third period pushed the difference to 11-0, but the Bombers finally put up points with 4:36 to go in the game on a 3-yard pass from Wolfgang Shafer to Nick Vallo. A two-point conversion moved Ithaca to within a three-point spread at 11-8 for the eventual final tally, as Ithaca was unable to get in scoring range on its final drive.

Last Time Out:

The Bombers blanked Buffalo State, 7-0, last Saturday in what was head coach Mike Welch's final game at Butterfield Stadium, and it was also Senior Day for 22 players. Ithaca scored the lone touchdown of the contest in the first quarter on an 8-yard pass from Shafer to freshman Will Gladney. The touchdown was set up by a 51-yard punt return by junior Jordan Schemm that brought the ball down to the Buffalo State 12-yard line.

Ithaca's stingy defense held Buffalo State to 195 yards of total offense, which was nearly 220 yards shy of the Bengals' season average of 414.3.

It was the first time since 1999 that Ithaca posted back-to-back home shutouts.

The Final Jug Game for Welch:

Saturday's game is the final one for the 23-year hall of famer. Coach Welch brings an overall record of 169-77 to the SUNY Cortland Sports Complex, including a 9-13 mark in the Cortaca Jug rivalry.

Welch is the second winningest coach in school history, trailing only Jim Butterfield, who won 206 games in 27 seasons. His 169 victories are 15th-most on the active NCAA Division III coaches list, while the .687 winning percentage is 24th. All-time in Division III, Welch is 42nd in wins and 43rd in winning percentage.

Scouting the Red Dragons:

Cortland is 4-5 on the season, 2-5 in the Empire 8, and is coming off a bye week. The Red Dragons won their last contest on October 29 against Morrisville, 45-20. In the game, quarterback Brett Segala threw for 322 yards on 28-of-39 passing with four touchdowns in his first collegiate start.

Two of Cortland's receivers, Jon Mannix and Jake Smith, have caught more than 40 passes for 600 yards. Mannix has notched 614 yards on 42 receptions and four touchdowns, and became the school's all-time leader in receptions against Morrisville, while Smith has hauled in 41 catches for 716 yards and nine scores.

After a 2-0 start to the season, Cortland dropped five of its next six games. The Red Dragons began the season ranked 17th in the country and moved up to 15th before the losses came. In each of the four victories for Cortland this season, the Red Dragons have scored more than 30 points. In the losses, Cortland hasn't scored more than 28.

The Red Dragons are averaging 31.0 points per game this season and 401.1 yards per contest. On the defensive end, Cortland allows 30.2 points and 477.7 yards per game.

Statistics:

Ithaca | Cortland | Empire 8

Empire 8 Schedule:

Ithaca at Cortland – 12 p.m.
No. 18 St. John Fisher at No. 14 Alfred – 1 p.m.
Utica at Hartwick – 1 p.m.
Buffalo State at Brockport – 1 p.m.
Alfred State at Morrisville – 1 p.m.