ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team will conclude its 2026 season this Saturday, November at 14 as the Bombers take on No. 9/10 SUNY Cortland in the 67th Cortaca Jug Game presented by Visions Federal Credit Union at Yankee Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the YES Network and kickoff is slated for 1:08 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca and Cortland will play against each other for the 84th all-time meeting since 1930 and the 67th time since the Jug was introduced to the rivalry. Ithaca owns the all-time record of 44-36-3 and is 39-27 in the Jug Game.
THE JUG: The Cortaca Jug was officially introduced to the already competitive rivalry between Ithaca and Cortland in 1959 by the captains of the two teams. While driving in nearby Homer in 1959, Cortland football captain Tom Decker stopped at a yard sale and purchased a $2 jug from a local farmer that he thought could be used as a trophy during the annual game between the two schools. After meeting up with friend and Ithaca football captain Dick Carmean, the two painted the jug blue, gold, red, and white in honor of both schools' colors.
DEEPER LOOK INTO THE RIVALRY: Here's a bit more information on this storied rivalry. Since 1959, nearly half of the games (32) have come down to a single possession on the scoreboard. Two games have gone to overtime – 2005 and 2006. In 2015 and 2016, Ithaca and Cortland played the only two games as conference opponents. Ithaca's longest winning streak is nine games (1973-1981), while Cortland's is seven contests (2010-2016).
ATTENDANCE RECORDS: Cortaca owns to two highest attended game in Division III history with 45,161 at MetLife Stadium in 2019 and 40,232 at Yankee Stadium in 2022.
THE CZARNECKI AWARD: The Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland athletic departments are pleased to announce the unveiling of the Larry Czarnecki Cortaca Jug MVP award, which will be presented to one player at the conclusion of the game. Larry Czarnecki '76 was an impactful presence on both campuses as he was an All-American defensive lineman for the Bombers and coached for more than 30 years between the two colleges in football and track & field.
NOT IN THE BRONX? WATCH HERE: The game will be broadcast live on the YES Network and available for free by downloading the DAZN app.
RECAP FROM LAST WEEK: Ithaca missed out on the Liberty League title last Saturday at home against RPI in a 14-10 defeat. IC led, 10-7, at halftime, but a late touchdown in the third quarter for the Engineers proved to be the difference in a defensive battle.
Neither team eclipsed 300 yards of offense as the Bombers totaled 292 and RPI finished the day with 261 yards. Ithaca controlled the first half by allowing just 68 yards to RPI, while the offense racked up 227 yards. Momentum flipped in the second half with just 64 yards for IC and 193 yards for the Engineers.
Michael Reed accounted for both touchdowns as he threw for one score and finished the game with 185 yards passing on 17-of-31 attempts and rushed for another score on 18 carries for 33 yards.
Joe Spirra recorded a game-high 15 tackles with a forced fumble, while
Jake Green had 10 tackles and an interception.
Andrew Swierbut also forced a fumble and logged eight tackles.
SCOUTING CORTLAND: Cortland brings an undefeated mark of 9-0 into this year's Cortaca Jug and a No. 9/10 national ranking. The Red Dragons are also No. 2 in the most recent NCAA NPI.
Cortland's offense runs through its quarterback Mike Rescigno, who has rushed for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns and has thrown for 1591 yards with 16 more touchdowns. Ethan Gallo is the next leading rusher with 587 yards and 14 scores, while Jacque LaPrarie and Jayson Zeva have each caught six touchdowns. LaPrarie has a team-high 415 yards receiving and Zeva ranks second with 380 yards.
On defense, Aidan Lochner has a team-high 62 total tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss, while Joe Galea is tops on the squad with 8.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Nazair Jean-Lubin has intercepted three passes on the season with seven pass breakups.
Cortland also boasts an exceptional special teams unit, led by Ravi Dass Jr., who has two kick return touchdowns and averaged nearly 60 yards per kick return. Cole Callard is 7-for-9 in field goal attempts and averages 58.3 yards per kickoff, while Gavin Dandrea averages 39.5 yards per punt.
