September 16, 2006. Long time rivals Cortland and Brockport took the stage Saturday for the top Upstate NY showdown of the weekend. Cortland rallied in the fourth quarter to take the lead, then held on to defeat the Golden Eagles of Brockport 17-10. A last minute goal line stand clinched the victory for the Red Dragons. It was the home opener at the SUNY Cortland Athletic Complex for 2006.

Cortland and Brockport engaged in a defensive slugfest. Neither team brought their A-game offensively, as the defenses of both squads forced a total of 9 turnovers. Cortland survived 6 turnovers of their own (4 lost fumbles and 2 interceptions) with an offense that at times was its worst enemy. The Cortland defense returned to its previous season form by sacking Brockport 10 times. Last season the Red Dragons set a new school record with 52 sacks in 10 games.

The theme for the day was set early. On its first drive Brockport saw its star quarterback Zack Luke harassed and hurried by a fierce Cortland defense. A Luke scramble for 11 yards saved a 3 and out series to start the game. But tailback Garet Lynch ran twice for minus 1 yard forcing another third down. Dave D'Aurelio sacked Luke on third down to force a punt. Cortland's first offensive play from scrimmage resulted in a Matt Rickert fumble which Brockport recovered at the Cortland 39 yard line. However Brockport could not move the ball and Luke was sacked on third down by D'Aurelio and Matt Montpetit.

The defenses pitched shut outs through most of the first half with neither team's offense able to sustain a drive. Mid way through the second quarter D'Aurelio made his presence felt once more. The linebacker hit Brockport's Matt McCormick on a punt return forcing a fumble. Red Dragon Ronny Rodriguez covered the ball to give Cortland a first down at the Brockport 11-yard line. After the Golden Eagles stuffed a Cortland run play, quarterback Alex Smith found wide receiver Drew Lascari in the far corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Matthew Mintz added the extra point and Cortland led 7-0.

The Golden Eagles answered late in the first half. Starting possession at its own 25-yard line the Golden Eagles got a lift from tailback Garet Lynch. The powerful sophomore back bounced outside for a 30-yard gain into Cortland territory. Facing fourth and 3 at the Cortland 38-yard line, the Golden Eagles gambled. Zack Luke completed a screen pass to Jeremy Darron for 20 yards to keep the drive alive. However the Cortland defense allowed only 1 more yard and Brockport was forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Adam Lanctot. Lanctot's kick hit the crossbar and narrowly bounced over. Cortland took a 7-3 lead into the half.

Brockport gambled again to start the second half. The Golden Eagles surprised Cortland with a perfectly executed onside kick by Lanctot. Brockport covered the ball at the Cortland 48 yard line. Garet Lynch provided the spark Brockport needed. The tailback converted a draw play on 3rd down and 20 for a 21-yard gain. Luke then completed a 10-yard pass to Shannon Brinson to the Cortland 14-yard line. The Cortland defense forced a fourth down but Red Dragon Dequan Howard was called for pass interference. This gave Brockport first and goal at the Cortland 2-yard line. Luke completed a third down play action pass to a wide-open Robert Miles in the end zone. Brockport took its first lead at 10-7.

The Cortland offense immediately drove into Brockport territory. A Smith pass to Keith Greene for 19 yards put Cortland at midfield. Rickert ran a draw play for 9 yards to the Brockport 41. Smith later found Mike Lane crossing the middle for 15 yards to the Brockport 24 yard line. But the Cortland offense turned the ball over when Smith was intercepted by Brockport's Mike Maciejewski at the 10-yard line. The Cortland defense knocked Brockport backwards and gave the ball back to the offense in excellent field position. But starting from the Brockport 29-yard line Cortland once again self-destructed. Brockport's Al Lucci caused Smith to fumble and Matthew Bennick covered for the visitors at its own 18-yard line.

The Cortland defense took matters into its own hands as the game entered the fourth quarter. Brockport could not move the ball forward and fumbled the ball on third down. D'Aurelio crushed Luke scrambling for the loose ball. The force of the hit nearly removed Luke's helmet. The ball rolled into the end zone where Brockport emerged from the bottom of the pile with possession. This resulted in a safety that cut the Brockport lead to 10-9. The momentum had swung back to Cortland.

Corner Jeff Beck ignited Cortland returning the kickoff 40 yards into Brockport territory. On the first play from scrimmage, Cortland went to tailback Dustin Bowser. Bowser broke off tackle left and cut outside for a brilliant 42-yard touchdown run. Smith converted a two-point conversion pass to a diving Anthony Morat to give Cortland a 17-10 lead.

Cortland had numerous opportunities to cement the victory in the fourth quarter. The Red Dragon offense drove the ball from its own 15-yard line into Brockport territory. Smith hit Drew Lascari for a deep 21-yard pass along the sideline. Rushes by Rickert and Bowser pushed the ball to the Brockport 29 yard line. However Matthew Bennick forced another Smith fumble to end the drive.

The Cortland defense forced another Brockport punt. Cortland took possession at its own 30-yard line with only 5:49 remaining on the game clock. Facing third and 6 Smith found Lascari for a clutch 12-yard pass completion. But on first down and the game clock inside of 4 minutes, Rickert fumbled the ball back to Brockport inside Cortland territory.

Brockport tailback Garet Lynch broke a 21-yard rush to the Cortland 13-yard line. A Brockport timeout stopped the clock with 2:36 to play and the drama was ready to unfold. Lynch bulled forward for 3 yards to the Cortland 10 yard line on first down. Darron took the next carry 6 yards to the Cortland 4 yard line. With the clock running inside of 1:30 to play the game was about to be decided. On third down and 1 Cortland's Adam Haas met Darron head on in the backfield and wrestled him down for no gain. On fourth down and the clock now running inside of 1:00 to play, Brockport went back to its workhorse back. Lynch took the carry and appeared to want to go over right tackle. However Cortland's Richard Rolo pushed through to fill the gap forcing Lynch outside. Defensive end Rich Coyne stood Lynch up at the corner, where Stef Sair came in from the defensive backfield to help bring Lynch down for no gain. Cortland celebrated the goal line stand and held on for a hard earned 17-10 victory.

The game ball clearly belonged to the defense on this day. However the Cortland offense moved the ball well at times against a quality opponent. A few less mistakes and Cortland may have scored another 10 to 14 points. Matt Montpetit had a warrior performance for Cortland. The senior tri-captain linebacker had 2 sacks and 3 tackles for losses. He also survived a second half scare when he was hurt on a play, but returned to lead the defense to victory. Brad Robison, Rich Coyne, Rich DeJesus, and Dave D'Aurelio all had 1.5 sacks apiece. Robison's tackle of Lynch at the Cortland 13 yard line appeared to save a touchdown.

It may not have been pretty but Cortland defeated a strong Brockport team. Provided the offense can cut down on the mistakes it is obvious this Red Dragon team has the potential to challenge for the NJAC crown in 2006. When things were clicking the Cortland offense was difficult to stop. Smith again spread the field between receivers. Anthony Morat had another highlight reel catch, Lascari had a strong performance, and Mike Lane continues to emerge as strong possession receiver. Keith Greene is quickly becoming an impact receiver for Cortland and has the size and athleticism to cause match up problems. The dual tailback approach of Rickert and Bowser is still paying dividends. Rickert had a huge game last week but was clearly having an off day against Brockport. Bowser stepped up and had a game-changing touchdown run.

Next week Cortland travels to Buffalo State. The Red Dragons will be looking for revenge after Buffalo State upset Cortland 27-20 in its home opener last season.