October 14, 2006. The Cortland State Red Dragons played their best game so far this season and rolled past the Western Connecticut Colonials 49-21. The Cortland offense generated 362 total yards, the defense forced 4 turnovers, and the special teams unit averaged 27.5 yards per kickoff return. Much of the offense was generated without starting quarterback Alex Smith, who left the game with a leg injury in the first quarter.

Cortland started with the football at their own 44-yard line, then marched 56 yards in only 5 plays for a touchdown. Anthony Morat broke behind the Colonials secondary and Alex Smith delivered him the football for a 40-yard gain. Smith finished the drive rushing the ball 3 yards into the end zone for the score.

On the Colonials' first possession quarterback James Williams threw long down field. Corner Jeff Beck intercepted the football at the Cortland 34-yard line. Beck made a tackler miss then sprinted 36 yards to the Colonials' 30-yard line. Cortland fullback Mike Sveda ran the ball 4 yards on first down, then caught a 12-yard pass from Alex Smith on second down. On the next play Smith ran the ball 9 yards down to the Western Connecticut 5-yard line, but injured his leg in the process. He was helped off the field by teammates and would not return to action. Sophomore Ray Miles took the helm at quarterback, and for his first order of business he handed off to Matt Rickert. Rickert crashed over the left side of the line for a 5-yard touchdown run. Cortland took a 14-0 lead.

The Cortland offense could not be stopped even after the quarterback change. On its third possession, Cortland scored its third consecutive touchdown. Miles broke an option run for 11 yards. Dustin Bowser broke a 21-yard run into Colonials territory. On first down from the Colonials' 32-yard line Miles lofted a long pass down field for Anthony Morat. Morat caught the pass in stride and ran into the end zone, giving Cortland a 21-0 lead.

The Western Connecticut offense kept them in the game in the first half. Early in the second quarter the Colonials engineered a 13-play 63-yard touchdown drive for its first score. Running back Jason Santiago was the work horse for the running game, but it was the passing of James Williams which kept the Red Dragons off balance. Williams converted a key third down pass to star receiver Adamis Gonzalez for 17 yards. David Cournoyer hauled in another third down pass for 14 yards to the Cortland 6-yard line. Santiago finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to pull Western Connecticut within 21-7.

With under 3 minutes to play before the half Williams completed a 51-yard scoring strike to Gonzalez to cut the score to 21-14. However the Western Connecticut momentum was very short lived. On the ensuing kickoff Cortland's Jeff Beck broke outside left for a 61-yard return. On the first play from scrimmage Miles lofted the ball for Morat again, and the senior receiver made a spectacular leaping catch at the Western Connecticut 12-yard line. Mike Lane caught another Miles pass at the Colonials' 1-yard line, then Miles rushed the ball himself for a 1-yard score. Cortland took a 28-14 lead into the half.

Cortland's dominance continued in the second half. On Cortland's first possession of the half the offensive line opened up a big hole for Mike Sveda, who ran for 13 yards to the Western Connecticut 48-yard line. On third down and short Matt Rickert busted an 11-yard run for first down. Three plays later Miles threw a perfect pass to Morat for a 34-yard touchdown. Cortland opened the lead to 35-14.

The Cortland defense got into the scoring at the start of the fourth quarter. With Cortland leading 35-21, linebacker Matt Montpetit intercepted James Williams at the Western Connecticut 35-yard line, then followed a wall of blockers near the Cortland sideline for a 35-yard return to the end zone. Cortland increased its lead to 42-21 and the romp was on. Another defensive high light came in the final two minutes of the game. Stef Sair stepped in front of a James Williams pass for his 13th career interception. This set an all-time record for interceptions at Cortland State. Sair returned the ball 11 yards to the Colonials' 5-yard line. A face mask penalty moved the ball closer to the goal line, where Andrew Giuliano pounded the ball into the end zone for the game's final score. Cortland won convincingly over a quality Western Connecticut team, 49-21.

While the hope is Alex Smith's injury will not be severe enough to cause him to miss the key games down the stretch, Ray Miles proved he is a quality quarterback. Miles finished the day with 142 yards passing on 10 of 15 passing. Miles threw 2 touchdowns and only 1 interception. Anthony Morat caught 4 passes for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cortland offense ran the football for 168 yards, with Rickert's 79 yards leading the way. Jeff Beck had 98 yards in kickoff returns and a key interception. Rich Coyne had 2.5 tackles for losses, while Rich DeJesus had 1.5 tackles for losses and a sack.

Cortland travels to Montclair next Saturday to play the always tough Red Hawks. Montclair is 2-1 in the NJAC and 4-2 overall.