September 22, 2007. The Cortland State Red Dragons overcame a 17-0 first half deficit to defeat the Buffalo State Bengals 30-27. It was the first week of New Jersey Athletic Conference play for each team. Ray Miles threw for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns. Keith Greene caught 6 passes for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Cortland dominated total yardage 363-234, but Buffalo State blocked 3 Cortland punts, including one which was returned for a touchdown.

Buffalo State opened the scoring in the first quarter. After forcing a punt by Cortland, Brian Lavis broke through the Cortland line to block a punt for the Bengals. Lavis scooped up the football and ran 30 yards for a touchdown to give Buffalo State a 7-0 lead.

On the next Cortland possession Ray Miles was intercepted by Bengal Jermaine Rose, who returned the pickoff 9 yards to the Cortland 21-yard line. This set up a 20-yard field goal by Buffalo State kicker Eric Beyler to give the Bengals a 10-0 advantage.

Early in the second quarter Buffalo State blocked another Cortland punt at the Red Dragons 38-yard line. On the very next play, Buffalo State quarterback Dan Aquilio hit Jarret Smith on a 38-yard post pattern touchdown throw. Cortland trailed 17-0 and was in danger of dropping their second straight game.

The Bengals score seemed to wake up the Cortland offense. The Red Dragons put together an impressive 10-play 71-yard touchdown drive to answer Buffalo State. Dave Freglette caught a 15-yard pass from Miles to get the drive moving. Miles connected with Keith Greene for a key 18-yard pass play on third down in Buffalo State territory. On third down and 1 yard to go from the Bengals 15-yard line, Miles threw to a wide open Keith Greene in the end zone to get Cortland on the scoreboard, 17-7.

With 5 minutes remaining in the first half, Ray Miles and the Red Dragons offense drove 72 yards on 7 plays to cut into the Buffalo State advantage. Wayne Wheeler caught an 18-yard pass from Miles to move the football to the Buffalo State 38-yard line. On third down and 8 yards to go from the Buffalo State 36-yard line, Miles hit Greene on the post pattern for a touchdown. Cortland rallied to cut the lead to 17-14. But the Bengals were not through. After sacking Miles and causing a fumble, the Buffalo State defense gave the football to its offense at the Cortland 17-yard line. The Cortland State defense held tough, and forced the Bengals to settle for a short Beyler field goal. Buffalo State led 20-14 heading into half-time.

The Red Dragon defense took over in the third quarter. With Buffalo State backed up to its own 5-yard line, Cortland's Jimmy Smith pressured Aquilio in the end zone. Aquilio intentionally grounded the football, resulting in a safety to draw Cortland within 20-16. The Cortland offense took advantage of the momentum and field position. Red Dragon Eric Hajnos beat the secondary and Miles hit him on a 37-yard post pattern touchdown. Matt Mintz added the extra point, and Cortland had its first lead of the day at 23-20.

The excitement was just beginning however. With the third quarter winding down, Dan Aquilio hit Bengal Greg Meyer on a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 5-play 80-yard drive. The drive took only 1:54, and put Buffalo State back on top 27-23.

In the fourth quarter the Red Dragons offense saved its best performance for when it counted the most. The Red Dragons started at their own 16-yard line trailing by 4 points with 13:32 remaining to play. After 2 plays went nowhere, Miles hit Keith Greene on a 13-yard sideline pattern to convert a huge third down. A 9-yard run by Andrew Giuliano, and a 7-yard slant pattern catch by Greene, put Cortland just shy of midfield. The drive appeared to come to an end however following a sack of Miles. But Buffalo State went for another blocked punt, and in their effort roughed punter Kyle Peterson. The penalty gave Cortland's drive new life at the Bengals 46-yard line. Immediately Miles looked to go deep downfield. Eric Hajnos burned the Bengals secondary and caught a 42-yard pass from Miles to the Buffalo State 4-yard line. After a short run, Miles hit Michael Zielinski on a 3-yard touchdown pass to put Cortland ahead 30-27. The drive covered 84 yards in total on 11 plays.

Buffalo State took the football at their own 21-yard line with 2:04 to play. On third down and 4 yards to go, Lou Crispo broke through the Bengals line and stripped the football from Aquilio. Kyle Pierce fell on the football, and Cortland was able to run out the clock for a 30-27 victory.

Cortland showed a lot of guts coming back from 17-0 against Buffalo State. While the running game continued to struggle, Miles and his receivers had a great afternoon. The offensive line gave Miles time to throw deep, and Miles took full advantage with a huge afternoon. The Cortland defense had a strong afternoon as well, holding Buffalo State to only 234 yards. The Red Dragons pressured Aquilio with 4 sacks. The coaches and special teams players will have some work to do this week, as Cortland has now had 5 punts blocked in 3 games, with 2 returned for touchdowns.

Cortland will need to raise their level even higher next week. The Red Dragons travel to William Paterson Saturday for an early season battle for first place in the NJAC.