November 10, 2007. Jamie Donovan and Alex Baez combined for 205 yards rushing, and Dan Juvan completed 12-of-16 passes for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Ithaca past Cortland, 40-17. The victory by the Bombers was the first over Cortland since 2004. Ithaca will take possession of the Cortaca Jug for the next 365 days.

The Cortland defense looked off balance the entire afternoon, as Ithaca rolled up 534 yards of total offense. The Bombers scored on its first drive of the afternoon, moving the ball 79 yards on 11 plays. Donovan ended the drive with an 8-yard rumble into the end zone. After a missed extra point, Ithaca led 6-0.

Ithaca's second drive also went for 79 yards, this time on 9 plays. Juvan completed a 50-yard pass to Kyle Crandall to put Ithaca at the Cortland 20-yard line. A 1-yard plunge by Donovan ended the drive. Another missed extra point kept Ithaca's lead at 12-0.

The Bomber offensive machine continued to roll. On its third possession, Ithaca marched 80 yards on 10 plays. Alex Baez rushed for 25 yards on his first 2 carries. Dan Juvan converted a key third down with an 11-yard scramble. Donovan added his third rushing touchdown of the day with another 1-yard plunge. Early in the second quarter, Cortland trailed 19-0.

Cortland would not quit. On their next drive, Ray Miles completed a gutsy 3rd-and-3 pass for 37 yards to Mike Sveda at the Ithaca College 1-yard line. Sveda ran the ball into the endzone on the next play to cut the lead to 19-7.

A key moment in the game came on the ensuing Ithaca drive. It appeared Cortland had finally stopped the Ithaca offense, forcing a punting situation on 4th-and-12 from the Ithaca 30-yard line. However Cortland was called for roughing the punter, giving Ithaca a fresh set of downs. Three plays later Juvan scrambled for a 35-yard touchdown run to increase Ithaca's lead to 26-7.

The Cortland offense kept the Red Dragons in the game. An 11-play 43-yard drive before half-time ended with a 21-yard Matt Mintz field goal, pulling Cortland to within 26-10 at the half.

The Red Dragons received the opening kickoff of the second half and went right back to work on offense. Miles completed a 15-yard pass to Dave Fregelette to the Ithaca 33-yard line. A 10-yard pass from Miles to Paul Caughell moved the football to the Ithaca 22. A Miles scramble for 18 yards put Cortland at the Ithaca 4-yard line. Two plays later Mike Sveda pounded the ball into the end zone to cut the lead to 26-17.

But the Cortland defense just wasn't itself on this day. With Ithaca on the ropes at their own 2-yard line, the Cortland defense let the Bombers off the hook. Two runs by Donovan got Ithaca out to the 12-yard line. Then Juvan barely avoided a quarterback sack, and threw to a wide open Ben Hogan who was uncovered. Hogan sprinted 75-yards to the Cortland 13-yard line. Three plays later Juvan threw another touchdown pass, and Ithaca widened the lead to 33-17.

The Cortland offense had its own opportunity to make it a close game again. Early in the fourth quarter, facing 3rd-and-7 from the Ithaca 38-yard line, Miles completed a pass over the middle to Keith Greene. Greene made several nice cuts and turned a short gain into a 35-yard reception. But on 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Cortland fumbled the football back to Ithaca. Two plays later Donovan broke off a huge run to mid field. After a holding call moved Ithaca back, Duvan hit Brian Weverbergh for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Ithaca ran the clock out with a 40-17 victory.

In a series which typically comes down to the final seconds, this Cortaca Jug ended with a one sided Ithaca victory. The Bombers offense simply outplayed a banged up Cortland defense on this afternoon, and the Cortland offense missed a few key opportunities to keep the game close. The Bombers have our congratulations for an outstanding victory, as they wrapped up a successful 8-2 season.

The Cortland State Red Dragons have had a tremendous 2007 season. For a team this young to lose its star quarterback in week one, and still end up with a 7-3 season and a second place finish in the NJAC, is very impressive. Cortland has a lot to be proud of, and should hold its head high. This is still the same team which outscored Rowan, Montclair, and Kean by a combined 95-33.


Cortland will participate in the ECAC Championships next Saturday. This is a great opportunity for the Red Dragons to show everyone how great they can be, and what people can expect next year. CortlandFootball.com will have the ECAC pairings announcement Sunday afternoon.

More Pictures Coming Soon - including Fan Pictures!