October 27, 2007. TCNJ dominated Cortland 30-0 Saturday in a battle of undefeated NJAC foes. The victory all but clinched the league championship for TCNJ, which can claim the title outright with a win against Kean or Buffalo State, or a loss by Cortland against Rowan.

Sometimes you lose when you don't play to your potential. Sometimes you just get beat by a bigger, faster team. The latter was certainly the case on Saturday, as the Lions of TCNJ showcased itself as an amazing turnaround story in 2007 (TCNJ was 2-5 in the NJAC in 2006), and as the surprise powerhouse of the East. The Lions dominated Cortland, out-rushing the Red Dragons 257-99, and out-passing them 221-115. Cortland managed only 10 first downs in the game.

TCNJ frustrated Cortland with tremendous defensive pressure. Ray Miles completed just 10 of 35 passes, and was intercepted 4 times. While some of the blame must fall on the quarterback for the performance, he had no time whatsoever to throw the football. Mark Fabiano had 2 sacks for TCNJ, while adding a pass breakup and 2.5 tackles for losses. There was rarely a pocket for Miles to set up in, and the Lions corners did a good job locking up with Cortland receivers.

Dustin Bowser managed a 100 yard rushing performance on just 16 carries, but also lost a key fumble on a breakaway run near the Lions goal. It was just that kind of day for the Cortland offense.

Defensively Brian Haas and Colan Shue led the way with 12 tackles each. Safety Joe Lopez had a pass breakup and an interception for Cortland. Ben Nagle and Terry Eason combined for 19 tackles off the line.

The NJAC championship has almost certainly slipped away from Cortland. However it is time to reflect on how far this Red Dragons team has gone, and may yet go in 2007. A team which graduated more talent than many teams could ever hope to field, and then lost its starting quarterback in week 1, somehow found the strength to compete for the NJAC championship in Week 9. And with Rowan having lost to Montclair on Saturday, Cortland has clinched no worse than a second place finish in the rugged NJAC.

The Cortland players and coaches have a lot to be proud of. With huge rivalry games against Rowan and Ithaca to end the season with, there remains much to play for. I encourage Cortland to finish strong, and to gain a measure of revenge against Rowan for last season's 2006 overtime loss. As for Ithaca, there will be no added motivation needed. I also encourage Cortland to accept an ECAC Championship game in 2007, and use it as an opportunity to grow as a football team and prove to Eastern Region that it is back as a power.

As fellow NJAC brothers, we at Cortlandfootball.com wish TCNJ the best of luck in the NCAA playoffs. With victories over Rowan, Montclair, and Cortland, they have earned it.