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Such was the case this weekend when the Brockport State Golden Eagles and the Cortland State Red Dragons took to the field for their annual gridiron match-up. In the East Region “Game to Watch” early this season, Brockport definitely looked to be the more dominant squad, holding a 21-0 lead at halftime over their Upstate NY rival. But inconsistency is the bug that bites many teams early in the season. And some problems allowed the contest to draw a bit closer than Brockport would have liked in the second frame.
“It’s always good to start the season off with a win, however today, we made too many mistakes,” Brockport coach Rocco Salomone told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “You know you have to come out ready to play two halves and today we didn’t.”
The Golden Eagles had some problems in discipline resulting in seven penalties for 68 yards. But, they definitely showed their biggest area of concern isn’t quite such a big deal in 2003. The revolving door of running backs sent last season’s hero Adam Webster to graduation. However, it has brought in another more than adequate replacement in Monroe Community College transfer running back Jon Brown.
Bob Darnley is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the East (who knows what the Golden Eagles could have done with Darnley at the helm in last year’s playoffs.) But for Brockport to have success with their defensive minded/ball-control scheme they must have a solid running game. Jon Brown provided that where other great Brockport running backs have before him like Seth Thomas, Courtlan Green, Adam Rodger, Tony Clingerman, Greg Smith, Jim Fisher and Kevin Conover. Add Brown to that list after he posted a 100-yard performance on 20 carries against Cortland State.
Also, Brockport graduated perhaps the best defensive tackle duo in Division III in Mike Condello and Ryan Bierly. But LB Mike Dumaw lead a strong defensive team effort that held Cortland State to 83 yards rushing on 38 carries. The Red Dragons mustered only seven first downs during the opening half of play and zero points.
So while Brockport appears to have answered the questions about their program in 2003 with the running game and defensive front, Cortland still has questions to answer. Cortland also graduated an all-star on the defensive line in John Longo. However, while Longo gets the ink as the big loss on defense a closer look at the Red Dragons reveals more holes than initially thought.
And with that in mind, here’s your Eastern Region Fun Fact of the Week. Total number of returning defensive starters in Week 1 for Cortland this season — one. That one? Sophomore cornerback Ron Stewart who made 32 tackles and broke up a team-high 11 passes last season.
Also, one of the big things to remember this season in East Region football lies in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. With the loss of the NJCU Gothic Knights program, the NJAC will not receive an automatic bid in 2003. So the NJAC is essentially a group of independents who all play football against each other and must compete for the Pool B spots. This is only temporary, of course, until Western Connecticut joins as a football only member next season. With this in mind, this early loss to Brockport could mean a lot more to Cortland than it has since they joined the NJAC.
The Young and the Rustless
The other major game to note this last weekend saw the Rowan Profs get by the Christopher Newport Captains 21-0 at Rowan’s John Page Field. The Brown and Gold sported a quite young squad, notably at quarterback in New Hampshire transfer Mike Orihel, younger brother to former Rowan quarterback Jeff Orihel. Orihel and the Profs didn’t light the world on fire in game number one of the 2003 season, but bear in mind last year’s Profs had a similar outing in their season opener with a 17-3 home win over Millersville.
Did you know? Rowan had the exact same number of total yards (410) in the 2003 season opener that they posted in the 2002 season opener. Sloppy play from Newport and timely defensive reaction by the Profs was the big story as CNU fumbled five times, losing possession on three of those occasions. The big player in the game was Rowan’s middle linebacker Domenic Tomeo who recorded a game-high 16 tackles including one for a loss and forced a fumble. Rowan answered some big questions on the defensive line — holding CNU to 104 yards on 39 carries. It appeared the defense was much stronger than it started last season.
However, the offense showed its youth in game number one of the season with problems on the center exchange. “It's the first real game, so you expect some sloppiness,” Rowan head coach Jay Accorsi told the Gloucester County Times. “You make some mistakes, but you do the best you can.
“(Orihel) seemed unsure of himself and the other players, but he shook it off in the second half. It will take awhile for him to trust them. We never panicked and we stayed calm on the sideline, which is good for a young team.”
Despite the pressures of his first game since high school, Orihel performed well overall completing 17 of 30 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown. Orihel also rushed 12 times for 40 yards and another touchdown. For his efforts, Orihel was named both NJAC and ECAC Southeast Offensive Player of the Week.
Extra Points
Brockport has now defeated Cortland State seven times in their last eight meetings.
St. Lawrence of the UCAA opened their 2003 season with a victory, snapping a 22-game losing streak that dates to the 2000 season, defeating the E8’s Utica Pioneers 15-12.
TCNJ’s Bob Schurtz is now the program’s career passing yardage leader with 3,853 career passing yards following a 232 yard performance against Norwich in the Lions’ season opener.
Senior tailback Jason Meyers’ 191 yard performance in St. John Fisher’s 29-22 win over Alfred put him first at Fisher in career rushing with 2,723 yards.
Cortland and Brockport are among only a handful of teams that feature former players on current NFL rosters. Former Red Dragon defensive end R-Kal Truluck (1992-96) was on the opening day roster of the Kansas City Chiefs and former Brockport offensive lineman Josh Warner (1998-2001) made the opening day roster of the Chicago Bears.
Over his career at Central Bucks (Pa.) West High School, Rowan’s Mike Orihel completed 222 of 395 passes for 3,659 yards and 44 touchdowns. His overall record as a starting quarterback was 41-1.
Games of the Week
Alfred at Ithaca, 1 p.m., Ithaca, N.Y.: The Bombers have received a good deal of hype this offseason, hype that some visitors to this site think is unjustified. Granted Alfred should be inked in as a “W”, the margin of victory will give some indication of just how good these Bombers are in 2003.
Hobart at Dickinson, 1 p.m., Carlisle, Pa.: The inverse is the case with this match-up. Hobart has a great many supporters who feel they’re not getting the respect they deserve. However, a one-touchdown win against RPI last season and an eyebrow-raising loss to good but not great St. John Fisher still leaves questions about this talented group. In similar fashion to the Bombers, Hobart’s margin of victory should give a glimpse into just how well this squad will play.
Cortland State at New Jersey, 2 p.m., Ewing, N.J.: TCNJ lost quite a bit to graduation in 2002. And the Lions’ season opening 28-17 win against Norwich was not quite as dominating as their 41-20 victory against the Cadets in 2002. However, Cortland might be the remedy they’re looking for. It was a fire-fight last season in a 41-38 TCNJ win in overtime. Cortland needs this game, especially in a year without an AQ for the NJAC. But their secondary proved to be their biggest weakness in 2002, and Schurtz is New Jersey’s biggest weapon. Also, the defensive secondary is TCNJ’s strongest defensive unit. In a game of match-ups, this one could prove costly for the Red Dragons.