Cortland Blanks Montclair St., 20-0, to Improve to 3-0 in NJAC
CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior Chris Rose (Victor) completed 20-of-38 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns and the Cortland defense handed Montclair State its first shutout in 144 games dating back to 1998 as the Red Dragons defeated the visiting Red Hawks, 20-0. Cortland improved to 3-1 overall and is 3-0 in NJAC play. Montclair drops to 2-3 and 2-1.
All of the game's scoring occurred in the first half. Junior Mike DeBole (Webster/Webster Schroeder) made a pair of 26-yard field goals – the first with 11:03 left in the first quarter and the second with 30 seconds remaining in the half. Rose threw a 1-yard play-action touchdown pass to senior tight end Sean Obanhein (Lynbrook) with 2:48 left in the first quarter to give the Red Dragons a 10-0 lead. Early in the second quarter, Cortland drove 66 yards for a score on just two plays – 37-yard and 29-yard passes from Rose to sophomore Kordel McInnis (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township).
Montclair's best scoring chance came on its second possession when it drove from its own 25-yard line to the Cortland 7-yard line before missing a 24-yard field goal. The Red Hawks drove no deeper than the Cortland 36-yard line the rest of the game. Montclair was last shutout on Oct. 31, 1998 versus The College of New Jersey (10-0), and its last road shutout was at Rowan on Nov. 11, 1995 (30-0). Cortland's last shutout versus Montclair was a 20-0 home victory in 1965.
Cortland outgained Montclair, 438-190, in total offense, including a 180-35 advantage on the ground. Freshman linebacker Troy Beddoe (Endicott/Union-Endicott) led the Red Dragons with eight tackles, six solo, along with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. He finished with 3.5 tackles for losses, including 1.5 sacks. Freshman safety Andre Green (Philadelphia/Indian River) made seven tackles, two for losses, and broke up a pass.
Cortland senior Mike Humphrey (Le Roy) caught eight passes for 101 yards and McInnis finished with three catches for 105 yards. Senior Dorian Myles (Lackawanna/Hamburg) ran for 84 yards on 10 carries and sophomore Jack Delahunty (East Northport/Northport) made four catches for 34 yards. DeBole, in addition to his two field goals, averaged 39.4 yards per punt on five kicks, with three pinning Montclair inside the 20-yard line.
Montclair sophomore defensive back Bill Shimko (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) recorded a game-high 14 tackles, seven solo. Junior linebacker Adnan Sakiri (Ramsey, NJ) finished with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
Junior A.J. Scoppa (New Milford, NJ) rushed seven times for 47 yards, including a 45-yard carry, but left the game early with an apparent injury. Senior Drew Cathey (East Rutherford, NJ/Becton Reg.) connected on 19-of-38 passes for 155 yards and senior Bryan Ogden (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) caught five passes for 29 yards.
Cortland will travel to The College of New Jersey next Saturday, Oct. 6, at noon. Montclair hosts Rowan next Saturday at 1 p.m.
