CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Alfred University football team couldn't recover from a pair of big plays by the Cortland special teams' unit, as the Saxons drop their first Empire 8 contest of the season to the No. 21/22 Red Dragons by a 31-21 score from the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex on a warm Saturday afternoon.
Alfred falls to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Empire 8 action, snapping a two-game win streak. Cortland, ranked No. 22 by D3football.com, remains undefeated at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in league action. Each of the last six contests in the all-time series has been won by the hosts.
Despite the loss, Alfred topped Cortland in total yards (416-221) and first downs (23-10). It was also an effective day on the ground for the Saxons, as they out-rushed Cortland by a whopping 309-55 margin. Senior running back Aaron Griffin (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) led the charge, tallying 201 yards on 34 touches. It's the fifth consecutive game that Griffin has gone over 90 yards on the ground, and the second 200+ yard game for one of the nation's leading rushers. Griffin also caught two passes for 15 yards.
Senior quarterback Casey Boston (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) also had a solid day on the ground, rushing for 74 yards on 12 carries, adding a pair of rushing touchdowns. In the air, the senior completed 13-of-29 passes for 107 yards, tallying a touchdown and an interception. Sophomore wide receiver Steven Moretti-Ransom (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne) led the Alfred receiving corps with four receptions. Keandre Sanders (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) brought in the lone passing touchdown, tallying 23 yards on three receptions.
Defensively, senior linebacker Nick Milgate (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) led the team with 11 tackles (seven solo), three for loss. Junior defensive backs Raeqwon Greer (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) and Jeremiah Young (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius), and junior linebacker Jason Gauthier (Java Center, N.Y./Pioneer) each recorded eight tackles.
Quarterback Brett Segala led the hosts in the victory, completing 18-for-26 passes for 166 yards. Segala also added a rushing touchdown. Running back Zach Tripodi tallied Cortland's other offensive touchdown, rushing for 58 yards on 20 carries.
Both defenses started strong in this one, as the Alfred and Cortland offenses were unable to sustain long drives. Near the tail end of the first quarter, the Saxons got on the board first. Taking advantage of a short field, Boston found Sanders for 26 yards on a post pattern for the Alfred touchdown.
The Red Dragons struck back right on the ensuing kickoff, however, as Cole Burgess took a quick handoff and raced up the left sideline for an 84-yard kick return touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Cortland's special teams' unit struck again, as Dylan Studer blocked a Kieran Horton (Binghamton, N.Y./Windsor) punt at the Alfred 13, running it back for a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead. Later in the quarter, the Red Dragons marched down the field on a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, with Segala sneaking it in on a one-yard run. Cortland would enter halftime with a 21-7 lead.
Alfred responded just after halftime with a methodical, 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive. Nine of those plays were designed runs, capped off by a one-yard quarterback sneak by Boston to cut the Saxon deficit in half, 21-14 at the 10:07 mark. After the Saxon defense forced a three-and-out, the offense had a chance for another long drive. On the third play of the drive, Boston's deep pass was intercepted by Evans Riviere at the Cortland 48. The Red Dragons responded with a six-play, 52-yard scoring drive to take a 28-21 lead, capped off by Tripodi's 15-yard touchdown run.
The unfazed Saxons got back into the endzone on their next drive, one of the longest of the season at 17 plays and 75 yards. 7:44 later, Boston kept the ball on the option play, running around the right end for the 12-yard touchdown. Alfred was once again in striking distance, trailing 28-21 with 12:18 to go in regulation. The Saxon defense forced a pair of Cortland punts, but the Red Dragon defense held serve, returning the favor and stifling the Alfred offense. Cortland eventually put the game away late with a 32-yard field goal by Nick Mongelli, stretching the lead to 31-21 with 58 seconds to go. Alfred got the ball to about midfield on its final drive, but time was not on its side as the final horn went off.
The Saxons will look to bounce back with a pair of home contests from Yunevich Stadium at Merrill Field, beginning with a Oct. 26 matchup against Hartwick at 1 p.m.
Saxons Drop First Empire 8 Contest to No. 22 Cortland
/seasons/2019/boxscores/20191019_tfxz.xml
2019
Alfred
21
Cortland
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred (4-2) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Cortland (6-0) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
Oct 19, 2019