Last year, Cortland hosted Ithaca for the 62nd annual ‘Cortaca Jug’ game. Ithaca is 37-25 in these matchups. But Cortland pulled away with a win in their last meeting.
Just a couple of years ago, the ‘Cortaca Jug’ game was held in Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The same stadium where New York’s Jets and Giants play. This outing broke the attendance record for division III football, with over 45 thousand fans in attendance.
In recognition of the popularity of this rivalry, the NCAA has scheduled this year’s game to be played in Yankee Stadium. This is a large stage for division III, but it will be showcasing two of the best teams in the nation. Each team has a similar ranking as last year, when they met in a thrilling game on Cortland’s turf.
The 2021 Cortaca Jug game was one for the ages. This was a huge game for some of the players, as the previous season had been canceled due to a worldwide pandemic. These players didn’t know if they’d ever play football again, let alone be playing for the jug.
The build-up to these games is always dramatic. Both teams ascend the rankings all season long, making easy work out of most of their competition. According to AFCA, last year at the time of the game, Cortland was the nation’s 13th best division III program, with Ithaca sitting at 18th.
These two teams tend to smash their opponents. Last year Cortland was undefeated, and Ithaca had only suffered one loss to the point when they met. So this was a huge game for playoff seeding; with Ithaca needing to secure a victory on the road in order to make the playoffs.
The game started off well for the Red-Dragons, forcing a punt on Ithaca’s opening drive. Cortland followed this up by rushing in a touchdown in the first quarter. This trend continued through the first half. Cortland allowed two field goals, while adding another touchdown of their own to extend the lead to 14-6 going into halftime.
Unfortunately for Cortland, the Ithaca Bombers weren’t done scoring. They added on three touchdowns in the third quarter, two on the ground and one through the air. This made the score 27-14, and all of a sudden the ‘Jug’ seemed to be slipping out of reach for the dragons. Cortland was able to score again before the fourth quarter, making it 27-21 in favor of Ithaca.
At this point, it seemed like whoever had possession of the football last would be winning this game. The fourth quarter was hard-fought. The only touchdown of the quarter came with about 8 minutes left in the game. A passing touchdown for Cortland which put them ahead 28-27.
The season (and the jug) was on the line, and the defense was on the field. All Ithaca needed to do was control the clock, and score a field goal. They were down 1 point, almost guaranteed to make the playoffs if they score. What happened next is magical.
Ithaca begins to drive. All of Cortland is on the edge of their seats. We had been waiting for this moment for 2 years. Talking smack all offseason, waiting patiently for the day we can say “Our school has the jug!”
As they line up for a field goal, Cortland’s crowd doesn’t give in. The roar coming from the stadium is unlike anything I’ve heard. Students supporting students, alumni supporting their team. On the field, the ball was snapped, the hold was good, and the kick went up. It’s almost as if time froze for a moment, as everyone in the stadium saw what was about to happen.
Cortland’s 6’7” left tackle, Travis Alvarez, was on the field. He jumped up, as if he truly believed he could fly. He spiked the football back towards the kicker. Electric. The crowd went bananas, and the rest is history. Cortland won the football game.
As a student, and as a fan, it would be a treat to watch a game as exciting as this again. The memories made at Cortaca are unforgettable. Have fun and be safe, but most importantly, go red dragons!