Ithaca College Football

While this blog has never had its own niche, there have certainly been plenty of extremely niche blog posts. This is one of them. On Saturday, the 9-0 Ithaca College Bombers football team faced off against the 9-0 Cortland State Dragons at Yankee Stadium. You read that correctly. Yankee Stadium in New York City. Yes, it's a baseball stadium, but they also host the annual college football bowl game, the Pinstripe Bowl. 

Cortaca 2019 was held at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. I was part of the crowd of over 45,000, the largest ever for a Division 3 football game. It was a unique experience for the game to be played in an NFL stadium right outside New York City, and I figured that this would be a once in a lifetime chance to see Cortaca played somewhere other than Cortland or Ithaca. It was awesome! Because that game was only 3 years ago, I didn't feel the need to travel back to New York City to see Cortaca again, particularly since I was going to be out of town the weekend before (to not see bats in Austin, Texas). Even though I didn't attend in person, David Boreanaz did because you have never seen the two of us together at the same time. Coincidence or maybe this blog should really be called David's Ramblings? 

The Bombers won the Cortaca game 34-17 to cap an incredible undefeated season. Woo Hoo! They also earned a spot in the Division III football playoffs and will face The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Saturday, November 19th in Ithaca. While I contacted the UMass Dartmouth football team and athletic department to help provide a preview of the game, I did not receive a response. Therefore, I'm doing this all on my own, meaning that most of the information is accurate, but I make no guarantees.

- Ithaca finished 10th in the final regular season D3football.com rankings. Despite finishing 9-1, UMass Dartmouth didn't even fall into the "others receiving votes" category of the rankings. EIther there is no respect for the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference or all the voters think the entire league are Massholes!

- UMass Dartmouth is not Dartmouth College, which is an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. I wonder if UMass Dartmouth hopes that people confuse the two.

- UMass Dartmouth is located in southern Massachusetts not far from Martha's Vineyard and about a 45-minute drive from Newport, Rhode Island. It's about an hour from Cape Cod and slightly longer to Boston. Looks like a beautiful part of the world though I recommend visiting in the summer and early fall and probably not in January or February!

- The school's athletics teams are the Corsairs. I didn't know about this name until about 15 years ago when a friend made a blog called Corsairs Affairs which included some posts about the Pittsburgh Pirates. Corsair is another name for a pirate. So while Wednesday, November 16th is Talk Like a Pittsburgh Pirate Day, there is no Talk Like a UMass Dartmouth Corsair Day.

- The Corsairs can score, putting up 42.1 points per game. QB Dante Aviles-Santos leads the offense with 294 passing yards per game, and the Bombers better cover WR Angel Sanchez who leads the country with 138 receiving yards per game. I don't know if leading the country is for D3 colleges or all college football.

- In looking at famous UMass Dartmouth graduates, I don't recognize any names but a lot of people probably know Carmella from WWE. Oh, Jim Perdue of chicken fame might have received a Masters from here. Actually, I take what I wrote back. I recognize one name and I'm sure the school doesn't want anyone to associate his time in Dartmouth with the institution. One of the Boston Marathon bombers was a student. Let's change the subject.

My guess is that Ithaca will be favored to win based on the rankings and the fact that the game is in New York. Actually, this doesn't seem like a fun commute for the Corsairs. It's about a 6-hour drive without stops from Dartmouth to Ithaca or you'd have to fly from Boston or Providence though the only flights into Ithaca are from Newark or Detroit. Is the team driving to Boston, flying to Newark, and then flying to Ithaca? Or are they flying into Syracuse through one of the three New York City area airports and taking a bus from there? Whatever they do, a football team traveling from Dartmouth to Ithaca doesn't sound like fun. Advantage Ithaca!

Cortaca 2019

When it was first announced nearly a year ago that the 61st annual Cortaca game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland was to be played at MetLife Stadium just outside New York City, I was a little skeptical. Sure, it seemed like a unique opportunity to have this game take place somewhere new in the hopes of setting a Division 3 attendance record, but how many students, faculty, and staff would travel from central New York to East Rutherford, New Jersey? Were there enough alumni in the NYC area to justify moving this game 200+ miles?

It was this uniqueness that got me and my friends on board. Living in Northern Virginia, a drive to New York City/New Jersey is much easier than driving to Ithaca or Cortland. So for the first time since 1996, I planned to see an Ithaca College football game. And as the date approached, I got more and more excited about the trip. I took 8 year old The Moose with me and was joined friends that I first met over 25 years ago.

The Moose got to witness his first ever football tailgate as we walked from the parking lot to the stadium entrance. This included seeing a woman vomiting into a bag being held by I assume a really good friend. The best explanation I could come up with when he asked why she was throwing up is that this woman had too many adult beverages and wasn’t being responsible. Fortunately, there were no follow up questions.

MetLife Stadium set up an area where kids (and adults) could pass, kick, catch, and more. Here are a few pictures of The Moose in action.

The Moose needed to be about 9' 10" to catch this pass!

Very cool ceremony to start the game.

The Bombers about to score a touchdown.

The half-time show should have been Ithaca College graduate Tony DeSare or Ithaca College student (but not graduate) Gavin DeGraw, but instead we got several Ithaca College and Cortland groups. While they were good and I enjoyed their performances, a headliner would have been nice. Even David Muir (who it turns out may have been in a class with me) and David Boreanaz doing cartwheels at midfield would have been fine!

Credit to my friend T for taking this picture below. Why no Heinz ketchup? I have a friend who believes that there is an NFL conspiracy between the Mara (owner of the Giants) and Rooney (owner of the Steelers) families since they are related somehow. If they were truly linked, MetLife Stadium would serve Heinz. (By the way, I'm pro-French's mustard, so I didn't get as upset about this as I would have if they offered Hunt's.)

With about five minutes to go in the game, and Cortland cutting the deficit from 26-6 to 26-20, I mentioned to my friends that I was much more invested in the game’s result than I thought I would be. The point of the trip was to hang out with friends and take The Moose to a game I knew he would enjoy. At that point in the fourth quarter, I realized that I wanted (needed?) an Ithaca College victory too!

Ithaca got the ball back, and I'll let Ithaca Athletics explain:

Cortland would answer after the missed field goal and found the end zone just 1:32 later to pull the Red Dragons to within a score at 26-20 with 6:53 to go. On the 7-play, 80-yard drive, Ithaca was flagged for three separate 15-yard penalties, which allowed the Red Dragons to move down to the Ithaca 27-yard line. Segala then hit Burgess for a 24-yard gain and Tripodi capped off the drive with a 3-yard run.

Sean's note: I don't want to get into the penalty calls.

Now in a fight with 6:49 left in the game after the kickoff, Ithaca needed another sustained drive, which is exactly what the Bombers did. Garcia began the drive with a 2-yard run and then Germinerio notched five straight carries for 27 yards. After two more runs by Garcia and Germinerio, Cortland burned two timeouts with 3:14 to go and Ithaca faced a third-and-six at the Red Dragon 46-yard line.

Out of the timeout, Ithaca pulled out a play for the ages with a pair of fake handoffs to stretch the Cortland defense and Germinerio threw a perfect pass to a wide open Vito for a 46-yard touchdown with 3:06 left to give the Bombers a 32-20 lead after an unsuccessful two-point conversion.

D3 Football used less words.

The Red Dragons scored on another Tripodi run with 6:53 left in the game to make it 26-20.

But Germinerio, who had picked up a bunch of yards running the ball, found Andrew Vito streaking behind the defense on a bit of razzle-dazzle, and Vito ran the rest of the 46 yards to the end zone to seal the game with 3:06 left.

And here's the play:

Nice TD #5 Andrew Vito helping seal a victory for the Ithaca Bombers! Great effort by all. pic.twitter.com/MxgQJLJqG1

— Andrew Vito (Senior) (@Andrewvito11) November 17, 2019

The ball was in the air for what seemed to be about 8 minutes! Ithaca's wide receiver was so open, you just hoped he wouldn't drop it. Great way to basically end the game.

And there was great celebration throughout the land!

Several people in my section started a “State School” chant a few times during the game. This is apparently a chant to try to denigrate the education students receive at Cortland compared to at Ithaca. I’ve always hated this chant. First, Cortland students are continuing their education after high school to become more educated and to increase their employment prospects. This is a good thing. As a country, I think we can agree that we want people to continue in education whether this is at a “traditional” school or in vocational programs. A better educated society is a better society. We also generally want more government funding to go to education. That’s (at least historically) one of the hallmarks of public education. Basically, what I’m writing is that the state school chant is garbage and needs to go. Rant over.

In case you're wondering, the Cortaca game did set the Division 3 attendance record.

Cody Holyoke, news anchor at KMBC in Kansas City, also highlighted the game on his newscast.

When your school plans to set a D3 attendance record, you fly to NYC Saturday, hurry back Sunday and talk about it on the news Monday morning. GO BOMBERS! #Cortaca2019 @IthacaCollege @BomberSports pic.twitter.com/8sHgGUj2UC

— Cody Holyoke (@CodyKMBC) November 18, 2019

Definitely a fun weekend. Go Bombers!

Thanks to T, Sista K, and T-Rike for many of these pictures.

Everything Cortaca 2019

Perhaps you have heard that the annual Ithaca College-SUNY Cortland football game is being held at MetLife Stadium just outside of New York City this Saturday. I may have mentioned it. I thought I would create one post with everything that you need to know about this historic game.

* First, based on tickets sales, the 2019 Cortaca Jug game will be the biggest game in terms of attendance of any Division 3 football game. Last I heard as of about a week or two ago, there have been approximately 43,000 tickets sold. My guess is that the total will be between 45,000 and 50,000 tickets sold. (I also wonder what game will have more people: the Cortaca game, the New York Jets game against the Miami Dolphins on December 8th, or the New York Giants game against the Dolphins on December 15th.)

* A little publication called "Forbes" has an article about the game.

* Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has thoughts about the game.

(You know I asked #Jaguars' Doug Marrone about #Cortaca)

"Someone asked me [we were in NFC Championship Game w/ #Saints], what's the biggest game you've ever coached in? And I said @CortlandStateFB & @IthacaBomberFB.

.".. And they were pissed." 😂 pic.twitter.com/nfLV63Pc6O

— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) November 11, 2019

* Despite my thoughtful and elaborate post outlining why ESPN’s College GameDay should broadcast from East Rutherford, New Jersey, ESPN is going to Waco, Texas to cover the Baylor-Oklahoma game instead. It’s nice of ESPN to travel to Waco for the feel-good story which is Baylor football. Baylor clearly runs an extremely clean football program, so it’s nice to see ESPN reward them with national exposure. (In reality, maybe GameDay just wants to go to Texas since it will be 30 degrees warmer than New York City.)

* There's a Cortaca Jug Giving Challenge:

For the first time, IC and Cortland will go head to head off the field to see who has the strongest donor support. Whichever school secures the most donors through game day wins the challenge and the vice president of institutional advancement from the losing school will have to write a personal check to the winning school’s Annual Fund!

* I'm not going to tell anyone how to sell their tickets on StubHub, but my guess is this person is not going to get $500.

The Ithaca Journal has a story titled "Cortaca Jug: 10 things to know about the rivalry game at MetLife Stadium."

* I miss being around college campuses a getting free shirts. Ithaca College students can "shed the red" by donating articles of red clothing to charity in exchange for a student-designed Cortaca shirt. Yes, I want this shirt!

* The biggest thing about Cortaca 2019 is that I'm going to see friends that I first met 25 years ago. I'm going to see people who I haven't seen in over 20 years. This is really exciting!

* The Ithacan has information about the actual football teams and key players.

* There's going to be an Ithaca College Fan Fest at the game.

Participants will be able to run on a turf field and try on helmets and shoulder pads. The event will feature music from DJ Washburn, an alumnus who performed at numerous college sporting events while a student, and there will be a giant inflatable chair adorned with the IC shield that fans can sit in to take pictures. While Fan Fest will be geared towards the Ithaca College community, anyone is able to participate.

* Finally, MetLife Stadium has everything you need to know about what you can and cannot bring into the stadium. Here are some of the "highlights."

Event Timeline:

Parking Lots Open: 8:00am
Ticket Office and Will Call Opens: 10:00am
Gates Open: 11:00am
Event Time: 1:00pm

Stadium Carry-In Policies:

- Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag that does not exceed 12” x 6” x 12” OR one-gallon clear, plastic freezer bag (Ziploc or similar) – limit 1 per person
- Small clutch purse/wallet no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium with one of the clear plastic bag options
- Bags that do not meet these specifications can be checked-in at one of our bag check facilities (located outside each entry gate) for a $5 fee per bag
- An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a gate designated for this purpose

Sadly, battery powered heated clothing is prohibited. I don't know what exactly this is, but with the temperature set to be in the 30s, I wish I could have this!

College GameDay Should Go To NJ/NY

College GameDay is the biggest show/event in college football. Each week during the football season, ESPN broadcasts live from the marque game of the week. Generally, College GameDay goes to places like Columbus, Ann Arbor, Baton Rouge, Tuscaloosa, Norman, Gainesville, Clemson, and Happy Valley. However, on November 16th, I believe that GameDay should go to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey for the Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca College and the State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland).

You're probably thinking, Sean, why would GameDay want to go to East Rutherford? Isn't that where the New York Giants and New York Jets play? First, I applaud you on knowing your geography. Yes, that's where the Jets and Giants play, outside New York City. That's also where the 61st annual Cortaca Jug game is taking place. With the game still a few weeks away, ticket sales are at around 40,000. This will set the attendance record for a Division III game. GameDay should be in New Jersey just for this reason alone.

While I'm sure that only a handful of you are unfamiliar with this game, "Sports Illustrated" once dubbed the Ithaca-Cortland game as "the biggest little game in the nation." Both schools have successful traditions as well with Ithaca winning three Division III championships and Cortland regularly making the playoffs since the late 1980s. Now, you might be thinking, that's great, Sean. Sure, this is a cool rivalry and both schools have histories, but what about this year? Good question. Ithaca College is currently 7-0 and ranked #7 nationally. Meanwhile, Cortland is also 7-0 and ranked #18. Those seem pretty good to me.

Maybe you're still not convinced. You're thinking, GameDay deserves to be at a college campus and not at an NFL stadium. I agree with you. I also know that GameDay has been live at various bowl games and conference championships and at the Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas in Dallas and the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Florida and Georgia in Jacksonville. Basically, they can take a break from being on a college campus once or twice during the season.

Based on the history, attendance record, quality of the teams, and the uniqueness of this game, College GameDay needs to be there for the Cortaca Jug. As an added bonus, I will be there too! Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and company can have the rare opportunity to meet me in person. Let's make this happen, ESPN!

Cortaca Jug Game Goes To New York City (Area)

The annual Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland is arguably the biggest rivalry in Division III football. Sports Illustrated even called it the “Biggest Little Game in the Country.” However, unless you’re affiliated with one of these schools, are a die-hard Division III football fan, or live in Central New York, you’re likely not aware of this game. There are probably about 10,000 people who attend the annual game, but it certainly doesn’t have the attendance draw of Ohio State-Michigan. (Of course, stadium capacity is significantly less at Butterfield Stadium and Cortland's Stadium Complex compared to The Shoe and The Big House.) So when it was announced that the 2019 Cortaca Jug game would be played at MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and Giants, my initial reaction was “Holy Crap!” It sounded (and still sounds) like a cool idea. My next reaction though was, “How is this going to work?”

Ithaca and Cortland are both over 200 miles from East Rutherford, New Jersey. That’s not very convenient for students, faculty, and staff that live in those areas. While I've heard estimates that 30,000 Cortland and Ithaca alumni live in the New York City area, I’d be interested in seeing how the area is defined.* How far into Connecticut and New Jersey does this include? Regardless, this still seems ambitious that a majority of grads will attend the game.

Despite all this, I’m definitely interested in going. It’s about a 4-hour drive from Northern Virginia to the stadium. Well, 4 hours without traffic or stopping, which probably means 5 hours unless the Delaware Memorial Bridge is closed when it could take even longer.

Anyway, while I’ve started considering if I can go and what friends may be able to join me, Ithaca, Cortland, Ticketmaster, or whoever else may be forcing my hand. Despite the game being about 50 weeks away (Nov. 16, 2019), tickets go on sale this Saturday, December 1st. This seems insane to me! I don’t know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow (I would normally say tonight, but there’s dinner at a local restaurant where a portion of the sales go to the elementary school PTA, so I know what I’m ordering) or when I’m going to take my car for an oil change, but I need to commit to an event nearly a year away?

My theory is that MetLife wants to make sure that enough tickets are sold to make it worth it. 10,000 people in an NFL stadium isn’t going to work for them. According to this article in The Ithacan, Ithaca College's Susan Bassett, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports, said "there has to be a minimum of approximately 20,000 tickets sold for the game at MetLife Stadium to be a success." If you're going to play at an NFL stadium with a capacity of 82,500, you better have way more than 20,000 tickets sold!

Back to the ticket sales, it seems that sports and especially concert tickets go on sale earlier and earlier now, and I’m not sure why. I mean, I’m sure it’s because of money, but what’s the difference between selling tickets 3 months before an event rather than 11 months?

To conclude, Go Bombers!


* According to The Ithacan article linked above, there are 27,221 Ithaca College alumni within a four-hour radius of the city. I guess they have some pretty good data.

Cortaca 2013

Today is a special day. Not only is it Talk Like a Pittsburgh Pirate Day, but it also the annual college football game between rivals Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland. I've written about the Cortaca game and the battle to win the Cortaca Jug many times over the years, so instead, I'm just going to provide some links about today's game below.

Here is a preview of the game courtesy of The Ithacan.

Here are your game notes from Cortland Athletics website.

The Ithaca Journal profiles IC coach Mike Welch & co-captain Will Carter.

The Ithacan profiles cousins Senior running back Rakim Jones and sophomore defensive lineman Tijah Henderson.

Finally, if you're in DC, watch the Cortaca game at Grand Central.

Go Bombers!

Update 11/17

Cortland defeated Ithaca 28-24. Boo. This is the recap by D3Football.com

Despite winning four straight games in this series, it seems like Cortland celebrated like this was the biggest win in school history. According to CNYCentral.com, about 30 people got arrested.



Actually, maybe Cortland students really needed to celebrate as the team's season is now over. Meanwhile, Ithaca advances to the D3 playoffs to host Framingham State next Saturday.

Ithaca College News (David Boreanaz Was a Steelers Ball Boy)

After writing such a well-received blog post about fatherhood, I didn't know how to follow it up. I don't get compliments on my writing/posts very often, so I wanted to create the perfect blog post that would appeal to everyone that reads (or stumbles on to) this blog. That didn't happen. Instead, (if you didn't figure this out from the title) I thought I would share some Ithaca College news.

- The commencement speaker for the 16th annual ceremony since I graduated was Angel himself, David Boreanaz. His speech, though not nearly enthusiastic as the one given by Dot Richardson (only two people will get this), is available below. In watching his speech, I had no idea that he was a ball boy for the Pittsburgh Steelers (10:40 mark). I wish he talked more about this. The audio seems to be a second or two off which is only distracting now that I mentioned it.



More about the 2013 Ithaca College commencement is available via the Ithaca Journal and USA Today. (Yes, Ithaca's commencement is national news!)

With two of the most famous Ithaca College graduates giving recent commencement addresses (David Muir of ABC News in 2012), I should start preparing my speech for 2014. Of course, IC could choose Kripke for next year.

-Michael Faber, a mentor and later a colleague of mine, is retiring from IC after 31 years. This is an interview with him from The Ithacan.

- The IC baseball team is headed to the Division III World Series after defeating Cortland in the New York Regional final. According to the IC athletics website, "the Bombers will make their 12th trip to the NCAA Baseball Championships and will compete in the eight-team championship weekend beginning Friday in Appleton, Wis. Ithaca will face Linfield in the opening round with a 2:15 p.m. scheduled start time." Go Bombers!

- Finally, it appears that there's going to be a movie about the Ithaca College-Cortland State rivalry better known as Cortaca. I'm trying to contact the filmmakers and will post more when I have additional information.

Cortaca 2009 Recap

We interrupt Trivia Tuesday for a special presentation. Trivia Tuesday will return next week at its regularly scheduled time. [Update - See the end of this post for two trivia questions.]

When I wrote a preview of the 2009 Cortaca Jug game last week, I mentioned that I had a bet with The Sports Chick where I would win a guest post on her blog when Ithaca College won. This is what I wrote (and you can also see it for yourself on The Sports Chick blog):

The Sports Chick was kind enough to agree to a wager in which I would write a guest post on her blog when Ithaca College defeated Cortland State in this year's Cortaca Jug game. In the slim chance that Cortland actually won, she would have written something on my blog, but naturally, Ithaca was victorious. The Sports Chick really didn't think she would win, did she? Perhaps she just wanted a day off from writing, so that's why she agreed to this wager!

Anyway, Ithaca College won Saturday's game 23-20 at Butterfield Stadium in Ithaca, New York. That now makes three straight wins for Ithaca against Cortland and a 34-17 lead in the overall series. Using my incredible math skills, that means IC has won 67% of the Cortaca Jug games over the past 51 years. That would suck to be a Cortland fan and deal with so many loses to your rival.

Since I have the floor, er, blog, I want to point out Cortland coach Dan MacNeill's quote leading up to the Cortaca game. He said, "The Cortland-Ithaca matchup is a big rivalry although this game is just the same as any other. The field measures the same as it does over in Ithaca as it does here."

Was the variation of the Normal Dale-Hoosiers quote really necessary? Cortland's Juniors and Seniors played at IC in 2007 and the team is not going to confuse Butterfield Stadium with Ohio Stadium or the Rose Bowl. Actually, maybe the field measurements are different at Ithaca and that caused Cortland to lose. That and the fact that Ithaca has a better football team!

Finally, although Ithaca College (along with Cortland) finished 7-3 and failed to reach the Division 3 playoffs, this marked the 39th straight winning season for the Bombers. It's nice supporting winning teams like the Bombers, Penguins, Steelers, and the Pirates when they start winning again at some point in the next decade.

Although this was nice writing about Ithaca's success on a Cortland fan's blog, if we make a similar wager next year, I'd like dinner at A&W!

Go Bombers!



(This picture has nothing to do with the game; just a few campus buildings and the view of Cayuga Lake.)

Want more about the 2009 Cortaca game? Here are a few links:

- Ithaca Journal
- Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin
- Ithaca College Athletics
- Cortaca 2009 Photo Gallery
- The Biggest Little Game



Since Hand of Godard and others need a trivia fix, I'll present two questions this week.

1. Name the only one-word musical instrument that contains all five vowels.
2. What U.S. President lived the longest?

Cortaca 2009 Preview

The 2009 Cortaca Jug game, also called the "Biggest Little Game in America" by Sports Illustrated, is this Saturday at noon at Ithaca College's Butterfield Stadium. Ithaca College (6-3) comes into this game winning two straight games against Cortland State (7-2) in the series. The Division 3 playoffs look unlikely for both teams, but that doesn't diminish the importance of this game.

As the self-proclaimed unofficial blogger of Ithaca College football and the Cortaca Jug game, I feel like it is my responsibility to share my knowledge with you. First of all, to those unaware of the annual Ithaca-Cortland game, click on this link to learn about the Cortaca Jug history.



For this year's game, I present the following:

* Here is everything you need to know about the 2009 IC football team [Ithaca College Athletics]

* IC attempts to defend the Jug [The Ithacan]

* The Ithaca Journal highlights Bombers' QB Brian Grastorf [Ithaca Journal]

* The game is sold out, so if you don't have tickets, you're not getting in. [IC Athletics]

* Notes from the Cortaca press conference [Cooch's Rant]

* An interview with Cortland coach Dan MacNeill where he channels Normal Dale from Hoosiers:

"The Cortland-Ithaca matchup is a big rivalry although this game is just the same as any other. The field measures the same as it does over in Ithaca as it does here." Really? That's from 20+ years ago! [Cooch's Rant]

* Here is your Cortaca Jug broadcast information [Cortland Athletics]

Finally, I have a wager with The Sports Chick regarding this game. When Ithaca wins, I will write a guest post on her blog about the greatness that is IC. If Cortland somehow manages to win, she will write a post here about how lucky Cortland got in winning the game.

Go Bombers!

2009 Cortaca Jug Ticket Information

As the extremely unofficial blogger of Ithaca College football and the Cortaca Jug football game, I am proud to provide information about tickets for this year's game.

The Cortaca Jug Football game will be held Saturday, November 14, at noon at the Butterfield Stadium at Ithaca College.

There are a LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS AVAILABLE. No tickets will be sold at the gate on the day of the game. Tickets are required to enter the stadium. College IDs will not allow you admission to the game.

Ticket distribution for IC students, faculty and staff will be on Tuesday, October 27 and Wednesday, October 28. Distribution will take place in the Hill Center lobby, outside the Ben Light Gymnasium, from 4 to 10 pm both days. This is the designated time for students, faculty and staff to pick up their FREE ticket. ID is required to secure a ticket.

Provided that tickets are available, general community ticket sales will begin on the Ithaca College campus on Sunday, November 1. Sales will be open from noon to 6:00 p.m., in the Clark Lounge of the Campus Center. Tickets will also be sold on November 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Clark Lounge, while tickets are available. Tickets are limited to two tickets per person.

Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for students. Payment by cash or check only.

From my understanding, alumni sales will be online Nov. 1 starting at noon. Ordering will take place through the Alumni Relations webpage. The limit is two tickets per person. It's recommended that you join the online community via the Alumni Relations webpage, in advance. This is assuming that you graduated from IC.

UPDATE: This is the link for IC alumni to purchase tickets.

If you have no idea what I'm writing about, just click here to learn more about the Cortaca Jug game.


The same information I posted above is also available on the Ithaca College website.

Cortaca 2008

Take a look at the Division I college football schedule this week. There are no games featuring two ranked teams, and the big Saturday night games on ABC are either #13 Oklahoma State (8-2) against 5-5 Colorado or 6-3 Boston College at #19 Florida State (7-2). Don’t expect huge TV ratings.

So what’s the game of the weekend? The 50th annual Cortaca Jug game!



Not convinced yet?* Fine. You want to see a match-up of two ranked teams, right? Cortland State (9-0) is ranked #7 in the current D3Football.com poll while Ithaca College (8-1) is #17. Looking for drama? Although Cortland has already clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs, a win could give the team a regional top seed. IC appears to be in decent shape to make the playoffs, but nothing is guaranteed. A win over Cortland would almost certainly be enough for a postseason berth. How about history? The schools started playing in 1930 and have met every year since 1948. Ithaca leads the all-time series 37-26-3 and the Cortaca Jug series 32-17. Oh, Sports Illustrated once called this rivalry the "Biggest Little Game in America." Atmosphere? I attended four games during my time at IC and had an amazing time at each game.

Since I can't be in Cortland on Saturday (I highly recommend grabbing lunch at the old-fashioned A&W; they deliver food to your car or you can order via a phone on the table.), the least I could do is provide everything you need to know about Cortaca 2008.

The Ithacan has a preview of the game as well as the history behind the jug.



The Cortland athletic website has complete information about both teams.

The Ithaca Journal has the Cortaca Jug Breakdown and two other articles about Ithaca's Connecticut Connection and Cortland's local talent.

WBNG has a video preview of the game as does News 10 Now.

Syracuse's Post Standard says that the modern rivalry started in the 1988 game.

The Vice Presidents of Student Affairs from both schools say be safe out there and act responsibly. Don't drink and drive!

The Sports Chick Blog says Go Cortland. I disagree!

Lots of insightful and thoughtful debate (or not) on the D3 message board.

IC Sports Radio also has their own preview.

The game, which starts at noon, is scheduled to be televised live in Cortland and Tompkins Counties on Time Warner Cable (Channel 6 in Cortland, Channel 16 in Ithaca). The television broadcast will not be available via satellite. The game will also be broadcast live by WICB (91.7 FM) - WICB’s broadcast will be available at http://www.wicb.org/; on Cortland's webcast; and on Live Stats.

Go Bombers! (That would be Ithaca College)

P.S. I would love a Cortaca Jug T-shirt if there are any for sale.


* Don't mind me as I ask questions to no one in particular.


UPDATE 11/15 @ 1:30: At halftime, Ithaca leads Cortland 14-10.

Update #2 @ 3:20pm: It’s a final. Ithaca retains the Cortaca Jug by defeating Cortland 35-13. Back-up QB Brian Grastorf threw for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran for another 2 scores. Safety Jason Chier had three interceptions in leading a very impressive defensive performance. Cortland came into the game scoring 34.8 points per game but the offense only scored six points (the other TD was on a blocked punt). Way to go Bombers!

Rivalry Weekend

This is a big rivalry weekend with Cortland State at Ithaca College on Saturday and the Cleveland Browns visiting the Steelers on Sunday. I’ll start with the 49th Cortaca Jug game, although there have actually been 65 games in the series (Ithaca leads 36-26-3). Both teams enter with 7-2 records and the winner has an outside chance at making the Division III playoffs, even though no 8-2 teams earned an at-large bid in 2006 and the D3football.com playoff projections fail to include either team. I’ve got several links for this game so here we go:

* The Ithacan explains how the Bombers can make the postseason.
*Cortland Game Notes
*The Ithaca Journal’s preview #1 and #2
*To the fans, stay safe out there. (Seriously, don’t drink and drive; plus, there are usually checkpoints set up between Ithaca and Cortland.)

After the Steelers crushed Cleveland in week one, I wrote that the rivalry between the two teams was over. I’m not ready to retract what I wrote, but Sunday’s game may decide the AFC North division winner. If the Browns do manage to win the game, the rivalry is back. I’ll be live at Heinz Field on Sunday, though not live-blogging, but I’ll try to share notes about the game.