Cortland Cortaca Jug Flashback - 1988 Red Dragons Win "Upstate NY Game of the Century"

PHOTOS: Rich Keefer (#10) rolls out for a pass; the crowd at Davis Field; head coach Dennis Kayser celebrates after the game (Kayser photo by Bob Ellis/Cortland Standard; other photo credits unknown)

By Fran Elia, Cortland Sports Information Director

The 2019 Cortaca Jug rivalry game between Cortland and Ithaca College will be played this Saturday, Nov. 16, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with the schools hoping to break the Division III football attendance record of 37,355 set by Minnesota schools St. Thomas and St. John’s at Target Field in Minneapolis in September 2017. Advance ticket sales for the game are currently at approximately 45,000.

General Ticket Sales Web Site
Cortland’s 2019 Cortaca Jug Info Page
Ithaca’s 2019 Cortaca Central Info Page

Each game week as the big event nears we’ve been taking a look back at some of the top Cortland memories from past Cortaca Jug games.

Flashbacks from the entire series:
1988 Red Dragons Win "Upstate NY Game of the Century"
Botched Field Goal Turns Into Cortaca Jug’s Most Memorable Play in 2014 Red Dragon Victory
Red Dragons Beat Undefeated and Defending National Champ Bombers in Wild 1992 Contest
Cortland Wins Thriller at Ithaca in 1997 for First Road Win vs. Bombers in 30 Years
Cortland Pulls Off Two of Cortaca’s Largest Comebacks in 1999 and 2010
Red Dragons Work Overtime for Back-to-Back Wins in 2005 and 2006
Late Heroics Lead to Unexpected Road Wins in 2003 and 2013
Cortland's Three Largest Cortaca Jug Wins (1968, 1996, 2011)
Goal-Line Stands Lead Red Dragons to 2002 and 2012 Cortaca Victories
Cortland Wins Inaugural Cortaca Jug game in 1959

“Honorable Mentions” that almost made our list:

2015: Cortland won 11-8 at Ithaca to clinch the Empire 8 crown
1982: Cortland rallied from a 17-7 deficit at home behind TD runs from Mike Bowe and Dave Cook to win 21-17 to end Ithaca’s nine-game Cortaca streak, prompting one of the few photos ever of players celebrating with the Jug after the game

Our final flashback:

Cortland Wins 1988 Cortaca Jug in “Upstate New York Game of the Century”

For many years the Cortaca Jug rivalry between Cortland and Ithaca was good, but in 1988 it became great – and, in the process, spawned passion and excitement among both schools’ alumni and fans that has helped the game grow to a level that is supporting Division III record-setting ticket sales for the 2019 game at MetLife Stadium.

From 1973-87, Ithaca dominated the gridiron rivalry between the schools separated by less than 25 miles on Route 13. The Bombers won 14 of the 15 games during that stretch, 12 by double-figure margins. After Cortland was victorious at home in 1982, Ithaca won the next five games by a combined score of 209-59.

Ithaca grad Dennis Kayser took over as Cortland’s head coach in 1986, and after a 1-8 season in his debut he led the Red Dragons to a 5-4 record in 1987. The 1988 season began with convincing wins over Wilkes, Hobart and Buffalo State, followed by a 24-21 victory over Western Connecticut on Ted Nagengast’s field goal as time expired. Four more wins followed, the closest a 7-3 triumph in the snow on Davis Field versus Springfield on a third-quarter TD reception by freshman Matt Shell and a 4th-and-goal tackle by Bob Keith at the Cortland 1-yard line with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Ithaca, like Cortland, also opened the season with an 8-0 record. Each of its wins were by at least 13 points, and they entered the Cortaca Jug game at Davis Field allowing only 5.1 points per game. No time in the past two decades had two undefeated Empire State teams met that late in the season, prompting Cortland sports information director Pete Koryzno to bill the matchup as the “Upstate New York Game of the Century.” And the game lived up to the hype.

In front of an estimated 7,100 fans – more than 2,000 who attended the game the previous year at Ithaca – Cortland won a back-and-forth 21-20 decision as both teams battled rainy conditions with winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

After holding Cortland early, Ithaca’s first play from scrimmage was a Paul Parker 40-yard scoring run to put the Bombers up 7-0. Later in the quarter, Ithaca was forced to punt from its own end zone. Greg Bearup blocked the kick and Ithaca fell on the ball for a Cortland safety. On the Red Dragons’ ensuing possession, Cortland quarterback Rich Keefer hit tight end Dave Kelly on a 45-yard TD pass. Ted Nagengast’s extra point – his 100th career point – gave Cortland a 9-7 lead.

As they did much of the day, Ithaca quickly responded. Two plays into the next series, Todd Wilkowski found Mike Scott open for a 70-yard scoring pass and the Bombers grabbed a 14-9 lead. Ithaca missed a 39-yard field goal attempt into the wind later in the quarter, and three plays later Keefer found Greg Sirico (whose son, Gregory, is currently a freshman on the Cortland squad) wide open for a 73-yard TD pass. A two-point conversion pass failed and Cortland led 15-14 at halftime.

Cortland controlled the ball for much of the second half and finished the game with a large 41:04-18:56 advantage in time of possession. After Ithaca missed a 42-yard field goal, Cortland drove to the Bombers’ 10-yard line before an interception ended the threat. Two plays later, Ithaca backup quarterback Tom Pasquale broke free on an option run for a 47-yard run – the fifth touchdown of the game by the two teams combined that covered at least 40 yards. The Bombers couldn’t hold on to a two-point conversion pass and their lead was 20-15 entering the fourth.

The Red Dragons recovered a fumble late in the third, but their next drive appeared to stall at their own 45-yard line. Cortland sent out the punting unit on 4th-and-2, but a fake punt resulted in a Gareth Grayson 3-yard run for a first down. Cortland methodically moved to the Ithaca 13-yard line and faced 3rd-and-8 when Keefer lobbed a pass to the right side of the end zone. Receiver Mark Houghton outjumped two defenders and came down with the ball to cap a 16-play drive and put Cortland on top to stay.

Cortland forced a three-and-out on Ithaca’s next series, and the Bombers’ final possession closed with a desperation 4th-and-20 pass from their own 35-yard line that was intercepted by Joe Grady with 1:03 remaining.

Grayson finished with 105 rushing yards on 32 carries. Keefer, despite being intercepted three times, completed 21-of-41 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Sirico caught five passes for 111 yards. Keith led the defense with 12 tackles, including a sack. Steve McGowan broke up three passes and Chris Voss recovered a fumble.

Cortland outgained Ithaca, 389-247, in total offense. The Bombers’ quarterbacks were a combined 3-of-12 passing for 91 yards and Parker ran for 53 yards on 11 attempts. Daegan Gray made 19 tackles and Dan Feldman recorded 16 tackles and an interception.

The following week Cortland completed a 10-0 regular season with a win at St. John Fisher. Cortland and Ithaca, which was 9-1, earned two of the East’s four berths in the 16-team NCAA Division III playoffs. Both teams won their openers – Cortland at home versus Hofstra, 32-27, and Ithaca at Wagner, 34-31 in overtime – to set up a rematch of the Cortaca rivals without the Jug on the line in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Despite its 11-0 record, Cortland was sent to Ithaca to play that game. Local papers reported that Ithaca was chosen as the host by the NCAA committee due to selection criteria that included availability and quality of facilities, and a look to rotate home sites. The latter favored Ithaca since they played on the road in the opening week and Cortland had been at home. Kayser and Cortland director of athletics Lee Roberts strongly disagreed with the decision, to no avail, and the teams met at Ithaca’s South Hill Field on Nov. 26.

Even though the game was played on Thanksgiving weekend, a crowd of more than 7,600 watched as Ithaca took a 16-0 lead, only to have Cortland answer with 17 straight points on TD catches by Houghton and Sirico and a Nagengast field goal. Ithaca, however, scored on a Parker 16-yard run with 8:06 left, and Cortland’s final drive ended with a Hail Mary pass that just missed the mark as Ithaca won, 24-17. The Bombers easily defeated their next two opponents, Ferrum (62-28) and Central of Iowa (39-24), to win the national title, and Cortland finished second in a number of end-of-season polls.

Grayson ran for 221 yards versus Hofstra and 227 yards at Ithaca for the most dominating individual performances in Cortland postseason history. Following the season he was named the ECAC Division III Upstate New York Player of the Year. Grayson, Keefer, Kelly, Keith and offensive guard Tom Schmandt each earned All-America honors.

Kayser left coaching after leading Cortland to a 9-2 record and another NCAA berth in 1989. Dave Murray, an assistant under Kayser from 1987-89, took over as head coach in 1990 and coached through the 1996 season.

Coverage Links:
1988 Cortaca Highlights
1988 Cortaca Box Score (PDF)
1988 Cortaca Jug Game Program (PDF)