With a buzzing crowd and an environment sprinkled with showers, the Ithaca College football team avenged the last two seasons and took down its arch rival, the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons, by a score of 26-21 in one of the most thrilling Cortaca games of all time.
The Bombers started off the game with a fast offensive pace. Graduate student running back Tyrell Penalba burst up the left middle of the field on the return and was only taken down at the Bombers’ 42. With great starting field position and an energized crowd, the Bombers kept the momentum going.
After a scare on fourth-and-inches from inside the 10, the Bombers lined up and sophomore running back Chris Scully powered the ball through for the score. Scully flexed as he was mobbed by teammates as the collection of Bombers fans erupted in celebration. The point after touchdown was missed and the Bombers led 6-0 with 10:08 remaining in the first quarter.
With the Red Dragons rolling, sophomore quarterback Mike Rescigno launched the ball down the middle of the field, with a pass interference call occurring during the collision. Showing his discontent with the call, Bombers’ head coach Michael Toerper got on the bad side of the referee and an unsportsmanlike conduct call brought the Red Dragons to the Bombers’ 24-yard line. Rescigno rolled left from the 6-yard line and fired one on the run to streaking junior receiver Joe Iadevaio for the score. The score would put the Bombers down 7-6 with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter.
The connection between junior quarterback Mike Reed and junior receiver Nicholas Lang would get going on the next drive with two straight targets. This connection would not be denied as Lang bursted down the right sideline from the Red Dragons’ 45, torching the corner. Reed, seeing this, launched a moon ball in his direction. The ball soared and hit Lang right in the bread basket for a home run score. The crowd erupted as Lang stared down the Cortland fans in the corner end zone. The Bombers could not convert the two point conversion and regained a 12-7 lead with 14:54 to go in the half.
Reed said the long ball to Lang was something they had worked on preparing for the Red Dragons.
“They’re a big cover-three team,” Reed said. “We’ve had it planned this entire week and I just looked down the safety, stared him down to make sure he didn’t get over the top and Lang made a play.”
The Red Dragons were quick to respond. After inching into the red zone, the Red Dragons struck again. From the Bombers’ 1-yard line, junior running back Ethan Gallo bounced left and broke the plane to give the Red Dragons a 14-12 lead with 6:38 remaining in the half.
Looking for another response, the Bombers faced an unfortunate turn of events. On third-and-3 from their own 28, Scully took the ball to the left, but was corralled and stripped of the ball, which was recovered by the Red Dragons. The Bombers crowd went quiet.
On third-and-12 from the Bombers’ 33, Rescigno fired a ball into double coverage and junior receiver Sam Cotton made a dazzling play, reaching his right hand back OBJ-style and securing the ball as two Bombers defenders delivered blows on either side of him. The 23-yard catch brought the Red Dragons to the Bombers’ 10-yard line. Despite this, the Red Dragons would have to settle for a field goal attempt.
It would turn to disaster as the Bombers burst through the line and blocked the kick. The Bombers and Red Dragons would fight for the ball all the way to the Bombers’ 40, where they would start their next drive with 1:45 remaining in the half.
A screen play to Scully would drive the Bombers to the 20 with the clock staring them down with 38 seconds remaining. All would be for not when a high snap on the field goal attempt spelled disaster, as the kick was not attempted and the Red Dragons took over. The half would expire with the Bombers trailing 14-12.
After a sack backed the Bombers up, Reed executed. Reed hit sophomore receiver Tian Murray for a 12-yard gain and then on fourth-and-7 Reed, under pressure, improvised and found first-year receiver Nicholas Herskowitz uncovered for the first down. On second-and-7 Reed dropped back and threw a fade to Lang. Lang rose off the ground and pulled the ball from the corner’s hands, securing a touchdown that ignited the crowd and made the Bombers’ lead 19-14 with 3:48 left in the third quarter.
The momentum shifted even more when the Red Dragons return went awry. Red Dragons’ junior returner Ravi Dass Jr. went up the field and was met by a field of Bombers defenders.
The ball spurted out of Dass’ hands and Bombers’ first-year defensive back Caleb Casey recovered. The Bombers ran towards the sideline, amped up and ready to build their lead.
During the next series, Reed took a read option left and sprung through an open lane for a 10-yard score. Reed simply ran out the back of the end zone and stared down the Cortland fans as the Bombers took a 26-14 lead with 1:46 remaining in the third quarter.
With their back against the wall, Rescigno answered. From their own 37, Rescigno launched a rocket down the middle of the field into the waiting hands of junior receiver Jacque LaPrarie who took it home for the 63-yard score. The Red Dragons fans were reignited as they only trailed 26-21 with 14:51 remaining.
After a long Bombers drive, the Red Dragons were forced to start from their own 8-yard line with just 5:47 remaining. On fourth-and-3 from the Bombers’ 37, Rescigno ignored the noise and found Gallo on the right sideline for the quick first down. With 1:56 remaining, Rescigno sent up a prayer that was caught by LaPrarie with junior defensive back Marcus Boyle in tight coverage for a miraculous 31-yard gain to the Bombers’ 9.
Toerper said keeping Cortland off the field with long sustained drives was a big part of the win.
“That’s where [Cortland] gets a lot of teams, when they milk the clock and hold onto the rock and finish in the red zone,” Toerper said. “That was our goal, to find a way to stop them in the red zone, and [sophomore defensive back] Joe Spirra made a great call for [junior defensive back Cam] Paquette to set him up for success and Cam made the play.”
That play of the day occurred when Rescigno rolled left looking for LaPrarie again. What Rescigno did not see though, was Paquette, who jumped the route and intercepted the ball in the end zone. Paquette was swarmed by his teammates and the crowd let out a deafening roar as shock filled the Red Dragons’ sideline.
Paquette said in the moment he saw an opportunity to save the game.
“I was like ‘Oh sh*t, I can make a play with this ball,’” Paquette said. “I just hope I made the play and that was that.”
The Bombers could not secure glory on the ensuing drive and pooch punted the ball. The ball only rolled out at the Bombers’ 40-yard line. With 51 seconds and no timeouts, the Red Dragons had one more chance. On fourth-and-9 with 12 seconds remaining, Rescigno, with the crowd raining down chants of defense, locked in and completed to junior receiver Jayson Zeva for the first-down. After the spike, with seven seconds remaining, Rescigno put up a prayer, but the Bombers were there to shut it down. The sideline rushed the field and pandemonium ensued in the crowd as the Bombers recaptured the Cortaca Jug, their first win since their 2022 victory at Yankee Stadium.
With the Union Garnet Chargers winning the Liberty League, Toerper said the NCAA should look at the month the Bombers have had when considering the 13 at-large bids into the tournament.
“I think it’s how you play at the end of the year,” Toerper said. “We’ve had a hell of a November, so look at November.”
