FRAMINGHAM, MASS. — Junior Kyle Schneider (Hillsdale, NJ/Pascack Valley) completed 20-of-27 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start as Cortland held off host Framingham State, 61-49, in a non-league game.
The Red Dragons (2-0) and the Rams (1-1) combined for 110 points and 1,071 yards of total offense. The 110 points are the second-highest combined point total in Cortland history, one point behind the 111 scored in the Red Dragons' 62-49 win over Morrisville State in 2013.
Schneider, starting due to an injury to Steven Ferreira (West Sayville/Sayville), threw 58-yard and 55-yard TD passes to junior Jon Mannix (East Northport/John H. Glenn), a 25-yard scoring pass to sophomore Jake Smith (Albany/Guilderland), and a 1-yard TD pass to junior tight end Josh Riley (Poughkeepsie/Spackenkill). In all, seven of Schneider's completions covered at least 25 yards, including four of at least 55 yards. Smith finished with five catches for 139 yards and Mannix made four catches for 140 yards.
Senior Dylan Peebles (Port Leyden/South Lewis) rushed 10 times for 70 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown, and returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD. Peebles extended his school record with his fifth kickoff return for a score in three seasons. Freshman Donny Davis (New City/Nyack) scored two rushing touchdowns, and junior Matt Goodman (Closter, NJ/North Valley Demarest) returned a fumble forced by Rich Lagano (Brownville/General Brown) on a punt return 40 yards for a TD with two seconds left to secure the win.
Framingham quarterback Matthew Silva completed 43-of-59 passes for 510 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards and a score on 11 carries. Tevin Jones caught 10 passes for 156 yards and a score, Marcus Grant made 10 catches for 90 yards and two scores, and Travis Hayes finished with nine receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. In addition, Jared Gauthier registered six catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Framingham finished with 575 yards of total offense on 89 plays for a 6.5 yards-per-play average. Cortland gained 496 yards of total offense, but did so on only 59 plays from the line of scrimmage for an 8.4 yards-per-play average.
Seniors Troy Beddoe (Endicott/Union-Endicott) and Devonte Davis (Buffalo/Cleveland Hill) and junior Tom Hagan (Hopewell Junction/John Jay-East Fishkill) led Cortland with 10 tackles each. Junior Quin Spencer (Bronx/Archbishop Stepinac) added nine tackles and junior Carson Lassiter (Madison, NJ) added an interception. Safety Matthew Mangano led the Rams with nine tackles and also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown, while Lewis Bailey intercepted a pass.
A 69-yard pass from Schneider to Smith to the Framingham 4-yard line set up Riley's TD catch on the game's opening drive. The hosts responded with a 77-yard TD drive, capped by a Silva 2-yard run, on their first possession.
Schneider found Mannix on a 55-yard TD pass later in the quarter and Cortland led 14-7 after the first, but Framingham knotted the game on the first play of the second quarter when Silva hit Jones on a 20-yard TD pass. On the ensuing kickoff, Peebles fielded the ball at the 3-yard line and ran 97 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead.
The Red Dragons extended their lead to 35-14 at halftime on a pair of Davis TD runs from five and 10 yards out. The first score was set up by a Chris Osterman (Poughkeepsie/F.D. Roosevelt) 66-yard catch to the 5-yard line, and the second finished a 30-yard scoring drive after Cortland's defense stopped the Rams on 4th-and-1 from their own 34-yard line.
Framingham struck first in the third quarter on a 49-yard strike from Silva to Hayes with 7:14 left. Cortland answered with a 60-yard TD drive that opened with a 27-yard catch by Mannix and closed with a Smith 25-yard TD catch. The extra point failed and Cortland led 41-21.
The Rams marched 83 yards on nine plays during their next possession, with Mangano's TD run closing Cortland's lead to 41-28. Peebles broke a 37-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 47-28, but Silva hit Jones for 35 yards to the 2-yard line and Grant for a 2-yard TD catch on the next series and Cortland was up 47-36.
Cortland was forced to punt on its next possession, but a roughing the kicker call extended the drive. On the next play, Mannix caught a 58-yard TD pass from Schneider to put Cortland ahead 54-36 with 9:47 remaining.
Framingham, however, scored on a Gauthier 7-yard TD catch with 4:43 left to pull within 11, then started its next drive at the Cortland 41-yard line after a Quron Wright 24-yard punt return. Three plays later, Silva hit Grant from nine yards out for a TD, but the two-point conversion failed and Cortland led 54-49.
Framingham burned its final two timeouts while forcing a Cortland three-and-out with less than a minute left. Cortland let the clock run down and called timeout with 18 seconds left. Green got off a 30-yard punt under heavy pressure, and on Wright's return Lagano stripped the ball and Goodman ran 40 yards for a touchdown with two seconds left to close the scoring.
Cortland opens Empire 8 play at St. John Fisher next Saturday at 1 p.m., while Framingham starts MASCAC action home versus Fitchburg State next Saturday at noon.