ITHACA, N.Y. – One of the most anticipated Cortaca Jug games in the storied rivalry is set to take place this Saturday, November 12 at 12 p.m. as No. 11/12 Ithaca College and No. 9/11 SUNY Cortland battle at Yankee Stadium for the 63rd Cortaca Jug. Both teams sport undefeated 9-0 records and will not only be playing for bragging rights, but improving their resumes heading into the NCAA Division III Football Championship next week.

GAME COVERAGE

WATCH – YES NETWORK | LISTEN | LIVE STATS

GAME NOTES (IC) | GAME NOTES (CORTLAND)

ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca and Cortland will play for the 80th all-time meeting as part of the 63rd Cortaca Jug Game this Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Ithaca leads the all-time series, 42-34-3, and is 37-25 in Jug games. As is with every rivalry, the score is expected to be close based off the history of the two schools. Thirty-one Cortaca Jugs have been decided by eight points or fewer.

IC owns the record for most consecutive wins in Jug games at nine from 1973-81, while Cortland's longest streak is seven from 2010-16. The Bombers had won the past three meetings from 2017-19, but Cortland reclaimed the Jugs in 2021 with a 28-27 win.

THE BIGGEST LITTLE GAME IN THE NATION: Many in the Division III world know Cortaca is one of the best rivalries at this level of competition. The game routinely draws close to 10,000 fans each season, and it set the DIII record in 2019 at MetLife Stadium with 45,161. This season, both teams enter nationally ranked and two of the top offensive and defensive teams in Division III. Could this be the 'biggest little game' of them all?

WHERE WILL CORTACA RANK IN YANKEE STADIUM HISTORY?: Since the new Yankee Stadium was built in 2009, at least one college football game has been played there every year. The attendance record for a college football game is 54,251, which was the first-ever game between Notre Dame and Army. Four other contests have surpassed 47,000 fans (Penn State/Boston College, Lehigh/Lafayette, Notre Dame/Syracuse and Notre Dame/Rutgers). The next number to keep an eye on is 39,098, which was the attendance of the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl between Syracuse and West Virginia.

CHECK US OUT ON YES: On October 6, it was announced that Cortaca would be broadcast live on the YES Network to more than nine million cable subscribers in the metro NYC region. The game will also be available on ICTV.org/live for fans who are unable to watch the YES Network. Fans can also download the YES app and view the game from your phone or tablet.

IC IN THE CITY: Ithaca College is thrilled to celebrate reunion weekend in New York City and Yankee Stadium for Cortaca! Thank you to all our alumni who have traveled to NYC for this tremendous gathering of Bomber faithful!

TWO OF DIII'S ELITE: IC and Cortland have been two of the most dominant teams in Division III this season. Heading into Saturday's game, the Bombers and Red Dragons were top 10 nationally in numerous statistical categories.

For IC: 2nd – Fourth Down Conversion (.778), 3rd – Sacks Allowed (0.33), 5th – Kickoff Returns (25.6),
7th – Interceptions Thrown (3), 8th – Defensive Touchdowns (4), 8th – Passing Efficiency Defense (84.76), 9th – Scoring Defense (9.1), 10th – Turnovers Lost (7).

For Cortland: 2nd – Passing Efficiency (198.04), 2nd – Fourth Down Conversion (.778), 3rd – Defensive Touchdowns (6), 4th – Scoring Offense (50.1), 4th – Total Offense (534.2), 5th – Third Down Conversion (.562), 7th – Sacks Allowed (.56), 9th – Tackles for Loss Allowed (3.56).

SCOUTING THE BOMBERS: Ithaca is 9-0 on the season and won the Liberty League outright on November 5 against Union with a 31-28 victory. The Bombers earned their first automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship since 2014.

IC is led offensively by A.J. Wingfield, who has thrown for 1535 yards and 13 touchdowns, to just three interceptions, and completes his passes at a 68.25 percentage. Wingfield has also run for 188 yards and three scores on the season.

Jake Williams is the go-to running back for IC, as he has eight touchdowns on the season and 613 yards. Michael Anderson is the top receiver with 568 yards on 47 receptions and three touchdowns, while Julien Deumaga and Jalen Leonard-Osbourne also have three touchdown receptions.

On defense, Matt DeSimpliciis anchors the unit with 64 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. Michael Roumes has logged 48 tackles on the season, while Jason Haber ranks third with 38 tackles. IC has 12 interceptions on the season and 12 sacks.

Special teams is also a bright spot for IC as Anderson and Anthony D'Addetta are two of the top returns in Division III. Along with that, Nicholas Bahamonde is an All-American kicker, who has made 11 field goals this season.

SCOUTING THE RED DRAGONS: : Cortland is also undefeated on the season at 9-0 after its 56-14 win against St. John Fisher on November 5. The Red Dragons secured their spot in the NCAA Cham- pionship after a 31-8 win over Alfred on October 29. Cortland sports a well-balanced, but explosive offensive attack that averages over 500 yards of offense and 50 points per game.

 Zac Boyes has emerged as one of the best players in the region as he has thrown for 2391 yards this season and 24 touchdowns on a 70.81 completion percentage. Jaden Alfanostjohn has rushed for 902 yards and 15 scores on 156 attempts, while Ashton Capone is a solid No. 2 option with 658 yards and seven touchdowns.

JJ Laap and Cole Burgess are the top receivers for Cortland with a combined 1481 yards and 15 touch- downs on the year.

Josh Cordero is a lockdown defender with six interceptions this season, while Devin McArthur leads the defense with 47 total tackles.

The Red Dragons also have a solid special teams unit that is 7-for-10 in field goals and has booted 34 touchbacks in 68 kickoff attempts. Rashad Tucker is a threat to flip field position as he has one kick return touchdown and averages 26.6 yards per return.

UP NEXT: Ithaca will find out who and where it will play for the opening round of the NCAA Division III Championship during the Selection Show at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.