2024 Cortland bracket previews
We take you team-by-team through the NCAA playoff bracket!- St. John's bracket | Hardin-Simmons bracket | Salisbury bracket | Cortland bracket
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Cortland Red Dragons
| Seed: | No. 1 seed, Cortland bracket, No. 4 overall |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 2, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Cortland, N.Y. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 5859 |
| Stadium: | Stadium Complex (6500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | E8 |
| Head coach: | Curt Fitzpatrick (St. John Fisher '04) |
| Career record: | 44-4 (.917) at Cortland; 79-42 (.653) overall |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 12-11 (1988-90, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2021-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2023 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 505 | 124 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, E8 champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | RB Ethan Gallo is churning up yards and the clock, QB Zac Boyes is finding his receivers and the defense is forcing turnovers at crucial points in the ballgame. And even if those things aren't happening on offense, they're patient until things start to click, even if a little razzle-dazzle is required. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | If they fall behind early, either due to turnovers or special teams mistakes, and have to play catch-up. |
| This season's turning point: | You know, that game where they got down 14-0 and 21-7 early on the road and had to rally to take the lead in the second half, then had to get one final stop to keep their opponent from winning the game. Wait, there are two of those games? |
| NPI (rank): | 77.680 (4) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 238.0/292.4 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 79.9/159.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.5/4.2 |
| Leading passer: | Zac Boyes, 252.9 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Ethan Gallo, 104.5 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 93.3 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Jaden Martinez, 78 (35 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Nick Lardaro, 3.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Ellis Einbinder, Nazair Jean-Lubin, 3 |
| How far can they go? | They certainly could go all the way, but this team might be a weapon or two short on offense. |
North Central (Ill.) Cardinals
| Seed: | No. 2 seed, Cortland bracket (No. 5 overall) |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 1, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Naperville, Illinois |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2257 |
| Stadium: | Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium (5500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | CCIW |
| Head coach: | Brad Spencer (North Central '04) |
| Career record: | 39-1 (.975) |
| Base offense: | Shotgun multiple |
| Base defense: | Pro 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 31-13 (2005-08, 2010-13, 2016-19, 2021-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2019, 2022 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 571 | 111 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: CCIW |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | QB Luke Lehnen is chewing up lots of yardage. With the No. 1 scoring offense in Division III and the No. 3 rushing offense, this group is still powered by Lehnen, who is ranked nationally in efficiency (No. 2), yards per pass attempt (1), and passing touchdowns (13). All while averaging 14.4 yds per attempt as the team's leading rusher in that particular category. Defensively, the Cardinals, who have the No. 8 scoring defense, are getting dangerously healthy for the postseason. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They end up in second-and-long situations, let alone third-and-long. With the third-best rushing offense in Division III, North Central doesn't often face long yardage. If a team can keep them behind the chains and force long yardage situations while making Lehnen a pocket passer, they have their best chance. |
| This season's turning point: | No turning point needed. Handily beating two top 25 teams in the first four games including rival Wheaton in Week 4 has given the team the confidence they need to make another deep run. |
| NPI (rank): | 77.539 (5) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 308.5/252.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 64.7/184.4 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 8.6/4.2 |
| Leading passer: | Luke Lehnen, 221.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Joe Sacco, 87.38 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Thomas Skokna, 62.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | BJ Adamchik, 47 (26 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | John Sullivan, 5.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Brayden Garrigan, 3 |
| How far can they go? | There will be December challenges but North Central should continue its barnstorming tour and make it five consecutive Stagg Bowls in five different stadiums. |
Hope Flying Dutchmen
| Seed: | No. 3 seed, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 16, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Holland, Mich. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 3123 |
| Stadium: | Ray and Sue Smith Stadium (5325) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MIAA |
| Head coach: | Peter Stuursma (Hope '93) |
| Career record: | 64-17 (.790) |
| Base offense: | One-back spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-5 (1986, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 443 | 83 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: MIAA |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The offensive line is winning the battle up front. Running the ball is a major strength of the offense, averaging 302.7 yards/game, and the line has been integral in that, with the necessary physicality and agility to create gaps for sizable gains. Defensively, you'll know it if the front four are shutting down the opposing rushing attack at the line of scrimmage early and often. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The penalties stack up. We really didn't see Hope play poorly in the midst of their 10-0 regular season, but there have been a few instances in which the Flying Dutch have ended up with flags being thrown at inopportune times, particularly on offense. |
| This season's turning point: | The 34-13 win at Alma in Week 4. Hope was 3-0 at that point but without a marquee win. Since winning at Alma, it seems to have been full steam ahead with plenty of confidence for the MIAA champs. |
| NPI (rank): | 74.083 (9) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 302.7/228.4 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 41.0/173.7 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.9/3.5 |
| Leading passer: | Ben Wellman, 182.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Chance Strickland, 110.63 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Grant Holtzer, 86.3 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Cole Luhmann, 68 (27 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Liam Danitz, 4.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Brad Raredon, 4 |
| How far can they go? | They can definitely win a game. To win two, they will have to take the Alma game plan, turn it up to 11, and hope for a little help. |
Springfield Pride
| Seed: | No. 4 seed, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 23, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Springfield, Mass. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1982 |
| Stadium: | Benedum Field (2500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NEWMAC |
| Head coach: | Mike Cerasuolo (Springfield '93) |
| Career record: | 64-22 (.744) |
| Base offense: | Triple option |
| Base defense: | 4-2 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 4-8 (1998, 2000, 2002-03, 2006, 2017, 2022-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 486 | 148 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: NEWMAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The offensive line is not only winning the battle in the trenches, but is visibly outmuscling the opposing defensive line. A triple-option offense tends to be only as good as the blockers up front, and Springfield has certainly been strong in that area, a large part of why the Pride comes into the postseason averaging 7.5 yards per carry. The defense will be clamping down on the run, keeping any gains on the ground to less than 10 yards. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Do we know what poor play from Springfield even looks like? It?s hard to pick up tendencies on that front from a team that has played exactly one game decided by fewer than three scores. If there?s one thing, it'd be Springfield's defense giving up too many completions that keep drives alive, with the opposing offense taking advantage of one-on-one matchups down the sidelines. In addition, any option offense has the potential to fumble the ball, although the Pride have only fumbled it away six times this season. |
| This season's turning point: | They haven't needed one. Just as the rushing attack hasn't broken stride en route to being the lone team in the country averaging over 400 yards per game (451.1), the Pride simply rolled through the regular season without much opposition after getting past Western New England, 38-32, in the opener. |
| NPI (rank): | 73.707 (10) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 450.8/45.4 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 88.6/168.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.7/4.5 |
| Leading passer: | Jacob Silverster, 34.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Arsen Shtefan, 128.6 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Bradley Barcello, 17.22 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Billy Carr, 69 (41 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Will McKay, 3.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Joe Maurer, Tyler Paladino, 3 |
| How far can they go? | Typically the ceiling for Springfield in the playoffs is not very high, and this is a typical year. |
Mass-Dartmouth Corsairs
| Seed: | No. 5 seed, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | North Dartmouth, Mass. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 4699 |
| Stadium: | Cressy Field (1850) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MASCAC |
| Head coach: | Josh Sylvester (Babson '05) |
| Career record: | 19-2 (.905) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-2 (2002, 2022) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 542 | 154 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: MASCAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The offense is moving quickly -- because it almost always means the entire offense is in rhythm. The Corsairs' ability to play with pace wears down the defensive line and linebackers tremendously, especially when the ball is continually run out of their spread formations. Defensively, you?ll see a unit that is strong on first and second down, creating favorable chances to utilize their pass rush on third down. And with that going well, momentum-shifting kick returns also come into the equation; UMD is one of three teams nationally that has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defensive front is struggling to take away the run. At times, we've seen the opposing ball carriers find repeated gaps for 5-10 yard gains, and even cut back for gains around the opposite side. If that happens in the playoffs, it could be a long day for the Corsair defense. |
| This season's turning point: | They were already playing high-level football by the time Nov. 2 rolled around, but to jump out to a 21-6 lead in the eventual 41-30 win over WestConn in a game that determined the MASCAC title was huge. Even more so when you consider that it was WestConn who took a 21-0 lead in last year's meeting, so the strong start meant just a little more to the Corsairs on their way to their most impactful win of the season. |
| NPI (rank): | 70-974 (14) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 251.8/263.5 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 121.1/135.6 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.5/4.3 |
| Leading passer: | Dante Aviles-Santos, 246.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Jalyn Aponte, 69.2 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Angel Sanchez, 94.4 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Mike Henricksen, 75 (29 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Lamar Beaton, 2.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Shane Meerbott, 5 |
| How far can they go? | They could get to leave Massachusetts. |
Endicott Gulls
| Seed: | No. 6 seed, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 10, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Beverly, Mass. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2896 |
| Stadium: | Melissa Hempstead '69 Stadium (2200) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | CCC |
| Head coach: | Paul McGonagle (Kentucky '99) |
| Career record: | 52-13 (.800), 66-48 (.579) overall |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-3-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 1-5 (2010, 2013, 2021-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 381 | 119 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: CNE |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The defense is holding the opposing run game in check, the offense has balance (check the rushing and passing numbers below) and senior QB Clayton Merengi is distributing the ball to his playmakers such as Yazier Cosme-Diaz, Adam Goodfellow and Shane Aylward. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The Gulls are having trouble on third down. In their close games and loss to Hardin-Simmons, Endicott's third down efficiency was around 45%. In their loss, the Cowboys offense converted nine of 15 on third down and picked up two of the other six on fourth down, converting both of those attempts. |
| This season's turning point: | The defense picked Endicott up after the Gulls failed on fourth-and-1 from their own 36 with 1:50 left to play. Trailing 13-7, the Bombers took over at the Endicott 31 and got as close as the 16 before committing a holding penalty. Alfino Davis made an athletic play on fourth down to intercept an Ithaca pass in the end zone and end the threat. Even though Endicott lost a game after this, at Hardin-Simmons, surviving the close call is a key moment for the Gulls in 2024. |
| NPI (rank): | 68.777 (21) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 193/200.3 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 109.5/141.3 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.9/3.8 |
| Leading passer: | Clayton Marengi, 177.5 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Yavier Cosme-Diaz, 50.9 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Adam Goodfellow, 68.3 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Matthew Licciardi, 52 (23 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Hector Johnson, 5.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Joe Tirrell, Zachariah Twardosky, 3 |
| How far can they go? | Last year they were one play away from beating Cortland, as Cortland struggled in the early rounds of the playoffs. Probably not likely to have a repeat of that. |
Aurora Spartans
| Seed: | No. 7 seed, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 15, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Aurora, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 3663 |
| Stadium: | Spartan Athletic Park (1,100) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NACC |
| Head coach: | Don Beebe (Chadron State '89) |
| Career record: | 51-9 (.850) |
| Base offense: | Pro spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 3-8 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2019, 2021-23) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 492 | 137 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, NACC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The defense is able to keep the opposing run game in check and get off the field on third down in a reasonable manner and the offense is having its pick of multiple pass-catching options. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The offense can't keep up with the pace of the opposing defense, and the Spartans running game isn't able to do enough to stablize things. |
| This season's turning point: | Tyler Adkins solidifying his way into the starting quarterback role after Ian Luyando started the season off in a struggle. Adkins, who started and performed admirably in the second-round playoff game at UW-La Crosse in 2023, threw for 289 yards and a TD against No. 1 North Central and went on to throw 36 touchdowns against 10 interceptions this fall. |
| NPI (rank): | 68.455 (22) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 179.4/293.6 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 82.7/154.3 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.0/3.7 |
| Leading passer: | Tyler Adkins, 255.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Zackery Russell, 58.9 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Trey Urwiler, 64.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Andrew Nordland, 71 (44 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | JP Chaney, 8 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Quintarius Davis, 6 |
| How far can they go? | The Spartans certainly have a shot to win a playoff game for the third year in a row. |
Whitworth Pirates
| Seed: | No. 8, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 22, Week 11 2024 |
| Location: | Spokane, Washington |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1992 |
| Stadium: | Pine Bowl (2000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NWC |
| Head coach: | Rod Sandberg (Wheaton '91) |
| Career record: | 83-23 (.783) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 4-6 (2001, 2006, 2015, 2018-19, 2023) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 355 | 176 |
| How they got here: | At-large: NWC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Luis Salgado is able to get to the third level on a consistent basis and Ryan Blair has more time to find Evan Liggett, who is doing his best Michael Allan impression. (If you don't know him, look him up.) |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense is giving up big chunks of yardage, and the offense is able to break some big plays, but not able to sustain drives and put points on the board. |
| This season's turning point: | Knowing the math would get them in the bracket even though they struggled against Linfield. |
| NPI (rank): | 67.371 (25) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 156.9/284.1 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 127.0/229.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.3/5.2 |
| Leading passer: | Ryan Blair, 272.1 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Luis Salgado, 119.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Evan Liggett, 114.9 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Zach Brooks, 111 (54 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | JT Munoz, 6.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Daniel McKeirnan, 4 |
| How far can they go? | Should be able to get a win in this bracket. |
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens
| Seed: | No. 9, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Claremont, Calif. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2878 |
| Stadium: | Merritt Field (2500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | SCIAC |
| Head coach: | John Walsh (Amherst '97) |
| Career record: | 41-25 (.621) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-1 (2022) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 255 | 206 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: SCIAC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | When the offense is moving the ball and the offensive line is protecting Grady Russo. The opposing defense needs to respect Russo's running ability, allowing him time to find a Wimmer, whether it's Quinten or Sander. Quinten has averaged 7.5 catches and 92.3 yards per game since Russo returned from injury, and Sander has averaged 5.0 and 63.8 yards over that span as well. The strength of the Sagehens defense is up front. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Nobody else on the offense appears to be a threat and the opposing defense can double the Wimmers. The secondary needs to make plays. Quick scores, long pass plays, are a bad sign, but bend-not-break works, even if sometimes it's bend-and-break. |
| This season's turning point: | Somehow winning the first meeting with Chapman on the road without Russo and getting home field advantage for the SCIAC championship game rematch. The Sagehens blocked two punts and returned one for a touchdown, and also scored on a 75-yard reverse pass for a TD. |
| NPI (rank): | 60.497 (54) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 98.0/204.7 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 121.2/214.1 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.1/5.2 |
| Leading passer: | Grady Russo, 152.1 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Brennan Dragomer, 44.6 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Quinten Wimmer, 56.0 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Thomas McConnell, 89 (63 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Alden Kling, 5.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Kalani Pickett, Eamon Glascott, Jake Sugawara, 2 |
| How far can they go? | It's probably not into a second weekend. |
Alfred State Pioneers
| Seed: | No. 10 seed, Cortland bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Alfred, NY |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 3091 |
| Stadium: | Pioneer Stadium (1500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | ECFC |
| Head coach: | Scott Linn (Albion '06) |
| Career record: | 26-35 (.426) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-1 (2023) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 198 | 195 |
| How they got here: | Automatic bid: ECFC |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The offensive line is keeping QB Justin Horvath upright and able to find his pass catchers (Noah Currier 38-360-3, Evan Brown 23-331-1), and their stable of running backs (Currier, Josh Graham and Nicholas Cuomo) are averaging more than 4-5 yards per carry). |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The Pioneers aren't protecting the football. Alfred State committed eight turnovers, including six interceptions, in its losses this season. |
| This season's turning point: | Getting a second crack at Anna Maria this season because of the ECFC's schedule including a conference championship game between the top two teams. |
| NPI (rank): | 43.015 (167) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 166.3/147.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 150.1/193.3 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.0/5.7 |
| Leading passer: | Justin Horvath, 140.5 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Noah Currier, 54.5 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Frank Tomaro, 36.43 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Silas Egenlauf, 112 (62 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Conner McWilliams, 8 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Chris Bergman, 6 |
| How far can they go? | Less than 500 miles. |