ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cortaca Jug rivalry has returned to South Hill for the first time in six years as the 64th Jug Game between the No. 14 Ithaca College football team and No. 15 Cortland will be played at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium this Saturday, November 11 at 12 p.m. Both teams are 8-1 on the season and have clinched their spots in the upcoming NCAA Division III Championship.

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ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday's matchup at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium will serve as the 64th time IC and Cortland have played for the Jug and the 81st all-time meeting. Ithaca leads the Jug series, 38-25, and the all-time series, 43-34-3. IC has won four of the past five meetings.

IMPORTANT STADIUM INFORMATION: Gates open at 10 a.m. Fans are encouraged to enter the stadium early to avoid long lines. Spectators should also expect to be searched at any time upon entering the stadium. There are no bags allowed in Butterfield Stadium so please plan accordingly.

Ithaca "blue stub" tickets should enter at Gate 1. Cortland "yellow stub" tickets should enter at Gates 2 and 3.

WEDNESDAY'S Q&A WITH TOERPER AND FITZPATRICK: On Wednesday, head coaches Michael Toerper and Curt Fitzpatrick held a virtual Q&A with media members. Those interested can view the interview on the Ithaca Bombers YouTube channel.

The original Cortaca Jug was purchased back in 1959 by Dick Carmean and Tom Decker. A second jug was introduced in the mid-1980s and a third back in 2015. The game routinely draws around 10,000 fans, but surpassed that marks exponentially in 2019 and 2022 as 45,161 fans showed up to MetLife Stadium for the 61st Jug game to break the NCAA Division III attendance record and 40,232 showed up at Yankee Stadium for the 63rd installment.

WELCOME BACK TO SOUTH HILL: Saturday also marks the first time that Ithaca and Cortland have played at Butterfield Stadium since 2017, which was a 48-20 Bombers victory and snapped Cortland's seven-game winning streak in the Cortaca Jug.

ALMOST DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN: Last season was the first time in the storied history of the Cortaca Jug where both teams met with undefeated 9-0 records. Cortland was ranked No. 9 last season, while Ithaca was No. 11. This year, both teams are 8-1 and are side-by-side in the latest D3football.com Top 25 Poll as IC is 14th and Cortland is 15th.

POSITIONING AND BRAGGING RIGHTS: Ithaca and Cortland have both clinched a spot in the upcoming NCAA Division III Championship, so Saturday's game is all about seeding in the tournament. A win for either side will likely come with a first round home playoff game and a loss will most certainly send the Bombers or Red Dragons on the road.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: The field of 32 teams who will vie for a national title will be revealed at 5 p.m. on November 12 as part of the NCAA Selection Show. Twenty-eight teams receive automatic bids to the championship, while just four schools earn an at-large selection. First round games take place on November 18.

RECAP FROM CANTON: Ithaca completed its perfect Liberty League season last Saturday with a 51-14 win at St. Lawrence. The Bombers scored the first touchdown of the game but missed the extra point and then St. Lawrence took a 7-6 lead on a 53-yard run. From there, IC put up 24 straight points to build a 30-7 advantage and scored 35 points in the second half.

IC scored on five rushing touchdowns, led by 99 yards and two scores from Jalen Leonard-Osbourne. Jalen Hines, Colin Schumm and Dan Mason also found the end zone.

Schumm threw for 151 yards and another score as he connected with Ben Marinaccio on a 9-yard completion in the third quarter.

The IC defense forced four more turnovers in the game, including three interceptions from Derek Slywka, Cam Paquette and Jason Haber. Paquette returned his interception 18 yards for a touchdown. Isaiah Couser also forced a fumble, which was recovered by Jake Connolly.

TURNOVER MACHINE: Over the past six games, Ithaca's defense has produced 19 takeaways on 14 interceptions and five fumbles.

CORTLAND POUNDS BROCKPORT: Cortland also wrapped up a perfect Empire 8 season last week with a 41-17 thumping of Brockport in a battle of then 7-1 teams. The Red Dragons used five first half turnovers by the Golden Eagles to build a 24-3 lead by intermission and would go up by a 38-3 score early in the third quarter.

Zac Boyes threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns, while Cole Burgess was on the receiving end of three scores and hauled in nine passes for 245 yards.

STATISTICAL LEADERS: Ithaca ranks top 20 nationally in the following statistical categories: fumbles lost (2nd), turnover margin (4th), turnovers lost (6th), sacks allowed (6th), interceptions (10th), winning percentage (13th), interceptions thrown (15th), scoring defense (16th), red zone defense (18th) and blocked kicks (19th).

Cortland ranks top 20 in these categories: first downs (3rd), passing efficiency (3rd), blocked punts (4th), total offense (6th), scoring offense (6th), completion percentage (6th), third down conversion (7th), interceptions thrown (8th), rushing offense (10th), winning percentage (13th), passing yards allowed (19th), passing yards per completion (19th) and third down defense (20th).

MORE ABOUT THE BOMBERS: Ithaca brings an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup. The Bombers have also played the hardest schedule in Division III with a .674 SOS and the No. 1 opponent's win percentage at .718.

The Bombers average 28.6 points per game and have held their opponents to 12.0 points per outing. IC rushes for 214.8 yards and throws for 172.2 for a season average of 387.0, while the defense holds teams to 279.2 (111.3 rushing and 167.9 passing).

Leonard-Osbourne leads the rushing attack with 804 yards and eight touchdowns, while Sam Kline is the top offensive threat in the passing game with 583 yards on 40 receptions. Leonard-Osbourne also has 303 yards receiving.

Schumm has thrown for 492 yards in his three starts with three touchdowns.

Defensively, Ben Stola leads the team with 85 total tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and two interceptions. Connolly ranks second with 67 tackles and two picks, while Slywka has five interceptions and nine pass breakups.

Darren Brunner averages nearly 40 yards per punt this season, while Derek Baldin is 10-for-14 on field goal attempts and has 18 touchbacks in 51 kickoffs.

CHECKING IN WITH THE RED DRAGONS: Cortland is on a six-game winning streak after a 38-35 loss to Susquehanna in Week 3. The Red Dragons are also at the top of the list in terms of strength of schedule at eighth in DIII with a .607 SOS.

Simply put, the Red Dragon offense is a juggernaut this season. Cortland averages 51.3 points per game and 529.2 yards of offense behind a balanced attack of 249.6 on the ground and 279.7 through the air. The defense holds teams to 15.0 points and 254.3 yards.

Boyes is one of the nation's best quarterbacks with 2278 yards passing with 28 touchdowns to just one interception. He also completes 72.3-percent of his passes. The two-headed attack on the outside by Burgess and JJ Laap has accounted for 81 receptions for 1518 yards and 20 touchdowns. Jaden AlfanoStJohn leads the rushing attack with 799 yards and nine touchdowns.

Jack Winey has 81 tackles on the season, while Luke Winslow and Sam Cotton rank second and third with 42 and 40 tackles. Winslow and Cotton also have a combined five interceptions.

Patrick Luby is a special teams threat with 43 touchbacks in 74 kickoffs, to go along with a 37.6 average in punts. Mike Baloga is 6-for-10 in field goals.

UP NEXT: Ithaca will find out who and where it will play on Sunday evening for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on November 18.