MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – Host Morrisville State College football collected 502 total yards offense Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as visiting SUNY Cortland collected the 34-20 Empire 8 win on Drake Field in Morrisville.
Brandon Gwinner (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Nick Edmond (Blythe, Calif.) combined for a Morrisville State (2-5, 0-4) team total 459 yards total offense behind 298 yards passing and 161 yards rushing on the day, out doing the visitors as they collected just 335 yards in their offensive outing.
Gwinner connected on 24-of-42 pass attempts, including 12 to wide out Raffaele Bradshaw (Westbury, N.Y.) for 103 yards. Edmond also connected with Bradshaw for a 40-yard pass completion down center, giving the junior a total 143 yards receiving on the day.
Joseph Faniel (Clyde, N.Y.) also served as the favored target for Gwinner, reeling in eight for 110- yards.
A trio of Mustangs collected six tackles in the efforts, including Deondrade Wells (Goshen, N.Y.) who made six solo stops, while teammates Kendall Clarke (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Greg Elliott (Hubbardsville, N.Y.) each pulled down six.
Cortland settled for a field goal on their opening drive of the contest, with William Holscher hitting the 18 yard kick after the Mustang defense made two straight stands on their own one-yard line.
On the ensuing possession, Morrisville State responded, taking advantage of a defensive pass interference call. Gwinner got a block on the right to carry the ball 10 yards into the end zone for the 6-3 host lead.
They extended their lead to 10 late in the first quarter as Edmond completed the 73-yard drive with a two yard rushing score on the direct snap, making it a 13-3 ball game in favor of the hosts.
In the second, though, Cortland gained all momentum and posted three scores, including a 55-yard passing strike from Steven Ferreira to Nick Anderson just over a minute in.
They regained the lead at the 4:05 mark with a 44-yard scramble up center after finding a hole on the foot of Johnnie Atkins for the 17-13 lead, and added a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the half for the one possession advantage at the half.
The lone score of the third came on special teams, as Cortland's D'monte Woody recovered the blocked Morrisville State field goal attempt and returned the ball 83 yards for the touchdown score, giving the Red Dragons the 27-13 advantage after three. Travis Alvarez was credited with the block.
Morrisville State got one back in the fourth as Edmond scrambled 24 yards into the end zone for his second of the game, but Cortland quickly responded with their own rushing score on the following possession, collecting the eventual 34-20 conference win.
Ferreira finished with 198 yards on 16-for-28 passing, while Atkins collected 86 yards on 17 carries in the running game.
Anderson and Angelo Foster were the main targets for Ferreira, each combining for nine total catches for 143 yards.
Mark DeLuise led the defensive unit with 13 stops for the visitors.
Morrisville State returns to the field Saturday, traveling to Alfred University.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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