Cortland, NY – Brockport football was handed its third loss of the season on Saturday, falling on the road against No. 20 Cortland, 44-14. Brockport moves to 4-2 in E8 play and 6-3 overall on the season.
 
The turnover story proved to play a major factor, with the Red Dragons winning the turnover battle, 4-1. All four takeaways by Cortland resulted in touchdowns, leading Cortland to claiming its fifth straight Empire 8 Title.
 
Brockport's offense outgained Cortland's, 336-262, in the contest but was only able to find the endzone twice. For the seventh time this season, Isaiah Simmons rushed for over 100 yards to highlight the Golden Eagle offense.
 
Simmons rushed for 125 yards on 20 carries, averaging 6.3 yards a touch. He scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a 44-yard scamper in the second quarter. As one of the best in the nation, Brockport's star back now has 1,203 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground this season.
 
The Golden Eagle defense held Cortland to well below its season average of yardage, keeping the Red Dragons to 262 yards of total offense. They also forced a turnover by way of a fumble in the first quarter. However, Cortland's Mike Rescigno made every play he needed to on the way to a 5-touchdown performance (3 passing, 2 rushing).
 
Luca Friedman and Nazhier Wilson made plays all game for Brockport defensively. Friedman led all players in the game with 11 total tackles. Wilson had 10 tackles, while also forcing and recovering a fumble for the Golden Eagles.
 
Cortland would score first in the contest to take a 7-0 lead going into the second quarter. Brockport quickly answered, tying the game up at 7-7 after Simmons' 1-yard touchdown run.
 
A pair of back-to-back scores for the Red Dragons made it a 20-7 lead over Brockport late in the second quarter. A big play score from Simmons (44-yard rushing TD) would set up a 23-14 halftime score, as Brockport cut into the deficit.
 
Brockport would not be able to find points to help the cause in the second half, falling behind on the road. No. 20 Cortland controlled the pace of play through the finish line to create a 44-14 final score.
 
Next weekend the Golden Eagles look to bounce back in the final game of the regular season. They will host Utica in another Empire 8 matchup on Senior Day. Gametime is scheduled for 2pm on Saturday, November 15^th.